Post-Nuclear Winter In The Senate

After abolishing the filibuster for Senate confirmations, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid figured he would have smooth sailing for Obama's judges. Unfortunately for Harry, freeing Obama has put the Democratic Senators in a box:

Judicial Nominee’s Memos on Drones Stirring Bipartisan Concern in the Senate

By JEREMY W. PETERS  MAY 5, 2014

WASHINGTON — President Obama’s choice for a powerful appeals court appointment is in peril from both the left and the right, highlighting how the fraught politics of an election year are threatening the president’s agenda even among his allies on Capitol Hill.

The nomination of David Barron, who was a Justice Department lawyer at the start of the administration and is now a Harvard Law School professor, is mired in a maw of contentious issues. Republicans object to what they say are his radically liberal views on the Constitution. Democrats in conservative-leaning states, especially those who are up for re-election, are wary that a vote for him might backfire with voters at home. And members of both parties say they are disturbed by Mr. Barron’s authorship of legal memos that justified the United States’ killing of an American citizen overseas with a drone.

The American Civil Liberties Union wrote to all 100 senators on Monday urging them to put off a vote on Mr. Barron’s confirmation until the White House allowed them to read all of his writings on the drone program.

Oh, dear. Can't blame this one on obstructionist, filibustering Republicans funded by the Koch brothers.

The wariness of Democrats, and the willingness of some to buck their president, began to surface publicly on Monday.

Two Democrats who are up for re-election in states where Republicans have a political edge — Mark Begich of Alaska and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana — are said to be unsure if they will vote yes on Mr. Barron.

A court has ordered the administration to release some of Mr. Barron’s legal work as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. But White House lawyers have not done so while they weigh whether to appeal. Senator Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat who is in a tight race, said Monday that he would vote no unless the White House released what the court ordered.

“Unless the White House complies, I cannot support David Barron’s nomination,” he said.

Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon and one of the senators who have voiced deep concern over the secrecy of the administration’s drone policy, said Monday that he had agreed that the vote on Mr. Barron should not move forward until senators could see more of the secret legal opinions that the nominee produced at the Justice Department.

Mr. Wyden added that he was also not committed to voting yes.

 

Comments

[Jeff Dobbs]

A nuclear winter could help address global warming.

[Beasts of England]

I'm sure a courier is on the way from the Justice Department with the requested documents at this very moment. Most transparent administration evah!

[Captain Hate]

Remnick's little hero must be so disappointed.

[Beasts of England]

Or, in honor of Rep. Gowdy, one could say that elections (past and future) have consequences!

[Jeff Dobbs]

TM:
Unfortunately for Harry, freeing Obama has put the Democratic Senators in a box

If you know your SNL and think of Durbin, that sentence is even funnier.

One...cut a hole in the box...

[GMax]

Sucks to be Obama! Why are all these Democrat Senators peeing their pants? I thought the Democrats were highly confident of holding the Senate? HMMMMMMMMMM

[James D.]

What possible excuse is there for his legal reasoning to be kept secret?

I understand that if there are details about specific cases, intelligence sources, etc. that they'd need to be kept secret (not that Zero or his stooges care about national security, but at least in principle I understand why it would be a concern), but the legal justifications for drone use, etc should not be secret.

[rich@gmu]

beasts-

in re: your comment on the other thread. TM chewed on that report like a dog on a ham bone a few days back.

http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2014/05/if-you-like-your-employer-sponsored-health-plan-you-can-keep-it-unless.html

[miss Marple]

Am watching the Five. They showed a poll of political affiliation of journalism majors.

No surprise until 2013, when it looked to me like 50.3% chose Republican.

Significant jump, which they Five missed.

I am going to go find that poll to make sure I am right.

[Threadkiller]

The U.S. Capitol Police are investigating threatening emails against Rep. Trey Gowdy, the South Carolina Republican recently tapped to lead a special panel probing the Benghazi terrorist attacks.

The investigation comes after POLITICO reporters and journalists at other outlets received two emails on Tuesday warning that Gowdy would be harmed because of his role in investigating the 2012 attacks.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/trey-gowdy-threats-police-investigation-106407.html

[miss Marple]

Sorry. It was independents.

