If the Republican Party is prepared to nominate a 9/11 Truther Trump nailed this down in the debate Saturday night.
Time will tell. Scientists have confirmed the existence of gravity waves but political scientists have yet to confirm that Trump is subject to the laws of political gravity.
ROLL THE TAPE: From the transcript, edited:
DICKERSON: ... On Monday, George W. Bush will campaign in South Carolina for his brother. As you’ve said tonight, and you’ve often said, the Iraq war and your opposition to it was a sign of your good judgment.
In 2008, in an interview with Wolf Blitzer, talking about President George W. Bush’s conduct of the war, you said you were surprised that Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi didn’t try to impeach him.
You said, quote: “Which, personally, I think would have been a wonderful thing.” When you were asked what you meant by that and you said: “For the war, for the war, he lied, he got us into the war with lies.” Do you still believe President Bush should have been impeached?
...
TRUMP: So let me just tell you, I get along with everybody, which is my obligation to my company, to myself, et cetera.
Obviously, the war in Iraq was a big, fat mistake. All right? Now, you can take it any way you want, and it took — it took Jeb Bush, if you remember at the beginning of his announcement, when he announced for president, it took him five days.
He went back, it was a mistake, it wasn’t a mistake. It took him five days before his people told him what to say, and he ultimately said, “It was a mistake.” The war in Iraq, we spent $2 trillion, thousands of lives, we don’t even have it. Iran has taken over Iraq, with the second-largest oil reserves in the world.
Obviously, it was a mistake.
DICKERSON: So...
TRUMP: George Bush made a mistake. We can make mistakes. But that one was a beauty. We should have never been in Iraq. We have destabilized the Middle East.
DICKERSON: But so I’m going to — so you still think he should be impeached?
BUSH: I think it’s my turn, isn’t it? [Lucky for Bush, Trump kept going. -TM]
TRUMP: You do whatever you want. You call it whatever you want. I want to tell you. They lied. They said there were weapons of mass destruction, there were none. And they knew there were none. There were no weapons of mass destruction.
(BOOING)
DICKERSON: All right. O.K. All right.
OK, a full Truther would declare that Bush plotted the destruction of the Twin Towers, but still, this is DKos/Al Gore territory, not what people expected at a Republican debate. The Ace thinks this has to hurt Trump, but plenty of other thrice bitten, fourth time shy commentators aren't sure what if anything can hurt Trump.
As another example, did we expect to see a Republican defending Planned Parenthood? Back to Trump, this time scuffling with Ted Cruz:
CRUZ: I will say, it is fairly remarkable to see Donald defending Ben after he called, “pathological,” and compared him to a child molester. Both of which were offensive and wrong.
But let me say this — you notice Donald didn’t disagree with the substance that he supports taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. And Donald has this weird pattern, when you point to his own record, he screams, “Liar, liar, liar.” You want to go...
TRUMP: Where did I support it? Where did I...
CRUZ: You want to go...
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Again, where did I support it?
CRUZ: If you want to watch the video, go to our website at Tedcruz.org.
TRUMP: Hey Ted, where I support it?
CRUZ: You can see it out of Donald’s own mouth.
TRUMP: Where did I support?
CRUZ: You supported it when we were battling over defunding Planned Parenthood. You went on...
TRUMP: That’s a lot of lies.
CRUZ: You said, “Planned Parenthood does wonderful things and we should not defund it.”
TRUMP: It does do wonderful things, but not as it relates to abortion.
CRUZ: So I’ll tell you what...
TRUMP: Excuse me. Excuse me, there are wonderful things having to do with women’s health.
CRUZ: You see, you and I...
TRUMP: But not when it comes to abortion.
The Times tried to sort this out:
In one of the testiest exchanges in a debate full of them, Senator Ted Cruz accused Donald J. Trump of not wanting to defund Planned Parenthood, as Mr. Cruz has wanted to do.
Well, Mr. Trump?
It all depends on when he was asked.
In an interview with CNN last summer, Mr. Trump equivocated, saying he would need to take a closer look at the services provided by Planned Parenthood before eliminating funding. He said he was sure the organization does "some things properly and good and that are good for women."
