Maybe They Should Sue John Boehner, Too

Ten lonely House members take to the courts to enforce a legal interpretation that a House majority could enforce almost effortlessly:

A bipartisan group of House members announced on Wednesday that it is filing a lawsuit charging that President Obama made an illegal end-run around Congress when he approved U.S military action against Libya.

“With regard to the war in Libya, we believe that the law was violated. We have asked the courts to move to protect the American people from the results of these illegal policies,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), who led the 10-member anti-war coalition with Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.).

I assume the judge's first question will be, "Why doesn't the House bar funding for the war effort?".

Comments

[Jane (sit on the couch or save your country)]

I know, how stupid.

[narciso]

So why are we intervening in what they themselves call a civil war:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/15/associated-press-libya-civil-war_n_877546.html

[Danube of Thought]

Well, among other things, the plaintiffs are asking the court to

Enter an order declaring unconstitutional the policy of the Administration that the President may use previously appropriated monies to support an undeclared war in circumvention of Article I;

and I suppose that their power to cut off funding wouldn't get them that particular relief. But they're not going to get any relief anyway.

[MarkO]

A lovely stading question. As I was told, once, standing is a function of your theory of the case on its merits. Discuss among yourselves.

But, I would guess that to be the first question.

[narciso]

Speaking of fruitless enterprises, I give you Gerson's latest:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/palin-vs-the-press-in-this-war-neither-wins/2011/06/13/AG9pcgTH_story.html?wprss=rss_opinions

[John P. Squibob]

I assume the judge's first question will be, "Why doesn't the House bar funding for the war effort?".

Better still, his second question should be, "Why aren't you starting impeachment proceedings?".

And for those who fear a President Joe Biden, the punishment can be less than expulsion from office if the Senate convicts him.

[PD]

A little LeBron love in Texas.

99 Cents Only Discounts In Light Of LeBron

This week's ad from discount retailer 99 Cents Only (NDN) takes a shot at Miami Heat star LeBron James. The offer, valid at Texas stores through Tuesday, calls for a discount to 75c "when you don't have a fourth quarter."

[Clarice]

Maybe they could cut out the white house entertainment budget.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

I hear they are having a picnic tonight at the White House for Members of Congress.

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Kevin Bogardus / The Hill:
Pelosi's wealth grows by 62 percent — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) saw her net worth rise 62 percent last year, cementing her status as one of the wealthiest members of Congress. — Pelosi was worth at least $35.2 million in the 2010 calendar year, according to a financial disclosure report released Wednesday.

[fdcol63]

Imagine the hyperventilation of liberals if Dick Cheney's net worth had gone up 62% in 2003.

[lyle]

Maybe they could cut out the white house entertainment budget.

At least Moochelle's couch upholstery clothing stipend.

[Jack is Back!]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) saw her net worth rise 62 percent last year

More than Weiner's weiner did. Probably a result of cutting back on Botox.

[Clarice]

jsonline
adison - One day after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ordered the reinstatement of collective-bargaining legislation that potentially affects thousands of public-sector employees, a coalition of unions filed suit in federal court seeking to block it.

The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO on Wednesday joined a number of other unions seeking to halt Gov. Scott Walker's controversial collective bargaining legislation.

The groups include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 24, AFSCME Council 40, AFSCME Council 48, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC), the Wisconsin State Employees Union, The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO and the Service Emplloyees International Union – Health Care Wisconsin (SEIU).

In a statement, the groups said they filed the suit because the collective-bargaining legislation "denies hundreds of thousands of public employees their right to collectively bargain for a better life. The groups challenge the constitutionality of the state’s Budget Repair Bill which would destroy collective bargaining rights for all but a select group of public sector workers."

The suit, filed in the Western District of Wisconsin, says the legislation violates the 1st and 14th amendments "by stripping away basic rights to bargain, organize and associate for the purpose of engaging in union activity, which have been in place for the last half century."

The case was assigned to Federal Judge William M. Conley

[PD]

Recall Public Sector Unions

[Rob Crawford]

I wonder how they'll react when they learn there is no constitutional right underlying public-sector unions.

[Danube of Thought]

USS Carl Vinson arrived home this morning. The air boss is now with his jubilant family next door. I will allow him a decent interval, then grill him about the bin Laden funeral. (My guess is I'll learn nothing.)

