The Blue State

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Crooks& Liars: ‘Fourth Branch’ Cheney strikes again - We all had agood laugh last month when Dick Cheney’s office argued, in all sincerity, thatthe Vice President could ignore executive orders because he’s not part of theexecutive branch of government. Eventually, the Bush gang dropped the argumentfrom their talking points, but until after they’d humiliated themselves.Yesterday, CBS News’ Mark Knoller sat down with Cheney for a fairly longinterview, which included this follow up to last month’s absurdities:(transcript via Nexis)

Q: There was an aide in your office who said that one of the reasons youweren’t abiding by that executive order was that you’re really not part ofthe executive branch. Do you have — are you part of the executive branch, sir?

CHENEY: Well, the job of the Vice President is an interesting one, becauseyou’ve got a foot in both the executive and the legislative branch. Obviously,I’ve got an office in the West Wing of the White House, I’m an adviser ofthe President, I sit as a member of the National Security Council. At the sametime, under the Constitution, I have legislative responsibilities. I’mactually paid by the Senate, not by the executive. I sit as the President of theSenate, as the presiding officer in the Senate. I cast tie-breaking votes in theSenate. So the Vice President is kind of a unique creature, if you will, in thatyou’ve got a foot in both branches. Readon...

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Similar to above, but with audio.

ThinkProgress: 'Cheney Says He Is A ‘Unique Creature,’ Refuses To Say HeIs Part Of Executive Branch' - In June, House investigators revealed thatVice President Dick Cheney had exempted his office from an executive order orderdesigned to safeguard classified national security information by claiming thatthe Office of the Vice President is not an “entitywithin the executive branch.”

After Congressional Democrats calledhis bluff by threatening to withhold funding from his office, the WhiteHouse was forced to roll back their rhetoric, claiming “that the rationale hadbeen the view of the vice president’s lawyers, not Cheney himself.” Readon...with audio

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MSNBC Article Via Raw Story: 'CorruptionReigns in Iraq Ministries' - Supplies and medicine in strife-tornBaghdad's overcrowded hospitals have been siphoned off and sold elsewhere forprofit because of “untouchable” corruption in the Iraqi Ministry of Health,according to a draft U.S. government report obtained by NBC News. The report,written by U.S. advisers to Iraq's anti-corruption agency, analyzes corruptionin 12 ministries and finds devastating and grim problems. "Corruptionprotected by senior members of the Iraqi government remains untouchable,"the report sad. Read on...

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The Huffington Post: (Storyfrom 'The Hill') 'GOP'sSpecter: Bush Admin Has Until Noon To Defend Gonzales' - The SenateJudiciary Committee's ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), emerged from acrucial Monday briefing and gave the Bush administration 18 hours to resolve thecontroversy over apparent contradictions in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales'scongressional testimony.

Gonzales took issue last week with former Deputy Attorney General JamesComey's description of internal dissent in 2004 over the legal authority for theNational Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless eavesdropping program. FrustratedDemocrats called for a special prosecutor to investigate Gonzales for perjury,noting that...Readon...

Take action against Fox advertisers

  In July, Bill O'Reilly and his supporters took action against jetblue for sponsoring the Yearly Kos Convention, and in the end scared the company into dropping its spot.

If the 'fair and balanced' personalities over at Fox can scare sponsors into steering clear of a people-powered convention, then you and I can do the same to Rupert Murdoch.

The Blue State is joining alongside MoveOn.org and DailyKos to encourage every single blog reader to write an email to companies that advertise on Fox news.  All it takes is just a few minutes.  For example, try emailing Home Depot, which is a heavy advertiser on Fox.  Tell them you will boycott their company because it funds unfair and unbalanced news personalities that are hurting our country:

• Home Depot > Write to Paul Raines, Executive Vice President

I am focusing on Home Depot because they are a national company.  But I encourage all of you to call, email or write to local advertisers, since they are the most likely to change course.

If this is not a big issue to you, then don't do anything.  But if you think Fox News is hurting America and want to do something about it, then this is an effective way to take action.  Join us in this effort! 

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the other liberal blogs are posting:

Crooks& Liars: 'Daily Show: Bush Relies on His "Non-Experts"'- "Like JFK, President Bush surrounds himself with “the best and thebrightest.” Well, sorta" . My words: The Daily Show does a great jobof pulling all the past contradictions from Bush and his Administration. This isa video of a compilation of such contradictions. Truth is becoming such a non-issue with this administration (and politics in general) it's so difficult to know whats real and what isn't. And people are okay with the lies if they come from their party. Everyone should take the time and write to their senators and congressmna, its easy and most of the time the links are provided within an article or post. Readon with video...

