Hillary’s Voice

Iraqi Journalist Throws His Shoes At Bush During Press Conference In Baghdad (Think Progress)

President Bush is in Baghdad today on a surprise farewell visit highlighting the security deal recently reached between the U.S. and Iraq. CNN Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware reports this afternoon that during a press conference with Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, an Iraqi man threw a shoe at Bush, but “it just sailed past his head”… McClatchy identified the man as Iraqi television journalist Muthathar al Zaidi and reports he threw both of his shoes at Bush just after he finished prepared remarks… Apparently, Bush was unfazed by the incident. “I didn’t feel the least bit threatened by it,” he said.I’m not an expert on the Muslim religion and culture, but I believe that using anything to do with your feet to attack another person is one of the worst insults you can pay.—CaroAn Obama Gift for K Street (by Robert Samuelson—NOT one of my favorite economists)WASHINGTON — We here in Washington are anticipating a stampede of lobbyists, influence peddlers, media consultants, paid “experts” and self-styled crusaders. Who brought us this onslaught of special pleaders? Why, it’s Barack Obama, the man who vowed to “change” how Washington works and banish from the political arena all those “special interests” that were depicted as a form of low-life devoid of all respectability. This is one Obama promise doomed to fail.The only way to eliminate lobbying and special interests is to eliminate government. [Emphasis added.] The more powerful government becomes, the more lobbying there will be. So, paradoxically, Obama’s ambitions for more expansive government will promote special pleading. You need only watch the response to the expected “economic stimulus” plan — totaling perhaps $700 billion — to verify this eternal truth. “A Lobbying Frenzy for Federal Funds,” headlined a Washington Post story.Nonsense. We don’t even WANT to do away with ALL lobbying. Many progressive groups have special interests, and they lobby members of Congress to make them aware of their issues. But we can take a lot of corruption out of the process by instituting public financing of political campaigns, and eliminating private donations. I believe we are the only industrialized nation (except maybe Russia) to allow private donations to political campaigns. As a consequence that we can certainly not be proud of, we may be the most corrupt industrialized nation (except maybe for Russia).—CaroGo Ahead, Appoint a Prosecutor - For All the Crimes (by Deacon Blues at The Left Coaster)As certain as the sunrise tomorrow, conservatives will make sure that Barack Obama is sidetracked at the start of his term. They need another “gays in the military” or Whitewater to derail a Democratic administration. And they’ll have a convenient memory loss over the last eight years while doing it. We know that Rahm Emanuel had contact with the governor’s office about acceptable successors for the president-elect. We also know that Emanuel isn’t a target of Patrick Fitzgerald’s inquiry. Yet that hasn’t stopped Patrick Buchanan from already calling for a independent counsel to look into what role Barack Obama played in this matter…[I]f Buchanan and other conservatives really want to open that door now with this president-elect even before he takes office, out of some newfound concern for the rule of law and avoiding any taint of scandal, then perhaps the incoming administration should oblige - and then use this as the pretext to launch a series of inquiries into everything the Bush Administration got away with. After all, we should all be concerned about the rule of law and finding all lawbreakers, regardless of what party they belong to. Isn’t that right Pat?That would be right if Buchanan and friends were interested in equal treatment for similar deeds. But they’re not. They’re interested in damnation for Democrats and treating Republicans like saints. Democrats refuse to fight back in the same way. And, apparently, plan to keep on not fighting.—CaroOpen Letter to President-Elect Obama (by John Dean, White House Counsel to Richard Nixon, writing at Talking Points Memo)[I]f you truly want to change the scandal paradigm, you should operate in a fish-bowl to show you have absolutely nothing to hide. Accordingly, I offer this suggestion for your consideration: Email all your past and present staff, all designated appointees, and any others with whom you have an informal relationship if they could have had contact with Blagojevich about your senate seat, and request they all report to you any and all such information that in any manner relates to the appointment to fill your senate seat. Instruct everyone to err on the side of too much information. In addition, tell everyone than when responding to you that they should also post their responses at your website to make them public… Such action by you would forever change the standards of presidents in dealing with potential presidential scandals and nip this one before it can cause any more problems for your new administration. This would be a change everyone could believe in.Click here for more politics and media news headlines.Carolyn KayMakeThemAccountable.com