Nutjobs Ranting About Politics.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
With a line like "he had taken...documents he reviewed at the National Archives by sticking them in his... pants." you have to wonder if the axe-grinder is the AP writer. Sheesh.

Well, this isn't a Novak story, so it's difficult to tell whether we'll get to the bottom of this one, but it looks like Sandy's boys are looking to go mano a mano with certain unnamed archive staffers:

• Former White House lawyer Lanny Davis challenged any unnamed official who accuses Berger of stuffing documents into his socks to come forward and level that charge publicly.
  
  "I suggest that person is lying," he said. "And if that person has the guts, let's see who it is who made the comment that Sandy Berger stuffed something into his socks."

Can someone explain to me if there's a point to this story other than someone trying to make Berger look like shit?

[Replaced_Texan]

I want to be the Peace president

I can't decide whether the appropriate response is to send love beads or start humming Mel Brooks songs.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
Well, this isn't a Novak story, so it's difficult to tell whether we'll get to the bottom of this one, but it looks like Sandy's boys are looking to go mano a mano with certain unnamed archive staffers:

• Former White House lawyer Lanny Davis challenged any unnamed official who accuses Berger of stuffing documents into his socks to come forward and level that charge publicly.
  
  "I suggest that person is lying," he said. "And if that person has the guts, let's see who it is who made the comment that Sandy Berger stuffed something into his socks."

Can someone explain to me if there's a point to this story other than someone trying to make Berger look like shit?

What kind of socks does the guy wear that he can stuff documents into them?

I'm picturing hip-boots, but those aren't really socks. And I often picture hip-boots, but the ones I usually picture would be too tight for document-stuffing and it would be hard to walk on the spiked heels carrying all of those do....

what were we talking about again?

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I want to be the Peace president

I can't decide whether the appropriate response is to send love beads or start humming Mel Brooks songs.

How nice. He's also bashing lawyers, while calling himself and Cheney "the small-business team." Halliburton being that donut-and-oil-rig shop down the street and all.

[SlaveNoMore]

Sidd Finch
How nice. He's also bashing lawyers, while calling himself and Cheney "the small-business team." Halliburton being that donut-and-oil-rig shop down the street and all.

John McCain told the old lawyer/catfish joke last night on Leno.

[Gattigap]

You know it'll be a fun campaign when even P. Diddy is trying to increase voter turnout.



Of course, "Vote or Die" has some limitations as a get-out-the-vote slogan. Don't get me wrong -- it's a great threat, but I doubt that its crossover appeal will be that strong. I don't see too many folks wearing this in Orange County.

Gattigap

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Originally posted by Sidd Finch
What kind of socks does the guy wear that he can stuff documents into them?

I'm picturing hip-boots, but those aren't really socks. And I often picture hip-boots, but the ones I usually picture would be too tight for document-stuffing and it would be hard to walk on the spiked heels carrying all of those do....

what were we talking about again?

This is what's wrong with the Dems. See, when the Repubs stuff documents into clothing to sneak them out, they use a tall blond who stuffs them into her bra, and later goes on to pose for Playboy.



Dems use a balding white guy who stuffs them in his smelly socks.

[SlaveNoMore]

Sexual Harassment Panda

Whatever happened to Fawn Hall?

Latest on Sandy from NRO

• KERRY ON BERGER; SMITH HINTS AT FOUL PLAY [07/20 06:02 PM]
  
  Kerry issued a statement: "Sandy Berger is my friend, and he has tirelessly served this nation with honor and distinction. I respect his decision to step aside as an adviser to the campaign until this matter is resolved objectively and fairly."
  
  Meanwhile, Sen. Gordon Smith, Republican of Oregon, said today in a press conference, "There is a curious connection between the removal of these documents and the Kerry press conference on port security... It's disappointing what people might do as they try to take the President down... I will admit to you, when you stuff classified legal documents into your briefs, it looks sloppy. But it may be worse than that. In fairness to the president of the United States, it's important that this be followed and pursued so the American people can know that the predicate of many of the charges made against George W. Bush are based on lies and deception."
  
  Gordon Smith is pretty moderate (I mean, he's from a pretty blue state) on a lot of issues, isn't known as a fire-breather, and is an odd choice to be accusing Berger and Kerry of colluding on using the stolen documents. What does he know that's got him so fired up?

I agree with them on this point - mighty risky of Sandy not mentioning this "months long" investigation to Kerry, no?

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Whatever happened to Fawn Hall?

Latest on Sandy from NRO

• KERRY ON BERGER; SMITH HINTS AT FOUL PLAY [07/20 06:02 PM]
  
  ***
  
  Meanwhile, Sen. Gordon Smith, Republican of Oregon, said today in a press conference, "There is a curious connection between the removal of these documents and the Kerry press conference on port security... It's disappointing what people might do as they try to take the President down... I will admit to you, when you stuff classified legal documents into your briefs, it looks sloppy. But it may be worse than that. In fairness to the president of the United States, it's important that this be followed and pursued so the American people can know that the predicate of many of the charges made against George W. Bush are based on lies and deception."
  
