Things Could Always Get Worse... (Ongoing)

The Politico reviews "That Was The Week That Was", the wild White House week with McChrystal, the BO oil fund, and the near-passage of financial reform:

On Wednesday, the same day President Barack Obama ousted his humiliated Afghanistan commander, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs walked into the Oval Office with more grim news: The cap on the gushing oil in the Gulf had been dislodged.

“What?” Obama replied incredulously. “Well, why did it do that?” A remotely operated vehicle had knocked the cap right off, he was told, leaving oil rushing out as furiously as ever.

“Let me get this straight,” Obama later told senior adviser David Axelrod. “A robot knocked off the Top Hat? Come on, guys. Are you kidding me?"

I assume they scheduled a meeting so that Obama would know to know whose ass to kick - Top Hat's presumably.

But privately, Obama advisers talk of being prisoners to uncontrollable events and deeply uncertain about how all of this will play out. Yes, he showed decisiveness in firing McChrystal. But the White House is as uncertain as ever about whether the war can be won. Yes, he stared down BP and made sure they will pay at least $20 billion to clean up its mess. But the oil still gushes, with no end in sight for what one aide calls a “rolling disaster.” Yes, he will likely soon sign the most sweeping regulation of Wall Street since the Great Depression. But it won’t create jobs or end financial mischief.

Well, now Sen. Robert Byrd has died and the Democrats may lack the votes to move the financial regulation bill through the Senate until his replacement (appointed by a Democratic governor) can be sworn in.

Comments

[Chris]

Shorter Politico; Governing is hard, leadership is harder.

Who could've known?

[Clarice]

And a sure loss of a vote for Cap and Trade no matter who the governor appoints. Have you any doubt that Byrd's aides were zombie voting.

SBW gets an Instalaunch for his new book!! Hooray!

[Porchlight]

Congratulations, sbw!

Wouldn't Manchin be moving asap to get the replacement sworn in to vote on the financial regs bill? I guess the timeline will be "as soon as humanly possible after July 3."

[bgates]

What?
Well, why did it do that?
Are you kidding me?
To think, daddy likes to scoff at the idea that Obama asks withering questions.

[hit and run]

Instapundit linking sbw's book warms my heart.

[BB Key]

Given the fact that he born in North Carolina, had his name changed, and moved to West Virginia....Did Robert Byrd ever have to produce a cerificate of live birth to either join the Klan or comply with West Virginia election laws?

[Threadkiller]

I heard the Oval Office conversation went a little different.

When White House press secretary Robert Gibbs walked in to the President, he explained that the well had stopped leaking. Not a drop.

Obama, excited by the news, asked how this was possible. He did not understand how quickly this could have taken place.

Gibbs replied, "It seems they put a ring on it, and it quit putting out."

Gibbs was not fired for acting stupidly.

[Jane]

Instapundit linking sbw's book warms my heart.

Mine too, it doesn't get much cooler than that.

BTW at the Blago trial they are playing a tape where Blago suggest naming Oprah or Ahrnold Schwarzenegger senator. I didn't realize you could name someone out-of-state.

[rse]

Would it bother anyone if federal education research grants for K-12 and higher ed were controlled by a group of people who represent their ethnicity or race first, not any kind of scholarship?

Or who have written that it's not enough for the feds to be dictating racial equality. It needs to be providing social and political equality as well.

So many areas where these guys intend to transform America.

Despite those terrible images of a beach in Pensacola Ann posted yesterday, it remains nice in the FL Panhandle. Inaccurate news coverage though means that there's an economic disaster despite clear water and white beaches.

[PDinDetroit]

It appears that a Community Activist is more qualified than a Community Organizer. From the McDonald v. Chicago SCOTUS Decision:

Otis McDonald, who is in his late seventies, lives in a high-crime neighborhood. He is a community activist involved with alternative policing strategies, and his efforts to improve his neighborhood have subjected him to violent threats from drug dealers.

[Rob Crawford]

“What?” Obama replied incredulously. “Well, why did it do that?”

