Recall: Greg Palast Makes The Case Against Musclehead

It's Hasta la Vista to $9 Billion if the Governator is Selected

Here's the story Arnold doesn't want you to hear. The biggest single threat to Ken Lay and the electricity lords is a private lawsuit filed last year under California's unique Civil Code provision 17200, the "Unfair Business Practices Act." This litigation, heading to trial now in Los Angeles, would make the power companies return the $9 billion they filched from California electricity and gas customers.

It takes real cojones to bring such a suit. Who's the plaintiff taking on the bad guys? Cruz Bustamante, Lieutenant Governor and reluctant leading candidate against Schwarzenegger.

Now follow the action. One month after Cruz brings suit, Enron's Lay calls an emergency secret meeting in L.A. of his political buck-buddies, including Arnold. Their plan, to undercut Davis (according to Enron memos) and "solve" the energy crisis -- that is, make the Bustamante legal threat go away.

How can that be done? Follow the trail with me.

Go ahead. It's a pretty disturbing hike.

If you don't like reading a lot of words (a benchmark for being an Arnold fan), here's the short version: The $9 billion lawsuit California has against the real crooks in the energy gouge will go bye-bye if Schwarzenegger wins.

Recall: Two From Today's L.A. Times

Columnist Steve Lopez has also noticed:

For those who feel they're not getting their fair share, Arnold's medicine goes down easy, and it's an amazing thing to observe. A Hollywood actor worth $200 million is telling regular Joes he understands their pain, and they lap it up.

He rails against high electric bills even though he was reportedly hobnobbing with Enron villain Ken Lay at the height of the energy crisis, and Arnold's Army cheers.

He promises changes, but not a plan to make them happen, and the juggernaut rolls on.

What's at work is a combination of Davis' failures, the hypnotic effect of Arnold's celebrity, and the Hollywood-inspired myth that every complex problem has a simple solution — namely, to terminate it.

And this letter which I'm afraid is dead serious:

The Times is right. "Image Just Isn't Enough" (editorial, Oct. 2). But at least it is something. What does Gov. Gray Davis offer? Nothing. Oh, I forgot. Davis offers his experience in raising campaign funds, looking after his contributors and doing nothing about California's economic problems.

Richard Fay
Redondo Beach

It's understandable how popular he is as an actor. It's insane how popular he is to run this state. We don't need a new governor. We need a state psychotherapist.

Two Observances Today

I'm celebrating my birthday today by - not eating. Because it's also Yom Kippur. Whee.

As soon as that sun sets, I'll be face-down in cake. Celebrate for me, okay?

Recall: Arnold Reveals What He'll Do

Today, he said he's going to go to Sacramento to "kick butt."

So now we know he'll:
1) Make Indian Casinos pay "theeya feeya sheeya" (their fair share) of taxes.
2) Terminate things.
3) "Kick Butt."

Whee.

Recall: By The Way...

Another sidelight to this fun: Just before the accusations of groping and fondling, you may have heard about Arnold Schwarzenegger's 11-page missive on what he'll do during his first hundred days as California governor. He has made a huge issue of this and has made it the cornerstone of his campaign in these last few days of the effort. If you haven't seen it, take a look. Not only is it rich with graphics and color - but you'll also find out that the entire plan actually has just as many words as this paragraph.

Drudge's Non-Story

Drudge has had a lead story of how the sleaze campaign against her husband has taken a tragic toll on Maria Shriver - including some very unflattering pictures. Here's one from the road yesterday afternoon in Modesto with a pretty healthy looking Maria:



Wonder if Matt'll put it on his site...

From The Lib'rul Media: U.S. News & World Report

A White House Whodunit
History shows that most leak investigations go nowhere. This one may be different

Accusations of sleaze at the White House . . . talk of special prosecutors and independent counsels . . . the president hounded by questions about what his staff knew and when they knew it. All part of the Washington soap opera for the past generation. But now, as the Justice Department begins an investigation into the Case of the Outed Operative, key roles in the drama are being played by officials of the Bush administration.

This time the stakes seem higher than usual. That's because the scandal doesn't involve just public careers or individual reputations but, possibly, the safety and effectiveness of America's intelligence agents around the world. This aspect of the case has angered even staunch supporters of President Bush and members of the intelligence community.

