Scandal Surfing

Judy Miller writes on the Libby Pardon. She tells us that she believes Libby was the victim of an overzealous prosecutor (who knew?). She describes her ex post probing:

The first thing I learned was that John Rizzo, the CIA’s former general counsel and an agency lawyer for over 30 years, disputed prosecutor Fitzgerald’s assertion that Valerie Plame had been a super-secret covert agent, not well known outside of the intelligence community, and that the leak of her name had caused grave, if unspecified, harm to America’s national security. Rizzo told me in an interview and subsequently wrote in his own book [link to review] that “dozens, if not hundreds of people in Washington” knew that Plame worked for the CIA. Even more significantly, he said, a CIA damage assessment of the leak had produced “no evidence” that her outing had harmed any CIA operation, any agent in the field, or “anyone else, including Plame herself.” I also learned that the CIA assessment had been finished in late 2003 or early 2004, long before Libby was indicted or I went to jail. Though Fitzgerald knew this, Rizzo’s crucial CIA finding became public only after his book was published. But if the leak had caused no national security harm, why had Fitzgerald continued the inquiry?

First, as to the "no notable damage assessment", who knew? Well, not to say 'I told you so', but plenty of people. Back in October 2005 (following a Fitzgerald press conference) Andrea Mitchell and Bob Woodward reported simultaneously on what sounds just like the assessment Rizzo described. The Woodward version: 

WOODWARD: ... They did a damage assessment within the CIA, looking at what this did that Joe Wilson's wife was outed. And turned out it was quite minimal damage. They did not have to pull anyone out undercover abroad. They didn't have to resettle anyone. There was no physical danger to anyone and there was just some embarrassment. 

So people have kind of compared -- somebody was saying this was Aldridge James or Bob Hanson, big spies. This didn't cause damage.

Six months later WaPo reporter Dana Priest, who picked up a Pulitzer for busting open the CIA secret prisons, offered this:

Valley Forge, Pa.: Hi Dana,

Thanks for doing these chats.

Now we are reading that Valerie Plame was involved with tracking nuclear proliferation/capabilities in Iran. Isn't this old news? (I seem to remember reading this same thing quite a while ago in the MSM - I don't generally read blogs)

From what you hear, was Ms. Plame working on Iran, how important was she to the tracking efforts, and how much has her "outing" really set us back?

Dana Priest: It was reported before that she worked on proliferation issues for the CIA. The leap in this new round of information is that her outing significantly impacted our current intel on Iran. I don't buy it. First, no one person who quit clandestine work four years ago is going to make that big of a dent in current knowledge. But also, nothing like this came up at the time of her outing and I believe it would have. Think we need some actual details. At present it just doesn't smell right.

The Rizzo no-damage assessment should not have been news

So why had Fitzgerald continued the inquiry? Ah, well! With the passage of time we have learned a lot about the in-house rebellion faced by Cheney and Bush in late 2003. Yoo had been replaced by Goldsmith as head of the Office of Legal Counsel at the DoJ. Goldsmith withdrew the legal opinions supporting the enhanced interrogation program and was gravely concerned with the warrantless surveillance program.

The famous hospital room showdown with Bushmen Card and Gonzalez, Acting AG Comey and recused, sick AG Ashcroft took place in March 2004. Right on the same timeline in December 2003 was the appointment by Comey of Fitzgerald, ostensibly to investigate "the truth" about the Plame leak but really (IMHO) to Get Cheney.

Cheney lost those fights and played a diminished role in Bush's second term, so Mission Accomplished (that's an ironic Bush-era reference, not a triumphalist Trump-era reference. or vice versa. Confusing, amirite?)

The contemporary parallels are obvious. The Hillary non-investigation was only sought by one side, the party not controlling the Executive Branch. Obama, Lynch at al threw grants of immunity like rice at a wedding, publicly and pre-emptively exonerated Hillary and eventually uncovered, geez, no crimes worth prosecuting. Imagine our surprise!

By way of contrast, the investigation into Trump has bipartisan support, since, as with Cheney, some establishment Republicans are on board. Well, it is Trump and the allegations are eye-catching. Still, as an ongoing phenomenon, the 'if you can't vote 'em out, cuff 'em and drag 'em out' doesn't seem like the ideal model of democracy in action.

