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Michael Ramirez on Bill Clinton, Pardons, Hypocrisy and Scooter Libby
Clintons accused of ‘hypocrisy’
President Bush commuted the jail term of Lewis “Scooter” Libby, convicted over a CIA-leak case, on Monday.
White House spokesman Tony Snow accused the Clintons of “chutzpah” – Yiddish for brashness – in criticising Mr Bush.
President Clinton issued 140 pardons on his final day in office, including one for fugitive financier Marc Rich.
Mr Bush commuted the 30-month prison sentence but left in place a $250,000 (£124,000) fine, which Libby paid on Thursday, and a two-year “supervised release”, or probation, period. He has refused to rule out a full pardon for Libby.
The White House’s accusation of hypocrisy against the former president and first lady followed a radio interview in which Mr Clinton said the Bush administration viewed the law as a “minor obstacle”.
Mr Clinton, from the state of Arkansas, also rejected comparisons with his own controversial granting of pardons, saying “the facts were different”.
Mrs Clinton, a Democratic contender for the presidential elections in 2008, in turn accused the administration of having “elevated cronyism over the rule of law”.
White House spokesman Tony Snow responded: “I don’t know what the Arkansan is for chutzpah, but this is a gigantic case of it.”
He then referred critics to Mr Clinton’s pardons on the last day of his presidency, 20 January, 2001.
Oh the Hypocrisy……………
This issue with pardons is going to bite Bill and Hillary in the ass again as the race for 2008 heats up.
Previous:
Michael Ramirez on John Edwards and the UK Terrorist Bombings
Michael Ramirez on the Apple iPhone
Michael Ramirez on Cameron Diaz and Other DumbASS Celebrities
Michael Ramirez on Iran and the Spread of Islamic Extremism
Michael Ramirez on Hamas and the Destruction of the Palestinian State
Michael Ramirez on Paris Hilton AND Illegal Immigration
Michael Ramirez on Democrat Representative William Jefferson
Technorati Tags: Michael RamirezBill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W Bush, Marc Rich
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NSA Surveillance Watch: US Appeals Court Throws Out Ruling – OKs Bush Domestic Surveillance Program
The National Security Agency (NSA) logo is shown on a computer screen inside the Threat Operations Center at the NSA in Fort Meade, Maryland, January 25, 2006.
US appeals court throws out ruling against eavesdropping
A US federal appeals court on Friday rejected a legal challenge to the US government’s domestic eavesdropping program, launched in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.The ruling allowed President George W. Bush’s administration to continue its controversial program of wartime spying on communications between US and foreign locations in suspected terror cases without first seeking a warrant.
Striking down a lower court’s order, the appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, said the plaintiffs should not have won an injunction against the National Security Agency’s surveillance program because they failed to show that they were personally affected by it.
The two judges deciding against the plaintiffs did not rule, however, on the legality of the controversial program, known as the Terrorist Surveillance Program, or TSP.
“Because we cannot find that any of the plaintiffs have standing for any of their claims, we must vacate the district court’s order and remand for dismissal of the entire action,” wrote Judge Alice Batchelder.
Ann Beeson, the American Civil Liberties Union’s associate legal director and the lead attorney for the plaintiffs challenging the government’s wiretapping policy, addresses the media in Detroit, in this June 12, 2006, file photo. A federal judge ruled Thursday, Aug. 17, 2006 that the government’s warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency’s program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy.
Everyone agreed the plaintiffs had no standing and could not proceed with this injunction. But this did not deter the left wing judge, Anna Diggs Taylor from Detroit from making an absurd ruling.
But, then again, we knew the US Court of Appeals would reverse her.
Federal Judge Anna Diggs Taylor
The surveillance program permitted the security agency to intercept e-mails and telephone conversations between the United States and terror suspects abroad.
“We have to have a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of Al-Qaeda, affiliated with Al-Qaeda, or a member of an organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda, or working in support of Al-Qaeda,” Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez said of the program in 2005.
But in August 2006, a district court judge in Detroit, Michigan imposed an injunction against the program, arguing that Bush had overstepped his authority. Her ruling was suspended while it was under appeal.
