Bruce Moomaw Is A Liar And Fool

Mark Kleiman of the Self-Invented Reality team blog (previously known to some as Invented Facts, per the url) offered a comical post a few weeks back on the subject of the Wilson civil suit.  I offered objections to a couple of his points in the comments thread, and Bruce Moomaw, a frequent blog commenter, emerged to rally to Kleiman's cause.  The results are laughable, and I urge you to check them out.  However, here is a snynopsis:

1.  Who is slavering?

Kleiman's lead sentence was this:

Tom Maguire, Glenn Reynolds, and Mark Levin are fairly slavering at the prospect of defense discovery in the Valerie Plame Wilson/Joseph Wilson civil suit against Rove and Libby.

In his comments I pointed out that my only reference to any discovery problems for the Wilson's came in my post, where I said this:

And a number of commenters focused on the problems the Wilson's might face as they dealt with defense discovery requests (Mark Levin can't wait).

Kleiman's response? 

Tom:

So when you say "Mark Levin can barely wait" you weren't agreeing with his sentiment, but just pointing it out?

Right the first time!  Just as in my June post on the Wilson civil suit (to which the July post linked), I said this, after noting the Times coverage of the story:

The EmptyWheel also picks up on this, Jeralyn Merritt notes it briefly, and Jane Hamsher seems to take it seriously.  Let's spin the Wheel:

Sometimes I am on board with Ms. Hamsher and Ms. Merritt, other times not so much.  I assume Messrs. Kleiman and Moomaw can tell me whether the above links represent endorsements or denunciations of their positions, but I cannot.  I sort of think I am pointing out other interesting viewpoints; evidently I should include a special disclaimer for the Self-Invented Reality readers.

Well, Mark Kleiman has disappeared from the comments, but Bruce Moomaw is continuing the battle to turn one anodyne link to Mark Levin into "slavering" - check it out.

2.  Who is going to quash this suit?

In my post I noted that the CIA has been sitting on Ms. Plame's personnel file, without which the civil suit may lack traction.  Kleiman proposed a bet:

"Of course, if the Maguire/Reynolds/Levin thesis were correct, the Administration would welcome the opportunity to clear itself in court. That would mean not trying to quash the suit under the "state secrets" doctrine. Would you care to bet on that question, Tom?"

I pointed out that since my position was that the CIA was likely to quash this, and since the head of the CIA is appointed by the President and is part of the Administration, it is hard for me to bet against the idea that "the Administration" will quash this.

And now we get to Moomaw's attempt at a lie.  In his first pass at this, he writes that:

I pretty much take for granted that the Administration will hastily abort this trial before it can begin by yelling "state secrets"...

That hardly addresses my point that the CIA leadership is part of the Administration, does it?  But after I raise that objection Moomaw solves the problem by simply misquoting himself!

Of course, when I referred to "the White House" trying to quash the suit using the 'state secrets' argument", I did NOT mean "the CIA trying to quash the case using the 'state secrets' argument", given the little fact that this particular White House and the CIA are at open war. I rather doubt that Kleiman was referring to that either.

Well, as noted, he never referred to the White House.  When I point that out, Moomaw's response is a classic:

Please, Tom; at least TRY not to act publicly like a moron. You know perfectly well that it isn't the CIA which is "trying to clear itself in court" of the Wilsons' charge that her cover was deliberately blown in order to discredit him; and you know perfectly well that therefore neither Kleiman nor I was referring to the CIA.

Oh, I knew that when he wrote "Administration" he meant "White House"!  Is that kind of like when I linked to Mark Levin, Kleiman "knew" I was slavering?

I'll tell you what I know - if the CIA quashes this case, Kleiman and other lefties will blame "the Administration"", and insist that Gen. Hayden is in Bush's pocket.  Any questions?