Comments

[narciso]

There was a letter to the editor by the fellow who ran the damage assessment, he was a GMT stations chief in Greece,

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Jack,

You might find this interesting. It is an article on how the Victorians started using plaster casts to democratize art.

https://www.1843magazine.com/technology/rewind/cast-from-the-past

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

I don't consider the effort bipartisan. The investigation is supported by the establishment wings of both parties, plus the Leftists who hate anyone to the right of Stalin.

[JimNorCal]

Maybe the three phrases I am trying to recall are "y'all", "you all" and "all y'all".
Or maybe it's a defective memory :) :)

Singular:
Could y'all grab my mail from the box as you come in?"

Multi:
"Why don't you all have a seat here on the veranda while my son and your dad fix the tire."

MultiMulti:
"Sorry, all y'all will have to go on to next house because we ran out of Halloween candy"

[rse]

A'mom-no, they were not told and your perfectly legitimate question was what red and I were asking all last summer. Are they not being told or are they not being told? They were not being told even though both are highly educated.

Very sad, as she never should have been revived at the er had he realized what was really wrong. Since the hospital could not keep her stable I had assumed they would send her home on some type of iv drip, but that was not what happened. He had asked us for our generator (from the fla house) to make sure she had power for her oxygen, completely unaware the oxygen could not help her.

They had medicare, supplements, and ge retirement benefits and boy were they milked. He actually was not alone. What they were being told was something I or one of my kids heard those last few days.

On a better note, I make great burgers with 2/3rd chuck and 1/3 sirloin. One egg per 2 pounds, worcestershire, and soy sauce.

When the hos[ital could not keep their stories straight and kept contradicting each other, the diva begged my fil to let me get involved. He said he hated to be suspicious. Being suspicious would not have changed the ultimate outcome, but it certainly would have allowed far less suffering.. Most brutal death evr described and it will haunt the person who saw it forever.

[boris]

WOODWARD: ... They did a damage assessment within the CIA, looking at what this did that Joe Wilson's wife was outed ...

Not only did Plame volunteer Wilson for the adventure, she hosted a meeting to explain the mission without telling anyone "I wasn't here and you didn't see me".

Furthermore Wilson claimed Cheney behested the fandango, which Cheney denied, thus begging the question "well who did then?"

At which point the name Plame became the blame game.

[clarice feldman]

who SISN;T know about the Rizzo no damage assessment? The jury which , thanks to the asleep at the switch J Walton let the jury think otherwise in his closing argument.

[clarice feldman]

s/b DIDN'T know.

[Extraneus]

My wife is a Southerner, and after years of hearing her jabber with her friends I'm pretty sure "y'all" is hick-speak for the more refined New York "youse."

youse

pronoun

variants: or yous \(¦)yüz, yəz, ₋yəs, (¦)yüs\

substandard

: YOU —usually used in addressing two or more persons or sometimes one person as representing also another or others

the two of youse —J. M. Synge

the rest of youse —J. A. Hetherington

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/youse

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

More has been added to NameRedacted7's thread. If you go to this link, the new parts are 45-74.

https://twitter.com/NameRedacted7/status/985606356739739648

McCabe is not only a liar, but he had no care about wasting the FBI's time and money on investigations which were based on his lies.

[Extraneus]

Trump Hits Russia With New Sanctions Over Syria Gas Attack

Putin was dumb to give Trump an excuse to prove that there's nothing compromising between them.

[GUS]

But but but but, Trump is Putin's cock holster......RIGHT???

[JimNorCal]

SBUX joins many dozens of other groups and indivduals on "The Trump Effect" list.

http://donsurber.blogspot.com/2018/04/starbucks-feels-trump-effect.html

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Now Lanny Davis goes after Comey!

http://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/383251-admit-it-james-comey-youve-been-lying-all-along?__twitter_impression=true

[Janet 🚬 - I wish my family had a poncho]

Anecdotal (to stick up for hospice care).

We've dealt with hospice care 3 times & found it to be very good.