In an interview with Bill O'Reilly on Fox News in September, Mr. Trump sounded a more definitive note: "I would be totally opposed to funding."
— Jonathan Mahler
Well. In the debate transcript Trump says Planned Parenthood "does do wonderful things" and certainly does not call for it to be defunded.
MORE; The morning after walk-back of shame:
Trump walks back attack on George Bush
Donald Trump sought Sunday to walk back his statements during Saturday night's Republican debate that former President George W. Bush bore responsibility for the Sept. 11 terror attack.
"I am not blaming him," Trump said on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday.
Trump continued to imply Bush erred, however. "The CIA said there was a lot of information that something like that was going to happen," he said. The attacks killed just under 3,000 Americans.
Groan. He has to be referring to the infamous Aug 6 2001 Presidential Daily Brief titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike In US". Maybe like his fellow Democrats Trump relied on ludicrously misleading media reports which suggested strikes on buildings but the key passage involving hijacked planes was this:
We have not been able to corroborate some of the more sensational threat reporting, such as that from a ... (redacted portion) ... service in 1998 saying that Bin Ladin wanted to hijack a US aircraft to gain the release of "Blind Shaykh" 'Umar 'Abd al-Rahman and other US-held extremists.
Nevertheless, FBI information since that time indicates patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings or other types of attacks, including recent surveillance of federal buildings in New York.
That sounds like a conventional hijacking-for-prisoners attack, not the actual WTC/Pentagon strike. That said, I too was critical of Ms. Rice for letting the system percolate instead of shaking it a bit more vigorously. Yup, I too am en ex post genius.
Ann Coulter–Verified account @AnnCoulter
1 year before 9/11, in debates, Bush EXPRESSLY DENOUNCED racial profiling of Arabs at airport security. http://bit.ly/1O8VTa2
6:56 PM - 13 Feb 2016
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:36 PM
Byron York @ByronYork
Trump: The war in Iraq was a disaster. Jeb: My mom is the strongest woman I know.
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:37 PM
And to think TruthbeTold hates Trump.
Irony.
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:39 PM
Trump is full of more crap than a West Texas cattle feed yard.
Posted by: Comanche Voter | February 13, 2016 at 11:42 PM
How come the Slate link doesn't quote the part where Trump blamed Bush for 9/11?
Maybe because he didn't?
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:43 PM
Apparently he was "powerfully booed" by the impartial audience.
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:45 PM
well his imprecision damns him, TK, the main plotters, al midhar and al hamzi were living in san diego under their own names, since 2000. but Gorelick prevented the CIA from informing the bureau,
Posted by: narciso | February 13, 2016 at 11:47 PM
Trump's point seems pretty basic to me, narciso.
How do you say Bush kept the country safe when the attack happened during Bush's tenure?
A battle of semantics.
Trump claimed to have lost a great many friends, so this may be a little more personal to him.
Accusing Bush of lying to get us into Iraq is the bigger problem for Trump, IMO.
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 13, 2016 at 11:52 PM
"TRUMP: How did he keep us safe when the World Trade Center -- the World -- excuse me. I lost hundreds of friends. The World Trade Center came down during the reign of George Bush. He kept us safe? That is not safe. That is not safe, Marco. That is not safe."
Posted by: ThirdMan | February 13, 2016 at 11:54 PM
"Reign." Does Trump know he doesn't get a fabulous crown and a terrific scepter?
Posted by: ThirdMan | February 13, 2016 at 11:55 PM
Trump was friends with at least 10% of the dead on 9/11?
Posted by: ThirdMan | February 13, 2016 at 11:58 PM
No I don't think so, we didn't have the tools at the time, in fact we were flying blind, that july, they had moved the 6th fleet out of Bahrain, because they thought UNL would attack there,
they instituted the Patriot Act, to coordinate all data streams, aggressive interrogations to facilitate the collection of actionable intel,
Posted by: narciso | February 13, 2016 at 11:59 PM
"Trump was friends with at least 10%..."
Showing off those mad math skillz!
