So Stoopid It Burns: Palin says Obama's 'lack of experience' leaves him 'a bit over his head' on HCR.

It really doesn't get any more surreal than this. Greta Van Susteren laments the fact that the healthcare bill isn't more bipartisan - erm, the fact that the Republicans are the Party of No has had no bearing on this? - and Sarah Palin tells us it's not bipartisan because of Obama's "lack of experience".

Palin: It really reflects a lack of experience of President Obama's, which -- it was warned about during the campaign that Candidate Obama didn't have executive experience, he hasn't been an administrator or a manager of anything. So to jump into this huge -- hugely important responsible position as President of the United States without the experience to know how to work across party lines, and to know how to administer and to manage a team to get policy through that makes sense, that's supported by the people -- it's a bit, um, it's a bit over his head, if you will. And, uh, things aren't going well, and the public is really voicing their frustration.

When Sarah Palin was named John McCain's candidate for the Vice Presidency, the notion of her becoming president - should anything happen to McCain - was so horrendous that it almost instantly killed his candidacy. I said at the time that it deserved to, as he had made an utterly insane choice. And most Americans continue to think that she is completely unqualified for such a role.

There is a growing sense that the former Alaska governor is not qualified to serve as president, with more than seven in 10 Americans now saying she is unqualified, up from 60 percent in a November survey. Even among Republicans, a majority now say Palin lacks the qualifications necessary for the White House.

So, to now have Sarah Palin - of all bloody people - now tell us that Obama lacks the experience needed to be president, is to enter Alice in Wonderland territory.

Only on Fox could she make that statement without being laughed out of the studio.

Tags: Sarah Palin, Obama, Fox News

Republican Loons Begin Eating Their Own...

I've always said this would happen. The Republicans are now eating themselves in public as the sensible wing of the party attempt to convince the Limbaugh wing that they will need more than the support of white males if they are ever to retake the White House.

But, as people like Frum attempt to talk sense to them, the Limbaugh wing of the party form a circular firing squad and start shooting.

It's almost comical to watch.

Tags: bush, cheney, war criminal, crime, torture, neocon, rush limbaugh, david frum, michael steel

AP accuses 'Hope' artist of copyright infringement

There are times when huge corporations go after the little guy and simply get it dead wrong in my opinion. Like this:

As we've previously reported, the Hope posters that artist Shepard Fairey created during the presidential campaign use an image of Barack Obama that's based on a photograph taken for the Associated Press by then-freelancer Mannie Garcia.

Now, the AP wants credit and compensation.

The wire service says Fairey didn't get permission to do what he did. Fairey's attorney says "fair use" gave him the legal right to take the image and rework it into a piece of art.

"We have reached out to Mr. Fairey's attorney and are in discussions. We hope for an amicable solution," says the AP's director of media relations, Paul Colford, in a statement.

What do they hope to gain through this? Fairey, as far as I am aware, did not make huge fortunes out of this iconic image, so what does AP want? It's not as if the picture which they are claiming this poster is based on is especially brilliant or shows a side of Obama which we have previously never seen.

Indeed, it is what Fairey did with the image which makes it interesting, far more than the image itself.

And lawyers appear to at loggerheads over whether or not there has been copyright infringement in this case.

"Fairey's purpose of the use for the photo was political or civic, and this will certainly count in favor of the poster being a fair use," said Gross, based in San Francisco. "Nor will the poster diminish the value of the photo, if anything, it has increased the original photo's value beyond measure, another factor counting heavily in favor of fair use."

Is there a company out there wanting compensation for the iconic photograph of "Che" Guevara?

If they had any sense, AP would simply let this one go.

Click title for full article.

Tags: Obama, icon, iconic, Associated Press, Shepard Fairey

Cheney Is Either A Pathological Liar Or Completely Unhinged!

Cheney has launched an astonishing assault on the new Obama administration, mainly to insist that the pro-torture, pro-Guantanamo policies of the last administration must be continued by this one.

And, of course, he's hitting that - by now well worn - Republican talking point, that if the US is attacked it will be Obama's fault. I have always thought protocol prevented former presidents and vice presidents from speaking out in this way about an incoming regime. Looks like Cheney never got that memo.

UPDATE:



Here Rachel Maddow gives her take on this most recent insanity.

Tags: bush, cheney, war criminal, crime, terrorist, gitmo, fear

Obama To Republicans "I won".

In Washington, bipartisanship often seems to mean that the Democrats bend themselves to the Republican political agenda.

