Look Who Came For Lunch!

This afternoon a pair of Northern Flickers had lunch at our place. One flew off just as I got out my camera, but the other stayed around for another fifteen minutes, busily probing the ground looking for insects, and hopping ever closer to where I stood with my camera.

This is about as close as it got when, suddenly, a chipmunk appeared between us and the Flicker began to retreat down the hill again.

Northern Flickers aren't a rare species, in fact they are often called the "Common Flicker" but we don't see them that much around these parts and it was fun to watch him as he relentlessly dug bugs out of the soil.

A Vast Left Wing Conspiracy?

For years now the left has been happily spinning all sorts of guilt by association theories about the "vast right wing conspiracy." Now the shoe is on the other foot and now they find the tactic not only illegitimate but dangerous.

Greg Greenwalt complains of:

Treason by association

Almost every Bush follower screeching about the Mary McCarthy story thinks it is extremely significant that (a) she donated money to John Kerry's campaign; (b) Dana Priest's husband knows Joe Wilson, as does McCarthy herself; and (c) McCarthy has professional ties to Sandy Berger. While many of them are content to insinuate darkly about the nefarious Plot against America which has likely been revealed by exposure of this web, others are more bold, explicitly speculating that this is but the tip of an iceberg of a traitorous conspiracy.

[here]

Firedoglake worries:

All this blog babbling would be bad enough, except for the last line where [Mark] Levin suggests there are traitors everywhere. The inference, coming at the end of a long wail about Democrats, is that the traitors among us are "over there," in the Democratic Party. The only purpose of this kind of rhetorical drive by is to get everyone pumped up, which will continue on radio stations throughout this country. It will begin by using Clinton, because whenever the Republicans are in deep trouble that’s where they run. Then, after Clinton is intoned, the likes of Ken doll Sean Hannity and his cabin boy, with a little help from the newly lobotomized Laura Ingraham, will intone the tactic of fear.

Be afraid of Democrats, because they are traitors and undermining this country. It will be utilized on radio to rev up the base, where Karl Rove has used right-wing radio for years to pump up the EMOTION of right-wingers, because that’s what gets voters to the polls and right-wing radio listeners vote. The same tactics are continued on "Christian" broadcasting networks throughout the country. It is quite simply the most formidably dangerous weapon the Republicans have to wield against Democrats come election time.

[here]

All I got to say guys is, "what goes around, comes around." The charges are no more significant now than they were when you guys were playing the smear by association game. The fact is that Washington is a small company town where everyone knows everyone else.

Ain't politics fun?

Taming the Permanent Government

The Bilious Young Fogey identifies the real danger inherent in the politicization of the military. [here]

One of the things I admire most about Bush is his determination to bring the permanent government of non-elected officials [including the military and intelligence agencies] to heel. They're kicking and screaming all the way, and feckless Democrats and the idiot press are giving them aid and comfort, but slowly and surely the primacy of political leadership is being reasserted.

Government is too important to be left to the professionals.

Another Step Forward in Iraq

Reuters reports:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament elected incumbent President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, for a second term on Saturday as politicians began putting together a national unity government after four months of political deadlock.

Talabani, who has spent most of his life fighting for the cause of the Kurds in northern Iraq, is the first non-Arab president of an Arab country.

"This is the new Iraq. The new Iraq is an Iraq for all," Talabani told the parliament in a brief acceptance speech.

"Iraqi unity is sacred for all, so we should all work to reinforce this national unity."

Slowly but surely, step by step, a functioning democracy is being created in the Arab world, and that is something wonderful to behold.

Read it here.

Televised news reports emphasize that Talabani [a Kurd] and his new Prime Minister, Jawad al-Maliki [a Shiite] will focus their efforts on fighting corruption and extending government control over the militias. Is this just US pleasing rhetoric? We'll see.

Stay tuned....

Captain Ed thinks this marks the emergence of an effective multi-ethnic unity government and spells doom for the insurgency. He writes "The battle for Iraq has been lost by the insurgents." Let us hope so. [here]

Outside the Beltway is less optimistic, but rightly notes that this is a necessary precursor to any effective settlement. [here]

Omar at Iraq the Model is skeptical. He writes: "[T]he question remains that; will the real problem be solved by this agreement on the top posts?" He thinks not. [here]

Here's the BBC biography of al-Maliki.

This is WAR! Bush Goes Toe to Toe with the MSM

In case you hadn't figured out the link between the "Bush is the leaker in chief"stories that have polluted the MSM in recent weeks and the rather bizarre Pulitzer awards, this is it.