*at a nursing home where hospice nurses did everything
*at our house, with all the meds & equipment brought in but we didn't end up using it (except for the after death services)
*& at my sister's home with all the meds & equipment brought in & we administered it until my Mom died.

There was always an oxygen tank to help with labored breathing. Not to heal or expectations of getting better, but for comfort. All the meds were just for comfort too & to manage pain.
If there was agitation before death, the meds should have been administered more frequently or at higher dosages.

We found hospice to be a great service. They lined up all the services ahead of time for removal & burial. For my Mom & Dad that entailed transport to another city for burial.
Anyway...that was our experience.

[Another Bob]

Interesting that Preet Bharara has been dragged into this as a bit player.

Somehow not surprised. Is it possible for SDNY to be apolitical?

[rse]

Janet-was your experience before or after medixare began to fund?

The outfit the hospital brought in was a public company once you cut through yje layers as I know how to do. Bragged about patients acquired. Hospice had been locally owned and then acquired by people whose background had been in respitatory in home care.

Just be careful. No one should die thrasjing about acutely aware they are drowning and cannot get air and saying "they just want to go home."

[narciso]

Yes lanny didnt get the memo, but then again he was representing firtash

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://twitter.com/RitaPanahi/status/985645207973576704

TOTALLY off topic, but watch the video attached to this tweet. Absolutely amazing!!

[Another Bob]

I recalled the reports/rumors at the time that NYPD was pretty roiled about what was found on Weiner's laptop.

Classified info? Or (ahem) something else entirely?

Wonder if they kept an image of the drive?

[James D.]

Somehow not surprised. Is it possible for SDNY to be apolitical?

Probably not without firing every single person employed there, and jailing/shooting for treason at least half of them as a warning to future hires.

[Extraneus]

My cousin, a year older than me and one of my early idols, died a year or so ago, after some days in a large and obviously well-run hospice facility in CT. I'm sure they were good to him and I never heard any complaints from his sisters, but as far gone as he was, he wasn't being fed. I was there, and saw and asked.

Terrible subject, and I hate to take it into an even worse direction, but is hospice supposed to starve the person at the end?

[Captain Hate]

Lanny Davis is typically accusing Queasy of giving the election to DJT. I hope The Hill is infested with fleas and lice after interviewing him

[Extraneus]

Obama And Lynch "Jeopardized" Clinton Email Investigation: Comey

“I never heard anyone on our team — not one — take a position that seemed driven by their personal political motivations. And more than that: I never heard an argument or observation I thought came from a political bias. Never ... Instead we debated, argued, listened, reflected, agonized, played devil’s advocate, and even found opportunities to laugh as we hashed out major decisions.

“Contributing to this problem, regrettably, was President Obama. He had jeopardized the Department of Justice’s credibility in the investigation by saying in a 60 Minutes interview on Oct. 11, 2015, that Clinton’s email use was “a mistake” that had not endangered national security,” Comey writes. “Then on Fox News on April 10, 2016, he said that Clinton may have been careless but did not do anything to intentionally harm national security, suggesting that the case involved overclassification of material in the government.”

“President Obama is a very smart man who understands the law very well. To this day, I don’t know why he spoke about the case publicly and seemed to absolve her before a final determination was made. If the president had already decided the matter, an outside observer could reasonably wonder, how on earth could his Department of Justice do anything other than follow his lead.” -Washington Examiner

How on Earth.

[Janet 🚬 - I wish my family had a poncho]

My experience was that they didn't want to eat or drink near the end & mostly slept on the meds.
I would think the morphine does hasten death though. It was like keeping them doped up to avoid agitation (which I think is common - a final burst of energy/confusion), screaming, pain, etc.

[Another Bob]

Ext, as a practical matter, yes. My dad was in that spot in a hospital setting (discussion about moving him had begun). Mum was asked about stopping the tube feeding. She couldn't do it. Treatment was one thing, food and water was another.

[Extraneus]

That makes sense, Janet. My mother went quicker from morphine, no hospice necessary.

[Jane]

My best friend down here ran a hospice in VT for many years.

From the stories she has told, and knowing her very well, I have no doubt that it was a fabulous way to die - if there is such a thing. If anyone has hospice questions let me know and I'll ask her.