On the other hand, it is good they are less inclined to identify with the democrats.

[Threadkiller]

Was it this poll, MM?

Survey: 7 percent of reporters identify as Republican

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/05/survey-percent-of-reporters-identify-as-republican-188053.html?hp=l5

[jimmyk]

MM, I suspect they are only less inclined to admit that they identify with Democrats.

[GMax]

John Nolte at Breitbart lowers the boom on WaPo and the administration:

Any hope the media and Obama had that the endless trumpeting of the phony 8 million enrollment number would turn public opinion around for ObamaCare, has just evaporated with this latest round of polling. The Washington Post has now been forced to concede that media's propaganda campaign failed. ObamaCare is unpopular and is likely to stay that way:

In just one week, a barrage of national polling has reached the same verdict: Obamacare's Rocky Balboa-esque announcement that 8 million people have signed up for health care has done absolutely nothing to reverse the law's basic and long-standing unpopularity. …

The stagnant numbers would seem to fly in the face of the strong publicity the law earned by passing 7 million and then 8 million sign-ups. For a law that had experienced almost nothing but bad news for months, one would think a little good news would lead to at least a little recovery.

And some polls initially suggested that might be the case. But whatever momentum the law carried from the sign-ups announcement -- and a later projection that it will actually cost less than previously thought -- has gone by the wayside.

The stark numbers are bad news for Democrats, but they also shouldn't be surprising. Attitudes on the law have not fluctuated much since its passage in 2010

[Porchlight]

One reason the 8 million signups haven't made a dent is because the numbers are phony.

[Extraneus]

Perhaps some people aren't quite so stupid as to accept a number representing their countrymen who were forced to sign up for government insurance as a Great Thing.

To thinking people, wouldn't a smaller number of coerced citizens be even better?

[narciso]

Barron's tenure was relatively short;

http://www.mainjustice.com/2010/06/24/top-official-in-office-of-legal-counsel-to-depart/

[pagar]

Hoping to stop the slide.

http://weaselzippers.us/185132-leftist-billionaires-led-by-george-soros-forming-new-plan-to-hijack-2014-elections/

[miss Marple]

Here is the problem the administration constantly has.

An issue is shown to be unpopular because of numbers published. So they fudge the numbers.

But the numbers-unpopularity link is only valid when the numbers reflect the actual experience of people.

You cannot make up fake numbers and expect to change opinion, because the unfudged numbers reflect people's real-life experience, not their reaction to the numbers they read in the paper or see on TV.

Yet they keep making up fake numbers, expecting that they can move public opinion .

[Captain Hate]

The JEF blew his credibility, particularly with the yutes, when that "if you like your health plan" was shown to be a hot steaming pile. His praetorian guard can try to insulate him from the impact of that all they want; the real deal is nobody trusts him nor are they willing to in the future. People don't forget being lied to.

[rich@gmu]

it is a bit of "reflexivity". report everything as good news in the hopes those with a bad experience don't see themselves as part of a larger problem.

[Beasts of England]

Thanks, rich! I've been touch and go the last week with the usual distractions and have missed a few threads...

[Beasts of England]

You're right, Captain. People will put up with stupidity and incompetence if there is a degree of decency underpinning those shortcomings. When it becomes evident - even to those who were barely paying attention - that even the lies have lies, then all bets are off.

[Danube on iPad]

Every single thing this administration has said about this law for four years has been an outright lie or a deliberate attempt to mislead and deceive.

[Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself]

I think fake numbers & false narratives work (evil racist conservatives), at least for awhile.

-Surely some people like Obamacare.
-Conservatives I know are nice, but some of them somewhere must be evil & racist.

People that aren't news junkies don't realize what lying bastards the MFM are.

And even the phony 8 million isn't put in context of how many people have LOST their coverage because of Obamacare.

[narciso]

Ah, Mr, Barron, being a wartime consiglieri, as your associate, Ms Johnson put it is no
fun, is it.