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ThinkProgress: 'Specter Proposes Special Prosecutor ToInvestigate U.S. Attorney Scandal' - The Bush administration has repeatedlycited executive privilege claims to block Congress from investigating the U.S.attorney scandal. Most recently, the White House said that “the JusticeDepartment will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated byCongress against White House officials once the president has invoked executiveprivilege.” Today, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) noted that under Bush’s broadclaim of executive privilege, “the president’s word stands and theconstitutional authority and responsibility for congressional oversight is gone.Readon...

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Treasureof Baghdad: 'Deserted City' - It’s two in the morning. I can’tsleep even though my eyes are hardly open. Cocooned in the darkness of my room,and enveloped by my blanket, I recalled the images I saw on Nabil’sblog a few days ago. They beset me like a murderous ghost in a series ofhorror flick. I forced my eyes to close. I got up from the bed and hurried tothe computer. A click after a click on the pictures, I found myself shouting“no”. Not this neighborhood, not my childhood, not my memories. The streetswhich once embraced people with warmth are empty and deserted today. Therestaurants that I barely recognized in the pictures became like empty boxesalong side the concrete barriers and the destroyed sidewalks. Readon with video...

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RawStory: MSNBCAnalyst: Romney will say 'anything to be President' ' - "Lightenup," was the message delivered by Mitt Romney when confronted at a campaignstop about his latest photo-op with a supporter holding a sign comparing Sen.Barack Obama (D-IL) with Osama Bin Laden. On Monday's Countdown Keith Olbermannjoked, "that's Romney, not 9/11 planner Ramzi bin Al-Shibh," as heintroduced a clip showing the former Massachusetts governor being asked why hewould compare any American with Osama bin Laden. Readon...

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The Guardian's Commentis Free: 'A Surge in Accusations' America'sincreasingly emphatic allegations of meddling in Iraq raise the potential fordirect confrontation with Iran. - US military spokesmen, officials and analystsare gradually adding flesh to the bones of earlier allegations of officialIranian collaboration with Shia and Sunni insurgents in Iraq, including elementslinked to al-Qaida. The development comes amid reports that the White House isleaning towards military action against Iran over its suspect nuclear activitiesand supposed meddling in Iraq - and growing domestic pressure on George Bush toshow the Baghdad military "surge" is working. Readon...

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BoomanTribune: Gonzales Testimony is a Total Disaster' - Some highlights of theGonzales hearings this morning and afternoon. - Arlen Specter signaled thatInherent Contempt is not out of the question for administration members that donot comply with subpoenas. Specter also strongly suggested that Gonzales wouldbe subject to prosecution for perjury if he did not correct his testimony. Thelatter specifically relates to testimony Gonzales previously gave about whetheror not there was an internal disagreement about the NSA wiretapping program.Alberto's defense is that his hospital visit to Ashcroft involved anotherprogram than the one revealed in the December 2005 New York Times article.Beyond that, he wants to go into executives session before he elaborates. Readon...

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Military Dot Com Update.

From time to time we post a 'Military.com Update'. Military.com is a truebipartisan, for the troops, pull no punches site. If anyone knows of anothersite similar to this (military based) please let us know in the commentssection. It's a long one, but worthy just the same. Anyway, without further adieu.

NOTE: To eliminate any "link frustrations", the TITLEof the article and the "Read on..." linksdirect you to the same page.

 
• 'Soldiers    Defend Body Armor' - FORT BELVOIR, Va. - Soldiers are    volunteering dramatic personal accounts of lives saved and injuries avoided    thanks to the Army's body armor. Their first-hand accounts of what happens    demonstrate confidence in what the Army is doing to protect them.    Interceptor Body Armor is a modular system that features an outer tactical    vest with hard protective plates. Spc. Gregory T. Miller, 101st Airborne    Division, told Congress at a hearing last month that this body armor saved    his life while he was on patrol in Kirkuk in preparation for Iraqi elections    in December 2005. He was hit in the back by a sniper with what was supposed    to be an armor-piercing round. Spc. Miller, who wound up with a bruised    back, said he didn't even realize he'd been hit at first. Read    on...

