Don't I Know It

Clinton-Obama Quandary for Many Black Women

Lies, Lies and More Lies

Want to be a journalist? Apparently all you have to do is make shit up.

Alexis Debat, a consultant to ABC News and, until yesterday, a senior fellow at the Nixon Center (counterterrorism is his specialty), has been found to have fabricated a whole host of interviews he claimed to have done with esteemed public figures like Bill Clinton, Kofi Annan, Nancy Pelosi, Bill Gates, Michael Bloomberg and Alan Greenspan. Though his veracity was challenged before, none of the publications printing his work seemed to take it too seriously until Barack Obama came out swinging over a faked interview that ran in the esteemed French mag, Politique Internationale.

Looks like Jason Blair's bench is getting deeper by the minute.

Juan Cole Goes Heroic on Rove

Listen: I've read a lot of articles about Karl Rove and his tactics, and if any one gets it right it's this one by Juan Cole. It's not just that Cole is able to make an interesting historical connection between Rove's way of being and that of the infamous Joseph Goebbels (while also being quick to say, "Rove is no Nazi."). It's that, better than anything I've read in a while, this article gives a palpable sense of both the cruelty and deception that have become the hallmark of Rove's tenure. When even the folks at Fox News are asking you, a Republican leader, to revisit your sentiments, and the veracity of your statements, you know you've got some deep s**t going on.

Also, I just love the combination of the words "poisonous," "rhetorical" and "legacy" with Rove's name. Brings a shiver of gladness to my spine. Thus, for today, Juan Cole is my hero. Keep it coming, brother.

The Myth of the Conservative Majority

Late last week I got an email from Media Matters informing me that (no surprise here) I've been in the right all along: extensive polling and research has now found that the majority of Americans are, like me, PROGRESSIVE.

Never mind what the conservative thought leaders and media-makers tell you--the majority of us in this country believe in Government taking responsibility for its citizenry--even if it means more spending. The majority of us want a higher minimum wage; are for conservation; want to protect a woman's right to choose; want health care coverage for all; and see that it's long since been time to get the hell out of Iraq.

I like being right, so this is very good news, indeed. For more details, see Eric Lotke's article on AlterNet this morning (via TomPaine.com).

More Proof George Bush Hates Black People

In case you forgot that the Civil Rights Division of the DOJ even exists within this administration, here's a good review from Talking Points Memo's Muckraker of what the NYT is reporting the division has been up to since Bush, Ashcroft, Gonzalez, et al have been minding the farm. (Here's a hint: black people lose.)

The High Cost of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Thanks to Maureen Dowd's column of yesterday, I was alerted to an op-ed piece that ran in the Times last Friday, written by one Stephen Benjamin. Benjamin was formerly a petty officer in the United States Navy, serving as an Arabic translation specialist--a post in which, in case you hadn't heard, our military is severely understaffed.

About a year ago, Benjamin was expelled from service under the "Don't ask, Don't tell" rule, which bars gays from serving openly in the military. His op-ed portrays as well as any other I've ever read just how hypocritical and dangerous the policy is, and why, for all of our safety, we would do well to be rid of it.

And this one we can't even blame on the Republicans alone. Dammit, Bill...

Barack Beats the Health Care Drum

At last! A plan from our buddy Barack. As part of a campaign stop at the University of Iowa, Obama finally unveiled his plan to fix our doddering health care system--you know, the one that leaves nearly 47 million Americans without an ounce of coverage.

His goal is to provide universal coverage, and yes, it's going to cost something: probably something int he neighborhood of $50 to $65 billion. And yes, the Federal government will be responsible for picking up that check. How does Obama propose to make up the difference? By repealing those tax breaks President Bush put in place for the privileged few: those who make over $200,000 a year.

Sounds like a plan to me...

Pro Condies On the March

Today's cover story over at Salon is, unsurprisingly, about the 2008 election. The Republican slate of candidates, to be more precise. The shocker? The candidate they're focusing on is actually not a candidate at all--or at least not at the moment. But if the people at ThinkCondi.net have their way, that won't be the case for long.

That's right: there's now a movement to draft Condoleezza Rice to run for President in the same way that Eisenhower was drafted so many years yore (did you even know that happened?). No matter that the Condster has made it pretty clear she ain't running; these folks have fired up a bus and plan to drag her kicking and screaming into the race.

Would that be a good thing? A bad one? I don't know. As an African-American woman I'll tell you that I'd love to love Condi--but my fear of all things Satanic keeps me from making the leap. That said, I do think it would be fabu to have her in the race, not least of all because perhaps it would deflate some of the "can a woman lead effectively" talk that you get when you have only one female candidate in the ring.

So upon reflection, yes, Condi fans, keep up the hard work. [ A quick note to the ThinkCondi team: you're going nowhere without some dope campaign buttons. Take a cue from your allies and print you some up, right quick.]