Posted by: 2 Plus 2 | February 14, 2016 at 12:14 AM
Sure, maybe W did not do anything to help prevent the attacks, but he did stand on the rubble afterwards and talk in a bullhorn. Oh, and then he got us involved in Iraq. You know the rest.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | February 14, 2016 at 12:17 AM
nazguls incoming, why did those details, so readily come to mind for me, without looking them up, of course you have dickerson's argument clinic, but that's a whole other kettle of fish,
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 12:24 AM
Fuck Trump; I used to work with someone who died on 9/11 going back into the towers to try and help people out. That worthless perv, Slick, and his witch Gorelick, were more complicit in 9/11 than GWB and that shouldn't even be a topic for debate.
Posted by: Captain Hat | February 14, 2016 at 12:44 AM
2+2: it is a great power and a great responsibility.
Posted by: ThirdMan | February 14, 2016 at 12:48 AM
yes, that's all on him, one can't fault someone like dickerson, 'returning to his vomit' I was up in st. augustine for much of the day, until I came home to the sad news about Scalia,
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 12:49 AM
the wurlitzer is caught fibbing,
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2016/02/aqap-publishes-insid-story-of-911-attacks.php
when they nabbed ksm's associates in the phillipines in 94, he already had considered attacking targets with planes,
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 01:03 AM
reset anyone,
http://www.themideastbeast.com/russian-foreign-minister-admits-we-dont-actually-have-a-word-for-ceasefire/
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 01:10 AM
Late night OT. Had a celebrity evening (given the small town). Dinner with Jonah's SIL then off to a Pink Floyd Tribute concert where we got to hang out with Steve Miller's ex. The guys (and gal) in the Pigs on the Wing group were blown away by the reception they got. Definitely was a decent concert. I guess I'll have to buy some CDs to duplicate the old vinyl on the shelf.
Posted by: Manuel Transmission | February 14, 2016 at 02:00 AM
Lest we forget: Slam Dunk.
Posted by: What CIA? | February 14, 2016 at 03:08 AM
Bush left a stable government in Iraq. Obama claimed we won the war in Iraq. Obama the pull out the troops and left the weapons behind. He did not provide support to the government of Iraq and undermined the potential for stability. He called ISIS the JV team and did nothing as terrorists ran rampart in the middle east. Trump blames it all on Bush. What a great Republican!
Posted by: Jacquee | February 14, 2016 at 04:34 AM
Good Morning to all!
Once again Clarice has provided some great Sunday morning reading.
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/02/nipping_at_the_heels_of_the_administrative_state.html
Posted by: pagar a bacon, country ham and sausage supporter | February 14, 2016 at 05:48 AM
I am so glad I didn't watch the debate. How can the RNC not understand that they ALWAYS hurt their candidates, because that's the MSM's goal?
I realize they'll have to deal with the MSM perfidy in the general election, but allowing a jackass like John Dickerson to do what he did is not "toughening up" the candidates. It's more like using live hand grenades in a training exercise. Even the troops that "win" come back injured and bloodied.
Posted by: James D. | February 14, 2016 at 06:08 AM
The new book trailer poll is up. If you have a chance, please vote.
Posted by: James D. | February 14, 2016 at 06:09 AM
Thanks.pagar.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 06:45 AM
Good morning.
Well, Trump is off my list so back to square one. That was a deal-breaker for me.
I assume I will be going to the polls with the enthusiasm of a visit to the dentist.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 06:56 AM
MM-if I can only convince you that Tom Brady is innocent my work will be done. :-)
Trump's great service has been to dismiss and puncture the pretensions and shibboleths of the "mainstream ". Had he done so here he would have gone a long way toward gaining the trust of doubters like me. Instead he proved that those doubts are well-founded.
Posted by: boatbuilder | February 14, 2016 at 07:34 AM
After last night debate:
Can we shit can all these guys and start over?
Posted by: Buckeye | February 14, 2016 at 07:38 AM
I feel no better this morning than I did when I went to bed last night, though reading that MM has seen the light about Trump does cheer me a tad.
