Saturday, November 21, 2009

The Thuggery Starts Early

Mary Matalin "slaps" one on Sarah Palin | Crooks and Liars
Time is the most valuable commodity on a campaign and you just can't waste it thinking about how to choose your words carefully or get your job done more diplomatically. If someone isn't in tears every day, that day wasn't all it could be advancing the campaign. I once witnessed an experienced (big) man slap a professional female colleague across the face over an ad buy... and no one thought anything of it, starting with the woman. In fact, she would have been insulted if anyone told her she should have been insulted.

So violent criminal assault is no big deal in a Republican campaign, huh? This explains a lot.


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

We Ain't Talking About Barney Fife Here

The "geopolitical intelligence" website STRATFOR  gets past all the fearmongering and looks at the resources the New York City Federal Courts and the City itself already have  in place for security during what will inevitably become known as the "Gitmo Five" trial.

Remember, they've dealt with terrorist trials before, not to mention high profile Mafia trials. And also remember, as others have pointed out, the people we're dealing with aren't  Magneto and The Joker.

Thanks to Randy Ellison for the link.


Quote of the Day

From Talking Points Memo:
"How is it that it will take 'decades' for history to judge the Bush administration yet we know already that the Obama administration is a failure?"

Sunday, November 15, 2009

No Principles Whatsoever

Rudy Giuliani, 1994:

The verdict [against the first World Trade Center Bombers] ‘demonstrates that New Yorkers won’t meet violence with violence, but with a far greater weapon — the law.’

“I think it shows you put terrorism on one side, you put our legal system on the other, and our legal system comes out ahead."

Rudy
Giuliani, 2009:

“[Trying the "911 mastermind" in a civilian court] gives an unnecessary advantage to the terrorists and why would you want to give an advantage to the terrorists, and it poses risks for New York.”

“We wouldn’t have tried the people who attacked Pearl Harbor in a civilian court in Hawaii.”

“I’m concerned that we no longer believe we’re at war with Islamic terrorists when they’re at war with us.”

Why the hell does anyone take this hack seriously?