The US Department of Justice welcomed the ruling, saying it protected “a vital intelligence program that helped detect and prevent terrorist attacks,” according to spokesman Brian Roehrkasse.
Lawyers, journalists and professors represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had argued that their communications risked being eavesdropped on because they were in frequent contact with people in the Middle East.
However, Friday’s ruling noted that “the plaintiffs do not allege as injury that they … anticipate or fear any form of direct reprisal by the government, such as criminal prosecution, deportation, administrative inquiry, civil litigation, or even public exposure.”In addition, the plaintiffs were unable to prove that any of them had “actually been wiretapped,” and any declaration of injury was therefore “too speculative,” the ruling said.
The plaintiffs “allege only a subjective apprehension and a personal (self-imposed) unwillingness to communicate.”
The ACLU said they were disappointed.
But, this court ruling puts a damper on those subpoenas issued by the Democrat Congress to Vice President Dick Cheney over this very program.
Stay tuned…..
Others Blogging:
SCOTUSBlog: Circuit Court bars challenge to NSA spying
Volokh: Plaintiffs Lack Standing to Challenge NSA Surveillance
Captain’s Quarters: Court Reverses Anna Diggs Taylor
Powerline: Reversal in the NSA surveillance case
Flopping Aces
The American Mind
Sister Toldjah
Macsmind
Previous:NSA Surveillance Watch: Judge Orders Halt to NSA Surveillance Program
NSA Surveillance Watch: Mark Steyn – “To Connect the Dots, You Have to See the Dotsâ€
NSA Surveillance Watch: President Bush Defends Scope of NSA Surveillance
NSA Surveillance Watch: NSA’s Telephone Data Collection and Analysis Program – Is It LEGAL?
NSA Surveillance Watch: NSA Has Massive Database of Americans’ Phone Calls
NSA Surveillance Watch: Senate Intelligence Committee Decides NOT to Pursue Investigation
NSA Surveillance Watch: Congressional Probe of NSA Surveilance Is in Doubt
NSA Surveillance Watch: Specter Skeptical of Domestic Spy Program
NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Testify
NSA Surveillance Watch: AP Poll- Most Say U.S. Needs Warrant to Snoop? – RECYCLED
NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: Vice President Cheney Strongly Defends Eavesdropping Operation
Cox & Forkum: One Man’s Whistleblower
Global War on Terror Watch: Why the NSA Monitors Communications of Al-Qaida
NSA Surveillance Leak Case Watch: President Bush Defends NSA SurveillanceNSA Leak Case Watch: New York Times’ Reporter James Risen
NSA Leak Case Watch: Justice Deptartment Probing Domestic Spying Leak
NSA Surveillance Watch: President Had Legal Authority to OK Taps
NSA Surveillance Watch: Calls for Congressional Hearings
Technorati Tags: National Security Agency, NSA, Anna Diggs Taylor, Warrantless Surveillance
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UK Terror Watch: Dr Bilal Abdullah Charged in Glasgow Car Bombings
Dr. Bilal Abdulla arrested at the Glasgow Airport bombing
Dr. Bilal Talal Abdul Samad Abdulla, an Iraqi from Baghdad who arrived in the UK in April 2006. Dr. Bilal Abdulla has been transferred to Paddington Green high-security prison in London as the investigation continues
Man charged with London and Glasgow bomb plots
Iraqi doctor Bilal Abdullah tonight became the first person to be charged over the London and Glasgow car bomb attacks.
Abdullah, who was arrested after a flaming Jeep was driven into the doors of the arrivals hall of Glasgow Airport on Saturday, will appear before magistrates in Westminster, central London, tomorrow.
He was charged tonight with conspiring to cause explosions, Scotland Yard said.
Abdullah, 27, was working as a doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Scotland, before his arrest.
He was transferred to London’s Paddington Green police station for questioning before being charged tonight on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
Two trainee doctors, aged 25 and 28, arrested at the same hospital, are among a total of seven people to have been arrested in the UK over the plot.
Send him away for a life term.
