School Is In

Dave Waldman aka KagroX breaks out the whupping stick on all 3 other guests and the host on CNN over the media coverage of the Bush Administration's torture program. As sorry as some other supposed surrogates for the left perform I hope we get to see a lot more of Waldman on cable news representing our point of view!

Dave Waldman AKA Kagro X Is A BEAST!

Dave Waldman has a diary up over at dailykos that is definitely worth the full ready about the mainstream media's epic fail covering the cop massacer in Pittsburgh by right wing nutjob Richard Poplowski. But I just HAD to excerpt the ending because it expresses my thoughts exactly.

It's a little shy of two years now since reporters at the press conference at the last event held under the Yearly Kos banner in Chicago expressed amazement at having been shown the FOX Nutwork record of "mistakes" in reporting basic facts that were embarrassing to Republicans. And it seems clear that even now, traditional media reporters are unable to come to terms with the fact that there are people masquerading as "their kind," yet who not only can't and won't work in the same fact-based reality as they do, but actively beam out a steady stream of incendiary, counter-factual rhetoric that you'd have to be willfully blinding yourself not to connect to shooters who end up parroting, well, pretty much exactly what they're broadcasting on FOX.

Wake the hell up, people. There's a 24-hour eliminationist "news" nutwork broadcasting poison to already-fevered minds. Call it what it is. Be aware of what they're doing. And reporters, be clear on what they're up to, and whose profession they're using as cover.

And really, when a cop killer's best friend tells you casually that he was consumed with Zionist control of the government and imminent martial law and gun confiscations... that's actually the story!

When a shooter's best friend tells you he killed cops because his mind was being controlled by aliens from planet Xoltron, you have a sad and inexplicable illness on your hands, and "just the facts" reporting is all you can responsibly do.

When a shooter's best friend tells you he killed cops because he believed fake stories you can hear reported as "news" on a well-known (and even "respected!") 24-hour cable television network, you've got a very serious story on your hands that it's actually irresponsible not to look deeper.

This stuff isn't just appearing from out of nowhere. It's being beamed out under the protections you've worked hard to protect for your profession.
To the extent that you refuse to call FOX out for their nonsense, you become partly culpable for its continuance.

Take the reins and lead.

Filibuster Falsehood

I confess that I have been running around with my hair on fire casting aspersions at Harry Reid for not forcing the Republicans to filibuster the American Recovery and Reinvestmetn act. I thought it would be a much better idea than watering the bill down just to get three measly Republican votes. There was only one problem with that. It turns out that even with a filibuster we still would have needed 60 votes because of a point of order related to bills that affect deficit spending. Now honestly I would have thought this would have been presented in some story in the MSM about the stimulus bill. But lo and behold it took Kagro X over at his CongressMatters spot to break down why a filibuster really wouldn't have done any good. So for the rest of you out there, yes Harry Reid is still WEAKSAUCE, but on this particular issue he gets a pass.

Am I Wrong Cuz I Wanna Get It On Till I Die

Kagro X has his own spot now after putting in major work over at the dailykos. He covers the comings and goings up on the hill with his CongressMatters blog. Well on a day when Roland Burris and Al Franken not being seated in the Senate were the dominant storyline he caught what might set the tone for the next 4 years. Many of us liberals/progressives have been waiting with anticipation to see how President Elect Barack Obama's administration would handle any potential prosecutions of President George Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney or any other individuals that might have been involved in illegal activities in the Bush administration. Well while the jury is still out on the top dogs, evidently the House of Representatives lead by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Congressman John Conyers are gonna go hard at some of the Bushies that thought they got away last year...

First he pointed out the caveat in the House Rules Package that passed today

One nice goody buried in the new House Rules package: the House will authorize the Judiciary Committee to continue its lawsuit seeking to enforce its subpoenas and contempt of Congress citations against Bush White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers

• Congress has the responsibility and constitutional right to oversee the Executive Branch. The lawsuit was filed in order to preserve and enforce the House’s constitutional responsibility and right to oversee the Executive Branch; it also was filed to preserve the Executive Branch’s responsibility to comply with congressional subpoenas and to restore the institutional integrity of Congress. This provision authorizes the Committee on the Judiciary and the House General Counsel to continue the lawsuit derived from the House holding White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House Counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress for failure to comply with congressional subpoenas. Because the subpoenas expire at the end of the 110th Congress, the resolution is needed so that the Judiciary Committee can continue to appear in court in the 111th Congress.

• With respect to the continued investigation into the firing of certain United States Attorneys, this provision authorizes the chairman of the Judiciary Committee to issue subpoenas and the taking of depositions by Members or counsel, which will be governed by rules printed in the Congressional Record by the Rules Committee chair or otherwise prescribed by the Judiciary Committee. In addition, it authorizes the Judiciary Committee and General Counsel to add as a party to the lawsuit any individual subpoenaed by the Committee in the 110th Congress who failed to comply.

• The House has already won the contempt of Congress case at the trial level; a Federal judge ordered Mr. Bolten and Ms. Miers to comply with valid congressional subpoenas – this resolution allows for the continuance of that lawsuit during the appeal.

Then he explained what it meant

In the face of what was likely some stiff resistance and a desire to "turn the page" with a new administration, etc., Judiciary Chair John Conyers (D-MI-14) and Speaker Pelosi appear determined to get an answer from the courts once and for all on whether the Congress is to have a serious subpoena power with respect to the executive branch or not.

Now that was certainly good news, but Kagro X wasn't finished. He dug a little more and found the pot of gold.

In addition, it authorizes the Judiciary Committee and General Counsel to add as a party to the lawsuit any individual subpoenaed by the Committee in the 110th Congress who failed to comply.

Who else was subpoenaed by the Judiciary Committee in the 110th Congress and failed to comply?

Karl Rove.

And Michael Mukasey.

Yes you saw that right, we still might get a chance to see Karl Rove frog marched after all. Man I think I am going to love all of this hope and change stuff!