Male Betta Fish Are So 2002

Police Subdue a Tiger in Harlem Apartment

To the sounds of enormous jungle roars, a police sniper rappelled down the side of a Harlem apartment building yesterday and fired tranquilizer darts through an open fifth-floor window to subdue — seat belts, please — a 350-pound Bengal tiger.

The daring, and creative, bit of sharpshooting helped end an episode in which the New York Police Department, unaccustomed to bagging big game, nonetheless managed to sedate the beast. Officials planned to send the tiger, temporarily being held at the Center for Animal Care and Control on 110th Street, to a conservancy in Ohio.

What the tiger, along with a four- to five-foot reptile called a caiman, was doing inside a cluttered apartment in the Drew Hamilton Houses at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and 141st Street remained a mystery yesterday.

Down Again

CBS News/New York Times Poll. Sept. 28-Oct. 1, 2003. N=981 adults nationwide. MoE ± 3.

"Do you approve or disapprove of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president?"
Approve: 51% (was 73% in April)
Disapprove: 42% (was 21% in April)
Don't Know: 7%

"If George W. Bush runs for reelection in 2004, do you think you will probably vote for George W. Bush or probably vote for the Democratic candidate?"
Bush: 44%
Democrat: 44%
Can't Say Until Chosen: 7%
None: 1%
Don't Know: 4%

"Do you have confidence in George W. Bush's ability to deal wisely with an international crisis, or are you uneasy about his approach?"
Confident: 45%
Uneasy: 50%
Don't Know: 5%

"Do you have confidence in George W. Bush's ability to make the right decisions about the nation's economy, or are you uneasy about his approach?"
Confident: 40%
Uneasy: 56%
Don't Know: 4%

And The Right Will Blame It On A Wind Blowing From Berkeley

No. Just blame it on the candidate's incompetence. The Oakland Tribune renounces its endorsement of Schwarzenegger.

GIVEN the accusations of sexual abuse leveled against Arnold Schwarzenegger by six women and his disingenuous admission to such behavior, we strongly reconfirm that our readers vote "no" on the recall, but can no longer recommend they cast their 'if-not-Davis-then' vote for Schwarzenegger.

Other Things I Don't Get

How horribly wrong it is for the L.A. Times to bring up Schwarzenegger's sexual indiscretions, but how wonderfully right it is to call Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame "partisan Democrats" as an excuse to shoot their names through the mud.

How the right was duped into pitying Rush Limbaugh's "mysterious" hearing loss which was now disclosed to have been brought on by his inhaling handfuls of ill-gotten painkillers. And how they now pity him for his "illness" of said addiction. Why aren't they shocked by his crapping all over their loyalty? (See comments to a previous post on this site.)

How anyone can still be proud of the actions of this administration after they've been proven time and time again that they base almost all their actions on uneducated guesses which result in either embarrassment or disaster.

I guess I'm off my hiatus. Things are just too screwed up.

Recall: I Still Don't Get Schwarzenegger

I broke my exile to make an obvious observation: I simply do not understand why the Republicans are so high on Arnold Schwarzenegger. I simply don't understand why ANYBODY would be high on him.

Forget the womanizing stuff. Forget the Nazi allegations. Forget all the dirt that's being pulled out at the last minute. Let's just look at the basics.

In the two months of this campaign, we know Arnold will do the following for the State of California:

1) Make Indian gaming casinos pay their fair share of taxes.

2) He'll terminate things.

That's it. Those are the only things he's said he will do about the state's problems.

He told us what he's for (children, a balanced budget and children). He's told us what he doesn't like (Gray Davis, Cruz Bustamante, the stalemate in Sacramento). He told us what the problems are (business leaving, spending spending spending and taxing taxing taxing when you flush the toilet).

But as loudly as I've screamed and screamed and screamed at my TV and my newspapers, for the life of me I have not heard anything about how he plans to fix things...other than taxing the Indian casinos and terminating whatever is in that terminating mind of his.

Throughout his down-to-the-wire campaign stumping, he speaks jingo, waves and leaves. No addressing his plans. No questions from people. No questions by reporters. Nothing.

In fact, this candidate is about nothing. His whole campaign has been about nothing (discounting catch-phrases from his pithy flicks). His message is a whole bowl full of nothing.