And the Republicans never seem to accept that they have lost the argument, which is why so many of them - despite losing the election - continued to argue that the US is a centre right nation. In their world, their policies must continue no matter what results any election yields.

So, it's a very welcome change to hear that Obama has reminded them - and his fellow Democrats - that "I won".

The American people listened to what both Obama and McCain had to say and they firmly came out supporting the position of Obama. The Republicans would like to proceed as if that hadn't happened. But it did.

And Obama is right to remind them of it. Perhaps Obama's version of bipartisanship isn't rolling over and playing dead after all.

His fellow Democrats would do well to emulate the steel which he is showing.

Tags: Obama, Democrats, Republicans, I won

Barack Obama calls for return to "old truths."

Speaking at a time of "gathering clouds and raging storms" Obama's inauguration will be best remembered because he stated what was obvious:

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

It was, indeed, an epic moment which will be remembered down the ages. However, what impressed me most about it was the way in which Obama took first a scalpel and then a sledgehammer to the policies and the mindset of the neo-cons and the Bush administration.

He also said, "we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals" reminding the hundreds of thousands gathered that:

Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expediences sake. [...]

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

It was as brutal a repudiation of Bush - and his demand that citizens surrender more and more rights and civil liberties in order to be safe - as one could hope to hear.

Obama placed those civil liberties as essential to winning any fight against extremists and, in doing so, explicitly denounced the tactics of the Bush administration in both policy and in tone.

And then, in what is surely an anathema to everything Bush and his breed believe, he stated:

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

And, in a stunning rebuke of the previous president, sitting only feet away, he said, "because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government." Clearly implying that this trust has been eroded by the previous occupant of that high office.

The new president has made abundantly clear that, unlike Bush, he understands the truth behind the words of Benjamin Franklin: "Those who would sacrifice a little liberty for a perceived increase in security, deserve neither - and will eventually lose both."

Yes, it's wonderful that America has elected it's first ever black president, but it's also wonderful that they have elected this particular man at this particular moment in time. A man who understands that America's ideals are her greatest strength, and that they cannot be traded away when they are threatened by extremism. Indeed, that is the very moment at which they should be most fervently upheld.

He ran promising "change" and - if his inauguration speech is any indication of what to expect - he intends to reverse the mindset of the Bush administration 180%.

The world will collectively sigh with relief. "Old truths" will once again guide the White House. The nightmare is officially over.

UPDATE:

I'm watching CNN as Obama strolls towards the White House along Pennsylvania Avenue.

I can't help but remember the fact that Bush couldn't do this because his motorcade was being pelted by eggs.

Click title for full text of Obama's speech.

Tags: Obama, Obama inauguration, speech

Democrat Al Franken wins Minnesota senate recount .

So, Franken has beaten Norm Coleman but Coleman is refusing to accept the result and vows to fight on.

Democrat Al Franken won the recount of ballots for a Minnesota senate seat Monday but the contentious battle was set to drag on for weeks or months as his Republican rival vowed to contest the results.

The legal battle will leave the seat empty and weaken the Democratic majority as president-elect Barack Obama works to implement a massive economic stimulus package.

Election officials certified the recount results which handed Franken victory with a margin of 225 votes out of nearly three million ballots cast in the November 4 election.

But Franken will not officially win the election until the legal battle is over and the governor and secretary of state issue an election certificate.

"That certificate will not be issued until after the conclusion of the election contest," secretary of state Mark Ritchie said in announcing the certified results.

This YouTube clip of how O'Reilly might take the news made me laugh.

Click title for full article.

Tags: Franken, Coleman, Minnesota

Palin: I should have talked to the press more.

As she accepted her award as Conservative of the Year, no seriously that's what they have just awarded her, Sarah Palin mused on what was the biggest mistake of the 2008 election.

GIZZI: What was the biggest mistake made in the ’08 campaign?

PALIN: The biggest mistake made was that I could have called more shots on this: the opportunities that were not seized to speak to more Americans via media. I was not allowed to do very many interviews, and the interviews that I did were not necessarily those I would have chosen.

But I was so thankful to have the opportunity to run with John McCain that I was not going to argue with the strategy decisions that some of his people were making regarding the media contacts.

But if I would have been in charge, I would have wanted to speak to more reporters because that’s how you get your message out to the electorate.

So, the woman who participated in some of the worst car crash TV interviews of the entire electoral cycle thinks things would have worked out better if she had done more interviews?