AP reports:

WASHINGTON -- In a highly unusual move the CIA has fired an employee for leaking classified information to the news media, including details about secret CIA prisons in Eastern Europe that resulted in a Pulitzer Prize-winning story, officials said Friday.

The Associated Press has learned the officer was a CIA veteran nearing retirement, Mary McCarthy. Reached Friday evening at home, her husband would not confirm her firing.

In McCarthy's final position at the CIA, she was assigned to its Office of Inspector General, looking into allegations the CIA was involved in torture at Iraqi prisons, according to a former colleague who spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation.

Without identifying McCarthy by name, CIA Director Porter Goss announced the firing in a short message to agency employees circulated Thursday.

Read the whole thing here.

This investigation has been ongoing for several months now and the newsies are certainly aware that it threatens to squelch their favorite pastime, reporting leaks. As the investigation began to close in on their sources the newsies closed ranks and began firing shots across the bow of the administration. The "leaker in chief" stories were a warning that punishing leakers would be met with an enormous firestorm of protest and awarding Pulitzers to journalists under investigation was open defiance. Now the simmering conflict between segments of the MSM and the Bush administration will go nuclear.

The battle lines being drawn.

For the MSM:

Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. said on the newspaper's Web site, "We don't know the details of why (the CIA employee) was fired, so I can't comment on that. But as a general principle, obviously I am opposed to criminalizing the dissemination of government information to the press."

For the administration:

"The damage has been very severe to our capabilities to carry out our mission," [CIA Director Porter] Goss told Congress in February, adding that a federal grand jury should be impaneled to determine "who is leaking this information."

...

Justice Department officials declined to comment publicly on the firing and whether the matter had been referred to federal prosecutors for possible criminal charges. One law enforcement official said there were dozens of leak investigations under way.

Here is the first volley from the WaPo, employer of Dana Priest, who reported the CIA leak:

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaked national defense information to a pro-Israel lobbyist in the same manner that landed a lower-level Pentagon official a 12-year prison sentence, the lobbyist's lawyer said Friday.

Prosecutors disputed the claim.

The allegations against Rice came as a federal judge granted a defense request to issue subpoenas sought by the defense for Rice and three other government officials in the trial of Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. The two are former lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are charged with receiving and disclosing national defense information.

Defense lawyers are asking a judge to dismiss the charges because, among other things, they believe it seeks to criminalize the type of backchannel exchanges between government officials, lobbyists and the press that are part and parcel of how Washington works.

Read it here.

And of course the NYT prints a sympathetic piece that portrays her as the principled victim of an administration witch hunt. [here] God! These folks in the MSM are utterly shameless.

Newsbusters notes that Bob Schieffer is going on the offense, too.

Bob Schieffer didn't withhold his personal opinion from his newscast as he introduced a CBS Evening News story by asserting that “it is no secret that the current administration does not like its people hanging out with news reporters without permission” and he described the firing as “a first -- a dubious first, to be sure.”

The same post notes that Nina Totenberg says that the nefarious practices of the Bush administration justify giving the Pulitzers to leak recipients. And her comments betray an amazing degree of hubris in the journalistic community. She argues that our governmental system is based on "checks and balances" and that the press, not Congress or the courts, is the essental check on executive policy and action. She seems to take all that "fourth estate" stuff seriously.

Read it here.

For decades now the intelligence community has sought to influence policy and to undermine political figures through illegal leaking. In recent years the trickle of leaks has become a flood, largely because the Bush administration has been bent on reforming the dysfunctional intelligence community.

People's careers have been terminated or blocked, favorite programs have been altered or dropped, etc. and disgruntled employees (or ex-employees) have responded by leaking anything they can to damage the administration. The pace of leaks, especially from the CIA, has become a real threat to national security and can no longer be tolerated. McCarthy's firing is just the beginning of a determined effect to bring the rogue CIA establishment to heel.

This is going to be fun -- lots of fun.

Let the games begin.

UPDATE:

From Drudge: McCarthy was "Senior director for intelligence programs," [here]. She was appointed by Sandy Berger. She had an academic background at Yale and supported Kerry in 2004. [here]

Both she and her husband contribute significantly to Democrat campaigns. [here]

Let's see now -- Yale, Clinton, Sandy Burger, Kerry, Democrat donor, leaker to WaPo. Is it fair to say that she was a Democrat mole at the CIA?

Right Wing Nut House speculates that the whole "secret prisons" story was a fabrication -- a sting designed to sniff out leakers. If so that means that Dana Priest won a Pulitzer for a story that was completely false. Just speculation, you understand, but despite determined efforts by European investigators no evidence that these secret prisons ever existed has come to light.