[Extraneus]

The inestimable (because it's hard to fathom infinitesimal value) Howard Kurtz dumps on Lewinsky.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/05/06/monica-redux-why-lewinsky-is-playing-scapegoat-card-to-salvage-her-reputation/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29

[narciso]

Well it's chocolate rations, just like the phony 6.3 uneemployment number,

[boatbuilder]

If what is being sought is Barron's legal advice as counsel to the executive on the legality of the use of drones, it should not be disclosed unless it has already been published by either Barron or the executive branch. Like every one of us, the executive branch has the right to seek legal advice about what it does or plans to do, and that advice is and must remain confidential, unless it is part of a conspiracy to violate the law, because of the importance of permitting frank, honest and candid communication and advice on sensitive issues. If a lawyer or his client thinks that his confidential advice or communication for the purpose of obtaining the advice may one day be subject to disclosure, either when it is given or at some unknown later date, then it is not confidential and the purpose of the privilege is destroyed. This is an important, "bedrock" principal of our law and should not be cast away for partisan purposes. I seem to recall the Bush administration taking that position in connection with some Yoo and/or Gonzalez memos, and they were correct to do so.

[narciso]

the two minute hate, must continue

http://twitchy.com/2014/05/06/waronwomen-vanity-fair-clears-the-decks-for-hillary-haters-attack-monica-lewinsky-blame-gop/

[rich@gmu]

>>>I've been touch and go the last week with the usual distractions and have missed a few threads...

Posted by: Beasts of England | May 06, 2014 at 06:24 PM<<<

What? you don't spend all your time here!!! it is like I don't even know you.

hope all is well.

[Beasts of England]

lol, rich! I hate to admit that I've even been working some. Scary stuff!

[Danube on iPad]

If he does, I'm going to disengage completely:

"Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, egged on by his parents and brother, former President George W. Bush, is seriously considering a 2016 bid, according to sources close to the Republican."

[Extraneus]

Surely he will, what with Christie flaming out.

[Danube on iPad]

"Like every one of us, the executive branch has the right to seek legal advice about what it does or plans to do,"

No question about it. But does the attorney-client privilege apply? Who is the client?

[MaxB]

I would dearly love to hear Barron explain why assassination by drone can be justified by circumstances, but splashing water in the same person's face to make them talk can never be justified.

[rich@gmu]

Posted by: Beasts of England | May 06, 2014 at 06:58 PM-

working? what's that.

thankfully my funployment comes to a close tomorrow and the hard work begins.

[Extraneus]

Who is the client?

Who paid the attorney?

[rich@gmu]

Yeah Jeb Bush to make a run! Just what we need.

I'm skeptical he will but wouldn't that be grand ... Hillary for the Dems and Jeb for the Reps.

[Beasts of England]

Good for you, rich! My new opportunity will be mailing me a check every two weeks. I haven't enjoyed that luxury for twenty five years. I have no idea what I'm going to do with actual cash flow. No idea. None at all...

[boatbuilder]

The executive is the client. Isn't that why they asked for the memo? They wanted to know what, legally, they could or could not do. (And just because we the taxpayers "paid" doesn't change things--communications between a public defender and his client are privileged, as are communications between defense counsel paid for by an insurer and his client. The issue turns on whether the person (or entity) seeking the advice had a reasonable expectation of confidentiality.)

[rich@gmu]

beasts-

congrats.

[Bori]

NK,

Really late and trying to catch up. Concerning Doherty, he arrived with a team from Tripoli and were held-up there.

But, according to the militia leader, he was allowed to go to the Annex, just not his team. It was then that he teamed up with Woods. The rest of the team was finally allowed through and made it to the Annex just in time to stop the attack there.

By the time they arrived both Woods and Doherty had been repelling the attack on the Annex. The mortar round that killed him landed shortly as reinforcements were arriving.

BTW, the rest of the team eventually went to the Hospital and retrieved the body of the Ambassador and then evacuated the Annex.

[Beasts of England]

An impossibly large percent of journalists identify as independents. Perhaps the more accurate description would be leftists who claim to be independents to skew the poll.

[Threadkiller]

Those are Low Information Journalists, Beasts.

Does Jindal include LIJs in his 100%?

[Danube on iPad]

Wiki:

"Although the White House Counsel offers legal advice to the President, the Counsel does so in the President's official capacity, and does not serve as the President's personal attorney. Therefore, controversy has emerged over the scope of the attorney–client privilege between the Counsel and the President. It is clear, however, that the privilege does not apply in personal matters, such as impeachment proceedings; thus, in such situations the President relies on a personal attorney for confidential legal advice."

