Kangaroo Justice is DC

On the American Thinker, J. Peter Mulhern makes a bold charge:
 

Patrick Fitzgerald is a disgrace both to the legal profession and to the human race. His partisan allies, such as Senator Chuck Schumer and certain nameless bureaucrats at the CIA, are beneath contempt. The jury was unfit for its task, because it was apparently both prejudiced and intellectually incapable of noticing that the prosecution had no case. The trial judge lacked either the wit to see a gross miscarriage of justice unfolding before his eyes or the courage to stop it. But ultimate responsibility for Fitzgerald’s outrageous misconduct lies with his boss.

An unfit jury, that is powerful statement and damning inditement of the American judicial system, if true.

Yet the evidence says Mulhern is right, from the transcript of Chris Matthews, via Drudge:

MSNBC host Chris Matthews spoke with Libby juror Ann Redington on HARDBALL. Juror [#10] says she would support a Bush pardon for Libby.Transcript:Chris: You’re for a pardon out of sympathy for the defendant.Ann: Yeah, I think in the big picture, um, it kind of bothers me that there was this whole big crime being investigated and he got caught up in the investigation as opposed to in the actual crime that was supposedly committed.Chris: Which is the leaking of a CIA agents name.Ann: Exactly.

Pardon me. Valerie Plame agent! Patrick Fitzgerald never alleged that Plame was an agent, out of court much or less in court. Fiizgerald described Plame as CIA employee. For all we know that means clerk-typist. Fitzgerald knew that Plame’s name leaked by Richard Armitage, but never charged Armitage with anything. As it was beyond the scope of his case, Fiztgerald never presented any evidence that Plame was a covert agent. The trial judge, Reggie Walton, professed not to know if Plame was an agent or not. Yet for some reason, Ann Redington, and her ten cohorts, reached their verdict on a belief which was simply beyond the scope of the trial, for which no evidence was presented and appears to a product of Redington’s et al imagination. To put it bluntly, the jury was deluded. 

Ann Coulter argues “It’s illegal to be Republican.” I for one would like to see the DOJ investigate Fitzgerald and I reccomend Clarice Feldman ?

LONDON (AP) _ John Inman, the actor best known for his role in the British television series “Are You Being Served?,” died Thursday, his manager said.

Inman, 71, died at St. Mary’s Hospital in London after a long illness, said manager Phil Dale.

The way things are today, the part Inman played wouldn’t make it by the censors… they’d call it discriminatory.

* The Music: Blood, Sweat, and Tears… the self-titled album, from 1969.

69 was a great year for albums. In a year with a lot of landmark albums, of ‘mow ’em down’ power, this is in the top five. This was the disc that made the leap to Jazz/Rock possible. Fronted by the vocals of David Clayton Thomas, it was a sound that couldn’t lose. In the top-40 oriented radio of the day there was only possibilities one single, and they had to edit that one down.  But that, perhaps was one thing about this album that made it remarkable… it turned a lot of folks on to the idea that there was something beyond that hit single.  As fresh today as it was back then. Thomas played here a few years ago, fronting BS&T, (Reformed) and sounded very good indeed. I was happy to have been able to catch their act, and pay homage to the music personally.
* The sense of Deja vu today was palpable.

It occurred to me, this morning, driving into work, that there are a number of similarities, between the case surrounding Scooter Libby, and the case of Bill Clinton.  Both cases involve perjury.  One was demonstrated as fact and inarguable.  That one, the Democrats defended against conviction, tooth and nail.  The other, was anything but inarguable, and the conviction surrounding the case was obtained under what several have pointed out are questionable circumstances involving serious conflict of interest.

In terms of an actual criminal case, they went after Libby, simply because they didn’t have anything else on anybody else.  That is confirmed by the comments from the jury, and by the fact that Fitzpatrick has flatly stated the case is now closed.

What we are witness to, here, and what the democrats are celebrating tonight, is the successful bending of our criminal justice system, into a political power structure.  Limbaugh today made the comment that what we were seeing was the democrats attempting to criminalize policy.  But I think it goes far deeper than that. this isn’t just about policy.  This is about blind support of Democrats and use of the justice system against anyone who doesn’t support Democrats.

Think I’m kidding?  How else to explain William Jefferson…($90,000 cash in his freezer)… How else to explain Sander Berger? (Documents in his pants) How else to explain anyone taking Joe Wilson seriously?