3.  Where's Rove?

Mark Kleiman takes us in an odd direction with this passage:

But that's not the best of it.  Rove will be asked whether it's true, as Murry Waas reported, that GWB personally ordered him to reveal classified information in order to discredit Joseph Wilson. And when he says "yes," as he presumably will, plaintiffs will then have a strong basis for deposing Mr. Bush himself.

But Kleiman's link is to a Waas article in which the name "Rove" does not appear; the gist of the article is that Bush directed Dick Cheney to counter Wilson.

That does not rebut the point that the Wilson's may have a legal path to deposing George Bush, but some bloggers would consider a rove-Cheney swap to be an error worth correcting.  But here is Moomaw's defense:

The fact that Waas didn't explicitly mention Rove in his article (although he did explicitly mention Cheney and Libby) does not, to put it mildly, rule out the possibility that Bush put out the same order to Rove to leak classified information in order to discredit Wilson...

He could have reported it!  And since he could have reported it, speculation based on what he could have been reported is A-OK!

I have a better idea - since Waas did *not* report on Bush giving orders to Rove, don't offer him to substantiate an argument.  Fair enough?  Oh, and by the way, Josh Marshall and Atrios agree with me.  Psych.  But they could have!

Or we could tackle the "substance" of Kleiman's argument head-on:

Rove and Libby could have claimed that they were acting under orders [to leak Plam's identity], and that the Presidential instruction gave them reason to believe that any information released pursuant to it would not damage the national security, thus refuting the scienter required by the Espionage Act.

Uh huh.  But nowhere in Libby's testimony do we see any hint that he *did* testify to that; he essentially limits the Cheney declassification instruction to the National Intelligence estimate and insists that he and Cheney did not discuss Ms. Plame in July.  Go fish.  Skeptics can check the WaPo or here.  From the WaPo:

Libby is charged with perjury and obstruction of justice for denying under oath that he disclosed Plame's CIA employment to journalists. There is no public evidence to suggest Libby made any such disclosure with Cheney's knowledge.

Oh, why do I bother?  I have been ignoring these clowns for almost two weeks and presumably they have been ignoring basic facts for much longer, so why expose them to sunlight now?

You want the truth?  Because I can't find the Tour de France on my Direct TV and I am *not* watching Floyd Landis continue his miracle comeback (mission accomplished!).  So these two clowns will have to endure the wrath of a righteous man, or something.

Any bets on whether we see some corrections from Kleiman?

Comments

[topsecretk9]

==slavering at the prospect of defense discovery==

I'm slavering.

[Semanticleo]

'Methinks thou doth protest too much"

[windansea]

TM

Landis has regained the yellow jersey and has a lead of 59 seconds into final stage...barring attacks by distraught french fries he will enjoy a victorious cakewalk tomorrow

[windansea]

'Methinks thou doth protest too much"

Cleo are you still here? I thought you left JOM after I rejected you...

[Semanticleo]

Windy;

You still paddling out in one-foot chop?

[clarice]

"Why do I bother?" is right. To respond to such nonsense requires you to pay so much attention to nonsense that it hurts the brain.

BTW did you see Dan Riehl on Glenn Greenwald yesterday? It's a classic.

[windansea]

Nah Cleo....most of my time on water is on a sportfisher these days....

PS my GF is latin and has a temper so don't start flirting again :)

[Semanticleo]

That's what a lot of ex-surfers, who can't hack it anymore, are doing these days. Is your GF's beer-belly, like yours, as big as the bait-tank?

[Gary Maxwell]

WindandSea

It will be interesting to see if the usual collegial stroll through Paris will hold this year. I always thought it odd that in a race where the clock is technically still running that the Tour through approbation alone was able to get highly competitive contestants to basically hold hands and sing cumbayah, even while in the Vichy capital.

And it is great to see no Frenchmen in the top three and if it happens an American as victor in the Frenchest of sports for a sixth year in a row.

[clarice]

It would be great to have an American win again. How long after that before they accuse him of illegal drug use? And do they test to see if he was drinking Napa wine instead of Rhone?