Barron wasn't Counsel to the President; he was simply a DoJ attorney. As far as I know there is no privilege attached to DoJ memos. If Barron's memo were in fact privileged, he would not have the authority to disclose it; holder of the privilege is the client.

If the "executive" is the client, then every time a new president takes office whole boatloads of previously privileged documents could be disclosed.

[centralcal]

Beasts, that poll graph is a real hoot! The only accurate parts are probably the red and maybe the purple. The rest should all be blue.

[Danube on iPad]

I would imagine that almost every journalist would characterize himself as independent now that Dem bias has become such an issue.

[centralcal]

Exactly, DoT.

[Danube on iPad]

Some of John Yoo's torture memos were leaked; at least one was turned over to a Senate committee. I don't recall any claim of privilege being asserted.

[narciso]

Congrats, Beast, so the leader of the Feb 17th Militia, who earned a promotion as envoy to Mali, as a result of this action,

[narciso]

the Dems ambushed a good man, William Haynes, because he was Rumsfeld's man, time to return the favor.

[Beasts of England]

Agreed, DoT.

'Only 28.1% of journalists are democrats! We're being repressed!' --Things the Juiceboxers will claim.

[Beasts of England]

7 Republicans, 5 Democrats for the Benghazi Select Committee, per Power Line, via Politico.

[boatbuilder]

"If the "executive" is the client, then every time a new president takes office whole boatloads of previously privileged documents could be disclosed."

So why aren't they?

[daddy]

The War on Mice continues.

Last week, like vampires, we sucked blood out of baby mice and stuck in the brains of old mice.

Today, we towed mice out to sea in a shipping container and Senator Begich urged the Coast Guard to riddle them with machine gun bullets and send 'em to Davy Jone's locker.

[narciso]

Because the confidentiality attaches to the individual executive,

[Frau Logik]

OT - I bet poor Monica still votes Democrat.

[henry]

TCFAB (or three). Federal Judge stops JohnDoe investigation. Any continuation is grounds for contempt. All materials must be returned, targets freed from any duty to respond.

Did I say TCFAB?

[Frau Logik]

My husband noted it's OK, for Dems, to off someone by drone but not OK to waterboard anyone.

[Beasts of England]

Great news, henry! And I'm guessing none of the WI demos were worried about wasting time and money for the John Doe investigations, huh? TCFAB!

[fdcol63]

Interesting ...... although FAMU students here in Tallahassee rushed to protest during the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case, so far as I can tell there has not been one mention of a similar protest about the atrocity of the Nigerian school girls.

[DrJ]

henry, did you read the comments? Some of Mad City's finest responded.

[Danube on iPad]

"So why aren't they?"

Because they weren't privileged in the first place. The ones that are of interest to the press or public, or are summoned by congress, are disclosed upon request.

[rich@gmu]

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/federal-judge-halts-john-doe-probe-into-walker-recall-b99264341z1-258209431.html

In his ruling Tuesday, Randa said prosecutors are using an unconstitutional legal argument in pursuing the investigation.

"The plaintiffs have been shut out of the political process merely by association with conservative politicians. This cannot square with the First Amendment and what it was meant to protect," Randa ruled.

The judge wrote of the urgency of the case, because prosecutors essentially shut down Wisconsin Club for Growth's right to free speech during a political campaign.

The judge went nuclear on the "investigation".

[daddy]

On the front page of the ADN we have 3 AGW Climate Change 'scare stories' up today:

1)---Climate change effects magnified in Alaska, says federal report

2)---National Climate Assessment - Alaska

3)---Federal report: Warming disrupts Americans' lives

I predict that if we plot the increasing number of AGW Climate Change Stories that will appear in the media over the next 48 to 72 hours, it will resemble a Hockey Stick.

[rich@gmu]

seems the locals are on the case. what I get for not hitting refresh.

[henry]

DrJ, I'll check the comments in the morning as well. This story just broke and the loons haven't got their talking points yet.

[henry]

Rich, great minds TCFAB alike.