[Danube of Thought]

Conley is an Obama appointee. They don't seem to be asserting a constitutional right to bargain, but rather areclaiming their equal protection rights have been violated.

I sure don't see how they establish such a claim, but how much confidence can anyone have in an Obama appointee?

[Jack is Back!]

DoT,

Belated Happy 100th Birthday to Naval Aviation and the landing and launch off the Pennsylvania in San Francisco Bay.

BTW, Frederick and I saw the Imax movie, Fighter Pilot: Red Flag Exercise at the Dulles Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. The Air Boss for that exercise was a 32 year old O-4 in command of over 125 aircraft going Mach one and beyond in the Nevada desert. When people say we have lost the young generation of leaders I just shake my head at the idiocy. What you will learn from him though is how much he has missed a decent martini and princess deriere pictures:)

[Extraneus]

I sure don't see how they establish such a claim, but how much confidence can anyone have in an Obama appointee?

That's an exquisite sentence, but I'm pretty sure there are millions of people who have high confidence in an Obama appointee, law or no law.

[Jane]

(My guess is I'll learn nothing.)

My guess is whatever you learn you won't tell us.

[Extraneus]

White House says Libyan conflict too limited to violate War Powers law

“We’re not engaged in sustained fighting, there’s been no exchange of fire with hostile forces. We don’t have troops on the ground. We don’t risk casualties to those troops,” said one of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, who said there is extensive analysis and case law that lays out what kinds of activities would be in violation of the War Powers Resolution.

Heh. So not even one person has fired a rifle into the air at our bombers. Interesting.

I didn't realize it wasn't a war if you bomb without receiving any returning fire. Presumably, the president should be able to nuke any country then, and only needs to go for authorization if someone survives long enought to fight back.

Learn something new every day.

[Clarice]

matt, congratulations and rse , glad to hear Red's ok.

[Extraneus]

Did everyone catch the threat made to the ATF agents who disagreed with the Fast and Furious fiasco?

David Voth, the team’s supervisor, sent a March 12, 2010 email to the team, saying the tactics of “Fast and Furious” were backed by “HQ.”

“Whether you care or not people of rank and authority at HQ are paying close attention to this case and they also believe we…are doing what they envisioned the Southwest Border Grouops doing. It may sound cheesy but we are ‘The tip of the ATF spear’ when it comes to Southwest Border Firearms Trafficking,” Voth wrote.

If the agents didn’t like it, “Maybe the Maricopa County Jail is hiring detention officers and you can get paid $30,000 (instead of $100,000) to serve lunch to inmates all day,” Voth wrote.

They're getting pretty good at gangster government.

[Danube of Thought]

Thanks a lot, JiB. The town has been commemorating naval aviation all year. I worked with the Coronado Historical Society to identify every residence in town that is now, or ever has been, the home of a naval aviator. Much of the research consisted of a bunch of us sitting around recalling that, "yeah, ol' so-and-so used to live at such-and-such," then verifying the info from various records. Then, with the permission of the current occupants (many of whom are the aviators themselves), we place signs in front of all the houses. We ended up with close to a thousand of them. Sample below:

[Danube of Thought]

I'll tell you everything I find out, Jane.

[Jane]

I don't see rse's post.

Ex, I don't buy it.

[Danube of Thought]

there is extensive analysis and case law that lays out what kinds of activities would be in violation of the War Powers Resolution

Case law? Nothing on point, I am quite sure.

[Extraneus]

“We are all entitled to our respective (albeit different) opinions however we all need to get along and realize that we have a mission to accomplish.”

He [Voth] added: “Whether you care or not people of rank and authority at HQ are paying close attention to this case and they also believe we are doing what they envisioned.”

And that mission? To show that it's too easy to get guns in the US; therefore, more gun laws are required.

[Extraneus]

Btw, Morrissey hesitates to take any stab at questioning the motives of Operation Fast and Furious. Just a "controversial" bumbling attempt with presumably good intentions.

[Jack is Back!]

DoT,

Like the blue plaques in England:)

I can imagine a bunch of navy aviators sitting around in the San Diego weather vortex going eenie meenie mighty moe with a shaker of gin and ice in one hand and an empty glass in the other. Picture perfect.

[Danube of Thought]

Sorry the pic got cut off.

[tonto]

DoT -- Did you happen to have any contact with Robin Olds (he was Air Force, but ...) when you were in Vietnam? He's a close family relation.