[topsecretk9]

--That's what a lot of ex-surfers, who can't hack it anymore, are doing these days. --

Takes one to know one.

[windansea]

Gary

The final stage is pretty flat and Landis will be well protected by his team...in 89 Greg Lemond beat leader Fignon in the final stage by 8 seconds and took the yellow, it hasn't happened since.

[windansea]

Cleo

are you one of GGs sock puppets? the screech and attention seeking seem familiar

I retired from surfing when I had both hips replaced and I am 6'4" 215lbs

do the math sweety

[eric]

Wait, this is an entire blog post about a comment-battle with some nobody? "Frequent blog commenter?" Self-righteous and inconsistent commenters are common all over the spectrum, the medium lends itself to pontification.

Is this some defense of an ego bruising? I didn't see anything particular hurful, unless being artlessly challenged by a Frequent Blog Commenter really requires an entire post. Surely there are better things to write about.

[Cecil Turner]

Bruce Moomaw Is A Liar And Fool

Based on infrequent reading of his comments, I think that's likely true . . . but still wouldn't post it.

[windansea]

Wait, this is an entire blog post about a comment-battle with some nobody?

Surely there are better things to write about.

Eric...surely there are better blog posts for you to comment on eh?? :)

[clarice]

Interesting report shows that federal judges are more likely to acquit criminal defendants than are juries.

< a href=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23972_4862271,00.html> Will Libby Waive a Jury Trial?

[clarice]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/opinion_columnists/article/0,2777,DRMN_23972_4862271,00.html>Will Libby Waive a Jury Trial?

[Other Tom]

Clarice: Have you seen any analysis of the Westfall Act and the Federal Tort Claims Act as threshhold barriers to this action? I've been anway since someone (quite helpfully) raised the issue a week or so ago.

[SteveMG]

Surely there are better things to write about.

Well, as Eugene Volokh once snarkily said to a critic: There are lots of blogs out there; perhaps you'll find one where the blogger posts on everything you agree with.

SMG

[Other Tom]

Check out the mystery donor to the Vietnam Unit Memorial Foundation--the one at the top of the list here: http://www.vummf.org/donor.htm

[clarice]

OT, I haven't seen any serious discussion of this at all..just sniggers when the other suit was dropped because the plaintiff's wouldn't undergo discovery.

[maryrose]

windansea:
I didn't know you were a surfer. Do you still have your boogie boards?
As to the topic at hand:
Anyone who disses TM is on my not such a nice person list. Of course the liar and being a fool part is intrinsic to the person and cannot be changed. Moomaw lives in a world of his own making..rose colored glasses and all...

[richard mcenroe]

Shoot, semanticleo can't even frisch properly. Pathetic.

[Lesley]

When my daughter was in the junior high, she was notorious for her malapropisms and, God bless her, these malaprops are firmly ensconced in our family treasure trove of comedy. One Thanksgiving, her older brother was making a joke at his own expense and she, in her smarty-pants/too clever by half fashion, informed all at the table that this was known as *self-defecating* humor.

Oh man, is that remark an endless bonanza or what?

BTW: Self-defecating humorist, party of one, your table is ready.

[clarice]

Consider that quip STOLEN..*snatch*

[windansea]

I didn't know you were a surfer. Do you still have your boogie boards?

boogie boards??? yikes!!! I rode surf boards standing up like all surfers do

we refer to our equally wave crazed but athletically challenged prone brethren as sponge riders :)

[topsecretk9]

toes on the nose!

[Sara (The Squiggler)]

That's what a lot of ex-surfers, who can't hack it anymore, are doing these days. Is your GF's beer-belly, like yours, as big as the bait-tank?

Sounds like something a 12 year old might say. Who let the kiddies in?

[Extraneus]

I assume you kahunas have considered the degree program from the other thread, but just in case...