[narciso]

Skydragon is seen, churning up the waters around Miami Beach,

[daddy]

And on the way to StarBucks just a minute ago to get my morning Espresso Frapucino, here in Osaka, I passed a pretty Japanese lady wearing high heels that caused a double take.

Her high heels were white Converse High Top tennis shoes, the one's we used to play basketball in back in High School days, yet they had that high heel spike on the back.

Sort of like these, but in white with the standard Converse logo.

Weird. Off to work. Bye.

[henry]

More detail on the JohnDoe stomping. Better story without MSM framing. A "monumental conservative victory."

[Jim Eagle]

Is it stil May 6th? Because:

"It was May 6, 1915 that George Herman Ruth Jr. stepped up to the plate and hit the first of his many home runs. "Babe" was indeed a babe that day; the rookie player for the Boston Red Sox had turned 20 just three months earlier.

He would go on to become a legendary hitter (his record of 714 home runs lasted for half a century), pitcher, and partier. With the possible exception of Mickey Mantle, the world has not seen another ball player like the Sultan of Swat. His accomplishments and his artifacts are still celebrated today."

[Threadkiller]

http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/05/what_obama_did_on_september_11_2012.html

[henry]

For lawyer types the ruling as a PDF file .

[narciso]

things that make you say hm;

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2014/05/is_tom_donilon_the_key_to_benghazigate.html

[Danube on iPad]

Thomas Pinketty, wife-beater:

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/dgreenfield/thomas-piketty-obamas-fave-economist-loves-socialism-beating-women/#.U2gAAEchr5k.facebook

Say...wasn't there something like this swirling around that fellow Blumenthal? I seem to recall there was a DUI in there somewhere, too....

[Frau Logik]

JiB - I still remember where I was as a teen when it was announced that Babe Ruth had died. I didn't follow baseball but he was a national figure that *everyone* knew.

[Beasts of England]

Pretty scathing article at that link, TK...

[narciso]

Nelson DeMille's Nightfall, made me consider how the official story about TWA 800 was incomplete,

[Danube on iPad]

I was in Alexandria, VA when the Babe died. What I recall most is that people who knew nothing at all about baseball - such as my mother - felt such a huge sense of loss.

[narciso]

note the audience;

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/05/06/Hillary-Clinton-Gun-Laws-Are-Too-Lenient-Must-Be-Changed

[narciso]

Clearly, volodya is crazy;

http://www.interpretermag.com/ukraine-liveblog-day-78-donetsk-airport-closed/

[Captain Hate]

Say...wasn't there something like this swirling around that fellow Blumenthal?

Yes, swirling around is a good description

In 1997, Blumenthal instigated a $30 million libel lawsuit against Internet blogger Matt Drudge (and AOL, who had hired Mr. Drudge) stemming from a false claim Drudge had made of spousal abuse attributed to "top GOP sources." Drudge retracted the story later, saying he was given bad information. In Blumenthal v. Drudge, 992 F. Supp. 44 (D.D.C. 1998), the court refused to dismiss Blumenthal's case for lack of personal jurisdiction. Drudge later publicly apologized to the Blumenthals. Blumenthal dropped his lawsuit and eventually reached a settlement involving a small payment to Drudge over having missed a deposition. In his book, The Clinton Wars, Blumenthal wrote he was forced to settle because he could no longer financially afford the suit.

I seem to recall there was a DUI in there somewhere, too....

This gets an unequivocal ABSOLUTELY

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/celebrity/politics/sidney-blumenthal

Eventually he copped a guilty plea. He probably helped turn Rodham into a lush but I can't find any cites for that.

[Danube on iPad]

Concerning that Marine in Mexico, I can confirm that it is very easy to miss the last possible exit off the I-5 South, after which there's no way to avoid arriving at the border. This Sgt. was brand new to this area, so I can easily understand how he screwed up innocently.

For some reasons the Mexicans have a pretty poor history with issues like this. Maybe a bit of reciprocity is in order.

[Jane on Ipad]

I got to hang out with Amy's oldest for a few hours and we talked global warming, which her teachers preach. I told her I disagree and the earth temp hasn't increased. 1 degree since she was born 12 years ago.