[anonamom]

Ex--no worries--there is no reason to feed a dying person. Adds to their distress/discomfort as the GI tract is closing down. They aren't hungry.
They may want water or mouth swabs though.

My experiences with hospice care here with friends and in Michigan with my father, aunt and uncle have all been uniformly positive as well. None involved any hospital nursing care level illness though. And all have been non-profits. I have no doubt that the for profit experience may be very different.

rse, your MIL was undermedicated. Adequate morphine relieves that sensation. I am sorry she got such poor care, and most especially for your FIL.

[Extraneus]

Judicial Watch Statement on Inspector General Report on former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

The IG report also presents additional evidence that the Obama DOJ sought to shut down FBI investigation of Clinton Foundation. This is yet one more reason to either reopen or reinvigorate the Clinton Foundation pay-to-play probes.

And, once again, the IG report shows the FBI has been covering up Andrew McCabe text messages. The messages should have been turned over in Judicial Watch FOIA litigation but we haven’t received one McCabe text message. The FBI corruption and cover-up didn’t end, unfortunately, with James Comey’s well deserved firing.

Etc.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhm8xWpAUWK/

R. Lee Irmey passed away today. Donald Trump Jr. offers his thoughts.

[anonamom]

Insty linked to clarice!

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Da29oq_VQAAuWqR.jpg:large

Loretta Lynch statement today.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Statement from R. Lee Ermey's long-time manager, Bill Rogin:

It is with deep sadness that I regret to inform you all that R. Lee Ermey ("The Gunny") passed away this morning from complications of pneumonia. He will be greatly missed by all of us. Semper Fi, Gunny. Godspeed.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5618085/Ground-penetrating-radar-mass-grave-Highlanders-massacred-Battle-Culloden.html?ito=social-twitter_mailonline

[narciso]

The person mentioned is one of those the main villain in mcmafia is based on:

http://thehill.com/365943-human-rights-groups-withdraw-government-complaint-against-russian-oligarch-after-its-accuracy

[narciso]

Who was the subject of all those pieces Simpson filed a decade and a half ago.

[Extraneus]

Interesting how they're starting to turn on Comey. Is it for what's come out so far or what they expect to come out in the coming days?

[Neo]

R. Lee Ermey dead at 74

[Another Bob]

Lynch represents a firewall for Obama. They need to keep Lynch out of it, nearly at all costs.

[narciso]

Yes but who is going after her?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/us/politics/oleg-deripaska-paul-manafort.html?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=51BE062ECF89210439A3ABEA872987FE&gwt=pay

At the time, they hadn't revealed the fact that they had a connection to steele

[GUS]

I went to Culloden last time to Scotland. Very very very impressive, self guided tours as well.

Lanny Davis is a sniveling pile of shit.
He is a hatchet man who smiles as he lies. Comey aided and abetted Rodham, then he was nearly CAUGHT in a trap so he pretended to reopen the investigation. The NYPD had the info on WEINER'S LAPTOP, and Comey was dead meat.
THIS line from the HILL ARTICLE is absolute BULLSHIT.

{{he sent his October 28 letter to Congress in 2016, which cost Hillary Clinton the presidency.}}

[sbw]

I’ll never make it spinning discs or winging wax on KJOM, but the Cream show on AXS TV fearuring the Disraeli Gears album was excellent. Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker.

[glenda]

So, Jim 'weasel-fired failure and oath of office breaker', that he is..gets his 1st 30 pieces of silver?

On the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing **a clear example of his many failures of leadership in service to self, not country (along with Pulse nightclub, Saudi California shootout, the South Carolina and Texas' church massacres, lying under oath to Congress, courts, American people--while allowing FusionGPS, foreign governments, political operatives from President Obama to communist sympathizers like Powers, Brennan, Jarrett, Rhodes to illegally spy on American citizens to endanger USA and aid Iran, Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS, etc)Comey resorts to revenge gossip for $$ LORDY !!

Imagine how empty and dark his life is and has been. Trump should ignore this "dandy" because he has defeated Comey already!!
He is (Jimmy-weasel)nothing but a stooge, now. A defeated, disgusting, clueless tool of his own hubris!