The ignorance she displayed during the interviews she did was breathtaking, indeed, it was enough to turn her into a national joke. And she thinks she should have done more of them?

I really hope conservatives keep her front and centre of any future Republican campaigns. Nothing will do more to ensure Obama's re-election than that.

Click title to read the Conservative of the Year's interview.

Tags: Conservative of the Year, Palin, Republicans, 2008 election

The 10 Worst Predictions for 2008.

Foreign Policy is listing it's ten worst predictions of the last year and it's no surprise to find Bill Kristol right at the top of the list with this gem:

“If [Hillary Clinton] gets a race against John Edwards and Barack Obama, she’s going to be the nominee. Gore is the only threat to her, then. … Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single Democratic primary. I’ll predict that right now.” —William Kristol, Fox News Sunday, Dec. 17, 2006

Jim Cramer runs a very close second with this:

“Peter writes: ‘Should I be worried about Bear Stearns in terms of liquidity and get my money out of there?’ No! No! No! Bear Stearns is fine! Do not take your money out. … Bear Stearns is not in trouble. I mean, if anything they’re more likely to be taken over. Don’t move your money from Bear! That’s just being silly! Don’t be silly!” —Jim Cramer, responding to a viewer’s e-mail on CNBC’s Mad Money, March 11, 2008

And still on the subject of the economy we have this classic:

“[A]nyone who says we’re in a recession, or heading into one—especially the worst one since the Great Depression—is making up his own private definition of ‘recession.’” —Donald Luskin, The Washington Post, Sept. 14, 2008

The day after Luskin’s op-ed, “Quit Doling Out That Bad-Economy Line,” appeared in the Post, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, and the rest is history. Liberal bloggers had long ago dubbed the Trend Macrolytics chief investment officer and informal McCain advisor “the Stupidest Man Alive.” This time, they had some particularly damning evidence.

But worry not, no-one featured on the list has to worry that employment will dry up any time soon. And Kristol is especially guaranteed to be allowed to continue to spout his partisan rubbish to Fox News who are more interested in him saying what they want to hear than they are in hearing from anyone who actually knows what they are talking about.

After all he survived spouting this piece of right wing crap:

We are tempted to comment, in these last days before the war, on the U.N., and the French, and the Democrats. But the war itself will clarify who was right and who was wrong about weapons of mass destruction. It will reveal the aspirations of the people of Iraq, and expose the truth about Saddam's regime. It will produce whatever effects it will produce on neighboring countries and on the broader war on terror. We would note now that even the threat of war against Saddam seems to be encouraging stirrings toward political reform in Iran and Saudi Arabia, and a measure of cooperation in the war against al Qaeda from other governments in the region. It turns out it really is better to be respected and feared than to be thought to share, with exquisite sensitivity, other people's pain. History and reality are about to weigh in, and we are inclined simply to let them render their verdicts.

It's that wonderfully condescending tone he hits whilst being utterly wrong that most amuses me. Of course, both history and reality rendered a completely different verdict than the one Kristol so patronizingly predicted, but that won't stop him pontificating throughout 2009.

It's what he does. The real wonder is that he gets away with being so wrong, so often, and is still treated as a serious commentator.

Click title for the list.

Tags: Bill Kristol, predictions, 10 worst

Warren and the Inauguration.

Obama claims that his bizarre invitation for Rick Warren take part in his inauguration will somehow help to make the whole event more "inclusive", as if all sides must necessarily be represented - including, I presume, Klu Klux Klan members - before any event can be labeled "inclusive". I personally feel that people who preach intolerance towards others are, by their very nature, not "inclusive" types, but perhaps that's just me.

Obama has defended his decision:

Asked about gay opposition to Pastor Warren, Mr Obama said: "There's going to be a wide range of viewpoints and that's how it should be. That's what America is about. We are diverse, noisy and opinionated. That's the spirit in which we have put together what I think will be a terrific inauguration."

He recalled that he was well received when he spoke at Pastor Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern California a few years ago, although he sharply disagrees with the celebrity pastor on such issues as abortion and gay rights.

"Dialogue is part of what my campaign was all about," Mr Obama said at a Chicago press conference. "We're not going to agree on every single issue but we have to create an atmosphere in which we can disagree."

I personally don't agree with Obama's decision to invite Warren to his inauguration and wish he had not done so, but perhaps finally the right wing loons who tried to imply that Obama must agree with every single word uttered by the Reverend Jeremiah Wright will at last concede that it is possible to have a relationship with a religious preacher without necessarily agreeing with everything that they believe in.