As did the St. Valentine's Day gift I received from my sweetheart.
Happy St. Valentine's Day to all.
My hope is that Justices Ginsburg and Kagan are forced in their sorrow over the loss of their dear friend Nino to examine the error of their activist Marxist ways and become textualists.
(I'm not naive, just extremely hopeful.)
Posted by: anonamom | February 14, 2016 at 07:42 AM
Well, sometimes you just have to admit you were wrong and suck it up. It's a shame, because those Trump voters will probably not migrate to another candidate, or worse, go to Sanders.
I STILL maintain that if the conservatives hadn't immediately gone for his throat (calling him a cancer) and had not gone after his supporters, he would probably not have gained so much traction.
Oh, well, events beyond my control. The debate last night does prove one thing, that the RNC needs to run the debates themselves in the primaries. They should be live streamed and put up on YouTube. If C-SPAN or a network wants to pick up the feed, that's fine. But they cannot provide moderators or have any control of the questioning.
Right now, all these primary debates are doing is providing sound bites for democrat ads and making me loathe everyone who is running.
Fondly I look back to Governor Walker, who had the sense to go home early. Maybe we could draft him, using democrat rules!
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 07:43 AM
Here is my concern about the remaining candidates:
I sincerely do not think Cruz, Bush, or Carson can win.
But the two who possibly could, Kasich and Rubio, will take the nomination as validation for their unacceptable ideas (Rubio on immigration, Kasich on his fraudulent Medicaid deal).
This is going to bother me until it's time for me to vote. Ugh.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 07:48 AM
Just landed, clicked on the headline that Scalia died, and have now read nothing but the first 20 comments on this thread.
I think I should have jumped ship in New Zealand:(
Posted by: daddy on iPad | February 14, 2016 at 07:49 AM
anonamom-I think both Kagan and Sotomayor will approve anything that leads to the fundamentally transformation of the US.
Sotomayor is on the Board of some ed company involved with that while sitting on scotus and rakes in the speaking fees from college campuses which treat her as if she is a trifecta of diversity checkoff attributes.
Yuck.
Posted by: rse | February 14, 2016 at 07:50 AM
There's always Bali, daddy.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 07:51 AM
It is much easier to evaluate candidates when they aren't presented in farcical settings with agitators for questioners. Can't stand Trump, but right out of the gate, before he even said a full sentence, there was very loud and sustained booing. I think he was right in his accusation shouting back that the audience was loaded. And for the first segments this nonsense continued with other candidates.
I have had it with the dim-wit media mini-celebrities (in their news circles) being allowed to be ring masters of bizarro debates.
Posted by: Centralcal on iPad | February 14, 2016 at 07:53 AM
Hi, daddy!
Be glad you were in the air and missed yesterday evening.
Disgusting debate and sad news about Scalia.
That Dickerson guy is a worthless dweeb. Not enough bad things can happen to him.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 07:57 AM
Yesterday on Fox there was some democrat guy I had never seen before and he was talking about how the democrat debates were about serious issues and thoughtful, while the GOP debates were all just yelling and personal attacks. This was of course said in a smug attitude.
I cannot understand how almost all of the candidates got into the mind set that they had to score cheap shots. The only one who stayed out of it was Carson.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 08:00 AM
Good Morning! The Republicans have town halls on CNN this week,another opportunity for gotcha questions.
The news is so discouraging.
Posted by: Marlene | February 14, 2016 at 08:12 AM
I don't have a sour or dour view of yesterday's debate. I think that the candidates have decided that there will only be room for two candidates besides Trump after South Carolina, and they were trying to knock each other off. Trump's remarks about GWB won't sink his campaign immediately, but the SS Trump will be taking on enough water so that his chances to get more than 50 percent of the delegates will quickly approach zero.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | February 14, 2016 at 08:13 AM
I would say that Rubio needed to dispel his image as a robot, and he did that very well. I think Rubio helped himself the most in the debate.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | February 14, 2016 at 08:20 AM
Reposted from a previous thread:
Clarice, thank you for pieces.