He and his Al Qaeda cohorts will wish they would have chosen self-detonation rather than cell phone remote detonation after their Muslim friends get a hold of them in a British prison.
Didn’t they want to martyr themselves?
The CPS said Abdullah was being charged under 1883 Explosive Substances Act.
The charge, which covers a period from January 1 to July 1 this year, alleges that he “unlawfully and maliciously conspired with others to cause explosions of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to property in the United Kingdom”.
It carries a maximum sentence of life.
Abdullah wont last that long……
Previous:
UK Terror Watch: What’s in A Name?
UK Terror Watch: 45 Muslim Doctors Planned USA Terror
UK Terror Watch: Well, That Didn’t Work Out So Great
UK Terror Watch: London Car Bombs Failed Because of Medical Syringe
Terror in London Watch: Police Have Crystal Clear Image of Car Bomber
Technorati Tags: London, Global War on Terror, United KingdomGordon Brown, Tony Blair, Glasgow, Al Qaeda
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Technorati Watch:Technorati Favorites Exchange
Flap is a little late to this game but here goes:
Instructions for Blog Popularity shares the Ultimate Technorati Favorites Exchange, an ongoing experiment began by Dosh Dosh.
In a nutshell, here is how to do it:
1. Add me to your Technorati Favorites. Just click this button here
2. Create your own post, in your own words about this favorites exchange, copying the table below if you wish, making sure to add your information to the table. See Dosh Dosh’s blog for more ideas of what you might write. Then return to this blog.
3. Leave a comment on this post so I can add you to my faves and to the table below. In your comment, make it easy for me and give me that anchor text and link to your Technorati Favorites blog post with your Technorati button so that I can just copy and paste you into the table below. Also tell me your Technorati username so I can find you. I will then add you as one of my favorites. My Technorati username is fullosseousflap. It will appear in the list of those who have made you their Favorite at your Technorati account.
To facilitate easier Fave-making, Amy has made a chart with the current list of participants with buttons that allow you to add each one to your favorites of Technorati without having to visit each individual page. After adding each to your favorites, then visit each site individually and add your comment with a link to your Technorati Favorites blog post and your Technorati username.
All are welcome to copy this table and use it for your own sites, as long as you keep the attribution in the footer of the table. Just drop Amy a line if you would like to be added to the table of if your linking info in the table is incorrect.
1. GarryConn.com – Garry Conn 2. MrGaryLee.com – Gary Lee 3. AskaX World – Andika Kusuma 4. T Jantunen.com – T Jantunen 5. CalvinWarr.com – Calvin Warr 6. Vinod Live! – Vinod Ponmanadiyil 7. Bil2me dot com – William Toomey 8. Zath – Simon Barker 9. VersaCreations – Vivienne Quek 10. Azazil.net – Gary V. Vaughan 11. Blogging for Money – Michael A. Setyaputra 12. Money Consciousness – Nenad 13. Brown Thoughts – Brown Baron 14. Quasi Fictional – Diogenes 15. Foreign Perspectives – Arnold 16. Home Based Business – Brian Pratt 17. The Million Dollar Experiment Down Under – Rob St George 18. Sexy in Red – Norlina 19. JameoTips – ValkrieAngel 20. I Thought Therefore I Blog – Bet Shop Boys 21. Make Money Online: Quick n’ Easy Way – EJ Cooksey 22. MLM Forums online marketing blog – Jens P. Berget 23. Ramblings of an Undisturbed Mind – Beth 24. QMusings – Mrs Q 25. NiaTrading Signals – Alex 3071 26. BlogOp – Chris Lodge 27. Technospot.net – Ashish Mohta 28. ContentPays.info – Yogesh 29. Shadow Scope – Richard 30. TechJunction – Netbizopp 31. Genius Type – Brian Lee 32. FrugalMomma – Lisa Knight 33. Life Spices – Indra 