Rupert Murdoch predicts landslide for Democrats

Politics | Reuters

By Eric Auchard

CARLSBAD, California (Reuters) - News Corp Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch on Wednesday predicted a Democratic landslide in the U.S. presidential election against a gloomy economic backdrop over the next 18 months.

Murdoch has yet to endorse a U.S. presidential candidate but considers Barack Obama very promising, the media magnate said in an interview by two Wall Street Journal reporters at an annual conference for high-tech industry insiders.

News Corp recently acquired ownership of the Journal and its parent company Dow Jones & Co.

'You have got the Obama phenomenon. You have got, undoubtedly, a recession ... The average American is really getting hurt financially and that all bodes well for him (Obama), Murdoch said.

'You have probably the making of a complete phenomenon in this country,' Murdoch said in describing what he predicted will be a sweeping victory for Democrats in November.

The recent special election for a U.S. Congressional seat held by Republicans in Mississippi showed how powerless that party may be in the face of a rising political tide, Murdoch said. Democrat Travis Childers won the seat this month.

Murdoch said Obama and John McCain, the expected nominee of the Republican Party, both have a lot of problems, but McCain will be hurt by his party and his close ties to Washington. Race will be an issue for Obama, who would be the first black U.S. president, but "it looks like he overcomes that, overcomes that totally."

Murdoch is associated with conservative political views but has a reputation for a pragmatic streak in major national races where he has shown a willingness to switch sides when he detects major political changes afoot.

"I think it (a recession) is one we will be coming out of for quite some time," Murdoch said. "In the next 18 months, this country is going to be in for a very hard time."

In the 2008 U.S. Presidential race, Murdoch said he is not yet backing anyone, but then quickly added: "I want to meet Obama. I want to know if he going to walk the walk."

Murdoch said he had played a role in the endorsement by the New York Post, one of his global stable of papers, in endorsing Obama during the Democratic primary with Hillary Clinton in New York.

(To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters "Tales from the Trail: 2008" online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/ )

& Andrew Sullivan 5.29.2008

McClellan: failure to duck

politico.com

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan writes in a surprisingly scathing memoir to be published next week that President Bush “veered terribly off course,” was not “open and forthright on Iraq,” and took a “permanent campaign approach” to governing at the expense of candor and competence.

Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled “What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception” (Public Affairs, $27.95):

• McClellan charges that Bush relied on “propaganda” to sell the war.

[well, how would he know?]

• He says the White House press corps was too easy on the administration during the run-up to the war.

• He admits that some of his own assertions from the briefing room podium turned out to be “badly misguided.”

• The longtime Bush loyalist also suggests that two top aides held a secret West Wing meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case at a time when federal prosecutors were after them — and McClellan was continuing to defend them despite mounting evidence they had not given him all the facts.

• McClellan asserts that the aides — Karl Rove, the president’s senior adviser, and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, the vice president’s chief of staff — “had at best misled” him about their role in the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.

A few reporters were offered advance copies of the book, with the restriction that their stories not appear until Sunday, the day before the official publication date. Politico declined and purchased “What Happened” at a Washington bookstore.

The eagerly awaited book, while recounting many fond memories of Bush and describing him as “authentic” and “sincere,” is harsher than reporters and White House officials had expected.

McClellan was one of the president’s earliest and most loyal political aides, and most of his friends had expected him to take a few swipes at his former colleague in order to sell books but also to paint a largely affectionate portrait.

Instead, McClellan’s tone is often harsh. He writes, for example, that after Hurricane Katrina, the White House “spent most of the first week in a state of denial,” and he blames Rove for suggesting the photo of the president comfortably observing the disaster during an Air Force One flyover. McClellan says he and counselor to the president Dan Bartlett had opposed the idea and thought it had been scrapped.

But he writes that he later was told that “Karl was convinced we needed to do it — and the president agreed.”