[tonto]

Or maybe Fred, his step-brother? He was Navy and there when you were.

[tonto]

Fred is his half, not step, brother.

[Duty 2 Protect. Not the Constitution, but whomever she likes.]

What, Me Worry? This is Hillary's War, and whatshername's.
===============

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

I just heard this on Fox News:

San Francisco now wants to ban all pets, including pet fish.

IMHO, there is something wrong with people who don't like pets.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Lulz takes down cia.gov.

[henry]

As if running to the Feds isn't bad enough, the Dems are in court to cancel the fleebagger recall elections.

Sheesh!

[Melinda Romanoff]

Sara-

The Hotel Monaco might have an issue with that pending ordinance.

[Danube of Thought]

Didn't encounter either of the Olds brothers. Just about everyone knew of Robin by reputation; i believe he was the first Ace of the Vietnam War, and that he went on to become Superintendent of the Air Force Academy. He was the quintessential fighter jock if ever there was one.

[Danube of Thought]

One could get the impression that left-wing litigants in Wisconsin have come to expect a favorable reception in the courts.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Prof. Hansen beans Ole Jugears.

[Rocco]

Go Bruins

[Google 'Livingston and Penn'.]

The Sun's Cheshire Cat Sunspots are all over the blogosphere today. That and the IPCC with egg all over their faces about renewable energy. We are cooling, folks.
===============

[MarkO]

Found this at the Volokh site. I had forgotten this.
_____

The procedural history is interesting. The plaintiffs (including a member of Congress) had somehow obtained an injunction from a district court judge enjoining the bombing. The court of appeals, surely to no one’s surprise, stayed the injunction. The plaintiffs appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, where Justice Thurgood Marshall (no right-winger himself) declined to overturn the court of appeals’ stay.

Since the Supreme Court was in recess, with the Justices scattered around the country, the plaintiffs traveled to Justice Douglas’ home in Washington State and asked him, quite literally, for a second opinion. Douglas agreed with the plaintiffs and overturned Marshall’s decision, thereby reinstating the injunction.

Justice Marshall then got on the phone with all the other Justices and issued a new order staying the district court’s injunction, effectively by an 8–1 vote. Douglas wrote a dissent, arguing among other things that the Supreme Court’s decision would ultimately be overturned by an even higher court.

Under the law as it is written, the order of MR. JUSTICE MARSHALL of August 4, 1973, will, in time, be reversed by that Higher Court which invariably sits in judgment on the decisions of this Court.

[gw]

Graham raps Boehner, GOP candidates on Libya, Afghanistan

BY JAMES ROSEN

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham criticized his party's presidential candidates and congressional leaders for increasingly advocating an international isolationism that he said repudiates the legacies of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
The South Carolina senator mocked seven GOP presidential candidates' discussion of foreign policy in Monday night's New Hampshire debate as "shallow" and full of "platitudes."
Graham, a military lawyer as a colonel in the Air Force Reserve, also criticized House Speaker John Boehner's threat to invoke the Vietnam-era War Powers Resolution against President Barack Obama over U.S. military involvement in Libya.
After delivering a speech at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank, Graham asked how many in the audience had watched the New Hampshire debate.
"I was very disappointed that no one articulated why it matters if we win or lose in Afghanistan," Graham said. "No one articulated what would happen if (Libyan strongman Moammar) Gadhafi stays in power. So we have Republicans talking about stopping our efforts in Libya."
Graham spoke as 10 House members — seven Republicans and three Democrats — filed suit against Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates for U.S. engagement in the NATO air strikes against Gadhafi for the last three months without congressional approval.

: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/15/2268335/graham-raps-boehner-gop-candidates.html#ixzz1POD4dxL7

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

Good grief:

The old energy order in the Middle East is crumbling with Iran and Syria having left the Western fold and others, including Saudi Arabia, the largest of them all, in danger of doing so. Simultaneously, a new energy order is emerging to give the West some spine. In this new order, Israel is a major player.

The new energy order is founded on rock – the shale that traps vast stores of energy in deposits around the world. One of the largest deposits – 250 billion barrels of oil in Israel’s Shfela basin, comparable to Saudi Arabia’s entire reserves of 260 billion barrels of oil – has until now been unexploited, partly because the technology required has been expensive, mostly because the multinational oil companies that have the technology fear offending Muslims.

