1 Boring Old Man

There’s a danger here in getting into shouting matches with the current Administration/Republican Campaign [see below. in fact, see everywhere] in response to Al Zarqawi’s assasination and Rove’s seeming vindication. Their M.O. [which is already apparent in the sea of "troll" comments in our bigger blogs] will be to see anything we say as "sour grapes" and crow endlessly about "how great they art."

The truth is that Patrick Fitzgerald’s C.I.A. Leak Investigation has revealed an amazing amount of data, much of which we wouldn’t have without it. We know:

• that the Administration outed Valerie Plame, an undercover C.I.A. Agent.
• that Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, and Karl Rove were actively involved is this endeavor.
• that the motive for doing this was to discredit her husband for questioning their handling of the prewar intelligence.
• that the prewar campaign was fueled by strategic leaks to the Press, in particular to Judith Miller of the New York Times.
• that what Colin Powell said in his U.N. speech was 100% wrong.
• that "faulty intelligence" had nothing to do with our going to war, it was exactly what Joe Wilson said, twisted intelligence.
• about the O.S.P., the W.H.I.G., the D.I.A., the Niger Forgeries.
• that 911 was used as an excuse to go to war in Iraq, as by preexisting plan hatched in the P.N.A.C.
• that the war in Iraq was one of the worst ideas in American History, independent of the deceit that got us there.

I was excited by the developments at yearlyKos. Thet must have been a success because the right can’t stop criticizing. There’s a power yet realized in the blogs.

The House Majority Leader’s Memo [below] is another shameful example of what we’re headed into for the next 5 months – constant spinning of everything we write, everything we say. I’m amazed at how comfortable he is dictating ‘Spin’ in such explicit terms. I hope some eloquent Congressman reads that Memo into the Congressional Record. It’s tempting to spit back. At the risk of borrowing a principle from the other team, this is "turn the other cheek" time. Our message is about:

• Nigergate
• Plamegate
• the Bush Doctrine
• the Federal Deficit
• Congressional Corruption
• the Unwarranted N.S.A. Domestic Spying
• the Iraq War
• Bush’s Incompetence
• Cheney’s Paranoia and Fascism
• Exposing Spin
• Exposing Spin
• Exposing Spin

Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich, the Administration, the right wing Pundits – they’re going to come out swinging. But it’s not about Liberal vs. Conservative. Liberal baiting is their only possible methodology. I think success depends on our being "unbaitable." That’s our collective job.