  Gordon Smith is pretty moderate (I mean, he's from a pretty blue state) on a lot of issues, isn't known as a fire-breather, and is an odd choice to be accusing Berger and Kerry of colluding on using the stolen documents. What does he know that's got him so fired up?

I agree with them on this point - mighty risky of Sandy not mentioning this "months long" investigation to Kerry, no?

I still don't get it. I thought Berger was reviewing stuff that happened during the Clinton Administration, regarding Millenium activities that he (Berger) was involved in.

How, exactly, would such documents be a "predicate" for "lies and deception" in criticisms of Bush?

Nice "briefs" comment, though.

[Gattigap]

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
I want to be the Peace president

I can't decide whether the appropriate response is to send love beads or start humming Mel Brooks songs.

Let's not make this too complicated. Under other circumstances, he could ask for a "do-over," but that's a slogan that doesn't work too well on on a T-shirt.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by Gattigap
I still don't get it. I thought Berger was reviewing stuff that happened during the Clinton Administration, regarding Millenium activities that he (Berger) was involved in.

How, exactly, would such documents be a "predicate" for "lies and deception" in criticisms of Bush?

Nice "briefs" comment, though.

It also seems strange that using classified documents to attack the President would mean that your attack was built on lies and deception.


Unless they were classified drafts of Bush's pre-war speeches, of course.

[Sidd Finch]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Gordon Smith is pretty moderate (I mean, he's from a pretty blue state) on a lot of issues, isn't known as a fire-breather, and is an odd choice to be accusing Berger and Kerry of colluding on using the stolen documents. What does he know that's got him so fired up?

Five seconds on the linked website is enough to show that the NRO calling someone "pretty moderate" is like Yao Ming calling someone "not so tall."

[SlaveNoMore]

SlaveNoMore
In sum:

1) What the F was Sandy thinking.
2) Nevertheless, the timing of this story is more GOP dirty tricks.

link

Jonah Goldberg:

I see (Via Andrew Sullivan) that Josh Marshall really has the Dem's talking points. He writes:

• The most obvious, and probably the only, explanation of this leak is that it is intended to distract attention from the release of the 9/11 report due later this week. That would be yet another example of this administration's common practice of using the levers of executive power (law enforcement, declassification, etc.) for partisan purposes.

Now, it's certainly defensible to say that this is the "most obvious" explanation. But it is flatly ludicrous to say that this is probably the "only" explanation. Berger is a Clinton alum. So are his chief spinners, including Lockhart and Lanny Davis. Davis's rule -- he even wrote a book on this -- is to dump damaging info at the best moment possible. I know several Republicans who think this is a classic Lanny Davis move. Berger's in trouble. The news is going to come out eventually, perhaps during a much worse moment during the presidential campaign. Why not leak it now and say that the Republicans leaked it in order to distract from the 9/11 report? The Clintonites were brilliant at this sort of pre-emptive spinning.

Now, I don't think this is the most probable explanation either. But Marshall has a remarkably annoying habit of thinking that the only explanations for anything are rooted in the evilness of Republicans. What's annoying isn't that instinct, mind you, it's the way he makes it seem like he's not being partisan so much as high-minded and sophisticated.

Also, can we please get a little less haughtiness about the White House using its powers for partisan advantage from defenders of the Clinton administration -- which filed criminal charges against the travel office and routed immigrants straight off the boats and into the voting booths?

[Atticus Grinch]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Whatever happened to Fawn Hall?

Call VH-1. I would imagine she was probably approached to be a celebrity panelist for "I Love the '80s."

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
Jonah Goldberg:

Now, it's certainly defensible to say that this is the "most obvious" explanation. But it is flatly ludicrous to say that this is probably the "only" explanation. Berger is a Clinton alum. So are his chief spinners, including Lockhart and Lanny Davis. Davis's rule -- he even wrote a book on this -- is to dump damaging info at the best moment possible. I know several Republicans who think this is a classic Lanny Davis move. Berger's in trouble. The news is going to come out eventually, perhaps during a much worse moment during the presidential campaign. Why not leak it now and say that the Republicans leaked it in order to distract from the 9/11 report? The Clintonites were brilliant at this sort of pre-emptive spinning.

Berger is not running for office, so why would he care when it comes out? As I think I proved earlier, I'm willing to consider that someone has a motive other than what Marshall suggested, but Goldberg's idea makes no sense.

And Berger's not in that much trouble if, after six months, the FBI hasn't bothered to interview him.