Shakespearean Daily Diss
“Thou art neither like thy sire nor dam,
But like a foul misshapen stigmatic,
Mark’d by the Destinies to be avoided,
As venom toads, or lizards’ dreadful stings.”
–Henry VI, Part 3, 2.2.135-38
The Plumber
When the president needed to cover up the fixing of the prewar intelligence, his go-to guy was Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), the former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee:
Coupled with limited access to intelligence documents, Raw Story has found that Roberts and a handful of other strategically-placed Washington players stymied all questions into pre-war intelligence [...]
Cat Fight
The Libby perjury/obstruction trial heats up. The president’s counselor Dan Bartlett and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove have each been subpoenaed. Guess who’s nearly as odious?
Before they testify, if they do, the trial is likely to host Ari Fleischer early next week.
Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald took a gamble three years ago that [...]
Circling The Wagons
The Bush Administration, via its chief water-carrier, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, is lawyering up—not in the usual manner, but through a series of quiet firings and “interim” appointments of federal prosecutors. An obscure provision of the Patriot Act has permitted this back-door installation of White House loyalists, bypassing congressional approval:
The newly appointed U.S. [...]
Shakespearean Daily Diss
“His speech was like a tangled chain; nothing impaired,
but all disordered.” –A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 5.1.124-25
Shakespearean Daily Diss
“I pray you, do not fall in love with me,
For I am falser than vows made in wine:
Besides, I like you not.” –As You Like It, 3.5.72-74
Not Even Sitting Down
The Iraqi parliament has been virtually paralyzed by poor attendance, managing its first quorum in months on Monday.
Parliamentary officials refused to provide attendance lists for every session, fearing retribution….
Party leaders in Baghdad said they had urged their members to attend but emphasized that for many, Parliament had become a hardship post.
Representatives who travel from afar [...]
Shakespearean Daily Diss
“Our crows shall fare the better for you.” –Cymbeline, 3.1.83
SOTU Cheat Sheet
TPM presents what appears to be an authentic set of White House talking points on tonight’s State of the Union address. I can’t really vouch for the document (see if you can’t make a drinking game of it, at least), but it sounds fatuous enough: the president is exuberant and determined, with bold new [...]
Shakespearean Daily Diss
“That sir which serves and seeks for gain,
And follows but for form,
Will pack when it begins to rain,
And leave thee in the storm.” –King Lear, 2.4.79-82