34. Living Your Dreams – Lee Tuck Sing 35. My Online Collections – star500k 36. How to Earn Money Blogging – Daryl Lau 37. Pentimento – Webduck 38. Article Discovery Politics – David Greene 39. Rugjeff’s Blog about Blogging – Rugjeff 40. Lack of Money is the Root of All Evil – Kakashihatake 41. Digital Phocus – Brendan Monaghan 42. Digital Information Technology – Atul Dogra 43. Inklings: The Copywriter’s Blog – Walter Burek 44. Gauravonomics – Gaurav 45. Internet Serious Business – The Troll 46. Romance Tracker – Phil Van Treuren 47. Genus_Loci – John 48. KylesCove.com – Kyle Eslick 49. Msdanielle.com – Danielle 50. Bubba Stuff – Sandee Leong 51. Syaf the Geek – Syafrizal Abu Mansor 52. Manila Mom – Maia Jose 53. Can’t Coach That – Coach McGee 54. UrgentClick – Andy 55. Dannydang.com – Danny Dang 56. Blog About Money Online – Alex Bamo 57. The Pond – Karen 58. Untwisted Vortex – RT Cunningham 60. The Rojak Blog – Ap0gEE 61. eJabs.com – Matthew Jabs 62. Life Rocks! 2.0 – Nirmal T V 63. Life in the Fast Lane – Deborah 64. Dummies Guide to Google Blogger Beta – Vin 65. Army Mum: New Jersey – Charlotte 66. Home Office Women – Doris 67. Wampago – Chris 68. EmpowerWomenNow.com – Ponn M. Sabra 69. Bigfoot Sightings – Linda Martin 70. Online Business News – Tammy Ames 71. Tricia’s Musings – Tricia 72. Blog Fyais – iszo 73. ShanKri-La – Karthik Ramadoss 74. The anitokid chronikos – Anitokid 75. Random Expressions – Deepak Jeswal 76. Keeping Fit is A Daily Battle – Nash Trout 77. Magical Rose Garden – Magical Rose Garden 78. Revvi::blog – Revvi Sudirnoputra 79. Skeet’s Stuff – Skeet 80. Tech Lock Rahul – Rahul 81. Anja Merret – Anja Merret 82. Rishiraj – Rishi 83. ::Under the Rainbow:: – [s][e][x][y][i][n][r][e][d] 84. //Engtech – Engtech 85. Mom Gadget – Gayla McCord 86. Planet Apex – Planet Apex 87. Captain Picard’s Journal – Jean Luc Picard 88. Table4Five – Elizabeth 89. Computer Mobile Corner – Santa 91. Sizlopedia – Sizlopedia 92. Mother’s Home – Stine 93. Dox – Rahul 94. iReview – iReview 95. My Life – Clsyee 96. My Journey to One Million Dollars – Laura 97. Ordinary Folk – Mike 98. AndyBeard.eu – Andy Beard 99. TechnoDiary – Sahil Gupta 100. SEO Blog at Pixnet – SEO Blog at Pixnet 101. SMO Blog – Mark Blair 102. My Life My Story –My Passion – Yong Kai Loon 103. My Affiliate Journey – Vlad 104. Real Amber – Real Amber 105. Me and My Net – Anoop Kumar Singh 106. Klamath Design – Linda 107. Homemaker Diary – MQ 108. The Blog Columnist – The Blog Columnist 109. Six Degrees of Inspiration – Nicholas Kister 110. Internet Marketing – Schee 111. Vacilamos! – Ari 112. Mr & Mrs Imran – Mr and Mrs Imran 113. Mina’s Musings – Mina 114. Panda Cube – Aki Jinn 115. Lifecruiser – Lifecruiser 116. SMS Today – SMS Today 117. Creative Design – David Airey 118. Jon Lee dot see eh – Jon Lee 119. Nukilan Jejari Azhad – Shaz Azhad 120. (exceptional) work.com – Jon 121. Arts & Stuff – Susan Borges 122. Sapphire Knight – Sapphire Knight 133. Shakeroo’s Gold – Shakeroo 134. The Making of an Internet Entrepreneur – Maria 135. Domestic Divapalooza – Angela Llewellyn Stevens 136. Business Sanity – Susan Martin 137. The Thinking Blog – Ilker Yoldas 138. TechChee.com – ketyung 139. TechLivez.com – Tech Livez 140. Ms Latina Renee Enterprise – Latina Renee 141. Design Adaptations – Charity Ondriezek 142. Online Diary – Venu 143. Square Cookies – Square Cookies 144. Sleeping Princess – Jocelyn 145. Shankar’s Tech Blog 2.0 – Shankar 146. Diet Recipe for Everyday – Cherry 147. Technacular – Vikas Sah 148. Kabatology – Kabatology 149. Filipino Entrepreneur – Manolito 150. Intensive Care for the Nurtured Soul – Hueina Su 151. The Reviewer – The Reviewer 152. IndiaPR Blog – hobbithob 153. Show me the Money – Gerri 154. Blue Sky Brothers – Greg Meares 155. Reality Wired – James 156. A Blogspate – Juliet Pain 157. Mom Of Many Redheads – Amy Mc 158. JesterTunes – Jester Table designed by the makers of Doodlebuckets.com and AskMama! Web Directory