[BumperStickerist]

Is it me or has Kleinman gotten a lot snippier since he dropped the 'A.R.' from his sig?

.

[PeterUK]

Windansea,
"I retired from surfing when I had both hips replaced and I am 6'4" 215lbs"

Now you have done it,Cement's on heat,and the weather is hot and she know you can't run.

[clarice]

testing. It's so quiet here.

[maryrose]

windansea:
ok I have another question; which place in California has the best waves to shoot the curl?

[PeterUK]

Clarice,
"It's so quiet here".Isn't that what they said before the Indian attack?

[topsecretk9]

--I assume you kahunas have considered the degree program from the other thread, but just in case...--

I'm just glad I didn't know about that when I was young and dumb enough to consider a "surf degree" as a viable option ::wink::

[clarice]

Yipes, PUK..Maybe it's quiet because my husband is out of town and I haven't turned on anything that makes a sound..But the presses seem to have slowed down, too..(There is a great article in the Weekly Standard on intelligence, but everything else seems warmed over grits today.)

[Rick Ballard]

Sometimes, Peter. Custer's remark was "We've got 'em now, boys. Shoot in any direction and you're bound to get one."

I'm still hoping for a post on GiGi (speaking of fools and liars). That or George Harleigh. I wonder if there is only one really, really, really busy moonbat?

[JM Hanes]

Now if you lived in NC, Clarice, you'd know how to make warmed over grits downright tasty. A lot of our trolls seem to think they've got the recipe, but I'm afraid they just don't have what it takes.

[Barney Frank]

maryrose,

Isn't Mavericks the be all and end all for big CA surf?

[clarice]

Rick, Did you read Dan Riehl on GiGi? It's the best.

[windansea]

I assume you kahunas have considered the degree program from the other thread, but just in case...

hah!! surfing is big bidness now kids

Some of my friends have 7 figure incomes from the sport such as Kelly Slater, Rusty Priesendorfer, Hobie Alter etc

[windansea]

ok I have another question; which place in California has the best waves to shoot the curl?

lots of good places....up and down the coast

The best waves I ever had were in Indonesia

[windansea]

Now you have done it,Cement's on heat,and the weather is hot and she know you can't run.

that's ok...the Windansea compound sits high on a hill and is defended by crazed Mexican army deserters and hungry packs of pit bulls :)

[topsecretk9]

--hah!! surfing is big bidness now kids--

Yes it is. One of the best surfers I watched was Dino Andino and I could never figure out we he didn't win more contests. He was fun to watch.

[topsecretk9]

Hey...you can see him here

http://www.boardfolio.com/surfers/andino_dino_02.html

[PeterUK]

"crazed Mexican army deserters and hungry packs of pit bulls :)"

Did you have to mention the crazed Mexicans and the pit bulls? It will only make her worse.

[sbw]

Now, I see no point reading the Self-Invented Reality team blog if their premise that any path that derails the Wilson suit tars Cheney et al as well as the administration with guilt.

Whatever their "Reality," that conclusion is irrational. When your reality is skewed and your logic is handicapped, sadly, there is no hope.

[BumperStickerist]

Mark dropping the initials is like Tucker Carlson losing the bow tie, imo. Sure, it's the same, but it's not the same.

If you know what I mean.
.

[sbw]

***premise that*** s/b premise is that

Sorry.

[sam]

07/22/06 AP: Injured soldier takes place of fallen comrade
Spc. Blake Trombley, 26, of Moorhead, was told his active service days likely were over when he lost a finger while preparing a military vehicle for patrol. After surgery and six months of physical therapy, he received approval to rejoin...

07/22/06 AFP: For a few dollars, anyone can be an Iraqi policeman
A disreputable crew of unshaven men wearing police uniforms pounces on a businessman before the horrified eyes of his wife as he leaves his home in an upscale Baghdad neighborhood.