What we have here is a big guy who wants to take a whack at running the state I'm living in because he wants to give something back. What that something is has not yet been disclosed. But people are digging the big guy. It's a big job, and the little guy can't handle it. So we'll vote for the big guy.

Even though he's a big nothing.

I just don't get it.

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On Hiatus

We'll be layin' low for a spell - check out the daily links in the left column for the latest news and we'll be back soon!

Rush To The Spin Doctors

"I am unaware of any investigation by any authority involving me. No government representative has contacted me directly or indirectly. If my assistance is required, I will, of course, cooperate fully."

No admission, but no denial. And Rush is usually quick with one or the other when it comes to these situations.

Developing...heh heh heh...

Recall: Who Is REALLY Behind Arnold's Outing?

Hmmm...call me a cynic (REALLY?!?), but Republican Sen. Tom McClintock - whose advertising was seemingly halted since last Thursday - has suddenly started blitzing the radio and TV airwaves again, and the message to voters is that he's the candidate with honesty and integrity.

And this coincides with the L.A. Times story of Arnold's groping.

Nah. It's just a coincidence.

Just A Lot Of Crap From Our Fertile Imaginations

Women are lining up to describe how Arnold Schwarzenegger groped them for which he denied and immediately apologized.

Valerie Plame gets outed as a CIA operative by the White House via a conservative columnist.

Rush Limbaugh, on live TV, calls an NFL quarterback overrated because he's black - then is outed as a drug abuser by a tabloid (the same tabloid which hammered Bill Clinton during his "scandal", by the way).

And these are all being brushed off as items which the Democrats and Liberals are cooking up to get the right in a big ol' game of Gotcha.

It sure looks like you're all doing it to yourselves - but thanks for thinking that we're that creative.

Novak Just Cannot Connect The Dots

On yesterday's Wolf Blitzer Reports:

BLITZER: But he was a senior on African affairs at the NFC under Clinton?

NOVAK: Under Clinton, that's correct. So that was the story I wrote, was about the details of Ambassador Wilson's mission, which created a great storm. And in the sixth paragraph of a ten-paragraph story I mentioned that two senior administration officials had said it was suggested by his wife, who worked at the CIA.

Okay...let's drag it out and prop it up again. What he really wrote:

"Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction."

"An agency operative." This is more than just having "worked at the CIA" which has its share of clerical workers, interns, IT folks, managers, etc. Back to Blitzer:

NOVAK: But I just want to say that the word operative that I said in today's column, Wolf, was a mistake, using that word on my part. I have called hack politicians operatives if you read my column carefully over 40 years. And it's just kind of a throw-away word. I had no knowledge whether or not she was an operative.

It's no mistake I want to use the word "parsing" here, Bob. If you thought she was just a CIA employee, you would have said "She works at the CIA." You wrote, spell-checked and proof-read "operative." Deal with it. Finally:

NOVAK: It was what I call a weak request. In journalism we are asked not to use things constantly. I'm sure you have been. 'Don't use that, Wolf.' I was asked by the CIA official not to use it. He did not, at any point, say her life was in danger. He did not press it.

You were asked not to use it. What is "pressing it"? Him coming to your office on his knees? Him saying "Don't use it. Pretty pretty PLEASE for the love of GOD don't use it"? Bob, why would the CIA tell you her life would be in danger when they're trying to keep her identity - her occupation - secret? Isn't the request not to use it enough for you?

Bad reporter. Bad bad reporter.

Recall: It Ain't Over Yet!

Arnold just essentially denied any groping and bad behavior and immediately apologized for it...the ol' "I never did it and I'll never do it again" gambit.

Looks like business here just picked up. Stay tuned...

Knock Knock (Who's There?)

PAPERBOY!

Rush Limbaugh in pill probe

...The account Cline gave the Enquirer is that she became Limbaugh's drug connection in 1998, nine months after taking a housekeeping job at his Palm Beach mansion.

It started after her husband, David, hurt himself in a fall, and Limbaugh asked how he was.

"He asked me casually, 'Is he getting any pain medication?' I said, 'Yes - he's had surgery, and the doctor gave him hydro-codone 750,'" Cline said. "To my astonishment, he said, 'Can you spare a couple of them?'"

Cline said she gave Limbaugh 10 pills the next day and agreed to give him 30 of her husband's pills each month. When the doctor stopped renewing the prescription in early 1999, Limbaugh allegedly went ballistic.