Technorati Tags: Technorati, Technorati Favorites
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Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Fading Latino Star – Another Alleged Affair Leaves Questions
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa arrives for a news conference about his relationship with Telemundo newscaster Mirthala Salinas. He was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion to attend the swearing-in ceremony for the Los Angeles school board.
A Latino star shines less brightly
His career may survive, but many are disappointed by Villaraigosa’s involvement in scandal
Felipe Mares groped for words Thursday morning as he tried to explain his complicated feelings about the mayor he voted for with such high hopes just two years ago.
“I feel like a kid. I’m confused,” said the Boyle Heights jewelry store owner, lamenting recent revelations of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s affair with a Telemundo newscaster.
Villaraigosa is “a person in a very important position,” Mares said. “I think it’s embarrassing. It’s not supposed to be like that. He’s supposed to be pro-family.”
Over the last decade, the city’s government has finally started to reflect its demographics. Los Angeles, with a Latino population of nearly 50%, has a city attorney named Rocky Delgadillo and a City Council on which five of 15 members are of Mexican descent.
But the telegenic Villaraigosa, one of the highest-profile Latino politicians in America and a likely future candidate for governor, has been the undisputed star. Shortly after his election as the first Latino mayor of modern Los Angeles, he made the cover of Newsweek, with the headline: “Latino Power.” Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton bragged in May when she snared his endorsement.
Villaraigosa and Salinas wait out a pause in filming on the north steps of the state Capitol. Salinas is now a news anchor on Telemundo 52, June 19, 2006.
Flap wonders if Latino and Democrat leaders would be more nonplussed if the rumours sweeping Los Angeles are true:
Mayor Antonio Villaragiosa’s affair with Mirthala Salinas was disclosed by Salinas herself because Mayor Villaraigosa was having an affair with another woman – unnamed Korean female developer.
The story goes that the “girlfriend” of a particular member of the City Council has “disclosed” that it was none other than Mirthala Salinas herself who allegedly leaked news of the affair she was having with the Mayor. Salinas’ motivation? The Mayor had allegedly already moved on to a new relationship with an unnamed Korean female developer – and as they say “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” (One of our readers posted a similar claim.)
And apparently it was the rumored relationship with the developer – and not necessarily Salinas – that was the final straw for Corina Raigosa, prompting her to file for divorce.
Yesterday various political consultants apologized for Hizzoner and said he reamained politically viable for the California Governorship.
Flap doesn’t think so.
Mayor Villaraigosa is DONE – PUT A FORK IN HIM.
Mirthala Salinas, a Telemundo newswoman, interviews L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the state Capitol on June 21, 2006. Villaraigosa has now acknowledged that he has “a relationship†with Salinas.
Related:
TV anchor put on leave while ethics studied
Previous:
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Mirthala Salinas Placed on Leave by Telemundo
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: Still A Contender for California Governor in 2008?
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Watch: The End of a Political Career
Technorati Tags: Antonio Villaraigosa, Mirthala Salinas, Telemundo Fabian Nunez
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Day By Day by Chris Muir July 6, 2007