It's just that kind of robot. I hear it once shot a Roomba, just to watch it die.

[Jane]

Rob is on a roll!

[Soylent Obamacare]

Asimov's Fourth Law of Robotics
(currently being drafted at the United States Department of Justice):

No robot may, by action or inaction, adversely affect the polling numbers of Barack Obama, or perplex him in any way.

[PDinDetroit]

No robot may, by action or inaction, adversely affect the polling numbers of Barack Obama, or perplex him in any way.

I think the Teleprompter In Chief may be in trouble with THAT LAW!

[Jane]

Rush's soliloquy on the gun decision is priceless - he makes a fabulous case that the 4 libs are racist for voting against it.

[PDinDetroit]

See LUN for a truly funny parody. The issue is, these people ACTUALLY BELIEVE THE STUFF THEY ARE SHOVELING.

[MayBee]

ha ha ha ha ha, Rob!

[matt]

congrats sbw, and happy birthday to Janet and Verner....

[MayBee]

“What?” Obama replied incredulously. “Well, why did it do that?”
============

Who would tell the press about this quote? What did they intend for it it show?

Is Mike Allen giving Obama cover here, or letting him bury himself?

[Clarice]

Happy Birthday,MayBee..

[matt]

speaking of which, if some French kid can hack Dear Leader's twitter account, can't some hack his teleprompter? Please?

[PDinDetroit]

speaking of which, if some French kid can hack Dear Leader's twitter account, can't some hack his teleprompter? Please?

Reminds me of the Bruce Almighty movie scene in the TV News Studio.

[Jane]

Yeah Maybee, happy birthday!

[bgates]

PD, I think it's strange that the group in your oughta-be-parody link doesn't focus on the root causes of gun violence. They clearly identify the root cause: evil gun manufacturing corporations and their desire to make money. Yet they spend all their effort trying to pass gun control laws. If the Violence Policy Center really wanted to decrease gun violence, they would try to reassure the gun manufacturers that they will be able to make all the money they want whether they sell any guns or not.

Until so-called "anti-gun" groups start to advocate for billions in grants and subsidies to gun manufacturers, I'm going to have to conclude that they're not really serious about the problem.

[mike in houston]

According to WV law Byrd died too soon. There has to be a special election in November.

[Ignatz]

--According to WV law Byrd died too soon. There has to be a special election in November.--

Apparently Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid never saw Weekend at Bernies.
It was already pretty tough to tell whether Byrd was dead or alive; all they needed was a pair of shades.

[Jane]

WE are worried about funny business Mike. The governor is a democrat.

[Porchlight]

I hear it once shot a Roomba, just to watch it die.

After which it mounted its Oreck and rode off into the sunset.

[Pofarmer]

Yes, he stared down BP and made sure they will pay at least $20 billion to clean up its mess.

Which was unnecessary, and probably, ultimately harmful to U.S. interests.

[rse]

Ilya Shapiro has written an excellent overview of today's Martinez decision.

LUN

Do others here think Thomas' privileges ad immunities argumnt should be expanded or is it just not pragmatic with Kennedy on the court?

Reading thru the credentials and background of all Obama's nominees to the Education Services Board, it was hard not to recall Sotomayor thinking of herself first and foremost as a Latina.

It gets even harder now that she appears to have lied about her views in the confirmation hearing.

If the Constitution says it directly, not a fundamental right.

If it must be imagined out of thin air, a sense of equity and justice, now that's a fundamental right.

Seatbelts please.

[PDinDetroit]

rse - I had some questions I posed on one of the "gun boards" I frequent about Thomas' addition. Here is the main point:

"Does this leave room for a possible P or I Legal Path in the future? Does it make protection under DP more difficult to obtain?"

LUN.

[PDinDetroit]

LUN for article on McDonald v. Chicago Ruling from John Pierce, one of the founders of Open Carry DOT ORG.

[Ignatz]

Here is Dave Weigel at Big Journalism explaining all.
Seemed largely incoherent and self serving to me but others may disagree.

