Today's edition of quick hits:
* Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tom Ricks appeared on Fox News today, and ended up participating in the network's shortest-ever segment on Benghazi. When he said Fox News is "operating as the wing of the Republican Party," it was apparently an interview-ender.
* Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi issued a decree on Thursday giving himself broad and unchecked powers, but today claimed he's limiting the scope of his new authority.
* Afghanistan: "A suicide bomber detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives near a joint coalition-Afghan security center in a province west of Kabul on Friday, killing two Afghan civilian workers and a woman and wounding at least 90 others."
* Military planners are "drawing up the broad outlines of a force that would remain in Afghanistan following the handover to Afghan security after 2014, including a small counterterrorism force with an eye toward Al Qaeda."
* The Obama administration recently considered "explicit rules for the targeted killing of terrorists by unmanned drones," and there's reportedly disagreement among officials, with the CIA and Pentagon on one side, and the Justice Department and State Department on the other.
* Mary Schapiro is stepping down as chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. President Obama intends to make Elisse Walter, a current SEC commissioner, Schapiro's permanent replacement.
* The U.S. Supreme Court today turned down "an opportunity to consider whether states can ban the insanity defense in criminal cases."
* Big surprise: "Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday abruptly announced he was quitting politics, shaking up the country's political system just weeks ahead of general elections."
* And at least in the U.S., it looks like Intrade is no more.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
speaking truth to power.
LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!
Wow, I love this clip.
You can tell FoxNews cut that interview way short. It's still unknown as to whether or not the information that Thomas Ricks was espousing was actually understood by those folks still trapped inside the FoxNews bubble, but it was sure entertaining to watch someone attempt to permeate the cumulostratus layer of FoxNews propaganda.
It looks like Mr. Ricks burst that bubble of Fox and it's obsessive coverage with Benghazi!
Gee, and here I thought that the GOTP had become a susidiary of The News Corp, just like Fox.
Journalist thy name is Tom Ricks.
Just tell it like it is and we will decide.
A force of Americans in Afghanistan after 2014?
Now what could possibly go wrong with that idea?
We could use Korea as an example.
Perhaps John McCain was right (for once in his life). We'll be there for 100 years.
Of course we will, they found a trillion dollar vein of lithium there recently. The stuff they need to make electric car batteries. Do you actually think we will leave it for them?! Not until we have the rights and then we need security to protect our interests. Here we go again.
It's more than likely going to consist of a residual force just like what we have left over in Iraq that is comprised mostly of private contractors or federal employees for the US government (FBI, ATF, NCIS, etc). That and the US Navy, US Coast Guard, and US Army will likely continue to conduct training missions as they have been doing in Iraq.
I first saw this on MSNBC earlier today. Tom Ricks is a new hero. Fox News deserves every slam they get. I have stopped watching their complete television division.
True story... a local Fox station here, right before election time had viewers write in and accuse them of being biased. They made a statement they were not. Haven't watched them since.
Cannot wait for Ed, Rachel and Lawrence tonight in regards to this.
RACHEL-------------we are going to have to do something about this fire in Bangladesh that killed 124 people,Walmart is to blame & we got to do something about this. you see these are the type of jobs that Baine carry across to other countrys------------cheap labor
I have not yet seen anything about the particular companies that had contracts with the company owning the building. Do you have a link? Finding that Walmart was involved would not surprise me, but there are many other American firms that have clothing made in Pakistan.
I just saw an article about the fire:
http://my.surewest.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CDA2PVI9O0%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=915
Looks like Walmart had tried to not use this factory, but a Pakistani contractor had a subcontract with them.
You can make an argument that Fox News is not only contributing to the decay of America, it has done irreparable harm to the Republican Party and the conservative movement through its embrace of partisan exaggeration and utter fabrication. In Fox News' deluded worldview, Mitt Romney was on his way to a landslide victory, leading to overconfidence and delusion that met Obama's eventual win with total shock and disbelief. Fox has managed to peddle its bunk for so long without reproach that it is incredible when an individual has the guts to tell these jokers off. - pp
Well, that should certainly exclude him from any more interviews on Fox Splooge.
" (Ricks) said Fox News is "operating as the wing of the Republican Party,"
Duh.
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Have I missed the parts where Republicans beat up and attack Hillary Clinton for Benghazi?
They've targeted Rice and Obama but have they attempted to hammer Hillary yet? If so, I must have been sleeping through that part.
c'mon. they are afraid of our Secretary of State. she would launch a rebuttal that would leave them wishing it was a drone strike. then there would be thermonuclear Bill, just to pile on.
They did but gave up on that a while in. Initially speaking they were saying all the blame was that of Hillary Clinton. Then Clinton stated she takes full responsibility. Then they got bored because her doing that- taking full responsibility- doesn't allow them to pander to the conspiracy theorists of their party and hound about how the media is being biased and how the president is corrupt. So they went after Rice.