My 2 Cents: I don't doubt Interceptor is "very good" bodyarmor, and anyone wearing it while hit and surviving would think it was the bestthing since sliced bread...similar to having a round hitting that"bible" in your front breast pocket. However, I would say that notcontinually looking into better ways to protect our soldiers, or dismissingbetter equipment because of "politics" is criminal. We have stayed onthis issue for some time. Catch up here...'TheBody Armor Issue' - Round 2 (No pun intended)

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• 'DOD Makes    Key Program Adjustments' -  The    Pentagon recently sent Congress a $1.7 billion reprogramming request. These    are areas where the services take fiscal 2007 money away from some programs     that can afford to be delayed, canceled or restructured and transfer those    dollars to help boost other programs that can be sped up or more robustly    fielded. An "at    a glance" breakdown here...

My 2 Cents: I'm sure there are tons of inconsistencies here, but onethat sticks out as politically motivated is "$155million in Reserve mobilizations due to reduction in needed forces by about15,000 troops.". Call me crazy, but the militaryis missing recruitment goals all over the place. Many of our blue and whitecollar workers...I mean National Guardsman and Reservists are serving in Iraqwhich could prove to be disastrous if we have any national emergencies. Anyway,go through the list and give us your take.

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• 'Military.com    Poll: War Support Waning' - Nearly 60 percent of readers who    participated in a recent Military.com poll said the United States should    withdraw its troops from Iraq now or by the end of 2008.  More    than 40 percent of the respondents agreed the pullout should begin    immediately because "we're wasting lives and resources there."    Read on with great explanation of poll HERE...Poll    results HERE... 

My 2 Cents: These numbers are interesting mainly because it ispro-military site. If Bill O'Reilly gets a whiff of this poll he will blame iton MoveOn.org or the evil "far leftwing" antics of NBC.

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• 'Reservist    Tries to Stop Deployment' - WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Army    Reserve Sgt. Erik Botta has been sent to Iraq three times and to Afghanistan    once. He thinks that's enough. Botta wants a court to block the military's    plan to deploy him for a fifth time Sunday, most likely to Iraq. He isn't    against the war - but he thinks he can serve his country better now by    working for a defense contractor and pursuing his education. Botta    enlisted in the Army Reserves in October 2000. After the Sept. 11, 2001,    terror attacks, he requested transfer to active duty, which was    granted the next month, according to the petition. Read    on...

My 2 Cents: It is issues like this that will/are breeding resentmenteven from the pro-war conservative base (soldiers included). I am sure that Erikdidn't plan on a military career, but at 26 years old he is closing in on 8years in.

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• 'Bush    Names General to Lead AFRICOM' - WASHINGTON - President Bush    named Gen. William E. "Kip" Ward yesterday to help stand up U.S.    Africa Command as its first commander. Ward has served as deputy commander    of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, since May 2006. In that    role, he has been responsible for the day-to-day activities for U.S. forces    operating across 92 countries in Europe, Africa, Russia, parts of Asia and    the Middle East, the Mediterranean and most of the Atlantic Ocean.    "Africa Command will enhance our efforts to bring peace and security    to the people of Africa and promote our common goals of development,    health, education, democracy and economic growth in Africa," he said. 

My 2 Cents: Most people are aware of the atrocities that are occurringin Africa, and in my opinion THAT is where we should be. Not in a war, but in a"true humanitarian" role. However, who the hell wants to hear aboutcombat operations of any kind after Iraq? That my friends is the problem .AfterBush's quagmire in Iraq, most of the people that once would have been forhelping out the victims in Africa, now don't want to hear anything aboutdeploying troops anywhere.

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• 'Landstuhl    Heroes Deserve Your Support' - Recovering troops at the U.S.    military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany need your help. During a recent    visit there, American Legion National Commander Paul A. Morin and American    Legion Auxiliary President JoAnn Cronin found these war heroes are in need    of comfort items and essentials that could improve their quality of life.    "Don’t let the well-deserved media attention given to Walter Reed    Army Medical Center detract from the needs of the heroes at Landstuhl."     Read    on (with link to where you can help)

My 2 Cents: Helping isn't restricted to donations, just spreading theword carries a lot of weight.

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• 'Panel    Demands Tillman's Death Records' - SAN FRANCISCO - Two    influential lawmakers investigating how and when the Bush administration    learned the circumstances of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death and how those    details were disclosed accused the White House and Pentagon on Friday of    withholding key documents and renewed their demand for the material. The    White House and Defense Department have turned over nearly 10,000 pages of    papers - mostly press clippings - but the White House cited "executive    branch confidentiality interests" in refusing to provide other    documents. Read    on...

