* you might remember a post i wrote a couple of weeks ago proving (?) that the army was actually way underplaying their recruiting success in july - i was most surprised that it didnt get any play - even from the wingnut sites. i was hoping that the wingnutters would run with the story, because i assumed that the military were keeping it hush on purpose. i got a few hits on it today cos instapundit pointed to a relevant article today. (no links to instapundit for obvious reasons)
* billmon: " The constitutional deal submitted (kinda, sorta) to Iraq's temporary parliament not only wasn't a deal, it wasn't even a draft. The Washington Post's Ellen Knickmeyer explains:
We're told today there isn't a proper draft put together yet -- that the version as it is now exists in people's heads and in copies annotated with handwritten notes. There are a couple of new drafts floating around today, but I think they may reflect the drafts that various sides are putting forward."
* wapo via billmon: "U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad shuttled among Iraqi leaders, pushing late Monday for the inclusion of Sunnis in talks, negotiators said. U.S. Embassy staff members worked from a Kurdish party headquarters to help type up the draft and translate changes from English to Arabic for Iraqi lawmakers, negotiators said. (emphasis added.)"
Negotiation101 says 'if u can, get your own secretary to take the minutes of meetings' - Negotiation201 probably says 'use your own language as the base document'
* digby looks at the 700 club stats - lots of people watch their hero call for assassinating foreign leaders (which is defintely illegal), and nuking the State Dept (which is also presumably illegal). but go read the stats that digby has at hand. 7% of adults watch this shit *daily* - and only 40% dont watch Xtian TV at all. im so scared. (i dont think Fox qualifies)
* speaking of nutjob Robertson, driftglass quotes someone: "“I’ve had it up the here with Rev. Jerry Falwell...and all the rest of those TV clowns perverting the tenets of Judeo-Christian ethos with their non-specific mumble about moral rectitude...
They want to censor books and movies and tv and magazines to fit some ancient, worn-out idea of purity...”" (link)
thats from 1980.
i hope that person has the fortune of being dead now - although i expect he'll be turning in his gravy.
* re AbleDanger: "the military analyst who worked in Operation Able Danger, and who made the claims public, coordinated his allegations in advance with the House GOP leadership, and Steven Cambone at the Pentagon, as well as Fox News... What we may find here is that what started out as just another effort to redirect blame towards Clinton by Weldon and his buddies in the House GOP and Fox News turned into something that the Bush Administration doesn’t want its fingerprints on anymore, now that it turns out that Able Danger was terminated by Bush in March 2001, just as the operation found out how involved Saudi Arabia was in supporting Al Qaeda." (link)
wtf? try work that shit out. plamegate is *really* hurting the GOP game. (fwiw - the piece was published by moonietimes)
* joseph cannon: "As a National Review writer recently put it, the odd thing about (the Able Danger) story is that each day we learn facts which encourage both skeptics and believers. I would add that this story also intrgues both lefties and righties -- though for different reasons.... As you may know, I've toyed with the notion that the Able Danger "revelations" may be a set-up for a forthcoming disinformation barrage. After all, data-miners will probably determine responsibility for the next terror attack -- and as you know, this administration has already decided to blame Iran, no matter who is really responsible."
as ive repeatedly said - the only remaining question is why they dragged this shit out.
* "A recent report in the Los Angeles Times suggested Black was demoted because he was investigating Abramoff, whose lobbying tied him to major Republicans in Congress as well as President Bush. Such an investigation could have been a major liability for Bush, and might have brought to light a web of other scandals that are now being investigated by the Senate, the FBI, and the Justice Department." (link)
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