[shimmy, shimmy coco puff]

This week, though, Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue may have ignited a civil war within the GOP. Many Tea Party freshman within the House Republican caucus have said that they will not vote to raise the debt ceiling, which would force the U.S. to default on its debt obligations. In fact, many said that raising the debt ceiling would be a “betrayal” of the platform that they ran on.
But Donohue sent a message those freshman during a speech before the Rotary Club of Atlanta: Fail to raise the debt ceiling and “we’ll get rid of you.”

[Its a madhouse]

via Gandelman;

We Get the Media We Want
by Tina Dupuy

“The media”is our favorite whipping boy. It’s shallow, petty and often stupid. It misses points, focuses on the wrong things, and completely ignores the bigger issues. It’s prone to obsess on trivial rivalries and scandals instead of thoughtful substantive discussions about things which affect us most.

Essentially, the media is a mirror of us.

We’re shallow, petty and often stupid. We miss points – focusing on the wrong things and completely ignoring the bigger issues. We’re prone to obsess on trivial rivalries and scandals instead of thoughtful substantive discussions about things which affect us most.

Especially in America where the vast majority of our media is profit and ratings driven – the media is programmed by us to give us what we want. Whether we like to admit it’s what we want or not (think stories about whoever is filling the role of a Kardashian or a Bieber).

“The media” isn’t some monolith in lockstep. Maybe there was a time when generalities applied. The press didn’t dish about polio-afflicted President Franklin Roosevelt’s pain. They never ran pictures of him in his wheelchair at his famed whistle stops. It could be said that there was a conspiracy by the press not to highlight the personal struggle of the president. But that was then…

Now there are over nine 24-hour news channels (the big three and their spin-offs). Plus places to watch foreign news like BBC and Al-Jazeera English all over what used to be “the dial.” With the inclusion of ousted MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann going to Al Gore owned Current TV this month – it appears there will be yet another channel for people to turn to for their news.

Then there’s the Internet: The latest figure is over 50 million blogs worldwide are being updated at a near-constant rate. Even if most of those blogs are about inane personal escapades and obscure hobbies, there still could be ten million or so blogs in the world dedicated to news. And what drives traffic to the most widely read blogs in the world? Search engine optimization (SEO) about whoever is filling the role of a Kardashian or a Bieber.

If we wanted a somber and serious Edward R. Murrow to deliver the important news of the day – we’d all tune in and the ratings would be gangbusters. But we don’t. Most media criticism comes from the assumption that we want Murrow but we get TMZ – instead of the empirical (and slightly embarrassing) fact: We want TMZ.

Like any other business, the media is driven by consumption. We choose to click on the links about baby bumps and Anthony Weiner’s namesake appendage, so more stories like those get produced. We swarm to tidbits about Sarah Palin’s feuds with public figures – and even with history itself. Most of us don’t want serious news – we want sagas of nip slips and sports scores. Editors know this, anguish over it and sometimes give in. Which is why you see major metropolitan newspapers complying with the demand of a celebrity-obsessed public – it’s an attempt to up their readership by any means necessary.

The media and the press have never been more democratized than they are now. Anyone can be a journalist. Anyone can read or start a blog. Anyone can be a part of what is known as “crowdsourcing” or what Wikileaks’ Julian Assange calls “scientific journalism.” And yet, when we talk about the media, we act like it’s something separate from us – like we, as consumers, don’t play the most vital role in “the press.”

Not all news or even popular news today is only celebrity gossip or niche partisan hackery. We even make some decent choices. NPR, the go-to example of hard-hitting comprehensive thoughtful news, has 27 million listeners each day. Their show Morning Edition reaches 13 million people daily. Contrast that with Fox News Channel, the highest rated cable news channel averages 1.75 million per show. The highest rated of the networks’ evening news programs (right now, NBC) only reaches around eight million nightly.

These ratings are ultimately our fault. Yes, there are millions of choices, and ultimately – to borrow a phrase – they report and we decide.

[narciso]

That was Sandburg's offering last night, except without a point, One hopes we are
not going back to this point, in the LUN.
That was the kind of self righteous preening
that helped usher in the Khmer Rouge

[Clarice]

"We’re shallow, petty and often stupid. "

speak for yourself. I ever turn it on let alone watch it.

[Extraneus]

Opec to haul in $1 trillion as oil prices increase risk of double-dip recession

What a coincidence. That's almost exactly what we spent on the "stimulus." Unfortunately, we didn't get any more energy out of our "investment." Who could have foreseen that?