Charles Murray, in both a AEI essay from a couple days ago (previously linked) and a live-streamed presentation he gave on Thursday points to the rise of the administrative state as being the reason America is post-constitutional. He traces this to several FDR SCOTUS decisions, e.g. Social Security.
He said he was optimistic that the course could be adjusted, but IIRC never totally turned back. In his view, it will be a generational struggle requiring patient, consistent, and firm response from the right.
Such a response is exemplified in your tireless efforts.
Thank you for all of your continued work, here, fb, Pieces, and all the other things you do to support and defend America, which we never know about.
God Bless you, Clarice.
Posted by: Sandy ن Daze | February 14, 2016 at 08:22 AM
Thomas Collins,
I don't think it helped anyone to see them taking cheap shots at each other. It may be that there are only two left after South Carolina, but they will have damaged themselves in the process.
Rubio did get rid of the robot mem, I will agree.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 08:23 AM
My goodness, Sandy--thank you very much.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 08:24 AM
Trump's bloviating poses a bigger problem for the other candidates than this or that moderator. And although Trump has sealed his fate as someone who isn't getting the nomination, he'll retain enough support to keep going for awhile.
The circus atmosphere was amusing last year. It's not so amusing now.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | February 14, 2016 at 08:25 AM
A huge AMEN to Centralcal's 7:53!
and James D's - It's more like using live hand grenades in a training exercise. Even the troops that "win" come back injured and bloodied.
Posted by: Janet S. | February 14, 2016 at 08:28 AM
I think you place too much weight on these4 dumb debates--I doubt there was a big audience or that it will have much impact frankly..I think Trump's remarks re Bush may hel0 him the general should he get the nomination--thanks to Bush's utter failure to even try to refute the idiotic "Bush lied" lie.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 08:29 AM
Clarice,
That's a good point. Why is it that I am still defending him when he won't do it himself?
My more serious concern with Trump is that he seems to me to not have the temperament. Of course, looking at that hot mess last night, almost none of them seemed to.
You are probably right that the debate audience was not large. Someone said NASCAR was on in South Carolina so that probably kept local viewing down.
All in all, though, it was a depressing thing to watch. And that Dickerson guy seems to me to get worse every time he oozes onto my TV screen.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 08:34 AM
If you don't watch--I don't--viewership is down, ad revenue is down, and will have less of this nonsense. Just saying.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 08:36 AM
Clarice,
I went over and read your Pieces. I somehow think chipping away at the Administrative state is not going to be something people understand until they are personally affected by it.
If Senators routinely got audited by the IRS, if their vacation homes were confiscated by the BLM, if the EPA dumped toxic waste in their local stream in a ham-handed effort to do a clean-up, maybe they would pay more attention.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 08:38 AM
"We have nothing to fear with Barack Obama in the White House."
-- John McCain
Posted by: Beasts of England | February 14, 2016 at 08:40 AM
thanks to Bush's utter failure to even try to refute the idiotic "Bush lied" lie.
Wasn't that a strategy of Teh Architect?
Posted by: Captain Hat | February 14, 2016 at 08:42 AM
OT,
It is rare at my age to have the opportunity to land anywhere new. Last time was probably Bangalore some 5 years back.
Today however was New Zealand. Had never been there before. Came in from Honolulu 8 hours north and was gifted with a beautiful clear blue sky offering a million miles of visibility.
Spectacular. Gorgeous green mountains and valleys and islands and lakes, then we passed low over scattered farm houses dotted upon emmense green fields of bewitching rural beauty. Seriously stupendous viewing, and as always when it's a new place and the sun is out you can hardly pay attention to driving due to the distractions of the amazing beauty surrounding you.
From 15,000 feet descending It most definitely lives up to the accolades and expectations. Supremely gorgeous. Wow!
I've only get 4 years left in this business, so my guess is that this is the last "new place" I'll encounter, but if I do encounter another I can't imagine that it'll top todays arrival into Auckland.
Cheers.
Posted by: daddy on iPad | February 14, 2016 at 08:45 AM
daddy,
I have always wanted to visit New Zealand, going back to when I read Ngaio Marsh mysteries when I was in my 20's. The glimpses of the landscape through the prism of the Lord of the Rings movies was just amazing.