[MayBee]

Yay! It's my birthday! What are the odds?

[Sue]

MayBee,

I'd say pretty good, for someone as old as you are. Happy birthday for the umpteenth time this year. ::grin::

[Sue]

Actually, the real question should be what are the odds we actually say happy birthday to you on your birthday? :-0

[centralcal]

I agree Ignatz, about Weigel.

MayBee is this the monthly birthday or the yearly birthday?

[JM Hanes]

I believe that would be 1:1, Maybee. Oh happy day!

Major props to sbw!

matt

"According to WV law Byrd died too soon. There has to be a special election in November."

Probably the only thing he's done by himself for years.

[Old Lurker]

"What are the odds?"

1/365, this not being a leap year?

Am I right, teacher, am I right????

[Danube of Thought]

There has to be a special election in November.

Perhaps not. The triggering event is when a vacancy is "declared," and apparently it is the governor who declares it. So he can wait till next week to do so, in which case he can appoint someone to fill out the term. Dems are shameless--and awfully good--at this stuff.

[Jane]

Actually, the real question should be what are the odds we actually say happy birthday to you on your birthday?

Given the bribery going on behind then scenes my guess would be zero.

[peter]

Happy Bee-Day, Maybee. Doesn't that make you a June Bee?

[Danube of Thought]

Here's a discussion of the WVa law concerning filling vacant seats.

[Clarice]

DoT, I read somewhere--can't recall where now , that there are two W Va cases on point which clearly state that the appointment an only be until November, but then I suppose the W Va Ct is like the NJ one. And you are then right.

[Janet]

Philadelphia to bar immigration agents from arrest data LUN

[Janet]

West Virginia Dems should just do whatever they want. Who is gonna stop them? Laws & rules have become jokes.

[Thomas Collins]

LUN for MayBee.

[Danube of Thought]

Clarice, I haven't seen anything about the W Va case law. I assume that the two cases you read about hold that the vacancy must be declared as of the date the incumbent dies. If so, should the governor proceed otherwise he may find himself in court.

[centralcal]

OMG, Janet! You are so right about laws have become jokes.

[Clarice]

As I recall those cases blocked Republicans..I'll keep looking for them /

In the meantime we arrested 10 deep cover Russian agents.
http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/Month/index.jsp

[Clarice]

I still cannot find the two cases, but I did find this post on F R

There was a 1994 West Virginia Supreme Court Case, No. 22310, that seems to have addressed a similar situation. That case involved a judge who died in 1994, before the May 1994 primary, but after the time for filing a certificate of candidacy. The Republicans wanted the vacancy to be filled at the next general election

[Danube of Thought]

I think an added problem in this instance is that they don't have a primary upcoming until 2012--they already had one this year.

[Clarice]

Yes, but the intent of the statute seems clear--the appointed officer shouldn't serve the full term when the vacancy occurs so early in the term of office.

[Danube of Thought]

I've been looking a bit into the new AZ immigration statute, and at this point it looks to me as though it is likely to be tossed under the federal preemption doctrine. The AZ law providing for sanctions against employers who knowingly hire illegals has been upheld by a federal district judge and a unanimous three-judge Ninth Circuit panel, but its provisions clearly fell within the provisions allowable under the federal statute. That isn't the case with SB 1070.

But I'll keep looking around...

[Danube of Thought]

More on the W VA situation from Sean Trende and others at RCP.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Clarice's DOJ link.

[narciso]

So they have gone "Full Clymer" at the Times, MSNBC, with regards to Byrd today, gag reflex
deeply in check.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Clarice-

Intent and "grey area" are two different concepts that get more than their fair share of abuse. I just feel confident that the latter one is in full play at the moment.

Nothing like a court case to settle electoral issues.

Just curious how they're going to play it out.

[SWarren]

From something I read this a.m. the key date is July 3. Had Byrd died after that date, the gov could appoint someone to fill the remaining 2+ years of Byrd's term.
Since he died before that date, the gov can appoint a replacement to serve only until the fall elections when someone would be elected to a full term.