I shall never cloud my life with such doo-doo as Jim=dandy Comey ( unless I'm picked for his jury -- ha ha )

btw--Clarice's Pieces was excellent today !!

[Account Deleted]

LOLO Lynch is lying. Claims the investigations were run by non-partisan prosecutors.

Shitted ass liar like all the rest of the cabal at the DOJ.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

KK,

It looks to me like McCabe, Comey and Lynch are all throwing each other under the bus.

We haven't even gotten to the BIG stuff, yet!

[Account Deleted]

Give me Jarrett, The Bath House Rat, and the Slimey Wench in Chapppaqua.

[Buckeye]

Hillary lost 'cause like Mitt Romney, she "suck".

Just ask the Obamaphone babe.

[JimNorCal]

"It looks to me like McCabe, Comey and Lynch are all throwing each other under the bus."

be still, my heart :) :)

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

It has come to my attention through The Last Refuge2 that Laura Jarrett, Justice department report for CNN, is Valerie Jarrett's daughter.

Since I never watch the channel, I don't know who anyone is over there.

[jimmyk]

How can LoLy claim with a straight face that the e-mail investigation was nonpartisan after all those texts between Strzok and Page came out?

[fdcol63 🇺🇸]

jimmy, dontchaknow that Dems are NEVER partisan, just “middle of the road” everyday folks?

[clarice feldman]

It is kind of fun to watch but I want this part of it over already and indictments..

[Jack is Back! (On a Jet]

jimmyk,

Because she is just another uniparty deep state rat? Off to dreamland.

Slaap lekker, tot morgen, jongens,

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

For your consideration;
The gigantic brains of Kanye West and some designer guy named Voonderhoovel [that might be a paraphrase] discuss art and life and a bunch of other shit.
Surely the best part of the interview is when Vlenderfloodle talks about how his mommy taught him to appreciate the humble things in life right below the picture of the gazillion room castle complete with six story tower and moat he lives in.
Well, I mean he doesn't live in the moat. More likely the castle, but you probably figured that out yourselves.

[anonamom]

Comey throwing Lynch and McCabe under the bus:

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/04/15/trail-of-james-comeys-dirt-on-loretta-lynch-discovered-within-ig-report-on-andrew-mccabe/

[jimmyk]

fdcol, JiB, I just admire the ability to say such baldfaced lies without bursting out laughing. Or having her nose grow 6 inches.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

helsea Clinton
‏Verified account @ChelseaClinton

Keeping Barbara Bush and her family in my heart and prayers. I will never forget how kind she was to me on every occasion we met, and how fondly the White House staff always spoke of her.
======================

My guess is Barbara Bush was kinder to her than her mother.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

If she stepped on a truculent puff adder with a fang ache, it would likely be nicer to her than her mother.

[Threadkiller]

Bush was probably more kind to Chelsea than she was to Sarah Palin.

[narciso]

Probably its beside the point, so lynch was trying to extort the nypd over the garner matter, to prevent the wiener emails.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Good point, Threadkiller. I had forgotten about that.

[narciso]

How can we tell the difference with the truth:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-threat-to-wage-dirty-campaign-against-britains-elite-vn6trrc29

[Porchlight]

RIP, Gunny. Lots of Marines in heaven are glad to have your company.

Ermey was blacklisted during the Obama administration:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/04/15/full-metal-jacket-actor-r-lee-ermey-dies-at-age-74.html

[narciso]

Passer swore by us, so did saddamm:

http://jpost.com/International/Germany-sold-technology-to-Iran-for-use-in-Syrian-chemical-attacks-540760

[Catsmeat]

MM, thank you for the article about plaster casts, their rise and fall--very interesting.

[Another Bob]

As an indication of how *not* tuned to fine arts my brain is, my first thought related to "plaster cast" was "broken bone".

[Porchlight]

At least it wasn't the Plaster Casters, Another Bob.

[Comanche Voter]

Warfare in the swamp can get nasty when the old Establishment Crocs see their nests might get less feathered. They'll turn and bite anyone who disturbs their part of the swamp.

As for me, reducing the number of old Establishment Crocodiles --and maybe replacing them with a few young lounge lizards couldn't hurt--and might help.