Really??? What kind of rebuttal is our Secretary of State going to issue, after she acknowledges that there was a catastrophic failure in protecting our consulate...
as evidenced by 2 prior attacks on the consulate, repeated denials for increased security, the UK and Red Cross having pulled out due to increasing instability in the region...
and our ambassador suffered a brutal death in addition to the deaths of 3 other men.
Yeah, keep telling yourself that this is not important...
Keep telling yourself this didn't happen multiple times in multiple American installations around the world during the Bush administration. Where was the hysteria then?
In what multiple countries and installations? And what calls for increased security went unanswered? And where were 4 diplomats killed by terrorists?
@ Lisa, u wrote: "Yeah, keep telling yourself that this is not important..."
If it's all your paying attention to (because it's the only thing you have) then it becomes the only thing that matters.
It's only when it's viewed with the rest of the world that it can be seen in perspective.
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Tom, links, stats, and statistics have been posted on this site's comment boxes over and over again. Not all of them had diplomats, but there were Americans. If you missed those multiple posts in past discussions, you're going to have to go digging for them here or the Google. We honestly do not have to do your research for you.
This was a significant event in present day. Ambassador Stevens was the first ambassador killed in 30 years. Just because other events have occurred in the past does not diminish the significance of this.
The argument that "mistakes have been made throughout history so let's not hold our government accountable for this one" seems rather counter productive.
Lisafp,
you seem to be saying we minimize the EVENT, that is flatly false.
I will speak for myself with as much tact and passion as I can muster.
This is a political witch hunt that has one purpose only: throw mud at the President. That is ALL!
You've been convinced of foul play by your rw media entertainment shills that may be unable to do ANYTHING other than oppose the President.
I hate to break it to you, but you have been led to believe there has to be some cover up, when we have to watch what is said in the public square.
Can you consider the possibility that CIA was giving the public news something while they followed classified leads? Can you ever consider that those people ARE valued by the rest of us as much as you value them. It was a terror attack, the President says there will be justice. But apparently the President that was just reelected again must be brought down.
THAT is what the RW seem to advocate, destroy the President, do not allow any success for the DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED President.
They are not doing this country ANY GOOD when they just want to pout and brood that there's a Democrat elected into the WH. WHat about the country? We just keep lobbing grenades every freaking moment and let the issues we elected the President. the Senate to DO?
Can we please let the process go through? Can we say that the Reps like McCain, Graham and now Ayotte are just trying to stir up some negativity about their imaginary unscrupulous event with CLASSIFIED details that we all mourn.
Why can't they and you be satisfied? I can only surmise that these folks want to throw everything they've got to make the President look bad.
This is a horrendous event in a foreign land that has been POLITICIZED. What the hell do they want? We have had events like this and never known all the details. Why do WE as Americans have to suffer through more political grandstanding after the meetings have been held, the CIA and FBI are investigating.
Ayotte looked very squeamish about being in the gang that seems to have one purpose. Throw mud at the President.
What did Condi Rice do with her politicizing the "we don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud?" Was that not pushing the message that the WH wanted?
This is just sour grapes and I pray that SOME DAY Republicans/RW will stop trying to undermine Presidents that get elected that ran against them. WTP want President Obama and this b.s. is just ridiculous. All they know how to do is pledge tax cuts (while talking about deficit/debt), cut Medicare/SS, bang war drum, attack and obstruct.
This only exemplifies the childish obstructionism, which is why I can NEVER support any Republican.
Making FOX news history Tom Ricks spoke truth and proved once more FOX can't handle the truth...so they cut him off.
It should be obvious by now how much better off the nation would be without GOP TV's FOX pretense. Nothing but Bull sh** to divide and enrage, misinform and confuse giving credibility to a crowd of angry delusional blamers. We'd be so much better off without 'em.
Yes, certainly our nation will be better off if we restrict free press.
In what universe is Fox considered "free press"? In what universe is Fox considered "press" at all?
Probably in the same world where MSNBC is considered press.
When was the last time that an anchor on MSNBC invited a Pulitzer Prize winning author and then shut him down after 2 minutes because they didn't like his response?
Go back to Fox where you won't have to think about the hard stuff. Where they spoon feed you what you want to hear.
MSNBC may not be perfect, they do allow Joe Scarborough his own show and that cranky rightie on The Cycle after all, but if you actually had the guts to listen and THINK about what's being broadcast, you'd find out they do criticize the Obama administration. Never mind, just go back to Fox where it's safer for you to hear what you want to hear.
Lisafp_____________you got to stop hating.you know Fox Noise is not a news net work of free (true) news but welcome to MSNBC <<>>maybe you will learn something from us guys
Lisa, I guess you're a viewer of Faux "News" so take note:
From Forbes: Fox News Viewers Uninformed, NPR Listeners Not, Poll Suggests
...Results showed that viewers of Sunday morning news shows were the most informed about current events, while Fox News viewers were the least informed. In fact, FDU poll results showed they were even less informed than those who say they don’t watch any news at all.