“One of the worst disasters in our nation’s history became one of the biggest disasters in Bush’s presidency. Katrina and the botched federal response to it would largely come to define Bush’s second term,” he writes. “And the perception of this catastrophe was made worse by previous decisions President Bush had made, including, first and foremost, the failure to be open and forthright on Iraq and rushing to war with inadequate planning and preparation for its aftermath.”

McClellan, who turned 40 in February, was press secretary from July 2003 to April 2006. An Austin native from a political family, he began working as a gubernatorial spokesman for then-Gov. Bush in early 1999, was traveling press secretary for the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign and was chief deputy to Press Secretary Ari Fleischer at the beginning of Bush’s first term.

“I still like and admire President Bush,” McClellan writes. “But he and his advisers confused the propaganda campaign with the high level of candor and honesty so fundamentally needed to build and then sustain public support during a time of war. … In this regard, he was terribly ill-served by his top advisers, especially those involved directly in national security.”

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& David Corn 5.27.2008

& emptywheel 5.27.2008

& Maddow & Olbermann c/o C&L 5.27.2008

continued on G-bus ...

Loury & McWhorter

no looking back (1:47)

Harry Shearer: 935 Lies

Harry Shearer, "935 Lies" c/o C&L 5.24.2008


cf. Catalog of Falsehoods

Dobbs Pressed

CNN via Think Progress

Last Wednesday, Media Matters Action Network issued a report, which found that cable news commentators Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, and Glenn Beck regularly “serve up a steady diet of fear, anger, and resentment on the topic of illegal immigration.”

Last night on his CNN show, an edgy Lou Dobbs hosted Media Matters fellow Paul Waldman to discuss the report’s finding. Waldman asked Dobbs to provide evidence of the “myth” he often promotes — that there is a “secret plan” to build a “NAFTA Superhighway” from Mexico to Canada.

WALDMAN: ... Let me ask you: Do you actually believe that there is a secret plan to create a superhighway, four football fields wide, that is going to stretch from Mexico all the way to Canada?

DOBBS: No, the question is: Do you really reject the evidence that that's precisely what's going on, under the umbrella of the Security and Prosperity Partnership; and the fact that the Trans-Texas Corridor is precisely that. I mean, if you don't under[stand] ...

WALDMAN: The Trans-Texas Corridor is in Texas, Lou, though. So the question is ...

DOBBS: Yes it is. I mean, that's very insightful of you.

WALDMAN: Do you have actual evidence that there is a plan that is going to take this all the way from Mexico to Canada? I mean, what is the evidence there?

DOBBS: What is the evidence?

WALDMAN: Yes.

DOBBS: The evidence is straightforward. It is the reporting of ... You know, if you really don't … I'm not going to get into ... We haven’t enough time for this. … But even the Texas newspapers, which have resisted this idea for a number of years, now recognize what's happening. Citizen's groups are forming all over Texas to stop it. I mean, do you have any concept of what you're talking about? The Security and Prosperity Partnership, Paul, you're completely unfamiliar with it?

WALDMAN: Is there some kind of a document that they say that this is going to go from Mexico to Canada? Because we looked around, and

DOBBS: You would like documents? Why did you not ... why did you not call? How can you call research if you didn't call this broadcast and ask us for these documents and ask us for the proof of the reporting?

WALDMAN: Do you have any?

DOBBS: Of course we do! What kind of an asinine question is that?

WALDMAN: I would love to see it, because we looked around ...

DOBBS: You are a left-wing advocacy group. You’re charging nonsense, and the only way to appease both you and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus would be for me to support illegal immigration and open borders. I reject it, I reject you, and I reject your position!

Watch it:

In fact, Dobbs has a history of perpetuating myths on his show, previously linking undocumented immigrants with cases of leprosy, airing a report saying that the “invasion of illegal aliens is threatening the health of many Americans.” When CBS News confronted Dobbs and told him his claim was false, Dobbs simply replied, “If we reported it, its a fact.”