[narciso]

So what does this mean, exactly, in the LUN

[Clarice]

There wil be no election now; the governor will appoint someone ; in Nov 2012 there will be two elections--one to fill the seat until the start of the new Congressional term and one to fill the seat for 6 years from the start of the new term.

[narciso]

This is a rhetorical question, but how the hell is this legal?

[SWarren]

So what's the point of the "special election" to fill the seat for only 5 weeks?

[Danube of Thought]

Seems like a good time for the state legislature to amend the statute so as to at least eliminate the five-week absurdity. But even if they do it won't help the GOP.

[centralcal]

In the things could always get worse theme of the original post, I found this over at NewsBusters:

CHRIS MATTHEWS: Welcome back. This week another big feather in Barack Obama's cap - Wall Street reform. Which brings us to our big question. Will the President's legislative success with the stimulus, with health care, with Wall Street reform and maybe even an energy bill be a net positive or negative for his party this fall? Dan Rather?

DAN RATHER, HDNET: Slight positive.

MATTHEWS: Katty?

KATTY KAY, BBC: Net positive.

MATTHEWS: Gloria?

GLORIA BORGER, CNN: I'm with Dan, slight positive.

JOHN HARRIS, POLITICO: Positive. Takes away the Jimmy Carter ineffectual argument.

MATTHEWS: Wow! Slight positive. Maybe just solid positive.

[Jane says obamasucks]

I actually watched that at 5:30 Sunday morning centralcal. My favorite part of the show was when someone brought up Hillary running and gloria Borger gasped: "not in 2012" as if her heart was at risk for being broken.

[Janet]

Not sure where to put this...
I saw Ray McGovern on a Russian channel on TV this evening. He's in the VIPS. I only caught the very end, but he was saying maybe the Russians spies that were caught were FBI agents.
Wasn't he a big Joe Wilson fan....or I should say...wasn't he a big, "Big Joe Wilson" fan?

[centralcal]

The media are one of the greatest threats to our once great nation - radical and far left, nearly every one of them.

I cannot even stand to watch them for amusement.

[Danube of Thought]

I haven't watched Matthews in over five years.

Martini time on The Coast.

[narciso]

So being contrarian, I think it will plunge him into a whole new bracket of unpopularity, McGovern is certifiable, yet the Herald ran his column along with fellow loony Wayne Madsen

[Porchlight]

Martini time on The Coast.

Enjoy. I am hitting a 2005 Volnay, a gift from my folks.

[Janet]

I went to look at google images..I'm pretty sure Wayne Madsen was the other guy on Russian TV Narciso. Him & McGovern talking about the spies on RTAmerica.

[Danube of Thought]

I'm watching the rookie phenom Strasburg vs. the Braves. Just struck out his fifth straight batter on a 98 MPH heater. Twirling a shutout through six, with seven K's.

[narciso]

Yes, it's the "Abbott and Costello' of the conspiracy set

[Ann]

Dot:

Here is a tweet you will love:

DaveWeigel Joins MSNBC As Paid, Exclusive Contributor (Olbermann's announcement vid): http://mediaite.com/a/fjsmq SK

[narciso]

I'ts already a case of the mondays with the congame in West Va, the all too sudden and undeserved retirement of McChrystal, and the flaky Rasmussen opener, so of course, somewhat of a tonic, in the LUN

[Ann]

There was a time when I would not have waisted my time reading this article:
Obama Wants to Jail Americans with New Law

Now I not only read them, I believe them.

[Clarice]

Yes, Ray was. I've been reading the complaints..This is big and the govt papers read like a John le Carre novel.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Ann-

Ever been phished by the KGB? This is better quality stuff than the old TASS missives (Now, With More Hyperlinks!!), but still run by the same team. They pick the stories to weave a new one.

Same team, same chants.

You know better.

[centralcal]

Well, Ann, now we know what kind of journalism the journalistic world feels is appropriate for Dave Weigel.

The kind no one watches. The kind no one listens to. The kind that is irrelevant.