[Another Bob]

LOL... true 'dat.

[narciso]

nasser, who seem to have bet on soviet support after he found our alliance with the UK, so fungible, miles copeland have have been an impressive musician, but his jusgement was spotty,

[Threadkiller]

Good point, Threadkiller. I had forgotten about that.

I have Explosive Never Forget Disorder, MM

:-)

[fdcol63 🇺🇸]

But without term limits, I’m afraid the new lounge lizards will just turn into the same old swamp crocs.

DC corrupts all.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

TheLastRefuge
‏ @TheLastRefuge2
4m4 minutes ago

If FBI Director of Counterintelligence Bill Priestap has told the truth to internal FBI investigators and Inspector General Horowitz, the DOJ-NSD and FBI apparatus -propping up their activity- is going to collapse.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Brian L. Maryott
‏ @brianlmaryott
23h23 hours ago

Press mocks Trump for telegraphing strikes, but doing so minimizes Russian losses, reducing the chance of an escalation. Press mocks Trump for apparent indecision, but the delays allow for precision planning and the kind of diplomacy that brings our primary allies on board.
======================

Candidate in California 49. Seems to have a good understanding of things.

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Sharyl Attkisson
‏Verified account @SharylAttkisson
2h2 hours ago

A source of mine told me that Comey was, at times, showered with cult-like admiration inside the @FBI esp. at upper levels. This source said some FBI'ers even had mugs with Comey's photo on it that said "Comey's Homeys." #TrueStory
=====================================

I find this hilarious.

[Another Bob]

For you baseball types, Bartolo Colon walked the lead off hitter and gave up a double to the next hitter in the eighth, blowing a perfect game and no hitter.

Colon is about a hundred years old (really just shy of 45) and probably weighs 280 pounds.

[clarice feldman]

This is like a wrestling match: Now LYNCH throws COMEY under the bushttp://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/04/loretta-lynch-releases-feisty-statement-before-highly-anticipated-james-comey-interview/

[narciso]

Now I don't think there is much logic here:

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/946453/syria-news-britons-standby-cyprus-holiday-world-war-three

[rich]

>>>How can LoLy claim with a straight face that the e-mail investigation was nonpartisan after all those texts between Strzok and Page came out?

Posted by: jimmyk | April 15, 2018 at 08:46 PM<<<

hahahahahahahahhahahahahah ... let me catcch my breath ... hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha ...

i've had a weird night and a few too many beers, but this was funny.

[Stephanie, Nene, Not your Normal Grandma]

Are all our NC peeps safe? Also Florida, SC and South Georgia... there be tornadoes and some impressive damage.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

"Comey's Homey's"

Good thing his last name wasn't Como.

[narciso]

What marbella was too crowded

http://dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5617501/Sons-Syrias-chemical-weapons-chief-live-mansion-blocks-families.html

[Miss Marple the Deplorable]

Think I will head to bed.

Good night, everyone!

[narciso]

To know all the players

https://www.crosswordcybersecurity.com/team/

[rich]

T J OSHIE SCORES ...

maybe ... some hope ...

[JM Hanes]

JimNorCal:

"Why don't you all have a seat here on the veranda while my son and your dad fix the tire."

Yikes! I'll probably discover that someone has corrected this appalling mistake by the time I catch up, but I just couldn't let it slip by.

"You all" is not a southernism at all y'all. It's what people who have never spent any time in the south think southerners say. It's what people use when they're trying to imitate a southerner, and frankly, it flat out hurts to hear it. It's also a dead give away. In all the time I've spent in South Carolina, North Carolina, south Georgia and Virginia (moutains & Northern Neck), I have never heard any one use "you all" in conversation, unless it's to say something like, you all have to finish your homework, or nobody's watching the tube tonight! I hope that distinction is clear. When it comes to you and all, it's either y'all or all y'all. Period.

[JimNorCal]

Thanks JMH, this ignorant yankee stands abashed and corrected LOL

[clarice feldman]

Night you'all. My cat got me up before 5 and soon I'll be typing with my nose.

The next couple of weeks should be fun.