[hit and run]

But Donohue sent a message those freshman during a speech before the Rotary Club of Atlanta: Fail to raise the debt ceiling and “we’ll get rid of you.”

Huh. The link that Think Progress includes in the post you copy and pasted from characterized that exchange thusly...

In one of the funnier moments during his Rotary talk, Donohue was asked if Congress was going to raise the debt ceiling.

[blah blah blah, "we'll get rid of you" blah blah blah]

He then went on to praise U.S. House Speaker John Boehner for his Congressional leadership.

“He’s growing into his shorts,” Donohue said. “He’s put on his big boy pants.”

ZOMG! Civil WAR!!!!!

[Rick Ballard]

Clarice,

I believe that interpretation of "we" as used by Cleo requires reference to the definition of schizophrenia and must include her imaginary dead Marine. It's quite a group but can only cast one vote.

[Its a madhouse]

It's a pleasure to see Obama Dick Cheny-ing Congress on Executive power.

NYT

" The White House is telling Congress that President Obama has the legal authority to continue American participation in the NATO-led air war in Libya, even though lawmakers have not authorized it.

The latest on President Obama, the new Congress and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.
FiveThirtyEight: Nate Silver's Political Calculus
In a broader package of materials the Obama administration is sending to Congress on Wednesday defending its Libya policy, the White House, for the first time, offers lawmakers and the public an argument for why Mr. Obama has not been violating the War Powers Resolution since May 20.

On that day, the Vietnam-era law’s 60-day deadline for terminating unauthorized hostilities appeared to pass. But the White House argued that the activities of United States military forces in Libya do not amount to full-blown “hostilities” at the level necessary to involve the section of the War Powers Resolution that imposes the deadline.

“We are acting lawfully,” said Harold Koh, the State Department legal adviser, who expanded on the administration’s reasoning in a joint interview with White House Counsel Robert Bauer.

The two senior administration lawyers contended that American forces have not been in “hostilities” at least since April 7, when NATO took over leadership in maintaining a no-flight zone in Libya, and the United States took up what is mainly a supporting role — providing surveillance and refueling for allied warplanes — although unmanned drones operated by the United States periodically fire missiles as well.

They argued that United States forces are at little risk in the operation because there are no American troops on the ground and Libyan forces are unable to exchange meaningful fire with American forces. They said that there was little risk of the military mission escalating, because it is constrained by the United Nations Security Council resolution that authorized use of air power to defend civilians.

[Extraneus]

If you're going to read all of her posts, are you really the right person to wield the pistolas?

[narciso]

LOL, admittedly I'm not a lawyer, but shouldn't a legal brief have some legal opinions, in it:

http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/Libya_Complaint_Master.pdf

[Its a madhouse]

"I believe that interpretation of "we""

HOO HAH!!!!!

If the sentence applies to anyone, it applies
to Marmalard.

What a doofus!

[Clarice]

I'm ready to turn them over. My trigger finger is badly calloused, Ext.

[tonto]

DoT -- Yes, Robin was a good man and a good soldier. Gore Vidal was his step-brother, by the way. No love lost between them.

[Its a madhouse]

Every once in a while, you catch me on something, Hit. But your bloviating about the humor of the comment is misplaced. The joke was on Boner. Mr Weeper has a reputation for wearing 'short pants', but the comment 'we'll get rid of you' is not tongue-in-cheek.

Keep trying though.

In one of the funnier moments during his Rotary talk, Donohue was asked if Congress was going to raise the debt ceiling.

Yes, it will be raised, Donohue answered, mainly because the country can not afford to not pay its bills. To those newly-elected representatives who say they aren’t going to raise the debt ceiling and will shut down government, Donohue said the U.S. Chamber has its own message: “We’ll get rid of you.”

He then went on to praise U.S. House Speaker John Boehner for his Congressional leadership.

“He’s growing into his shorts,” Donohue said. “He’s put on his big boy pants.”

[Its a madhouse]

it is rather gratifying that the only time I see replies to my comments, it's because
they find a typo or a perceived error.

And there are so few comments I must conclude you have no response whatsoever to the lion's share of my contributions.

You have no idea how encouraging that is.

[narciso]

Btw, did they ever run that 100 year retrospective on Naval Aviationin the local paper,

[Its a madhouse]

I pray the demonstrators in Denver don't go the way of the SDS in 1968.