Read it here. [Hey, if the MSM can print unsubstantiated speculation, so can we.]

Gateway Pundit has an extensive roundup of commentary on the matter [here].

And there's this over at NRO's mediablog. Wolf Blitzer was interviewing Bill Bennett and Torie Clarke.

BENNETT: The situation we have now is that Dana Priest has won the Pulitzer Prize. The guy who leaked to her has been fired from the CIA and may be subject to a prosecution. He gets prosecution, fired from the CIA, she gets the Pulitzer Prize. I think there's something a little wrong with that.

Blitzer was horrified:

BLITZER: What Bill is suggesting, as a reporter, is very very dangerous, very slippery...

TORIE CLARKE: You would look good in horizontal stripes.

BLITZER: You used to be the press spokesperson over at the Pentagon. Do you agree with those comments?

CLARKE: I hesitate to disagree with him, because he's so smart, and I appreciate the seriousness with which he treats this, but I've always thought there should be more emphasis in these matters on the people in government who sign papers saying, "I will never reveal classified information. I take these responsibilities seriously," etc., and then they do it. I wish there was more emphasis on that side of the fence.

While I agree more with Clarke than Bennett, I think Blitzer's knee-jerk outrage was a little ridiculous. Take his response to Clarke:

BLITZER: But these reporters for the New York Times and the Washington Post never signed any confidentiality agreements with the government. They're just reporters out there trying to do their job.

Not only did Blitzer miss the point — which, Bennett reminded him, is that "Reporters have to obey the law as well" — he also appeared to be incapable of even considering Bennett's argument with an open mind. I've seen many journalists immediately adopt this defensive stance when they discuss the issue of reporters and leaks, and it doesn't speak well of their ability to cover their own industry in a fair-minded way.

Read it here.

"Y0u would look good in horizontal stripes." Go get 'em, Torie!

And over at the Riehl World View we find a suggestive discussion of the anti-Bush cabal in the intelligence services and the extreme lengths to which they will go to bring the President down.

Thomas Joscelyn has much more on Ms. McCarthy and her relations to Richard Clarke and Clinton's response to terrorism. [here]

Pennsylvania Politics -- Can Santorum Win?

That's what G. Terry Madonna and Michael Young ask in another of their spectacularly uninformative articles on Pennsylvania's political scene. They say, "yes he can" if he goes on the offensive and exploits Democrat divisions [duh!] and if he wins, they say, he will become even more influential than he is now [double duh!!].

Read it here.

Dueling Doomsdays -- Damned If We Do; Damned If We Don't.

Timothy Garton Ash argues in the Guardian that a U.S. attack on Iran would have apocalyptic consequences including the election of (shudder) Hillary. [here].

Reuel Marc Gerecht argues that the consequences of a failure to attack Iran would be far worse. [here]

Gee, wouldn't it be nice to have a reasonable discussion of public policy that wasn't framed in apocalyptic terms? But I guess that's too much to ask.

The sky is perpetually falling.

Jesse Jackson in Louisiana

From one of my Louisiana Correspondents:

It seems that nasty old bigot, Jesse Jackson, is up to his old tricks in Louisiana again. He's organizing busloads of New Orleans "exiles" to return and vote. And, of course, he complains that State and Federal authorities are trying to suppress the black vote and are violating peoples' civil liberties. His position is that people should be able to vote in New Orleans elections no matter where they live and also that the high price of gas is a violation of their civil rights because it makes it expensive to travel to New Orleans to vote. He likens it to a "poll tax". He calls on government to establish "satellite" voting centers everywhere the "exiles" live.

Read about it here.

The article concludes by focusing in on one such voter.

New Orleans evacuee Nona Armour, a Monroe City Schools employee, said she agrees with Jackson. She is driving to New Orleans to vote because she is not certain an absentee ballot could be received in time to be counted.

But gas is a problem and she said she is paying much more to vote than she would like.

"I just wish (Jackson) had done this a week ago," Armour said. "It seems kind of late."

But the state had already established satellite centers and made it possible to vote by going online. And bus caravans had already been set up. And, note, this woman now lives and works in Monroe, LA, on the opposite end of the State from N. O. but still claims the right to vote in the big city.

In related developments: Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. "Fast Eddie" Rendell recently vetoed legislation that would have cleaned up voting in his state, and the Democrat controlled State legislature in Maryland blocked passage of a similar measure, ensuring that massive voter fraud would continue. It is ironic that the party that calls itself "Democrat" should have such a vested interest in subverting the democratic process.