I’d rather if he wasn’t pardoned, but rather exonerated through the system.  The such a move would help to show just how corrupt the entire process with Fitzpatrick has been.  Just how politically motivated this whole thing has been.  I don’t rule out a pardon, I just think it’s a little early to discuss it, yet.  Of course, the only reason that we’re discussing that now, anyway , is because the democrats are putting up a stink against it ever happening.  It’s called a preemptive strike.  Once again proving this whole thing was is and always will be politically motivated.

* I see Syria and Iran are on the outs...

Syrian President Bashar Assad exchanged harsh words with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a phone conversation, the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Siyassah reported on Wednesday.

Sources close to the Syrian leader told the newspaper that Assad had initially called the Iranian president to discuss Ahmadinejad’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in Riyadh.

However, the conversation reportedly turned ugly when Ahmadinejad voiced support for the establishment of an international tribunal on the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri – a sensitive subject for Syria, which has been suspected of involvement in the Lebanese leader’s death.

The report said that Assad became enraged and launched into an angry tirade, cursing the Iranians at the end of the conversation.

Frankly, that’s as good as an admission of guilt as anything on the part of Assad.  What strikes me as curious, is that Ahmadinejad wouldn’t have known what kind of a reaction that was going to draw.  Indeed, it would make more sense that he knew that was the reaction was going to draw … having planned it that way. But why?

I don’t know what the answer to that question is, but I get the feeling that no matter what it is, I’m not going to like it.

* Just how does one kill a cartoon character, anyway? And why would you do so?  I wonder if this isn’t just a case of that read white and blue outfit he wears.  Now, they’ve managed to bring back other cartoon characters in the past.  This may be another such.  But my suspicions will be confirmed, if they don’t.

* After around 55 days of snow, around here, were supposed to see temperatures in the fifties by the middle of next week.  Of course, that means drainage problems on my roof, again.  Oh, joy.

What I find easy to believe about Susan Estrich is that she is a blonde.   What I find hard to believe is that she actually managed a presidential campaign. Micheal Dukakis   That her candidate lost, is quite believable.

Estrich is an attempt to depict Mrs. Cilinton’s vices as if they were virtues has written about the dumbest column I have ever seen:

Since when is being “nice” the basis for being president? Since when does the nicest candidate win?

Now I admt that my analyse is just a wee bit subjective.  But niceness is just not a objective metric which can be researched.   It is not like trying to pick the taller of the two canidates.  Never the less here it goes.

2004:  Bush(43) v. Kerry.  Kerry plays war hero, loses.

2000:  Gore v. Bush(43).  compassionate conservatism. nice guy wins

1996, Clinton v. Dole, war hero loses.

1992, Clinton v. Bush(41),  draft dodger wins.

1988  Bush(41)  v Dukakis, nice guy wins.

1884  Gipper v Mondale, niice guy wins.

1980: Gipper v. Carter, nice guy wins.

1976  Carter v. Ford, Watergate

1972  Nixon v. McGovern, nice guy loses.

1968  Nixon v. Humpfrey, very nice guy loses. 

1964  Johnson v Goldwater,  Barry talks tough, loses.

1960  Nixon v. Kennedy, nice wins

1956 and 52  Eisenhower v. Stevenson, two nice guys.

Covering over a half century of presidential elections, I don’t see where one nasty canidate has ever been elected.  Nixon wasn’t a charmer but did present himself as poor kid from wrong side of the tracks, as he was.

Americans don’t want a nasty president, they want a strong one.   Sadlly for Estrich and Clinton nasty is not a synonym for strong.

Sadly for Mrs. Clinton, while, as Ms. Estrich admits, while she is nasty, Mrs. Clinton is not a strong woman.   Strong  women do abide husbands who are serial adulterers.   A strong woman, would have thrown B.J. out.

(H/T photo:  Slate )

MSNBC is reporting that Lisa Nowak, Captain, USN, is now a former astronaut.   NASA has dismissed Nowak and sent her back to the Navy.  Expect the Navy to do likewise.

BERKELEY, Calif. —TELEGRAM.COM- Ernest Gallo, who parlayed $5,900 and a wine recipe from a public library into the world’s largest winemaking empire, died yesterday at his home in Modesto. He was 97. “He passed away peacefully this afternoon surrounded by his family,” said Susan Hensley, vice president of public relations for E.&J. Gallo Winery. Gallo, who would have been 98 on March 18, was born near Modesto, a then-sleepy San Joaquin Valley town about 80 miles east of San Francisco. He and his late brother and business partner, Julio, grew up working in the vineyard owned by their immigrant father who came to America from Italy’s famed winemaking region of Piedmont.