Do you get to stay there very long, or is it just an overnight?
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 08:49 AM
We also have nothing to fear with Hillary Clinton in the White House. Because, if BHO gets a justice in before the end of his term, Hillary could easily get to appoint replacements for two of the remaining four right-leaning judges if she makes it two terms. So, what's that: 7-2?
What could go wrong?
Posted by: Beasts of England | February 14, 2016 at 08:52 AM
Sounds gorgeous, daddy!!
Posted by: Beasts of England | February 14, 2016 at 08:56 AM
Clarice,
Today's Pieces is spectacular. I hope Insty links it.
I truly hope last night's performance tanks trump altho expecting the electorate to have the wisdom of MM is probably a long shot.
The man is an uninformed unmitigated ass.
Posted by: Jane | February 14, 2016 at 08:58 AM
Jane, that's on his good days.
Posted by: henry | February 14, 2016 at 08:59 AM
I agree with Clarice that the debates don't matter that much in terms of the general. All the squabbling inevitably is forgotten after the convention. I do think individual nominees can be helped or hurt, though.
Trump's nonsense about Bush lying in this debate is not that big a surprise. He'd already come close to saying it before. He did cross a line though, I think because all the other lines he's crossed haven't hurt him. This one probably will, though, especially in SC.
Posted by: jimmyk | February 14, 2016 at 09:02 AM
Regardless of his many failures, George W was an incredible leader when it mattered to so many Americans. No way that Trump survives that attack.
Posted by: Beasts of England | February 14, 2016 at 09:06 AM
From your lips Beasts!
Posted by: Jane | February 14, 2016 at 09:09 AM
We went to New Zealand in 2000. I was there on business and mrs hit and run came along. The training I was doing was in Auckland for 3 days, then we spent the rest of the week traveling on the South Island. Queenstown to Te Anau to Milford Sounds is one of my favorite places on earth.
Posted by: Jeff Dobbs | February 14, 2016 at 09:10 AM
Well you had 'destroy the gop' Dickerson presiding over the ceremony, so what could go wrong, we were searching for the pony.
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 09:10 AM
Bush's unwillingness to refute the lies, which began when Karen Hughes left the administration and nobody was left that would hector him to do what he didn't want to do, has had a lasting impact that could have been avoided.
Posted by: Captain Hat | February 14, 2016 at 09:17 AM
I have an old friend who lives in N Z and I should go one day soon. I think this summer will be my last trip to Eruopt. It's basically gone IMO.
Posted by: Clarice | February 14, 2016 at 09:19 AM
How much money did the RNC pocket from last night's dog and pony show?
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 09:19 AM
James:
The new book trailer poll is up. If you have a chance, please vote.
Oh thanks for pointing that out! Last week the new poll came out at the stroke of midnight tonight...
Ah, and I see you are now on the top of the list.
Vote!
Posted by: Jeff Dobbs | February 14, 2016 at 09:20 AM
Miss M,
We only got to sit on the deck for about 2 hours in Auckland, then did the thousand mile follow on leg to Sydney,Australia. Bummer that I didn't get to do Kiwi-land, but now we get 2 days off in Sydney, so no complaining. Oh well, glad I missed the horrid debate, and will be interesting now to see if McConnell has the stones to weather the incoming. If nothing else, I am happy to see him taking incoming s ***. He deserves it.
Posted by: daddy on iPad | February 14, 2016 at 09:23 AM
I bought Karl Rove's book right after it came out. Very boring, and read more like an essay on "why you should hire me to run your campaign."
Two things I noticed:
1. He gave very little attention to the Florida recount. (This, of course, was because he "smart strategy" had contributed to the closeness of the race.)
2. He flat-out said that it was his advice to not answer the charges that "Bush lied." He said on balance that was probably a mistake, but he had advised Bush to ignore it.
This is when my eyeballs shot out lightning bolts and I quit reading the book. I also gave the book to Goodwill.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 09:28 AM
from Sandy Daze, @08:22
I'm reposting too.