07/22/06 AP: Ten Iraqi soldiers killed by roadside bomb
10 Iraqi soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb struck a convoy in Karmah, west of Fallujah in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar province, police Lt. Ahmed Ali said.

07/22/06 AP: Second American soldier killed in Baghdad
Another American soldier died Saturday evening when gunmen attacked his patrol with small arms fire, the military said.

07/22/06 AP Ex-Pentagon Officials Accused Of Fraud
Two former Pentagon officials, including an acting secretary of the Navy, have been accused of scheming with a banned American contractor to get lucrative rebuilding contracts in Iraq, The Associated Press has learned.

07/22/06 AFP: Fourteen killed as insurgents target Iraqi security forces
At least eight civilians and six members of the Iraqi security forces have been killed in insurgent ambushes and bomb attacks around the country.

07/22/06 Cenctcom: MND-B SOLDIER KILLED BY ROADSIDE BOMB
Baghdad Soldier was killed at approximately 9:17 a.m. today when his vehicle was struck by an improvised-explosive device in eastern Baghdad

07/22/06 AFP: Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone
Two rockets have struck the highly fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, the seat of the Iraqi government as well as the location of the US and British embassies...There were no initial reports of casualties or damage.

07/22/06 AFP: Iraq announces peace plan -- without foreign interference
Iraq held the first meeting of a homegrown peace initiative, with the country's top leaders vowing to reconcile the warring factions amid protests over US meddling.

07/22/06 CNN: 3 Iraqi policemen killed in attack
Insurgents killed three Iraqi police and wounded five others in what appeared to be a planned ambush in a market in the city of Baquba Saturday morning, Iraqi police said.

07/22/06 AP: Pentagon moves ahead with Iraq deployments
The Pentagon is moving ahead with scheduled troop deployments to Iraq next month as the U.S. military struggles to gain control of the escalating violence in Baghdad, according to a senior defense official.

07/22/06 Centcom: SERVICEMEMBER DIES
A Servicemember assigned to the 43rd Military Police Brigade died of a non-combat related injury
on July 20.

07/22/06 Reuters: Gunmen kill civilian in Mosul
Gunmen shot dead an Iraqi man in the city of Mosul, 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, medical sources said.
07/22/06 AP: Rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire hit Mosul base
In the northern city of Mosul, gunmen attacked a joint U.S.-Iraqi base with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar fire Saturday. A suicide car bombing followed, but nobody was reported hurt, said police Lt. Col. Abdul-Karim Khalaf.

07/22/06 AP: Iraqi soldier killed by bomb in in Hillah
An Iraqi soldier was killed Saturday when a bomb exploded at the entrance to his home in Hillah, 95 60 miles south of Baghdad, police said. Six people were wounded Saturday when a bomb exploded at the central bus station in Musayyib

07/22/06 Reuters: Roadside bomb kills 4 policemen and 3 civilians in Baquba
Four policemen and three civilians were killed when a roadside bomb went off in a local market in Baquba, police sources said...Three policemen were wounded when a roadside bomb targeting their patrol exploded in Baquba

07/22/06 Reuters: Roadside bombs hit Iraqi army convoy, one Iraq soldier killed
A roadside bomb targeting an Iraqi army convoy exploded in the city of Kut, 170 km (105 miles) southeast of Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding four others, police said.

07/22/06 AFP: Iraq politician survives suicide bomb attack by own guard
The chairman of the council in the Iraqi city of Samarra narrowly survived an assassination attempt by one of his guards who blew himself up as his boss returned home, police said.

07/22/06 AP: Explosions, shootings shatter calm in Iraq
Two large explosions in eastern Baghdad came about 20 minutes apart at midmorning. One targeted an Iraqi police patrol, but killed a civilian. The other occurred at the Rasheed military camp; there were no casualty reports.

07/22/06 Reuters: Iraq holds reconciliation talks amid skepticism
Iraqi leaders met in a show of sectarian and ethnic solidarity on Saturday before a White House visit by the prime minister, but some were pessimistic about the chances of tackling rising sectarian bloodshed.