Hmmm. I won’t express any sadness, here. At 98, he had a full life… fuller, I think, than even most his age. Yet, perhaps something to mark his passing IS in order.

I think I’ll have a glass in his honor, tonight.

The two actors  who play the Geico cave men, may have  some new competition for the role.  Did Joe Wilson spend the entire last five weeks holed up io a cave in Parkistan?  Evidently yes.  Wilson is shouting lunacy.  From Think Progress:

I also learned today that the president was quoted as saying that he was sorry for Mr. Libby and his family. I wish that he would express his sorrow for what has happened to my wife, whose career was destroyed as a consequence of this, and also to the service people of this country who are fighting in a war that now very clearly was justified by lies and disinformation

Valerie Plume was outed  by Wilson himself, likely to booster his ego after being refered to as a fourth rate diplomat.  Richad Armitage to Bob Woodward, from Media Lies:

Yeah. And I know [ ] Joe Wilson’s been calling everybody. He’s pissed off because he was designated as a low-level guy, went out to look at it. So, he’s all pissed off.

Given the fact that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney et al are all public figures, there is no legal means to prevent Wilson’s continued lying.   Howver the media should ignore Wilson’s spoiled brat temper tantrums.   Then so too is Wilson a public figure and thus very fair game.

First the Music: Chiaroscuro, by Darol Anger and Mike Marshall

This is unquestionably one disc I would have in my Desert Island connection. It’s that good.

The artists listed are only part of the talent that is on this record.  All of the people involved with this recording, then went on to record as the Jazz Group “Montreux”.

I’ve seen copies of this disc going for $40.00 and more.  I actually have a copy on wax somewhere in the storage area, which is exactly the same as the CD, with the exception that there are two more classically oriented tracks missing from the wax copy.  Functionally, these people generated the sound that Windham Hill was really famous for.

The style can be listed as acoustical jazz, but the style is more intricate than that, being comprised of Mike Marshall’s mandolins and guitars, Darol Anger’s violin, Barbara Higbie’s keyboards, Mike Manning’s fretless bass, Andy Nerrel’s Steel Drums , Tom Miller and Will Kennedy’s percussion instruments and some tastefully done recording overlays.  In describing it, it doesn’t sound like it would work.  But it works like crazy. Every one I have ever played this recording for has left it, and wanted to know who it was.  And I mean everyone, including people who really can’t stand jazz. I’ve played this at Wedding receptions for years… particularly the classier places… and it always goes over very well.
I recognize this sounds like I’m gushing… but this disc comes with my highest recommendation.
* So, a Washington DC jury, has managed to cough up a conviction for Scooter Libby. If there is any group of people who are more solidly leftists, then the government workers infesting the Washington DC area, I can think of one.  Thereby, a conviction regardless of the facts was bound to occur.  That appears to be the attitude of Mr. Libby’s lawyers as well.  As such, you shouldn’t a separate a new trial in a separate venue.  If there is any one that thinks that this was not about vengeance by the democrats on the bush administration, one need only have listened to DIrty Harry:

“It’s about time someone in the Bush administration has been held accountable for the campaign to manipulate intelligence and discredit war critics,” Reid said.

Which, of course, it is a crock of the thick brown stuff that the Democrats seem to surround their arguments with of late.

By the way, should you run across someone who is busy celebrating this conviction, you may want to entertain yourself and educate them by asking them what the convictions were for.  You’ll be surprised but not amazed at the wide variance of answers to that question.

This will be retried, and overturned.  You read it here first.

* It would seem, that I have an additional reason to be thankful that we managed to set up a separate domain for this blog.  The reason being, that we’re no longer blocked in China, as the Blogspot domain is. A nod and a tip of the ball cap to Billy Beck.

* Speaking of Billy, he applies himself to addressing the huge scan that is “peak oil”, and in that doing, crosses paths with what I wrote the other day as regards the free market:

…what’s happening here is that untold millions of little nobodies like you and me are commanding, with our dollars, geniuses to go about the world finding new ways to exploit it for our comfort. If we just pay them to do that and they are left free to do so, they will do a splendid job of it…

I tend to like in the phenomena to crossing a stream on horseback; with most forces, in water, the trick is to give the horses had been let him figure out where the best footing is.  After all, he’s the one that’s gonna do the walking anyway.  If you trying to micromanage what the worse is doing, he’ll follow your commands most likely, but you’ll also most likely wash the two of you downstream faster than you can say “woah”.