[narciso]

Well not exactly, Central, he would have gone to CNN if that's what he wanted

[Clarice]

So far the haul includes a star columnist for El Diario/La Prensa and a Kennedy School of Govt grad who headed an international strategy company. Govt says his identity is totally made up and the website of his company is preposterously obviously a front but it appeared good enough to get him lots of access.

This will be embarrassing to lots of people.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Completely O/T,

Just finished watching The Princess Bride, for the umpteenth time. Wallace Shawn and Mandy Patinkin just make the film for me. Tons of old fashioned fun, even though Rob Reiner made it.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Clarice-

Watch out for that rug being lifted...

And the broom behind it.

[Threadkiller]

Beware of The Dread President Obama!

[Clarice]

I bought that film for the wolverine. I adore it, too.

BTW Andrew Sullivan is more than insane if that's possible.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2010/06/why-does-trig-matter.html>Sill with the Palin gynecology

[Ann]

Melinda:

Well, my hair has been on fire for so many days that I believe it could have scorched some brain cells.

However, If someone asked me if I thought Obama would jail RUSH, Glenn Beck, or tea party participants I might be quite hesitant to answer no.

If they asked me if Obama would jail Muslims with terrorist friends, I would say absolutely not.

Btw, I don't think I have ever been phished but it sounds disturbingly provocative. :)
(Just kidding)

[narciso]

There's clueless, and then there's malicious, Clarice, I think the wannabe Oakeshottian has
moved to the latter. DAve Burge, seems to have
got his number with the previous noir parody

[Ann]

Clarice:

I wonder if anyone ever told Andrew's biological mother(if there is one?) that she had a special needs baby.

[Clarice]

There's also enviousness, narciso. He wishes he had what she has. People know about penis envy from Frued, nut uterus envy is probably as common though in this case more obvious that usual.

[Clarice]

BTW the complaint indicates that not only did the Russians create legends for these plants--fale identities--the even gave them fake passports, like an Irish one for traveling bak to Russia. Do you expect we will see the Irish throw a hissy fit over that? The EU? HEH

Hypocrites.

[Ann]

cc:

Yeah, Dave Weigel joins the quasi-conservative moron class at MSNBC. He should feel right at home with Buchanan, and Andrew Sullivan. HA!

[narciso]

Yes I'm sure the 'usual suspects' will
complain, well not really i wondered what all that business with the passports was about; it
reminds me of early McCarry, particularly the
Last Suppe, and the way it recounted the Bentley case, in his own unique way

[Captain Hate]

There's no way I'm clicking that Sully link if it goes to those idiots at the Atlantic. Can somebody give me a brief summary on what his AIDS-crazed excuse for a mind has come up with this time? Everybody knows that the sight of Sarah gives him a chubby and that's the sin that can't be forgiven by whatever perverted deity that pinworm claims to worship.

[narciso]

Right, Capt, that blog with a certain zest for language, that i've linked in the past, often cites his crazyness but without a link

[Janet]

Wonder why the Russians even felt the need to sneak around...hell, they should have just announced who they worked for and they would have been welcome with open arms....it's not like they were from Israel or Britain or Columbia.
Come on in fellas...write a column...teach our children...dismantle our nation!

[narciso]

It's interesting that the second complaint indicates their interest in the turnover of the CIA Director in May 2006, from Goss to
Hayden, the triumph of Sulick and Kappes as well as the upcoming Presidential Election, (pg 31)

[Dave (in MA)]

Janet,

The Russians needed to have spies working stateside? Who knew we had secrets that they'd want? Couldn't they just read the NY Times?

[Janet]

From the NYT via Hot Air -

“They couldn’t have been spies,” Ms. Gugig said. “Look what she did with the hydrangeas.”…"

a comment by ThePrez at Hot Air said - "Lock her up too"

[narciso]

Apparently not enough information was leaked by the Times, Dave, they had to find more from
other sources, then again, much of what we've
been told about American programs and depart.
were either incomplete or complete lies, as Thiessen indicates with his account of the interrogation program