UPDATE:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I'm with Rachel Maddow on this one in that I think this is simply dumb politically and that Obama has entered a "lose - lose" situation here. There is no political advantage which I can see to Warren's inclusion.

Tags: Obama, Rick Warren, Jeremiah Wright

Joe may be OK with his fellow senators, but not with his constituents.

Snake in the grass, Joe Lieberman, might have escaped censure from the Democratic party for his disgraceful conduct during the election but it appears that his own constituents are not quite as forgiving.

According to a recent poll:

Lieberman, who faced a possible formal rebuke tonight by the Democratic State Central Committee over his support of Republican John McCain, had the approval of 38 percent and the disapproval of 54 percent of voters.

The rating was the worst of any senator in a Quinnipiac poll since Robert Torricelli of New Jersey was forced to resign in 2002.

So, Lieberman might be able to sneak away with only a slight punishment from the Democrats, but the people who voted him into office might yet exact their revenge on the man who promised to side with the Democrats and found himself standing on a Republican platform and, on several other occasions, attacking the Democratic candidate.

I really hope they kick this traitor out of office.

Hat tip to Crooks and Liars.

Tags: Lieberman, polls, traitor, snake

Obama: Blagojevich is on his own.

This is the last thing that Obama needs right now but, as he makes very clear here, he has had no contact with Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Obama: Like the rest of the people of Illinois, I am saddened and sobered by the news that came out of the US attorney's office today, but as this is a on going investigation involving the Governor I don't' think it's appropriate for me to comment on the issue at this time.

I'll answer this one question. I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not aware of what was happening. As I said it is a sad day for Illinois. Beyond that I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment.

Not that this will have any effect on the right wing nutcase convention which is about to kick off.

What will be very amusing will be to watch the way the very same people who lambasted Patrick Fitzgerald as a partisan when he pursued "Scooter" Libby, now hail him as their hero.

Of course, the difference between how the right and left react to political skulduggery will be very obvious. I can't imagine anyone on the left racing to defend Blagojevich in the way that the loons on the right raced to defend Libby. If Blagojevich did what is alleged to have done then he deserves whatever is coming his way.

That's the adult reaction to charges of corruption.

UPDATE:

There's further proof that Obama had nothing to do with this from Blagojevich himself. In a taped conversation he refers to Obama as a "Motherf#cker":

The tapes reveal a two-term governor who no longer wants his job, badly wants cash and is determined to leverage a financial benefit out of his appointment powers. He also appears to think little of the president-elect, whom he calls a "motherf***er" at one point. “F**k him,” Blagjoveich says of Obama during a lengthy call with top aides and his wife recorded on November 10th, “For nothing? F**k him.”

In another section of the complaint, Blagojevich expresses exasperation that Obama and his team aren't willing to offer him an inducement in exchange for appointing an aide, apparently Valerie Jarrett, to the Senate.

Blagojevich "said he knows that the President-elect wants Senate Candidate 1 for the Senate seat but 'they’re not willing to give me anything except appreciation. F**k them,'" says the complaint.

Not that I expect the truth to stop the frenzied orgy that is taking place on right wing blogs.

Tags: Obama, Blagojevich, corruption, Illinois

The Constitutional Conflict with Hillary Clinton's Nomination to Sec of State.

As morons continue to argue that Obama is not a US citizen, they miss the rather more pertinent point regarding Hillary's nomination.

Tags: barack, michelle, obama, white house, hillary clinton, bill, senator, constitution, nomination, secretary of state

Joan Walsh smacks down Christopher Hitchens' Clinton hatred.

I loathe Christopher Hitchens almost as much as he seems to loathe the Clintons.

Here he is at his pompous and oafish best. He claims Obama is "lucky" that the Iraq government are now essentially calling for the very things that Obama campaigned on, when I would argue that Obama was way ahead of the pack and that the rest are simply catching up.

However, it is when he launches into his diatribe against the Clintons that a very calm Joan Walsh dismantles him.

Hitchens: "[Choosing Hillary Clinton] still divides us between those who think a job must be found for Hillary Clinton, that the country would somewhat be disgraced if she wasn't in an important position and those of us who could do without her."

Walsh: "But that second group is a very small group. It's a group of eccentric Clinton haters who have made a living out of trashing the Clinton. It's a small group. It's not an important group in American foreign or domestic policy."