My 2 Cents: I understand the need for certain information to be keptsecret, but the Bush admin. seems to think anything they deem"sensitive" should remain secret, and that is partially why his pollnumbers are where they're out now.

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And NOW, for the Grand Finale of DISGUST!

 
• 'Senate    Rejects Time Off for Deployed' - WASHINGTON — The Senate on    Wednesday rejected a proposal to guarantee all troops a month home for every    month they are deployed into a combat zone. The Senate fell four votes short    of the 60 needed to end debate on the topic, preventing Democratic leaders    in the chamber from bringing the issue up for a full vote and effectively    forcing them to drop it. Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader Harry    Reid, D-Nev., called the proposal “critical for the strength of our    military and the well-being of our troops” and chastised Republicans for    blocking the amendment. The one-for-one proposal was introduced last week by    Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., as a way to ease the burden of deployments on troops    and their families. Proponents said the measure would help preserve troop    morale and health, while opponents said it unfairly restricted military    planners. Read    on...

My 2 Cents: I'll leave this one up to you to fill in the blanks.

Blue Nightowl Clips

As we post each night, here are some of the political clips making their rounds on the blogs today;

1. 'Fratboy Bush Unveils Renovated Press Briefing Room' (this is pathetic...how quickly they forget)

2. Helen Thomas Gets Tough with Bush at Press Conference. (Bush really does resemble Lil' Bush when he speaks)

3. Former Surgeon General Richard Carmona Testifies on the extent to which the Bush administration suppresses and manipulates science to fit their narrow ideological view.

4. Fire Fighters Union President Explains the Issues They Have with Giuliani

5. News Coverage of Salee arriving in Greenville, SC (a nice story you won't see FOX News report on)

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the other liberal blogs are posting:

ThinkProgress: 'Kristol: Bush Timed Clemency To Get PoliticalCover By Attacking Clinton' This morning, the Weekly Standard’s BillKristol — who accuratelypredicted the President’s decision to commute Libby’s sentence —suggested the order was timed to provide political cover for the decision byattacking President Clinton.

“Here’s why the president acted the way he did. He knew Bill Clinton wasjoining Hillary in Iowa on July 4th. No, I’m serious,” Kristol said. “Soon July 2d, Ed Gillespie, who’s a very canny Republican operator, said,Let’s pardon Libby. Clinton will rise to the bait, and we could spend the lasthalf of the week debating the unbelievable Clinton pardons against thedefensible Bush pardon.”

Kristol concluded, “I regard this as an extremely clever Machiavellian moveby the president. It cheers me up about the Bush White House, and I’m reallyheartened.” Readon with video....

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Crooks& Liars: 'Conyers brings up the Impeachment polls' Rep. JohnConyers was talking about the stonewalling of the White House (he wants thePresident to waive executive privilege) so he can find out the truth on thefirings of the US Atty’s on ABC’s This Week. He said he wouldn’t holdSara Taylor in contempt to compel her to testify. Duncan asks howthe WH can prevent a former employee from testifying about anything? Johnsaid he’ll press on with subpoenas if Bush refuses.

Conyers then told Stephanopoulos that he thought the White House would bemore cooperative in light of the latest polls that say a majority of Americanswant Cheney impeached while Bush is at almost 50%. Readon with video...

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The Huffington Post: Admin.Official On Iraq: "Nobody Knows What [Bush] Thinks, Even The People WhoWork For Him"

'Administration Shaving Yardstick for Iraq Gains' The Iraqi government isunlikely to meet any of the political and security goals or timelines PresidentBush set for it in January when he announced a major shift in U.S. policy,according to senior administration officials closely involved in the matter. Asthey prepare an interim report due next week, officials are marshalingalternative evidence of progress to persuade Congress to continue supporting thewar.

In a preview of the assessment it must deliver to Congress in September, theadministration will report that Sunni tribal leaders in Anbarprovince are turning against the group al-Qaeda in Iraq in growing numbers;that sectarian killings were down in June; and that Iraqi political leadersmanaged last month to agree on a unified response to the bombing of a majorreligious shrine, officials said. Readon...

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BoomanTribune: 'New GOP Talking Points' Funny. The newright-wing argument for staying in Iraq is that it is the only compassionatething to do. Jules Crittenden calls it GenocidePrefered...as in, the New York Times would prefer genocide to what we havenow. Read on...