TO READ: The Impeachment of George W. Bush

You know how sometimes you'll be given a piece of information, and interesting as it might be, it kinda flies out of your head--only to be resurrected days or even weeks later through some odd consequence of fate? Well, this is one of those times.

10 days ago, when I was at the Georgia Rule premiere, a friend of mine mentioned, very late in the evening (and after numerous glasses of wine), that she'd just run into Liz Holtzman in the bathroom. Liz Holtzman, for those of you who don't know, was a congresswoman from NY for many years, and a Brooklyn D.A.--which means that back in the day she was really the shiz-ite.

Anyway, point is, this friend related to me that Holtzman had been talking to her about her newest book, and how she was having trouble getting any press for it. The name of the book really caught me--because who wouldn't love its suggestion to come true? The title: The Impeachment of George W. Bush.

Now you'd think something like that would stay with me, but sadly, I completely forgot about it until today, as I was riding down the elevator at work, thinking about a recent meeting I'd had with another sometime NY politician named Liz, when boom! The Holtzman thing came flying back. So anyway, I did an Amazon search, found the book, and thought I'd recommend a peek at it to all of you.

And in case you're wondering what qualifies Holtzman to categorize and call for the impeachment of the Commander in Chief, just keep in mind she's got professional experience: Holtzman sat on the House Judiciary Committee during the Nixon impeachment. Hard to beat, huh?

Michelle Obama in the Spotlight

From today's New York Times, a profile and video offering on the wife of Presidential hopeful Barack Obama. As much as I like Obama, I must say I like Michelle even more, and sometimes have that same feeling when watching her stump for her husband that I did watching Kerry Kennedy Cuomo stump for hers--i.e., that SHE ought to have been the one running, rather than playing the role of back-up singer (though In the Cuomo/ Kennedy Cuomo case the imbalance was much greater, for sure).

In any case, I'm hoping that Michelle will continue to get ample face-time as this race continues. My only gripe: can we stop talking already about how she's "meaner" and "tougher" than he is? There are more options for black women, certainly, than being either the coddling mammy or the stone cold butch... How about we let Michelle be the three-dimensional person she is? A radical notion, I'm aware, but one with striving for.

Apologies Galore (and The Round-up)

To all those who are regular readers of this blog and therefore noticed that though I usually post every single workday, last week I posted only twice, I offer my profoundest apologies... This back thing really knocked me for a loop. Had to have x-rays last Thursday to rule out any herniated discs and the like (which were indeed ruled out) and then got put on a bit of bed rest and Flexeril--which, you will know if you've ever been on it, makes you more than a little groggy. I like to say that Thursday night was spent more or less in a drug induced coma, but by Friday, I'd figured out how to time my doses so that I could actually get some work done--albeit from my couch--during the day.

Today I'm finally back somewhat on track, and though my back is still aching and I'm kicked back in my chair like some17th century Pasha, its possible to get a few more things accomplished... like blogging. So here I am, again, and for the duration, I hope.

In any case, my job is not to natter on about ME, but to direct you to the news that's fit to kick around. So, to that end...

Bill Officially Stumping for Hill: Any time I get a message in my inbox from Bill Clinton that says, "Watch This" I promise you one thing: I'm opening it (since you never know what he could have in mind). Though not as titillating as some of the best outtakes from his years in office, this video of him stumping for Hillary really is effective--though whether that's because I learned things about Hillary I never knew before, or because I just got sucked in by that amazing Bill Clinton charm, I cannot say. Regardless, worth a watch.

J.K. Rowling to the Rescue: Seems that the Harry Potter author cum billionairess has offered to add a few pennies to the fund being amassed as a reward for the return of Madeleine McCann--the 4 year old who was left alone by her parents while they went out to dinner and then disappeared. Sources are calling Rowling's pledge "staggering"--so if you didn't think returning an abducted child to her parents was a valuable act in and of itself, now you have further inducement to be a decent human being.

Lefties Battle over Georgia Rule: I'm going to stay mostly out of this one since both are parties known to me, but just for your knowledge, there's an interesting debate going on between Jennifer Pozner, Don Hazen, and the readers of both their sites over a posting last week on Alternet about the film "Georgia Rule." Take it all in and judge for yourself.

Who Thinks George Tenet is a Little Crazy?

Well, besides me, a whole group of former CIA officers, who have taken it upon themselves to call Mr. Tenet out and ask him return that good old "Medal of Freedom" he accepted from President Bush. Those CIA officers sure aren't ones to mince words; as they remind Mr. Tenet in their letter,

"You were not a victim. You were a willing participant in a poorly considered policy to start an unnecessary war and you share culpability with Dick Cheney and George Bush for the debacle in Iraq."

Uh... good point. Think he's listening?