Clarice, I second every word Sandy Daze said!
Posted by: pagar a bacon, country ham and sausage supporter | February 14, 2016 at 09:28 AM
Wait. How come Know Your Enemy is not on the list? That was the book we were battling against.
Here's the old poll - which seems to still be open...
And here's the new poll:
Soulless is new in this poll?
Know Your Enemy was second with 31% and The Chronicles was third at 16% - and neither made it to this round, while The Donor and Do Not Resuscitate at 1% and Starlight Wishes at 2% did make it to this round?
I'm confused.
Posted by: Jeff Dobbs | February 14, 2016 at 09:38 AM
Somebody should tell Trump about Berger and the importance of what he stole.
Posted by: Trump just flew a plane into his own skyscraper. | February 14, 2016 at 09:44 AM
Dude on FNC Just said a recess is not needed fir a recess appt to SCOTUS? "Obama can make a recess appt today or tomorrow." This is supposed to be a legal expert. Is he ringt?
Posted by: Sidwhite | February 14, 2016 at 09:46 AM
I have tasked my contractor with implementing an immediate major expansion of my Ledge so we can accommodate my friends out here. I also asked him to pile up sharp rocks under the diving board for when Holder joins SCOTUS.
Historians will record that 2016 was a point of inflection for the USA, one way or another.
Posted by: Old Lurker | February 14, 2016 at 09:58 AM
Rove News Sunday has Monkeyboy on the panel. Why not a homeless person?
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 10:02 AM
This is supposed to be a legal expert.
Apparently the Senate is in recess now. But someone was saying last night that the vacancy has to occur prior to a recess for the appointment to be allowed, so I don't think he's right.
Posted by: jimmyk | February 14, 2016 at 10:04 AM
Captain Hate,
I saw Monkeyboy was on CNN this week, too.
Maybe they're passing him around like a charity-case relative.
"It's your turn to have Aunt Maude stay for a week."
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 10:08 AM
Well a canopy at least.
Posted by: narciso | February 14, 2016 at 10:08 AM
Captain Hate,
Thank you for reporting on Rove News Sunday, because I cannot stand to watch more news today.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 10:09 AM
The Ledge™ has a diving board? Damn that's fancy...
Posted by: Beasts of England | February 14, 2016 at 10:10 AM
Little Marco keeps banging away on the "lies" by Ted Cruz about Ben Carson.
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 10:11 AM
daddy-I had a grandfather who literally travelled all over the world. When I was growing up he and his wife either went on safari or around the world every year and I have postcards from places it is difficult to imagine being a tourist to today like afghanistan, iran, or uganda (that post card was written while a herd of elephants blocked the roadway).
He consistently said New Zealand and Lake Louse in canada were the two most beautiful places in the world. He also went to antarctica when he was 90.
Of course some law school classmates whose son was an exchange student in New Zealand last year discovered that even an advanced purchase round trip ticket was about $1800 now. They decided not to visit him.
Posted by: rse | February 14, 2016 at 10:11 AM
Yes, there is a diving board. Also roll down clear plastic curtains for when the weather gets bad so Narc is happy.
Posted by: Old Lurker | February 14, 2016 at 10:14 AM
But someone was saying last night that the vacancy has to occur prior to a recess for the appointment to be allowed, so I don't think he's right.
That was me. I was going off memory and some quick searches of the result of Noel Canning.
Today I put my mechanic hat back on.
Posted by: Threadkiller | February 14, 2016 at 10:15 AM
Marco has a nice laundry list of foreign policy initiatives in the Senate. Very well prepared on this and addressing draft questions.
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Brit Hume just posted this on Twitter; link goes to the Washington Post's front page headline of Scalia's death:
https://twitter.com/brithume/status/698884987379179520
"Supreme Court conservative dismayed liberals"
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 10:16 AM
Sounds like the Bezos Daily Worker. Was Jen Rubin happy?
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 10:18 AM
I predict that Obama attempts to make an appointment tomorrow. Certainly by Wednesday, even if it is not appropriate for the "recess" next week.
I also predict he will get away with it.