Basically, Lisa, If you lived under a rock and the rock was deep in a cave you would be better informed than if you consume Faux "News".
.
Wow, quite the stereotyping going on. Actually I'm a new junky. I watch Morning Joe every day, ABC evening news, CNN, FOX, and MSNBC through the evening. Sunday morning ABC and NBC faithfully. If you are willing to look at multiple news sources with a critical eye, there's a whole lot of slant going around. Incidently... Fox has multiple contributers that are on the left... but you'd have to actually tune in to be able to know that...
So having a different opinion is "hating"???? ... who's sounding extreme now.
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tom Ricks appeared on Fox News today, and ended up participating in the network's shortest-ever segment on Benghazi. When he said Fox News is "operating as the wing of the Republican Party," it was apparently an interview-ender.
It's times like these that I try to be grown up but I can't help it:
FOX U GOT PWNED!!!!!
I never understood the "suicide bomber" mentality.
I get that you can be a zealot about your beliefs and really fight for them but to go to the point of killing yourself for those beliefs doesn't make sense.
If I'm a radical Islamic that wants Americans out of the region and I kill myself in a suicide bombing, that shows a lot of devotion to my belief but it also shows a lack of foresight.
A few months after I blew myself up, the Americans leave the region. I can't enjoy that and celebrate that. Ya know why? Because...I'M DEAD!
If I just would have waited a few months...I could have been alive with my car in tact and the Americans would have been gone.
That's the problem of fighting in these countries. We don't think like they do. To them, dying for their belief is an honor. The highest honor possible. We don't understand them and therefore can't fight them. And I'm sorry to say, there is no such thing a "civilized, humane" war. IF we feel the need to fight, it has to be done the same was as WWll.
I'm a buying his book! And with less than 15 seconds of promotion...
Ya think the repukes will catch on to "screening" what they do and who they put on air??
When McCain disagreed with rummy not showing his income taxes,, repukes please!! Can't evil get on the same page? How do they reproduce???
What's the difference between Fox News and Pravda?
One spews misleading propaganda, full of lies and deceit, to spread hate and fear towards numerous imaginary threats, all the while being the mouthpiece for an iron-fisted oligarchy that demanded ideological purity, and viewed even the slightest deviation from their ideology as being a threat.
The other one was written in Cyrillic.
And of course the irony is that "Pravda" means "Truth" in Russian.
I'm guessing that when somenoe tells the truth, Fox news can not except it as facts. It is easy to see, that when a guest appears, and don't agree with Fox news, he's cut off, from completing his statments ! How small can Fox news get? can you see this dot .?
We need many more Tom Ricks! He will not get another invite, but he has already told them, and it is all on video.
But will that "get through" to anyone watching? Shut down Geraldo, shut down a real journalist that speaks the truth. There is a hole in the bubble?
I'm surprised they didn't edit what he/they said out, but I guess they figure most of the audience must be OK with being captive audience to the Republican "arm".
The Truman Show comes to mind.
I don't believe there is any such thing as a "second term curse". Many Presidents have had awful things happen in their first term, and because of that, have not had a second term. There were also Presidents who had good things happen in their second terms.
For example, poor economic downturns doomed the first terms of Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter, and George Bush, Sr., and others. James Buchanan's first and only term saw several states seceding from the union, starting the Civil War, and Buchanan leaving the problem to his successor. James Garfield and John Kennedy were assassinated in their first term. Zachary Taylor, Warren Harding and William Henry Harrison died in their first term. Andrew Johnson was impeached, and barely survived the trial. Two Presidents who lost the popular vote but won the Presidency through questionable electoral bargaining, John Quincy Adams and Benjamin Harrison, never made it to a second term.
FDR's second term was not "cursed", but was a success. He passed several significant and beneficial laws in his second term, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, which also created federal Minimum Wage Law, and the Housing Act. His second term was so successful that he was elected to an unprecedented third term.
James Madison was involved in a problematic war in his first term, but presided over an "Era of Good Feelings" and prosperity in his second term. James Monroe enjoyed peace and prosperity in both terms, and issued his "Monroe doctrine" in his second term. Andrew Jackson famously survived assassination in his second term, when two guns misfired, and were later tested and fired properly. Bill Clinton lost his health care initiative and the House of Representatives in his first term, but balanced the budget and created a surplus and a booming economy in his second term.
I guess the point is that there is no second term curse. The issue is at least debatable.
Great piece on GOP current predicament here by Bruce Bartlett :http://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/revenge-of-the-reality-based-community/ Candidate for The Interview Rachel?
Please Rachel, ask Tom Ricks to be a guest on your show. I would love to hear more about what he has to with regards to the Benghazi affair. I'm sure you would give him more than 90 seconds!
:) Please Rachel... Or, maybe Ed or Lawrence? Tom Ricks would be great.