07/22/06 AP: Seven Shiite workers were gunned down in west Baghdad
Seven Shiite workers were gunned down Saturday in a religiously mixed area of west Baghdad, police said, and explosions rattled the heart of the Iraqi capital, shattering a one-day calm after a ban on private vehicles expired.

07/22/06 AFP: Iraq parliament speaker calls for US withdrawal
Iraq's parliament speaker Mahmud Mashhadani bitterly criticized US forces in Iraq, accusing them of "butchery" and demanded that they pull out of the country.

[lurker]

The Sunnis WANT the US troops to stay in Iraq.

Malaki did not want US troops to leave.

[lurker]

Troops reductions have been put on hold so that Iraq police can involve the US troops to go into central Baghdad and help combat the terrorists.

Guess what. We will win it again.

[Rick Ballard]

TM,

Giving "Spam I Am" the steel tipped boot to the coccyx would win applause from a number of people. How is he different thant other spam merchants who get banned?

[sam]

Rick

How am I different than a "spam merchant". Here's the wikipedia definition of spam.

"E-mail spam is a subset of spam that involves sending nearly identical messages to thousands (or millions) of recipients by E-mail. Perpetrators of such spam ("spammers") often harvest addresses of prospective recipients from Usenet postings or from web pages, obtain them from databases, or simply guess them by using common names and domains. By popular definition, spam occurs without the permission of the recipients."

It's a real stretch calling my posts spam. Do you want to live in a bubble where the costs of the implementation of your political/social idealogy is never seen?

[Tom Maguire]

It's a real stretch calling my posts spam. Do you want to live in a bubble where the costs of the implementation of your political/social idealogy is never seen?

False choice. Bye.

[lurker]

Here is the wikipedia definition of troll:

"A commenter whose sole purpose is to attack the views expressed on a blog and incite a flamewar, for example, a liberal going to a conservative blog, or vice versa. The word trolling means literally 'to fish', ie. when the troll fishes for a clashback from the blog writer and/or pro commentors. Many trolls will leave their remarks on multiple posts and continue to visit the blog, sparking spirited debate amongst the blog's regular readers. Trolls' verbosity can range from eloquent to crass, although most trolls probably fall into the latter category. Originally, trolling only meant the custom where someone was commenting just to get a flamewar going, by using exaggarated points of view not held by themselves."

This is what you are, Sam.

The list is absolutely unreal and very lefty.

Rick Ballard's political and social adelogiy is widely read. Check YARGB. Bubble or no bubble.

[lurker]

*** adelogiy *** ideology!!

[PeterUK]

Why is it the imbeciles always quote Wikipedia,have they never read a book?

[SteveMG]

False choice. Bye.

Ouch.

Well, another fine example of the political Left and Right using modern technology and the means of communication to break down barriers and reach common ground.

Then again, maybe not.

[Y'know, he had a decent point - or at least one that could be debated - in there but he had to ruin it with all that additional nonsense]

SMG

[Rick Ballard]

I like adelogiy much metter. It expresses the depth and rigor of my thought processes in a manner that the word ideology simply does not address.

[PeterUK]

Lurker,that does not include you.

[Gary Maxwell]

Third event is already in the books. Sam the Spam earns he well deserved lock on the front door. Sorry ol Spammy.

[Rick Ballard]

"Y'know, he had a decent point - or at least one that could be debated - in there but he had to ruin it with all that additional nonsense"

Steve,

He was addressing me. If he had a firing synapse he could have clicked my name, gone to Flares and taken note that the top of the links list is named The Price of Freedom. Instead he chose to spout canned gibberish - the mark of the spamming troll. There is no loss involved.

[clarice]

Some background on that family of 8 Canadians killed in the first days of the ar. (P.S. I'd have bet on this.)

http://www.barbarakay.ca/archive/20060719enemiesofhezbollah.html

[Dwilkers]

It's a real stretch calling my posts spam.