* Near zero temperatures tonight again, with subzero Wind chills again.  And of course I have to drive perhaps 75 to 80 miles away to go to a call tomorrow.  Figures.  To make matters even more attractive, it’s not supposed to warm up really, until Friday.  My guess is that spring and summer are going to come on us in a relatively fast fashion this year, to the point where he’ll be 70° outside and we still have snow in some shaded spots.

* Cliff May  points out an important distinction made by Canadian Irshad Manji, and the author of  “The Trouble with Islam ”

 “Moderate Muslims denounce terror that’s committed in the name of Islam but they deny that religion has anything to do with it,” she says. “Reform-minded Muslims denounce terror that’s committed in the name of Islam and acknowledge that our religion is used to inspire it.”

In reading that quote, it occurs to me that the author would have been forcibly removed from Dean Esmay’s site for saying this.

Look, his site, he can do whatever he wants to do.  But I would be a liar of the first order if I didn’t say to you that I’m troubled by what I see over there. it’s out of character, out of place, and unwelcome.

The point that Dean refuses to recognize, and yet Manji and others have made central to their arguments is one that’s brought up by one of his own readers:

…on the whole, what percentage of muslims hate us and want to kill us, in contrast to those who believe in freedom, democracy and religious tolerance?

Recognizing that the latter of the two is decided minority, and the former is the biggest threat we faced in many years, is not an attack on all of Islam, but simple recognition of fact.

As another of his readers suggests:

there are lots of Muslims who are actively on our side in this war and many of them have died as heros. These Mulsims deserve our respect and admiration. The majority of Muslims don’t wish us (meaning the West) any harm and most of the violence (including the riots) actually comes from a tiny minority of Muslims. I have no ill feelings at all towards Mulsims that have no wish to harm me or others (like Israel) and I have no wish to attack or harm them. Yet Islam is a violent and dangerous religion and is one of the primary sources of violence in the world today.

And as for that minority, it becomes a matter of trust.  We have seen at numerous times over the last 50 or 60 years, where people such as the Palestinians, for example, have merely pretended to have peaceful intentions, and yet turn on a dime at the first opportunity to kill more westerners.  I am not suggesting that we should not trust people who claim to be our friends, rather I am suggesting that after that long history, trust is earned.

 Fran speak to this indirectly today, by means of comments from  one of HIS readers…

One supposes there are moderate Muslims out there somewhere for the same reason one supposes there are giant squid: examples of dead ones pop up on occasion.

I’m watching the situation over at Dean’s, at a distance.  Mostly, because I think we haven’t heard the last of the situation.  And I am not happy with what I see developing.  I can’t help but wonder if what drove him to this illogical conclusion, it isn’t the organized hate mail he’s been getting, such as what Fran reposts at his place today.  If that’s the case, then what we have here is someone’s courage disappearing.  In any event, what we’ve seen in the link I provided from there, is definitely the “Jump the Shark” moment at Dean’s world.
Sorry Dean… what it is.

*  Alex continues to improve, to those who were asking.  I continue to be pleased with how well he is adapting to his new situation.  Indeed, I wonder if I would do as well.  I imagine I’ll find out about 30 years.  I am amazed, at the cost of insulin.  I’m dealing with it, but it was still a bit of a surprise.

Hume:

“The Great Global Warming Swindle” features experts in climatology, meteorology and other disciplines — from such places as MIT and NASA. The film disputes the link between carbon dioxide levels and global temperatures.

The British TV station Channel Four is coming out with a scientific rebuttal to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.”One scientist calls the recent U.N. summary report on climate change “a sham” that included the names of scientists who actually disagreed with its findings. The show also asserts that efforts to reduce carbon dioxide are killing people in Africa — who must burn fires inside their homes because their governments are being pressured to use wind and solar power — and cannot produce enough electricity for the continent. The program airs Thursday.

It’s like I’ve been saying all along; the supposed “consensus”, even assuming such an argument was valid in science, is a lie.

A hero is person who risks his life for a noble cause.   There are plenty of heros, but as a rule heros are ignored by the media, save when they feel the need to disparge one, as with the libel of Colonel George E. “Bud” Day. 