"His tone was nasty and bullying. He said, 'I don't care how or what you do, but you'd better - better! - get me some more,'" Cline said.

The housekeeper said she found a new supplier and arranged to hide Limbaugh's stashes under his mattress so his wife, Marta, wouldn't find them.

After several months, Limbaugh told her he was going to New York for detox and didn't need any more pills, Cline said.

But a month later, he said his left ear was hurting and asked her for hydrocodone, followed by an order for OxyContin.

Limbaugh, 52, suffered from autoimmune ear disease, a condition that left him deaf and had to be corrected with cochlear implant surgery two years ago.

Cline said she continued to make deliveries to Limbaugh even after she quit as his housekeeper in July 2001 - but he became increasingly paranoid, even patting her down for recording devices, she said.

It's hard enough to drive that bandwagon while the wheels are falling off - it's a lot tougher when you're hopped up on Hillbilly Heroin.

Not one of these gasbags will ever EVER tell me or my loved ones how to run our lives or preach to us what's right or wrong.

One More Chance To Reject The Recall

MoveOn.org is 89% of the way to collecting the electronic signatures of 300,000 brave souls to help stop the California recall. Click here to see the petition and add your name to this campaign. Thanks.

And The Bushpeople Run Face First Into Reality

The lapdog media have jumped off the lap and are finally marking their own territory. Rove and Company have done what they do best - take whatever goodwill they have and squander it.

They took the great outpouring of support from the world after 9/11 and trashed it by bullying.

They took their allies in the CIA and trashed their confidence by bullying George Tenet into taking the bullet for the "16 words."

And the press - who supported them big time in exchange for embedded reportage during the war - has finally had their fill of being bullied into propping up (and being used by) a failing administration.

The media have been holding back. Now the floodgates have opened. You're not going to get away with your crap anymore. Deal with it.

And Hoffmania! and the rest of the blogosphere will keep throwing it at you because payback is a bitch.

From the Pen of: Drew Sheneman

From the Pen of: Walt Handelsman

From the Pen of: Ben Sargent

Washington Times Rationalizes Valerie Plame's Outing!

The story finally makes their homepage - and it explains why Joe Wilson and Valerie Plame had it coming, those lousy Democratic BASTARDS!

Wilson, wife have tight ties to Democrats
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Joseph C. Wilson IV, the man accusing the White House of a vendetta against him and his wife, is an ex-diplomat turned Democratic partisan.

President Bush, he wrote in an article in the far-left Nation magazine that was published before the Iraq war began, is not interested in democracy in the Middle East but "this new American imperialism."

"The new imperialists will not rest until governments that ape our world view are implanted throughout the region, a breathtakingly ambitious undertaking, smacking of hubris in the extreme."

His wife is Valerie Plame Wilson, who works for the CIA's directorate of operations, a clandestine service. Her name and spy job, revealed in syndicated columnist Robert Novak's column in July, has become a Democratic campaign issue and triggered a Justice Department investigation of who at the White House leaked that fact, if anyone at the White House did. Federal law prohibits government officials from identifying clandestine CIA employees publicly; it does not prohibit journalists from publishing such information.

A little detail the Times is hiding from its readers here: Novak SAID he got the info from high government officials in his original piece:

Wilson never worked for the CIA, but his wife, Valerie Plame, is an Agency operative on weapons of mass destruction. Two senior administration officials told me Wilson's wife suggested sending him to Niger to investigate the Italian report.

Back to the Times article which adds this important piece of information on how Wilson currently makes a living:

Mr. Wilson now works at the Middle East Institute as a scholar and frequent Bush critic.

One voice in my head tells me I shouldn't give a rat's ass what the Washington Times says - but another knows that this is where a lot of the Pied Piper's minions get their "news" because they've been taught that the Post is evil and (shudder) lib'rul. And these poor souls' naivete is preyed upon by these hacks posing as journalists.

So I'm pissed. Sue me.

Excellence In Unemployment

Limbaugh resigns from NFL show

In the wake of his controversial statements regarding Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, Rush Limbaugh has resigned from his position on ESPN's NFL pregame show. ESPN has accepted the resignation.

Limbaugh issued a statement late Wednesday night in which he wrote:

"My comments this past Sunday were directed at the media and were not racially motivated. I offered an opinion. This opinion has caused discomfort to the crew, which I regret.