Nope.

[lurker]

Thanks, PUK! I knew you weren't directing it at me.

Our marines haven't forgotten Hizbollah killing our 241 marines. Guess Sam forgot.

[PeterUK]

Mr Ballard,
You have a price list?

[Rick Ballard]

Mr Uk,

We had a small debate as to whether to use price or cost to name that link. The decision to use price was based upon the premise that it honored those paying more than did cost.

[PeterUK]

Well said Mr Ballard,well said.

[clarice]

This is the Riehl post on GiGi I was talking about. http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/07/greenwald_charg.html
He's posted more since but this is the most devastating.

[jeff]

Wabbit season! Duck season! Wabbit season! Duck Season! Wabit Season! Duck Season!

[Jane]

Clarice,

That link seems incomplete.

[lurker]

Jane, Gigi

[clarice]

I'm sorry, Jane. He posted several goodies after this one, but this is my favorite.
http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2006/07/how_would_a_pat.html>Boy from Brazil

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Now if you lived in NC, Clarice, you'd know how to make warmed over grits downright tasty.

Slice them, fry in butter until nicely browned, serve with syrup.

[Dwilkers]

Greenwald is lying, he's obviously been running sock-puppets. Yes, it is impossible to prove. No, you cannot logically conclude anything else is remotely likely to be true.

Look at this post, it is typical of the nonsense you see nowadays on the left. I went over there and read through all that drivel this morning. What these guys have done is misquote, misrepresent, then expand on the misquotes and misrepresentations to draw conclusions.

I read JOM for a long time before I felt like I had much of an idea what TM really thought about Libby, Plame, etcetera and in truth I still don't think I 'know'. Then again I am actually trying to understand what he's saying rather than cramming words in his mouth - to say nothing of thoughts into his head.

TM's writing is sort of like Reynolds that way, he reports then makes a dry comment or two. He's had several posts on global warming over the last few months. Is he a skeptic or a believer? Hard to say from the posts I've read. But again I'm actually reading the posts and thinking about them rather than attempting to cram him in a box.

So much of what's going on these days on the net in these left-right blog spats is like this. Which, of course, brings us back to Greenwald, who is one of the worst offenders in this way that I've ever witnessed. I read some of his drivel yesterday and it is simply amazing to me how much of it is attributing thoughts, feelings, and motives out of thin air.

We'd be better off if we could actually argue about what's true, not what we can plausibly create out of thin air. That's why I disappear for a week or two every so often, I get burned out on the silliness of some of this stuff from time to time.

Maguire didn't say what these 2 boobs say he did, its as simple as that. I read the original post and knew at the time he was just linking up all around. Having read JOM for a while I know you can't even reasonably infer what they assert from what was written. Having also watched this go on for a while I know it isn't reasonable to have an expectation they care about that though. Like Greenwald these guys would rather make shit up.

So why bother responding at all?

[PeterUK]

You have to have some sympathy for Greenwald,that regular Brazilian waxing cannot be good for the temperament.

[Jane]

Imagine using all that time an energy to first generate sock puppets, and then generate a defense of those sock puppets. This 'top constitutional scholar' appears to have way too much time on his hands.

[verner]

In her glorious skewering of "Palimpsest", Florence King referred to Gore Vidal thus:

"a worn-out Regency buck taking the waters at a German spa."

http://www.nationalreview.com/king/king200408201145.asp

I think that about sums it up. Frankly, as Hezbollah lobs thousands of Katyusha rockets loaded with ball-barings into Israel--killing two Arab-Israeli children let's add--I'm in no mood for the left's trifling BS.

[lurker]

WaPo's Robin Wright reported that

"The United States, Israel, the United Nations and the European Union have reluctantly concluded that despite punishing military attacks, Hezbollah is likely to survive as a political player in Lebanon, and Israel now says it is willing to accept the organization if it sheds its military wing and abandons extremism, according to several key officials."