Last night, Dobbs similarly dismissed challenges to his fact-free claims, calling Waldman “an ideologue” and “a left-wing hack.”

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cf. North American SuperCorridor Coalition

& Sen. Obama 5.23.2008

Crooks and Liars » Battle of the Political Ads

Crooks and Liars » Battle of the Political Ads

Oakland Homicide Map

Oakland Homicide Map

Obama Speech after Oregon Primary

more 'republican awakening' ...

James Wolcott, Vanity Fair

commenting on Peggy Noonan (WSJ)

....

That was one of the chords Obama struck today in his response to Bush's "Nazi appeaser" accusation before the Israeli Knesset -- he firmly, deftly mummy-wrapped Bush and McCain together and dropped them off at the pier. It's rather impressive to see a first-term senator chastise the President of the United States and the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party as if he were the headmaster and they the ones guilty of infractions unworthy of upperclassmen. That's one of the benefits of having an oratorical voice that sounds tall--it automatically adds height to every utterance, allowing them to drop like acorns and make a nice thunk when they bounce off of the nearest thick skull.

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Declarations - WSJ.com

by Peggy Noonan, WSJ.com

For all their fractious fighting, they're finally resolving their central drama. Hillary Clinton will leave, and Barack Obama will deliver a stirring acceptance speech. Then hand-to-hand in the general, where they see their guy triumphing. You see it when you talk to them: They're busy being born.

The Republicans? Busy dying. The brightest of them see no immediate light. They're frozen, not like a deer in the headlights but a deer in the darkness, his ears stiff at the sound. Crunch. Twig. Hunting party.

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Checks & Balances

Conyers to Luskin (.pdf)

May 14, 2008
Via Fax and U.S. Mail

Mr. Robert D. Luskin
Patton Boggs LLP

Dear Mr. Luskin:

We are writing in response to your May 9 letter with respect to the invitation to Karl Rove to testify before the House Judiciary Committee concerning the politicization of the Department of Justice, including allegations regarding the prosecution of former Governor Don Siegelman. Because your letter appears to reflect several misunderstandings concerning the subjects we wish to question Mr. Rove about and concerning Committee procedures, we hope that this letter will clarify these matters and help avoid the use of compulsory process. Our position remains, however, that since your client has made a number of on-the-record comments on these subjects to the media, and in light of your (now modified) statement that Mr. Rove would be willing to testify, we can see no justification for his refusal to speak on the record to the Committee. Please contact Committee counsel or respond in writing no later than May 21 as to whether your client will make himself available to the Committee for questioning.

As our previous letters have made clear, the Siegelman case is a principal reason for our invitation to Mr. Rove. But as we have also explained, that issue cannot be separated from the broader concerns about politicization within the Department and the U.S. Attorney firings, and Mr. Rove has made on-the-record comments to the media about all these interrelated matters. This is different from the case of Harriet Miers, who has not made such public statements and has not been linked to the Siegelman case. As we have made clear, Mr. Rove can decline to answer specific questions based on privilege or other grounds, which are most appropriately addressed on a question-by -question basis, not by a refusal to appear altogether.

Your letter also suggests that we address written questions to Mr. Rove, which may reflect a misunderstanding of Committee procedure. Although we do often address written questions to witnesses, that occurs after live testimony, which is critical in order to allow the follow up and give-and-take that is necessary to inquiries of this nature.

Since you indicate Mr. Rove is now willing to submit written answers to questions, which by definition would be recorded in a manner similar to a transcript, we do not understand why he would not submit to providing transcribed answers to live questions, as he has done in media interviews. We are willing to consider other possible accommodations, such as providing a list of initial questions that may be asked. But your suggestion that the Committee be limited to written answers is unacceptable.

We hope you and your client will reconsider the decision not to testify on a voluntary basis. Please direct any questions and your response to the Judiciary Committee office, 2138 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (tel: 202-225-3951; fax: 202-225-7680).