[JM Hanes]

Stephanie:

"Are all our NC peeps safe? "

Let me put it this way, the plane I flew in on tonight was rerouted, in the air, three times, with adjusted ETAs varying by almost an hour. First they tried flying us over to West Virgina and coming down the west side of the Appalachians, instead of the usual route. Then that was nixed, in favor of just staying well below 10,000 feet to the east all the way down (which meant no Wi-FI!). We later had to turn west and go all the way around our destination anyway, because you couldn't even get into Greensboro from the north.... Aside from sporatic turbulence, though, the flight itself actually wasn't all that dramatic. Poured like crazy all the way home from the airport -- my favorite kind of driving. At night. Road like patent leather. With trucks. But never mind.

I do hope any JOMmers who had to weather the storm on the ground fared equally well. Thanks for asking!

[Captain Hate]

This is like a wrestling match: Now LYNCH throws COMEY under the bus

A wrestling match of all heels and no babyfaces to cheer for. Let them all destroy each other. By the time Tuesday comes and Queasy appears on Coal Bear the clapping seals may be back in the booing mode.

In the words of Roddy Piper "when you think you figured out the answer, I change the question".

[Ralph L]

We're getting a lot of rain and some wind here, but the lightning was before dark. Tornado watches to the south from Charlotte eastward.

[Another Bob]

Sorry, not sorry, James D.

[Gentlejim]

T J OSHIE SCORES ...

maybe ... some hope ...

Posted by: rich | April 15, 2018 at 10:28 PM

Nope, sorry rich. The Caps are still the Caps.

Apologies also to JiB.

[Ralph L]

High of 80 today, low of 37 Monday night. I've got wisteria blooms for the first time in decades.

[JM Hanes]

Extraneus:

In re:

“Contributing to this problem, regrettably, was President Obama. He had jeopardized the Department of Justice’s credibility in the investigation by saying in a 60 Minutes interview on Oct. 11, 2015, that Clinton’s email use was “a mistake” that had not endangered national security,” Comey writes. “Then on Fox News on April 10, 2016, he said that Clinton may have been careless but did not do anything to intentionally harm national security, suggesting that the case involved overclassification of material in the government.”

LOL! Considering the fact that Comey was reading from an almost identical script when he exonerated Clinton himself, it sounds more like Obama's real offense was stealing Comey's thunder.

[jimmyk]

Ralph, we had a high of 81 Friday, 75 Saturday, and it's now 38. At least we're not having an ice storm like in Michigan and upstate New York.

[Another Bob]

Did I miss all of this in catch-up? Or is this what narciso has been trying to tell us?

True Pundit, so appropriate shakes of salt...

FBI Agents accused McCabe of interfering with Russian-linked investigations, including the Boston Marathon terror bombing and the Robert Levinson kidnapping cases, even making a formal complaint with FBI Security Division about the incidents.

McCabe for years worked Russian organized crime in New York for the FBI, previous to his Washington D.C. rise. He led the FBI’s Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, a joint operation with the NYPD.

McCabe maintained an alliance with Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska a tycoon and close associate of Vladimir Putin. And McCabe apparently met with him in Europe without proper clearance from FBI, while Deripaska was a possible target on a FBI organized crime probe. McCabe also privately acknowledged to FBI agents that Deripaska was a friend.

[jimmyk]

Some of us thought Schumer and the Democrats were holding up Trump's appointments, but it was also Republican twits like this guy:

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/04/trump-pacifies-cory-gardner-on-marijuana-issue.php

For months, Sen. Cory Gardner has been blocking the Trump administration from staffing key positions at the DOJ. Among these position are Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division; Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division; Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division; and, until Gardner was finally shamed into relenting, Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division. In all, around 20 positions reportedly were affected.

You might think that Gardner’s obstruction leaves these key divisions directionless, or at least without the degree of direction they should have. It’s actually worse worse than that. As Christian Adams has shown, the absence of presidential appointees at the Assistant Attorney General level can leave left-wing Obama holdovers with enormous sway at the Justice Department.

[narciso]

No, that is a surprise, another Bob, who do they cite as a source?

Waldman had been contracted by deripasha since 2009 according to a business insider piece. And with lavrov subsequently,