Tying Obama to Ayers and the Weathermen could inspire contributions to the Alliance and reach the more formidable spending in 2004 ($60 million).

Three million will get them some cable and Indy stations, that's all.

Please understand that if you constantly heard the voice of an imaginary marine in your head you would speak incoherently too. How dare you people blame me for it! You see, there is a Higher Power, and He does not find me incoherent at all. He loves me, this I know.

Posted by: Ccleo on August 25, 2008 at 4:47 PM

[Extraneus]

You're our only hope, Clarice. Not to mention, you're the only one we have with a boxed set. Just scroll down to the bottom of the post.

[Its a madhouse]

Daily Beast;

"Obama is keeping under wraps a hush-hush plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan—and he hopes it will satisfy those pushing for a quick exit and the diehards determined to stay the course, Leslie H. Gelb reports exclusively.
By July 15, President Obama will unveil a plan to reduce U.S. forces in Afghanistan by upward of 30,000, but to withdraw them slowly under military guidance over 12 to 18 months, according to administration officials.
In sum, the quick exiters get the big 30,000 or so number, and the die-harders get one last year-plus at near full strength to weaken the Taliban. Ain’t democracy grand? Officials caution that since no announcement will be made for almost a month, and since Obama is still being battered from all sides, the projected withdrawal total and end dates could change somewhat. No one, not even Obama’s most intimate national-security aides—Tom Donilon, Denis McDonough, and Ben Rhodes—can be certain of their boss’ final calculations, but key officials feel confident that the president’s secret thinking will generally hold."

[Jane]

Fail to raise the debt ceiling and “we’ll get rid of you.”

Not on a bet. We will get rid of Donahue first.

[Its a madhouse]

The 8:23 is a disturbed and pitiable creature.

There is help under Obamacare. You just have to ask. Is a speech defect preventing you from
seeking guidance? No problem. Dems have remedial speech therapy as part of their healthcare plan for the needy.

[Melinda Romanoff]

Jane-

Current terms are $3B in cuts for every $1B in hike.

[narciso]

Ah, Gelb still hasn't figured out that Rhodes and McDonough are Obama's minders, not vice
versa,

[Extraneus]

I sure hope a bunch of other people here raised their net worth 62 percent last year.

[Its a madhouse]

"Ah, Gelb still hasn't figured out that Rhodes and McDonough are Obama's minders, not vice
versa,"

Well, we can thank the gods that you are semi-conscious, Cisco.

[Its a madhouse]

"I sure hope a bunch of other people here raised their net worth 62 percent last year."

For folks who worship the Golden Calf of Finance, you seem to resent others benefitting from your sense of UNLIMITED largesse and avarice.

[Extraneus]

Anyone live-blogging the picnic?

I like how they lightly touch on Obama's schedule for the day.

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama and the first lady are having members of Congress over to the White House this evening for a picnic.

It will be held on the South Lawn. Vice President Joe Biden will also be there.

Earlier in the day, the president will get his daily briefing. In the afternoon he and the vice president will meet in the Oval Office with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is resigning the end of this month.

I think the attendees list would be interesting.

[Jack is Back!]

Obeying Clarice and watching the hockey game instead of the debates tonight.

Bruins score first and could be the first team since God knows when to win the Cup on the road in the 7th game. [It was 2009 when the Pens won on the road in Detroit.]

I don't want to hex the Bruins but there is something soft about the Cannucks and not because they are in the San Francisco of Canada but they just don't seem to have a killer instinct like the Bruins have . Maybe its having Recchi or something but they have it and the other team doesn't.

[narciso]

OT, it just goes to show the problem with long lead times on publications. The latest Washingtonian, has a piece by Apollonia Mal herbes, on DSK that was obvious written before
his fall from grace,

[Jack is Back!]

Ex,

Ya think Kucinich will come with a supobnea?

[Jane]

"I sure hope a bunch of other people here raised their net worth 62 percent last year."

I'm pretty sure mine went down that much.

There are debates tonite?

79 of 80 7th games have been won by the home team JIB. However the Bruins will win since they displaced my tea party meeting.

[hit and run]

Earlier in the day, the president will get his daily briefing.

I think they mean deliver the briefing. He being so much better informed than the would-be briefers and all. I hope they pay attention to him.

[Extraneus]

I think they mean deliver the briefing.

Good point.