Heros come in all shapes, sizes and forms.   Colonel Day is a hero, and Betsy Newmark, Betsy’s Page, blogs about another hero,  Ayaan Hirsi Ali.  Few people have ever spoken so much truth to power and alienated so many.  This woman has had the audacity, to both challenge the beliefs and practices of Islam and  the smug moral blindness of liberal culture.   .

When heros speak truth to power, small people get offended.   One such small person is Lorraine Ali of Newsweek, who wrote:

But Hirsi Ali’s memoir is as much about her political agenda as it is her life, andin between tales of her youth she wedges harsh and uncompromising declarations: “True Islam,” she writes at one point, “leads to cruelty.” If her coming-of-age story—and the saga of her nomadic family, who moved from prewar Somalia to Saudi Arabia, then Ethiopia and finally Kenya—were allowed to breathe on its own, “Infidel” would prove an eye-opening look into the plight of African Muslim women. But throughout the book, you can’t help but feel manipulated, rather than moved. In describing the 9/11 hijackers, she comes up with an inflammatory conclusion tailor-made for her right-wing constituency: “It was not a lunatic fringe who felt this way about America and the West. I knew that a vast majority of Muslims would see the attacks as justified retaliation against the infidel enemies of Islam.”

Lorraine Ali, the Dutch and much of the West have adopted the morally blind, and I say stupid, belief in moral relativism, the beliefe that all cultures, or religions, are equal.  The idea is of course absurd. Ayaan Hirsi Ali has survived Islamic terror, her genital multilation and the murder of her friend.  She has seen the tenets of Islam  up close and persnnal, and she has rejected them.Lorraine Ali, the Dutch liberals, and the West, must either repudiate Hirsi Ali or admit that their moral relativism is a false belief. Moral relativism is smug belief because it is easy to pretend that all cultures are somehow equal.  Yet to accept moral relativism means to turn a blind eye to people such as Ali,and to millon of women who shared her plight..  In the end, turning a blind eye to evil is the much greater sin.

Civilization was built by being judgemental.  We must either be judgemental or perish as a civilized people.   Do you judge me wrong?

In watching the Democratic side, we find Mrs Bill Clinton, who is clearly in touch with her southern, beer- guzzling good-old-boy masculine side of late. (What say we give Bill the White House again? After all, he’s put up with Hillary all those years… he deserves it…)

We have John Edwards, who responded to Ann Coulter’s “Faggot” remark, with words to the effect that Ann’s style of dress was ‘so last season’… In Edwards we also have someone who is pro-abortion, and yet claims to speak for Jesus Christ.

Speaking of immaculate conceptions, we have Barrack Obama claiming that his parents met at Selma, and he exists because of the march at Selma… even though he’d been born four years before…(Dare we question his parantage based on this conflict? If not, what, then?)… and whose supporters, despite his Slema claims,  argue if he’s “really black”, or not.

We have Al Gore, who hasn’t decided if he wants to run yet, any more than he’s decided if he wants to hug a tree or BE one, if he wants to be an environmentalist, or just talk like one. Given the electric consumption at his place, it’s leaning toward the latter.

I commented a while ago, that there was nobody on the Republican side of the isle who excited me. That’s still true.

But in looking at the Democrat side, I’m forced to wonder if being exciting is all it’s cracked up to be.

John Edwards has finally commented on Ann Coulter’s CPAC remarks, and in doing so he sticks his foot squarely in his mouth.   Edwards said:

“I think its important that we not reward hateful, selfish, childish behavior with attention.”

Fact, John Edwards hired the potty mouth, Christian hating, blogger Amanda Marcotte as his blogmaster.   Marcotte engaged in spitful, hate filled blogging, and in reward, Edwards hired Marcottte.

Fact, the Edwards campaign has drawn attention to Coulter’s remarks by using them raise money.

But at least his southern accent is honest.

* Music:Bob James & Earl Klugh – One on One

Bob James has been around since the early sixties , but his real forte, his real big self starter was when he picked up the Fender Rhodes piano. This record came out just after his “Touchdown” LP, (which contained a lot of memorable moments, bt was most famous for his “Angela”, which many of you would recognize as being the music their used for the them from the hit TV show “Taxi”. That’s a Fender Rhodes piano he’s using on that track, as well.  Anyway, he has since that time of the recording here gone on to the even bigger and better things… specifically, Fourplay… which is probably the biggest jazz supergroup of the last 20 years.