Sincerely,

____________________________________

John Conyers, Jr.

Chairman

____________________________________

Linda T. Sánchez
Chair, Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
____________________________________
Artur Davis
Member, Committee on the Judiciary
____________________________________
Tammy Baldwin
Member, Committee on the Judiciary
____________________________________
cc: Hon. Lamar S. Smith
Hon. Chris Cannon

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& Catherine Crier Dan Abrams c/o C&L 5.18.2008

Catherine Crier explains to host Dan Abrams the process and the seriousness of an Inherent Contempt of Congress charge.

Stephen Colbert Imitates O'Reilly's "Inside Edition" Meltdowndeo - Media on The Huffington Post

Stephen Colbert Imitates O'Reilly's "Inside Edition" Meltdowndeo - Media on The Huffington Post

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan

Indians 2B Cabrera turns unassisted triple play - MLB - SI.com

Indians 2B Cabrera turns unassisted triple play - MLB - SI.com

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Indians second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera turned the 14th unassisted triple play in major league history, accomplishing the feat Monday night in the second game of a doubleheader against Toronto.

Cabrera made a diving catch on a line drive by Lyle Overbay, touched second base and then tagged out Marco Scutaro to quickly end the fifth inning of Cleveland's 3-0 loss in 10 innings.

"I was trying to speed up the game," Overbay joked. "I get to go down in history. They can't take that away from me.

"It's not smart to hit a line drive on a hit-and-run. Only bad things can happen."

The only miscue by the 22-year-old Cabrera was that he didn't keep the ball.

"He flipped it into the stands and right as he did cried out, 'Oh, no!' " first-base coach Luis Rivera said, serving as the Venezuelan's interpreter.

Crowdsourcing

MoveOn's Obama ad - First Read - msnbc.com

"Saturday Night Live's" Message From Hillary Clinton: "I Have No Ethical Standards" (VIDEO) - Media on The Huffington Post

"Saturday Night Live's" Message From Hillary Clinton: "I Have No Ethical Standards" (VIDEO) - Media on The Huffington Post

Mudballs

Peter Dreier, HuffPo

Former journalist Sidney Blumenthal has been widely credited with coining the term "vast right-wing conspiracy" used by Hillary Clinton in 1998 to describe the alliance of conservative media, think tanks, and political operatives that sought to destroy the Clinton White House where he worked as a high-level aide. A decade later, and now acting as a senior campaign advisor to Senator Clinton, Blumenthal is exploiting that same right-wing network to attack and discredit Barack Obama. And he's not hesitating to use the same sort of guilt-by-association tactics that have been the hallmark of the political right dating back to the McCarthy era.

Almost every day over the past six months, I have been the recipient of an email that attacks Obama's character, political views, electability, and real or manufactured associations. The original source of many of these hit pieces are virulent and sometimes extreme right-wing websites, bloggers, and publications. But they aren't being emailed out from some fringe right-wing group that somehow managed to get my email address. Instead, it is Sidney Blumenthal who, on a regular basis, methodically dispatches these email mudballs to an influential list of opinion shapers -- including journalists, former Clinton administration officials, academics, policy entrepreneurs, and think tankers -- in what is an obvious attempt to create an echo chamber that reverberates among talk shows, columnists, and Democratic Party funders and activists. One of the recipients of the Blumenthal email blast, himself a Clinton supporter, forwards the material to me and perhaps to others.

These attacks sent out by Blumenthal, long known for his fierce and combative loyalty to the Clintons, draw on a wide variety of sources to spread his Obama-bashing. Some of the pieces are culled from the mainstream media and include some reasoned swipes at Obama's policy and political positions.

But, rather remarkably for such a self-professed liberal operative like Blumenthal, a staggering number of the anti-Obama attacks he circulates derive from highly-ideological and militant right-wing sources such as the misnamed Accuracy in Media (AIM), The Weekly Standard, City Journal, The American Conservative, and The National Review.

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