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Firedoglake: 'Facethe Snark? Face the Fred.' The past few few days have been chock full offascinating info about Fred Thompson. Thompson is of course the ungainly actorand undeclared GOP presidential aspirant who smells really nice, at leastaccording to ChrisMatthews. And, in fairness, he does sort of bear a resemblance to a giganticstick of Old Spice deoderant, so Tweety might not be as far out there on this asyou’d think. But anyhow. The way Thompson is being treated by the Elite Mediaas well as Greater Wingnuttia is instructive, as it tells us something about howthese two groups operate not in opposition but according to a self-reinforcingdialectic of mutual lunacy. And it is this dialectic that more than anythingelse has for the past two decades mired our great nation in this all-suckingswampland of Dumb we’re having so much trouble escaping. Read on...

 

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Digby's Hullabaloo: 'Impeachment'Has there ever been a president who deserved it more? I don't think so.Looking at this as someone who believes that until we hold them accountable fortheir crimes, these zombie crooks will keep doing this over and over again untilour country is unrecognizable, my instinct is to scream it from the rafters. ButI'm still not convinced that the Democrats should try to impeach. The problemfor me is threefold and it has nothing to do with the merits of the case or thedesirability of doing it. It's about the political landscape. ReadOn...

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ThinkProgress: 'Snow Stonewalls On Possible Involvement OfCheney In Libby Pardon' A recent Washington Post exposé on Dick Cheneyrevealed that the vice president often gives secret guidance to President Bushthat frequently dictates the president’s final decision on key issues. Thismorning on CNN, Joe Wilson said the Post series was an affirmation of Cheney’snegative influence throughout the administration. “I see the fine hand of DickCheney everywhere. I admit my bias on that,” he said. “But of course I read‘The Washington Post’ four-part series last week, and I’ve seen the handof the vice president in the trail of the covert identity of a CIA officer, ashave the rest of the world now.”.. ReadOn...

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Treasure ofBaghdad: 'Fake Your Sect to Fool Militias' Iraqi Sunni youths havestarted an electronic campaign to protect themselves from Shiite militias.Faking faith to fool death squads is not a new phenomenon. It started after theincreased reprisal killings in the aftermath of the al-Qaeda’s terroristsbombed the Holy Shrine in Sammara when Shiites militias stormed houses andstreets and kidnapped and killed innocent Sunni people to avenge the bombing.The campaign included an extensive instructional email that containedinstructions to Sunni people of how to dissemble themselves like Shiites so thatin case they are kidnapped, militias release them believing they are Shiites. ReadOn, With Video...

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TPM Muckraker: Ididn't know which story to choose, so I direct you to TPM'smain page for a slew of "tonySNOWjobs". (4 of them, with video)

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BoingBoing:'More on Google vs Sicko'AGoogle employee has clarified her offer to use Google's services to defuse theimpact of Michael Moore's new movie, Sicko. Lauren Turner is the "accountplanner, health" for Google, and she made headlines with a post on theGoogle Health Advertising Blog where she offered the healthcare industry achance to run ads for anti-Sicko sites alongside Google searches for "sicko."

Today, Turner posted a clarification,stating that her opinions of Moore's movie were her own, and not Google's, andreaffirming the use of advertising to "handle challenges," calling it"a very democratic and effective way to participate in a publicdialogue." She went on to say that this view of advertising is the officialGoogle policy, though reiterating that Google is silent on the questions raisedby Moore's movie. ReadOn...

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NewsHounds: 'O'Reilly's "Shut up!" = Malkin's "Stop, stop,stop!" ' Bill O'Reilly better watch out and stop all the vacationingbecause guest host Michelle Malkin is mastering all his slick interviewtechniques. She over talked, monopolized, controlled the permissible language,and in so many words told her guest to shut up. ReadOn with video... (WARNING: as usual, abarf bag may be necessary...but I just has to)

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Military.com: 'Army Orders Thousands More MRAPs' (Mine Resistant AmbushProtected Vehicles)

ARLINGTON, Va. — Get ready for 2008: the year of the MRAP.

The Army plans to buy up to 17,700 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles,known as MRAPs, which have proved to take blasts from roadside bombs much betterthan up-armored Humvees. While the Army estimates that it won’t be until July2009 that all of the MRAPs could be manufactured, the Army wants to send as manyas possible downrange next year, said Army spokesman, Lt. Col. Carl Ey.“It’s important that the Army supports the warfighter as quickly and asefficiently as possible,” Ey said. Readon...