Appalachian Springtime -- A Room With A View

When the weather is good I abandon my office and move my work out to the front room. Why go to the bother? Here's why. This is what I see when I tear my eyes away from the computer screen and look around me.

The Tide Keeps Flowing

This sounds promising:

BAGHDAD, April 20 -- Iraq's prime minister on Thursday relinquished his nomination to a new term after weeks of intense pressure, capping a day of surprises that left many politicians here hopeful that a months-long stalemate over formation of a new government would finally end.

In a letter and a national television address at 11 p.m. Thursday, Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari said he would give up his hard-won nomination by the dominant coalition of Shiite parties, the United Iraqi Alliance, and allow its members to select another candidate if they chose.

It was a sudden turnabout for a man who the day before had said his withdrawal was "out of the question."

Read it here.

This could be a major breakthrough, comparable in political terms to the military action in Fallujah. Progress toward a functioning democracy is slow and hesitant, but it is there.

UPDATE:

NYT reports:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 21 — Shiite leaders selected Jawad al-Maliki, a hard-line and outspoken Shiite leader, to replace the outgoing prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari. The move could resolve a two-month-long political deadlock that has worsened Iraq's precarious security situation and contributed to an increase of sectarian killings across the nation.

Officials with rival political blocs said tonight that despite earlier misgivings about Mr. Maliki they intended to support him when the Iraqi Parliament convenes on Saturday afternoon.

Once the Parliament agrees on other leaders, Mr. Maliki will be asked to form a new government and cabinet. But there were conflicting reports about whether the major political groups had agreed on who would fill the senior posts that must be decided before a cabinet is formed, particularly speaker of the national assembly.

Read it here.

One more small step.

European Cuisine Update -- Yecch!

The Australian reports:

A SHOP in Portugal plans to start selling ice cream in flavours like shrimp, cod, tuna and grilled sardines when it opens next month.

The "Coromoto" store in the southern fishing port and canning centre of Portimao, located 300 kilometres south of Lisbon, will offer a total of 60 exotic flavours alongside traditional options like chocolate and vanilla, its owner told Lusa news agency today.

"Anything that you can eat or drink can be transformed into an ice cream," said Manuel Oliveira, who said he and his daughter would make all the flavoured ice creams without using any chemicals.

Read it here.

Pennsylvania Politics -- Savaging Casey

Last night Bob Casey finally went public in an attempt to quiet his liberal critics. It wasn't pretty.

At Franklin & Marshall College Casey took on his two liberal competitors, History professor Chuck Pennacchio and Philadelphia attorney Alan Sandels, in open debate. Casey, seeking to appeal to moderate voters whose votes he will need to beat Santorum, stressed his independence from Democrat Party leadership, promised to stay the course in Iraq, endorsed overturning Roe v. Wade, praised Samuel Alito, and generally approved of President Bush's tax cuts.

Not bad -- I'd vote for that. But these were college liberals he was speaking to.

Not surprisingly the other speakers took exception to each and every one of these positions. They (especially Pennacchio) hectored and patronized Casey throughout, branding him a coward for not standing up for Democrat principles. Sandal endorsed raising taxes on capital gains and dividends, Pennacchio demanded a single-payer health care system, strong environmental regulation of business, and a guaranteed income for the poor, all of which Casey opposes. Both opposed free trade which Casey supports. [Read about it here].

The debate highlighted the immense gulf between Casey and Pennsylvania's liberal establishment as well as the general agreement among Casey and Santorum [and for that matter, George Bush]. Casey outlined his differences with the incumbent:

1) no tax breaks for multimillionaires
2) raise the minimum wage
3) support consumers against big business
4) Santorum is a surrogate for the Bush administration

In other words -- no real differences on cultural or international issues; just a replay of thirty's style "soak the rich" rhetoric. Pretty small beer on which to run a campaign.

The exposure may well have cost Casey some critical support. The audience, packed with Pennacchio's supporters, was certainly hostile. [Read the Philly Daily News account here]. Casey's performance was so bad that the Daily News compared him to Al Gore and suggested that his double-digit lead over Santorum would probably disappear altogether unless he dramatically improved his public persona. [here] So savage were the attacks and so inept Casey's responses that the conservatives over at NRO's "Sixers" actually began to feel sorry for him. [here]

This has been the Santorum camp's biggest hope all along. They feel that Casey is a bit dim and that debates will expose his intellectual shortcomings, especially when contrasted with Santorum who is a bright guy and a sharp debater. Certainly Casey's performance in yesterday's liberal forum must encourage them. They are already demanding ten debates. Maybe they'll up the offfer to twenty.