The problem is that Hizbollah will never agree to disarming itself and quit espousing its extreme ideas.

Even if they appear to agree, it will be disguised.

Fox News reported this morning that Syria is now considering cease fire but Israel isn't ready for a cease fire ... not until Hizbollah is defeated.

Geesch, the old media continues to espouse the negativism of this war..."Israel is gonna lose" mentality.

It gets tiresome.

AT has a good article up by Ari Kaufman

Know Who Your Friends are

[lurker]

Sunni political powers now demand that American troops remain in Iraq for some time…

From Iraq the Model

Also says:

"Although late, it was a bit of a relief to see Iraqi and US commanders planning to move more troops into the Baghdad area (also via Pajamas).

I was thinking the other day that military priorities of the US and Iraqi forces need to be reorganized according to the challenges imposed by the intentions of the bad guys to take over Baghdad. I mean why does the US keeps thousands of combat troops in relatively less turbulent areas that are of much less strategic value to the bigger picture!?

This redistribution of forces should've been considered months ago."

Will the Old Media report this positive news? Nah!

But people NEED to read these positive news repeatedly.

[lurker]

Can Syria be saved?

Who knows but if Assad agrees to break all ties to Iran and Hizbollah and be serious about it, Syria is going to need alot of help. Syria also has to agree to democracy and denounce terrorism.

[lurker]

Flopping Aces:

Kerry Upset with Rush

Kerry would be a Disaster for Israel

Reihl's The Kidz AllWhite

And Obama's Lie

[lurker]

Flopping Aces:

Kerry Upset with Rush

Kerry would be a Disaster for Israel

Reihl's The Kidz AllWhite

And Obama's Lie

[lurker]

Leaks To Media From Lawyers

Saw this in one of the JOM threads, recently posted by AJStrata along with a small number of interesting posts.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

'Bruce Moomaw Is A Liar And Fool'

Glad to see you've come around to my position on this, finally.

Also, I was recently asked a civil question over at the Surreality Based Community in the post 'What's a Valley Worth':

--------quote---------
Patrick R. Sullivan,

Could you post a URL to your debunking of the myth of "The Great Conspiracy to Destroy Street Cars?"

It's a topic I know very little about but it sounds quite interesting.

thanks!
-------endquote---------

Which I attempted to answer TWICE, with a url that would lead the questioner to more links. It has been blocked both times by the blog's owner.

Creeping DeLongism (which also happens to be where I first formed my opinion of Bruce Moomaw.

[Joe Mealyus]

"Bruce Moomaw is a liar and a fool"

CT: "Based on infrequent reading of his comments, I think that's likely true . . . but still wouldn't post it."

PRS: "Glad to see you've come around to my position on this, finally."

Well, I will partly disagree with CT and completely disagree with PRS. I've read through at least one DeLong comment thread where Moomaw was the real sanity-saver.

On the other hand, in this particular instance, I don't know why he just doesn't concede a couple of the obvious points. For example, he gets it exactly right with:

"No qualifier at all from Tom on that last comment. Shucks, one might almost conclude -- as Mark did -- that Maguire agreed with it."

But the operative words are "might almost." You "might almost" conclude it, sure. The possibility is certainly "hovering" there, as Paglia says about sex between two people on a date. That's not actually grounds for concluding it. Kleiman and Moomaw 0, Maguire 1.

Then when Moomaw writes "....at least TRY not to act publicly like a moron....you know perfectly well that therefore neither Kleiman nor I was referring [by "the Administration"] to the CIA," it appears that the only charitable interpretation is that he simply missed completely or missed the point re the earlier Maguire construction/conclusion that "[f]olks intent on blaming 'the Administration' will blame Bush." His point here is actually non-existent. Moomaw 0 [plus at least a yellow card, if not a red card], Maguire 1.