Earl Klugh, meanwhile, is an absolutely dynamite acoustical guitar player, who has been a fave of mine for 30 years now... and the combo of the two is magical.
The duo is accompanied on this disk by Bassist Ron Carter and drummer Harvey Mason, the latter of which also became part of Fourplay. Great stuff.

* Back to around zero, tonight. White-outs around here this afternoon, with scores of accidents and a few fatalities… and of course, me driving around in it.

* One surefire way to get the other side to lose, is to get them to swear off using the most potent of weapons. Hadn’t you heard, Sean?  This is one statement I will not be signing onto. Boortz addresses this rather well:

It all begins when someone of a particular political bent makes a comment that upsets and supposedly offends (gasp!) those of the opposite political persuasion. The offended parties then that any candidates who might share the same political classification as the person who uttered the offensive comment quickly find the nearest television news crew and denounce same.

Damned if I’m going to play along, and let the left define what I can and cannot say, on the idea they’re going to stop hating me if I let them control my words.
* The headlong rush into massive ethanol production is creating more problems than it is solving. Let’s rethink this one, OK?* Here’s the audio from Mrs Bill Clinton’s sickly imitation of Vivien Leigh.  One Which, come to think of it, is probably the best description of the woman I’ve heard, yet.  Funny how that works.
* Ace passes on word tonight of a 420lb woman who was preggers and didn’t know it, until of course she had a pain, and went to the hospital for it, where the doctor advised her that the baby she’d swallowed whole really had to come out, now. (Sheesh!)

* 49% of the people in this country are below average. And they vote.

(H/T photo: Townhall)

I can think of several things to call John Edwards. Honest is not one of them.   The San Franciso Chronicle runs a sickening puff piece on Edwards “Jesus Would Be ‘Appalled’“:

Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards says Jesus would be appalled at how the United States has ignored the plight of the suffering, and that he believes children should have private time to pray at school.

 

Edwards, in an interview with the Web site Beliefnet.com, said Jesus would be most upset with the selfishness of Americans and the country’s willingness to go to war “when it’s not necessary.”

So Edwards presumes to speak for Jesus.   Not so new   Edwards amassed his fortune by presuminog to speak for unborn babies. 

Would Jesus be appalled by the United States?  I don’t know.   Yet only a hypocrite would feign to rail against poverty while living in six million dollar estate.  Then to look at the bright side, at least Edwards’ accent is real.   Then nothing else may be.

Me, at Q&O just now:

I wonder if we should be taking the shock and surprise being expressed by certain among the Congress critters, as to the conditions at Walter Reed to mean that they honestly didn’t know that the conditions were that bad. I want you to think about this seriously, now; How would that be, that they didn’t know?

* If the conditions were as bad as we’re being told, wouldn’t you think that they would have heard from some of the people in that hospital either for treatment, or for a visit? Constituents, I mean. People from their district. Are we to assume that because these were military types that the politicos in question assumed they could be ignored? Apparently, that’s precisely what happened.

More;

* If the conditions were as bad as we are being led to believe by current reports, would we not have heard from the Congress critters themselves, as they went about their visits to the injured soldiers there? I do mean regular visits, to the old other” areas of the hospital, not just those areas reserved for photo opportunities…. We can only assume, that such regular visits did not occur. For years. Decades, given the length of ‘service’ of some of these congressional morons.

All of this leads us to the logical question of why they are now so suddenly interested in the goings on at Walter Reed, when I would guess they’ve been ignoring the cries for help from the place for quite some time, and certainly there shadow hasn’t darkened the door of the place, for some years now, save when flashbulbs were flashing.

If there’s a problem at the place, by all means investigate it, fire those responsible, cure the problem. I’m not questioning by any stretch of imagination that the problems at Reed are real. However; all the wailing and gnashing of teeth coming from the party currently in power over this issue, seems a little disingenuous at best. The reports we’re getting now, are that Reed has been at least this bad for at least the last twenty years. So how is it that the people in Congress most whom have been there at least that long, didn’t know about it?

The timing of this sudden flurry of activity, after so long a period of silence , given the conditions of names, would seem to suggest some intent other than the welfare of our soldiers. They’ve never shown a great deal of interest before. Why now?

I’m not suggesting that’s the only motivation across the political spectrum…. But the press is needed, really to start this kind of ball rolling. It didn’t really get going, until they signed onto it. So, he question:

Did this longstanding issue come up so loud, so suddenly, because somebody needed an excuse to attack the war in Iraq?