Mean response passed, because I am the grown up. nyah!

Bush's Efforts To Promote Democracy, Part LVIII
 

According to Newsday, via Bob:

• The U.S. government knew of an imminent plot to oust Venezuela's leftist president, Hugo Chávez, in the weeks prior to a 2002 military coup that briefly unseated him, newly released CIA documents show, despite White House claims to the contrary a week after the putsch.
  
  * * * * *
  
  Julia Sweig, deputy director of Latin American studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank in Washington, said: "The fact that we didn't call Chávez and say, 'This is brewing,' reflects the incredible antipathy toward Chávez at that time" on the part of the Bush administration.

At least the Administration had enough respect for the ideals of democracy to lie about it in the weeks after the coup.

I guess this answer my PM question:

From Sullivan

• Some things are worth reiterating. The libel verdict won by Saddam-supporter George Galloway does not depend on the notion that Galloway's ties to Saddam were disproven. They haven't been. Nor was this case decided by a jury. The case was won because, in the judge's view, the Telegraph had not given Galloway sufficient time or space to respond to the charges:
  
  
  Quote:

  Mr Justice Eady said Mr Galloway was not given sufficient opportunity to refute the claims in the Telegraph that he had received up to £375,000 a year from Saddam. The judge noted that Mr Galloway had a 35-minute conversation with Andrew Sparrow, the paper's Westminster correspondent, but was not sent the documents or told that the Telegraph was intending to publish a story. "Although Mr Galloway was interviewed by telephone on the afternoon of April 21, he was not given the opportunity of reading the Iraqi documents beforehand; nor were they read to him," said the judge. "He did not, therefore, have a fair or reasonable opportunity to make inquiries or meaningful comment upon them before they were published."

  Such a judgment wouldn't stand a chance in an American court - but then Britain's libel laws are far tougher than America's; and there's far less freedom of speech in the UK than in the U.S. Here's the Telegraph's official response. It's deeply depressing. The verdict stands regardless of whether the story is proven true or not.

Repeat. ENLIGHTENED_EUROPEANS

While the difference between English and U.S. libel law is considerable, I find iit hard to believe that an English judge awarded Galloway that much money absent some sense that the story was not accurate. But I don't know anything more about it.

If I was you, buddy, I'd be shopping for a new Barrister

Happy thoughts
 

I'm sure the letfties here now realize Bush's re-election was fortuitous. Consider, in the 30 days since election:

1-the economy has improved dramatically-

2- the UN has been proven to have been effectively working FOR Sadaam (anybody still like the global test?).

But now this!

http://www.nbc17.com/health/3963832/detail.html

Any of you want to try and craft an argument that the people coming out of high school or college won't lead better lives due to the Bush years?

TGIF
 

This post has no political content.

Whenever I see the current thread title, I realize that I am hungry. On behalf of sugar-enhanced artificially flavored, creme filled snack cake fans everywhere.... oh, forget it. There must be a vending machine in this building somewhere.

Hasn't Tom Cruise received multiple damages verdicts against British publications that asserted he was gay?

Happy thoughts
 

Hasn't the FDA under Bush refused to allow the next generation silicone implants to be used? Do you really think Clinton would have stood for that. All these women are stuck with inferior saline.

I'd like to buy a vowel
 

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satelli...=1101960939722

if this gets anywhere, I'm sure Hollywood will stand right up!

Careful, you're talking about the Brits. They're the only ones who like us, sort of.

Or are you still all wigged out over the Dutch [supposedly] killing off retards?

Perhaps his real beef is over the need for UK tort reform.

True, conservatives may be temporarily disoriented with the new rationale, but on the positive side, over the last few years they've learned to be nimble.

I'd like to buy a "shel"
 

Dear Hank,

You're missing a "shel" between "ner" and "Chanukah" in your sign-off.

You're welcome.

Sincerely,

dtb

I'd like to buy a "shel"
 

Nice to see dtb deftly moving into turf formerly patrolled by Atticus.

I'd like to buy a "shel"
 

Hopefully, in a few weeks we'll see stuff like this annotated with a translation, together with a discussion of historical antecedents.

I miss that. [sniff]