Walking the Fields -- Part Two

Memo to self:

Walk more often and get a better camera.

As I began my walk home I saw a tractor sitting abandoned in a field. The road took me right past it and as I approached a truck drove up beside me, stopped and two men got out.

“Huh?”

I turned to face them. “Can I help you?” I asked.

“Naw,” the driver said, “we just came to get our tractor.”

I walked on and only later thought to wonder if it really was their tractor.

* * * * *

A bit further on, out of the corner of my eye I saw movement to the west along a line of trees. A large bird – a very large bird -- angled down and perched. I immediately headed toward it, fumbling for my camera and binoculars. Then it took off, scattering small birds in all directions. A few powerful wingstrokes and then it soared, circling high above the field I had just left.

There it was, an immature bald eagle – my first eagle of the season. Big and beautiful and slowly circling in the clear sky.

Desperately I angled for a good shot, but it was between me and the sun. I snapped off about forty shots, just hoping that one or two of them would come out. You see the results above.

I really do have to upgrade my camera.

Terrorism Strikes Home in Baghdad

If you read one thing this day, read this. Mohammed at Iraq the Model explains why he and Omar have not been blogging recently, and in the process illustrates both the pain and the glory of Iraq's struggle for freedom and explains just why we must win.

Read it -- it's important.

Walking the Fields -- Part One

“She Who Must Not Be Named” was away most of the day – one of those luncheon/shopping trips she and her girlfriends like to do. I had intended to go up to the top of Hawk Mountain, visit the wildlife sanctuary, and hike up to the north lookout taking some articles to read with me. I could get some much-needed exercise, catch up on my professional reading, and could count on spotters on the sanctuary staff to alert me if anything worth seeing appeared.

Well, with one thing or another I never got up to the sanctuary and didn’t finish reading all the articles either. It was one of those days. Late in the afternoon, feeling guilty, I decided to go walking near the base of the mountain. Maybe I would get lucky and see some raptors. At the least I would get some exercise [did I mention it was much needed?].

The weather was superb – warm with a good breeze, clear sky; an ideal day for birding [clear skies are good for solitary birding, a few scattered clouds are good for group watching because they provide convenient reference points when you are trying to tell someone just where to look to check out that bird you think you just saw]. I started down a country road, then turned off and walked through fields. The first hour was pretty dull – four crows, a turkey vulture [in the first picture above], and assorted robins, swallows, etc. I did get a few nice pictures of trees and flowers. Then I made the turn and started for home. [continued...]

Presidential Popularity and Gas Prices

I've suspected this for a long time. It's good to see someone actually digging out and running the figures. Bush's popularity tracks quite closely with gas prices, more so than with combat deaths in Iraq. I'd like to see the regressions, and some other factors thrown into the mix. Apparently someone in an econometrics course is doing them. Read about it here.

It makes sense that pain at the pump would be a bigger factor in Bush's unpopularity than anything going on in Iraq, and that Middle East policy should be perceived largely by the American public in terms of how it affects gas prices. Gas is a major expense for most American families and changes in driving habits implies important changes in how people live. Of course they are sensitive to that. This is the real problem with globalization. Interdependency makes us all dependent on things not only out of our control, but out of our government's control, too.

Oh This is Delicious

Democrats have been having a lot of fun over the fact that a Deputy Press Secretary of Homeland Security is a criminal pedophile. Accusations have been flying hither and yon about the ineptitude of the Bush administration in vetting their appointees. Well, the glee is premature. It turns out that the creep is a career civil servant, not a political appointment, formerly worked at Time Magazine, and is a long-time registered DEMOCRAT!

That dosn't stop Howard Dean from taking a few cheap shots though.

Read about it here.

A Very Brief History of Art, Starring Mr. Potato Head

Check it out here.

Pennsylvania Politics -- The Rickslayer

The Philadelphia City Paper has an in-depth piece on Bob Casey. Generally flattering, but when you boil it down to its essence it makes the point that aside from his pro-life position, Casey really hasn't taken a strong stand on much of anything. He is running on one thing -- the fact that he is the only Democrat who has a chance to beat Rick Santorum. He is the "Rickslayer." That's it, and that's all. And in this troubled year, that might just be enough.

Pennsylvania Politics -- Santorum's Money Edge

AP is reporting that Rick Santorum raised three million dollars in the first quarter of 2006. By contrast Bob Casey raised 2.2 million. The pro-abortion people seem to be taking their toll. Overall Santorum has raised about 16 million, which puts him in Ed Rendell's league. Casey has raised half that much, about 8 million overall.

Read it here.