Remember also that is is quite possible that the Demos get back the senate this year.
Grim times for the nation.
I do not think the vast majority of the electorate has any idea what this means. I think that Murry's take on it is beyond them.
They know something is very wrong, but they do not know why,
When the balance tips on the SCOTUS, Christians and conservatives, indeed anyone who attempts to stand in the way of the Democrats, will literally be criminalized.
This is something the Murry cannot see: the Left are actively trying to dissolve our civilization, and yes it is a conspiracy. It is not some cumulative effects of legislature that gives us "the bureaucratic state", but rather that that state is a organ and front of the Left. It is most patently and emphatically not "the welfare state" that is our primary foe. This is only one of their tools.
Middle aged conservative and "moderate pundits, specifically those from the elites, apparently cannot see this; they cannot see that their Democrat "colleagues: are their mortal enemy.
He is also being pollyannish about "rolling it back"; he does not understand who and what he is fighting, how the nation has changed and how much more it will change in the future. While all of this is mostly new to the American experience, it is not to at all in the broader world. They experience there does not bode well for a reversal--even a partial one.
Ww are now--right now--at the crossroads.
Most likely we cannot turn back.
Ultimately his is why spectacles such as this last debate where the Left has thoroughly manipulated the GOP are so gruesomely pathetic.
The GOP has no idea what this turning point actually means. If they did, they would present a common front and speak to what is left of decency, intelligence and patriotism--what Murry calls "The American Creed"--in the electorate.
Instead we are seeing what happened the last two times: The media is picking the GOP candidate We can assume that that candidate will lose, and losing to HIllary Clinton is a low standard indeed.
Posted by: squaredance | February 14, 2016 at 10:23 AM
Somebody should tell Trump about Berger and the importance of what he stole.
Great comment.
Posted by: Janet S. | February 14, 2016 at 10:24 AM
http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-02-14/the-scalia-i-knew-will-be-greatly-missed
This is a surprising and good article by Cass Sunstein.
Posted by: Miss Marple | February 14, 2016 at 10:25 AM
Srinivasan(sp)
Posted by: Wanna bet? | February 14, 2016 at 10:26 AM
"Supreme Court conservative dismayed liberals"
The MFM prism.
Posted by: Janet S. | February 14, 2016 at 10:34 AM
What, a foreign born SC nominee? Have the Birchers been asked about that?
Posted by: henry | February 14, 2016 at 10:34 AM
George Will: Scalia's opinions were written for future law students. The Senate should not and will not confirm any 404 nominee. Monkeyboy: this ideological warfare is perfect for a presidential campaign. Kristen Soltis Anderson: 404s two appointees replaced squishes so this is an ideological BFD. Juan gives a laundry list of lib losers for the JEF to choose from, none of which are Lynch, whom I don't think will be the nominee, including that idiot Janet Napolitano.
Posted by: Captain Hate | February 14, 2016 at 10:34 AM
birthers--
Posted by: henry | February 14, 2016 at 10:34 AM
My reading of Canning is that the vacancy need not arise during the recess.
Posted by: Thomas Collins | February 14, 2016 at 10:35 AM
Not sure foreign born. Point guard to Danny Manning.
Posted by: Maybe I should check. | February 14, 2016 at 10:35 AM
I did check. One of O's flood the DC Circuit appointees, former staff guy in Obama's solicitors office.
Posted by: henry | February 14, 2016 at 10:37 AM
I've long thought that Trump really didn't want to be POTUS, because he wouldn't want to give up being a billionaire developer.
After leading in the polls for so many months he eventually thought "oh shit, they are actually taking me seriously and I could end up being the nominee. I better self-sabotage before this gets out of hand."
But lately I've thought that maybe he is ready to turn the Trump empire over to his kids, who seem competent and able to handle it.
Then he makes these idiotic 'Bush lied' statements and I don't know what he is trying to do. I do know he is not helping the GOP, regardless if it's the RINOs, Tea Partiers or conservatives. None of them are being helped.
I'm still not convinced he's not a Democrat.
Posted by: les nessman | February 14, 2016 at 10:38 AM