My 2 Cents: RE: MRAPs. I posted this solely for the support of ourtroops. The troops should have had these from the start instead of the sardinecans they had. To take that one step further, we should have had these ready tobe used for a "necessary" war.

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I found another "2 cents": The blogosphere ishumming with Libby's pardon and I hope this becomes the straw which gets some ofthe bastards "called on the carpet"

Photo: Courtesy of my artistic cynical side.

Introducing... Me

It is my profound pleasure to introduce the newest member to The Blue State blogging team; me! Just to give a quick background on who I am and what I do; my name is Justin and I'm a 26 year old technical writer from New Jersey. I earned my BS in International Business Studies  and BA in German from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2002, and during my tenure, had the exciting opportunity to travel abroad to Austria to spend a semester outside of the US to work and study. Why is this important? Because it gave me the opportunity to view policy and politics in the US from an outsiders perspective. How is that relevant to my input to the Blue State? Because after returning to the states to finish up my degree, I made a decision to leave, indefinitely.

So here I am, now living in Sweden, a socialist democracy (yes there is such a thing!) As Todd mentioned to me when I came on board, I technically qualify as the first foreign correspondent for the Blue State, and I hope not to disappoint. If you have any questions for me, feel free to leave a comment.

Once again, welcome aboard me!

Blue Blogs: Worthy Mentions from the Liberal Blogosphere

Here are what some of the other liberal blogs are posting:

Crooks& Liars: 'Breaking: Senate Judiciary Committee Votes To RestoreHabeas Corpus Rights' As tempting as it was after the Iraq Supplemental Billto lump Democrats and Republicans together, let’s give credit where credit isdue. The Democratic majority is the only reason we have to be hopeful ofrestoring this basic right taken away from us by the Bush Administration andtheir enabling Republican majority. Potentially, the entire Military CommissionsAct could be dismantled. Ari Melber at TheNation has more:

Today the Senate Judiciary Committee passed an important bill to restorehabeas corpus, the sacrosanct Constitutional right to challenge governmentdetention in court, by a vote of eleven to eight. Readon...

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TheHuffington Post: 'Report: 39 Secretly Imprisoned by U.S.'

LONDON — A coalition of human rights groups has drawn up a list of 39terror suspects it believes are being secretly imprisoned by U.S. authoritiesand published their names in a report released Thursday.

Information about the so-called "ghost detainees" was gleaned frominterviews with former prisoners and officials in the U.S., Pakistan,Afghanistan, and Yemen, according to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch,and four other groups.

"What we're asking is where are these 39 people now, and what's happenedto them since they 'disappeared'?" Joanne Mariner of Human Rights Watchsaid in a statement. Readon...

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TheNews Hounds: 'Republicans Think That Scooter Libby ShouldBe Pardoned' Yesterday (6-6-07) on Special Report, anchor Brit Humereported on the groundswell of support among Republicans for a Presidentialpardon for Scooter Libby. "Scooter Libby had barely left the courthouseyesterday when speculation began about whether President Bush might pardonhim," Hume said. "...The subject even came up in last night'sPresidential debate." Later FOX correspondent Bret Baier noted that boththe President and Vice-President had chimed in with commiserations for Libby andhis family. Additionally, possible GOP candidate Fred Thompson told FOX's SeanHannity that Libby's conviction is a "gross injustice perpetuated in largepart by this CIA and this Justice Department and this Special Counsel who theyappointed and it ought to be rectified." With video. Readon...

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ThinkProgress: 'Lute: War Debate Does Not Undercut TroopMorale'

Iraq war supporters have repeatedlyclaimed that U.S. troops are harmed when Congress debates alternatives to theBush administration’s failed policies in Iraq. “Think about the message wehave sent them,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said recently.“We have underminedtheir efforts, lowered their morale, and clearly sent the wrong message.”Vice President Cheney said the war debate was “detrimentalto our troops.”

Today, however, Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, President Bush’s proposed“war czar,” disregarded these claims.

“I don’t believe it undercuts their morale,” Lute told the Senate ArmedServices Committee during his confirmation hearing. U.S. soldiers “understandthe democratic process,” he said, “and, in fact, that’s what we’ve swornto protect and defend.” WITH VIDEO. ReadOn...

 

Blue Nightowl Clips

Here we go with tonight's batch of the top political clips making their rounds on the blogs tonight:

FOX News Mistakes Bill Jefferson

Ron Paul on John Stewart's Daily Show 6-4-07

McCain's Debate Moment

Leahy Gets Very Angry

Mike Gravel - the truth about gas prices