"He reads every word, every memo, so he is better prepared than the people briefing him," she said. "This man doesn't take a day off."

[Ignatz]

--And there are so few comments I must conclude you have no response whatsoever to the lion's share of my contributions.--

I suppose one could conclude that but you might note more profitably that you receive about the same number of responses as the luciferian.
The intelligent conclusion would be that there is no response to the lyin's share of your "contributions" for precisely the same reason.

[narciso]

It feels like Groundhog Day sometimes around here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110615/ap_on_re_us/us_nation_of_islam_libya

[peter]

that little kid is cute, even if he is from Boston.

[Jane]

"He reads every word, every memo, so he is better prepared than the people briefing him,"

He hasn't met with his economic advisers since April, cause he is so smart you know.

[Ignatz]

--I assume the judge's first question will be, "Why doesn't the House bar funding for the war effort?".--

I understand congress has the power to impeach and the power of the purse strings, but do its members have no judicial recourse if the majority of the congress refuses to use either if and when a president exceeds his authority, particularly on a Constitutional matter infringing congress's powers?
I'm not saying the war powers act meets those standards, but it's easy to imagine any number of things which might, particularly when the same party holds congress and the WH.

[Its a madhouse]

"The intelligent conclusion would be that there is no response to the lyin's share of your "contributions" for precisely the same reason."

omg, seek help. you are the personification of my point. This is my last response to you.

get some help.

[Jack is Back!]

Highlights from recent daily briefings:

Topics to Avoid: Before and at meeting wtih Netanyahu do not mention 1967 borders.

Topics to Avoid: Mention of New Chet's diner when in Toledo.

Topics to Avoid: Mention of the capabilities of the Wrangler when at Jeep.

Topics to Avoid: In North Caorlina meeting avoid mention of "Shovel ready Jobs".

/just to name a recent few.

[narciso]

The problem lies in what is the proper amount
of executive authority in these things, the Dems for the long time, which certain token
republicans, like Weicker were opposed to practically every military assistance and advisory programs, for the better part of 20 years.

[pagar]

"He hasn't met with his economic advisers since April"

I thought all his economic advisers quit?
Or maybe it just seems like they did.

[narciso]

The gift that keeps on giving,

http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/06/15/debbie-doubles-down-dnc-chair-says-we-own-the-economy/

[Jack is Back!]

Boy did Lurch make a bone head play. [That's the Bruin's Charra - he is like 7 feet on skates].

Good game as any 3-3 seventh game should be for Lord Stanley's cup.

[Jack is Back!]

Marchand scores another one. Bruins up 2-0. Is Red watching and is he itching to light that cigar?

[I know he is b-ball not hockey but I don't even know the coach of the Bruins.]

[Sara (Pal2Pal)]

JiB: From the sounds of it, Bambi needs a new briefer.

[hit and run]

Obama needs to change his briefs for sure.

[Jack is Back!]

Patrice Bergeron - short handed goal - Bruins up 3-0

Its all over but the crying.

Oh, oH may be a hand pass instead of a goal by stick. You can not punch the puck in. Its a goal. No problem.

Cannucks are very soft to have allowd that. But then Burrowes shouldn't have put his glove finger in Bergeron's mouth in game one. I still believe that and the hit on Horton were the turning points. Its always the little things in championships - like making fun of Nowitski's cough. Ouch, you lose!

[Danube of Thought]

do its members have no judicial recourse if the majority of the congress refuses to use either if and when a president exceeds his authority, particularly on a Constitutional matter infringing congress's powers?

I think they probably don't. A court is likely to step in--and very reluctantly--only when the congress has exhausted its own powers.

That's my understanding of the matter on the basis of first principles, but I would love to hear from others with some actual knowledge.

[Ignatz]

--omg, seek help. you are the personification of my point. This is my last response to you.

get some help.--

I've noticed that guys who suspect they're nuts but stupidly don't think others know, always react the same way when even tangentially accused of it.

I'll be monitoring that promise contained in the penultimate sentence.

[sbw]

Dear NPR All Things Considered:

I was embarrassed by how shallow Washington Post writer Dana Milbank showed himself to be when, in the "spin room," he called Herman Cain "the Hermanator" with nothing more to say.

Your interviewer -- and NPR -- should give us fewer pundits, more candidates, and leave Milbank brooding in his knickers with a twist.

[Jane]

I can't believe the Bruins are going to win this.