She was flabbergasted . She wanted to know if she could say that to her teacher, and what about the ozone layer.

The best I could do is tell her that if anyone tells her the science is settled she can know they are lying, because science is never settled. I think that resonated, but sheesh, what is the best way to handle this stuff?

We talked left and right and she wanted to know who are the people who think it's just fine to sit at home and take the money of the people who work hard. That part was really fun.

[narciso]

Maybe had he not run a dragnet through every center right pundit, maybe he wouldn't have run out of money,

[rich@gmu]

looks like it is Tillis in NC.

[Rick B]

"but sheesh, what is the best way to handle this stuff?"

Jane,

That's always age and knowledge dependent but the Gallileo story works clear down to the primary grades wrt "settled science".

I lean towards "your teachers are idiots" with middle schoolers and high schoolers. They always seem very willing to agree...

[Danube on iPad]

Swirling is all that's needed, CH. Every time that viper's name comes up - and often when it doesn't - I feel the need to wrack my memory over just what was alleged. My memory gets hazy about how it came out. What matters, of course, is the seriousness of the allegations.

And given that he seems to have had a DUI, is it perhaps time to look more deeply into the allegations of abuse?

[rich@gmu]

a look to the future

D.C. Council to vote on broad new tax on insurance to cover city's health care exchange

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-to-vote-on-broad-new-tax-on-insurance-to-cover-citys-health-care-exchange/2014/05/05/0c3b7708-d452-11e3-95d3-3bcd77cd4e11_allComments.html?ctab=all_&

think this was the exchange that most of Congress was dumped into.

the awesome. feel it.

[narciso]

the wiki was rather aggressively edited, around that point

[rich@gmu]

maybe his son got to it.

and yeah, isn't the formulation "the seriousness of the charge ..."

anyway he makes my skin crawl.

[rich@gmu]

everyone must be watching PoI.

[Carol Herman]

You'd think by now politicians would have learned Harry was the wrong man to lead. Sure. He "got things done." He got his party to follow a road that held no common sense.

Will the senate go back to its old ways as soon as the November elections pass? Probably.

But neither side really excels at leadership.

In Israel, Olmert's heading to jail. Too bad in America Harry Reid gets away it all.

[rich@gmu]

Billions unaccounted for in Venezuela's communal giveaway program...

Caracas to begin water rationing...

water ... http://news.yahoo.com/caracas-begin-four-months-water-rationing-215758339.html;_ylt=AwrBJR9IXGlTDl4AX8_QtDMD

they are in the shortage and flight to real goods phase in there date with disaster.

[jimmyk]

Henry, great news about the John Doe. Captain, this is an item about the Missouri tax cut (overriding the Dem guv's veto) that you mentioned earlier:

http://www.atr.org/missouri-house-overrides-gov-nixon%E2%80%99s-veto-enacts-historic-tax-cuts

Incidentally, I'm going to be in West Palm Beach tomorrow and Thursday. Any JOMers around that area? Sorry for the short notice.

[narciso]

the regime that blundered into Crimea, was not unlike Olmert's Kadima coalition:

http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/blunder2.html

[Ann]

The best thing I have read, in a long time, is the Rush Limbaugh letter today. It's his conversation with Trey Gowdy.

I had no idea Trey was 50 years old. Order it!
You will love the guy even more.

How can we go about funding and supporting Trey and these other warriors, like Ohio's, Jim Jordan and Utah's Jason Chaffetz.

Jane, how about starting a Trey, Jim, Jason Fan Club with secret passwords. :) They need to know how much we support them because the Democrats are going to start a war on them like we have never seen.

[Captain Hate]

And given that he seems to have had a DUI, is it perhaps time to look more deeply into the allegations of abuse?

Just to be clear, it was a misdemeanor DWI that he pleaded guilty to. Not sure what the difference is and, since he refused a breathalyzer, the extent of sloshedness is impossible to retroactively determine. But he was definitely pulled over for something that stuck.

I'll be on the road for the last POI of the season next week; even if Mrs H had my willingness to drive insane distances once behind the wheel, I'll be in front of a tv, probably much better than the one I own, in plenty of time to see Vigilance go the way of HR.