"I love NFL Sunday Countdown and do not want to be a distraction to the great work done by all who work on it.

"Therefore, I have decided to resign. I appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the show and wish all the best to those who make it happen."

George Bodenheimer, President, ESPN and ABC Sports, issued the following response:

"We accept his resignation and regret the circumstances surrounding this. We believe that he took the appropriate action to resolve this matter expeditiously."

Some are reveling in this, but I feel nothing but the highest respect for Limbaugh on making this decision - because it sets an example for his pals in the White House.

Of course I'm just expressing an opinion.

Quote THIS

"You know, Bush is like a genie - who only grants CRAPPY wishes."

- Lewis Black on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Washington Times Update

Well, let's see if the Valerie Plame affair is newsworthy enough for the Rev. Moon-owned wingnut propaganda sheet, the Washington Times. Front page:


Actual screenshot 3:00pm PT 10/01

Nope. Not a blessed thing. And still nothing from their undoubtedly uncensored AP and UPI breaking news tickers. But there, nestled deep on the Nation page is the same story from yesterday, about Bush gallantly endorsing an investigation about that Democrat-invented CIA operative.

But whoa. What's this? Also neatly nestled in that same area is this little reminder of - why, yes! CLINTON!



YES! That rat bastard Clinton! What he did was horrible...worse than...uh...the, uh...gosh. My attention was diverted and I forgot what the current scandal is. Oh, well...

Painfully Misguided Story Lockout Of The Day

The New York Times:

...there is no doubt that the affair has become a major distraction for the White House as the campaign for the presidency is under way.

Not nearly as much of a distraction as it is for the people who are now worrying for their lives.

Let The Schadenfreude Continue!

Put a wingnut high enough on a flagpole and the world sees his ass...

Furor Over Limbaugh's QB Remark

Quarterback Donovan McNabb said Wednesday he isn't looking for an apology from Rush Limbaugh for a racially tinged commentary because it's too late.

Limbaugh said on ESPN's pregame show Sunday that McNabb was overrated because the media wanted to see a black quarterback do well.

"He said what he said. … I'm sure he's not the only one that feels that way, but it's somewhat shocking to actually hear that on national TV," the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback told reporters Wednesday. "An apology would do no good because he obviously thought about it before he said it."

Before McNabb led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 23-13 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Limbaugh said on the pregame show that he didn't think McNabb was as good as perceived from the start.

Here's Jollyboy's quote:

"The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well. There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve."

The grammar police are calling for his head as well. He, like every other uneducated wingnut with a microphone, does not know "media" is a PLURAL word! Oh yeah, the racial thing's unsettling as well.

From the Pen of: Mark Streeter

This one's significant. Savannah's Streeter is generally right-of-center.

"Worse Than Watergate"

MSNBC's Hardball of September 30:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Don't you think it's more serious than Watergate, when you think about it?

RNC CHAIRMAN ED GILLESPIE: I think if the allegation is true, to reveal the identity of an undercover CIA operative -- it's abhorrent, and it should be a crime, and it is a crime.

CHRIS MATTHEWS: It'd be worse than Watergate, wouldn't it?

GILLESPIE: It's -- Yeah, I suppose in terms of the real world implications of it. It's not just politics.

From the Pen of: Jimmy Margulies

From the Pen of: Steve Benson

Media Bias Defined

Huh. Guess the Valerie Plame thing isn't really happening...at least according to that standard-bearer of right-wing accuracy, the Washington Times.


Actual screenshot 5:15pm PT 9/30/03

Folks, it is NOWHERE on their website. Not the front page, and not on the Nation/Politics page. It's even been censored from their AP and UPI "Breaking News" sidebars.

Now, let's talk about that bias by the press, shall we?

UPDATE 9:35pm PT: They finally have this elephant in their living room on the Nation/Politics page - ninth story down. Here's their spin on this "minor" story:

Bush endorses probe into CIA leak
President Bush yesterday welcomed a Justice Department probe into whether his administration improperly disclosed the identity of a CIA employee whom Democrats described as a covert agent.

Yessir. Valerie Plame's line of work is just a figment of our wacky liberal imagination. And let's not even start with Drudge's continual sliming of Joe Wilson at his little outpost of truth. These people are just insane.