Hitchens: "Which group are you talking about?"

Walsh: "The group of people who would rather see Hillary Slinton off the world stage. I don't think Barack Obama was thinking about that at all because that group of people are eccentric, they are devoted to looking at everything the Clintons do in the worst possible light, and hes trying to solve problems."

Hat tip to Crooks and Liars.

Tags: Christopher Hitchens, Clinton Hatred, Joan Walsh

Karl Rove lamely attempts to defend Bush's approval ratings.

I'm still amazed that this asshole is thought of and spoken of as a political genius. Here (it starts at about 4.12) he seeks to defend Bush's abysmal popularity figures.

He starts by claiming that Bush "liberated" 25 million Iraqis and 25 million Afghans, a claim that requires one to look at what is taking place in both those countries and, instead of seeing carnage, pretend that one sees liberation.

He then claims that the US simply "tired" of the Republicans and that Bush brought some "bold changes" and that the country didn't like that.

The truth is that the Bush administration was an unmitigated disaster, possibly one of the worst ever and Rove was one of it's architects. They governed by ignoring public opinion - as if paying attention to what the public wanted in a democracy was a weakness - and pushing their extreme right wing agenda and watching as the American economy collapsed.

The end result has almost destroyed the Republican party as a brand and the infighting which is certain to follow their loss may leave them in the wilderness for years.

And yet Rove is still interviewed as if he is some kind of political genius and listened to with respect. I find that astonishing.

Tags: Bush, Rove, Republicans, US election 2008

Dick Morris, Hack

Morris keeps asking people to contribute to GOPTrust.com without revealing his apparent financial ties to this organisation.

Since the beginning of October, Dick Morris has repeatedly used his columns and Fox News appearances to promote and raise money for the National Republican Trust PAC without disclosing that the organization has paid $24,000 to a company apparently connected to Morris, according to FEC filings.

This guy is simply a shameless Republican hack.

Click title for the full article.

Tags: Dick Morris, GOP, Republicans

Evasive Lieberman Discusses Regrets On "Meet The Press".

Lieberman doesn't "want to go into the details", which renders his supposed "apology" meaningless.

He called Obama but Obama didn't call him back. That's a surprise, eh?

This man is a slimeball. I can't bear the fact that he's still in the caucus.

Tags: Lieberman, US election 2008

Daily Show: Stewart slams Lieberman and Stevens.

Jon Stewart asks the question that we are all asking, how far do you have to go to get fired if you aren't fired for actively supporting the other candidate?

Tags: Jon Stewart, Joe Lieberman, US election 2008

Obama Raised Half a Billion Online

It will change the way American elections are financed forever. Obama, the first American politician to truly realise the power of the Internet, raised over half a billion dollars online:

In an exclusive interview with The Post, members of the vaunted Triple O, Obama's online operation, broke down the numbers: 3 million donors made a total of 6.5 million donations online adding up to more than $500 million. Of those 6.5 million donations, 6 million were in increments of $100 or less. The average online donation was $80, and the average Obama donor gave more than once.

"You looked at the money being raised online in the same way that you looked at the crowds who came to the rallies," Joe Rospars, the 27-year-old director of Obama's new-media department, told The Post. "You were constantly surprised at the number of people who were coming out to see him," and, when it came to online donations, "people exceeded our expectations as to what they were willing to do."

It also helped that he was able to say that, if people financed him out of their own pockets, he would not have to rely on the special interest groups which control Washington and that he could herald in a new kind of politics.

The very fact that he was able to raise such an astonishing amount of money shows how powerful that message was.

It really is true to say that only the Internet could have produced an Obama presidency.

Click title for full article.

Tags: Obama, US election 2008, $500 million, fund raising

Bay Buchanan on D.L. Hughley: GOP Derangement Syndrome.

Even after a resounding defeat, Republican talking heads like Bay Buchanan continue to insist that America is a centre right country and that Republicanism has not been rejected as Bush was "not a Republican".

The Iraq war, Guantanamo Bay, tax cuts for the rich, deregulation, extraordinary rendition, the suspension of Habeas Corpus, I could go on and on and on but you get the point. Which of these hallmarks of the Bush administration were not Republican?

People like Buchanan have spent the last eight years defending this shit, so it's a bit rich to watch them now claim that Bush didn't govern like a Republican.

Tags: Bay Buchanan, D.L. Hughley, US Election 2008, Republicanism, Bush, Republicans