Surprising sex scandal!

The surprise is: it doesn't involve a Republican nor a Conservative Christian. This time it is a dyed in the wool Demo.

Max Baucus.

Only my innate sense of fairness causes me to bring this to your attention.

that and the fact that I think that Congress is a criminal conspiracy by America's only native criminal class (as someone whose name I forget once said)

Fallout from the Appalachian Trail hike

Talking Points Memo is having a lot of fun with the catalog blurb from the Viking Press about a book written by Mark Sanford, nominal governor of South Carolina. This was written before Mark went hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Here's what Kurtz has to say:

Touting the book as "a conservative manifesto from one of the Republican Party's rising stars," the catalog anticipates "national publicity," "author tour," and "radio interview campaign."

Sanford would have explained through "personal" examples "how the GOP went astray over the last eight years." One can only imagine.

"Governor Sanford's down-to-earth voice and common sense principles will give conservative readers a much-needed sense of hope," the catalog promises.

I especially like that part about 'common sense principles'.

...and then, the Argentine Bombshell.

.

Peanuts

Remember that peanut butter plant in Georgia, the one that was shipping tainted peanut butter all over the country, even though its own tests showed the presence of salmonella.

It was much worse than we imagined.

So where was the FDA?

oh. right. government is the problem not the solution.

Iraq and an academic fiasco

Only my high respect for the decision making process in high ranking academic hires causes me to believe every word of this story: the America University of Iraq hired its chancellor without even checking out his past employment record:

The university’s lofty aspirations, as espoused on its Web site, make the selection of its first chancellor all the more puzzling. Owen Cargol, who took the helm at AU-Iraq in 2007 and resigned in late April of this year, had a checkered past that could have been revealed to university organizers with a simple Google search. The sexual harassment scandal that brought down Cargol at Northern Arizona University in 2001 was well publicized, in all of its explicit detail, but apparently never came to the attention of the U.S. officials who trusted Cargol to help reshape the Middle East.

Well, he did last a whole four months at that Arizona job (which, btw, paid $180k per annum).

I won't go into the nature of the scandal, since you can read them here. As for the mind numbing stupidity of the original hire as chancellor at Northern Arizona U, check this out.

I'll content myself with Cargol's own assessment of himself:

"I have overcome most, if not all, of my inhibitions and self-doubts. For sure, I am a rub-your-belly, grab-your-balls, give-you-a-hug, slap-your-back, pull-your-dick, squeeze-your-han, cheek-your-face, and pat-your-thigh kind of guy. I am optimistic, outgoing, physical, affectionate ... and sensual kind of guy.

I have said it over and over: anyone, and I mean any.one., who comes within the baleful shadow of the Bush administration ends up looking like a fool if not actively malevolent.


Well, there is an opening for a university administrator in Kurdistan if anyone is interested. I'd apply myself except that I don't think I can talk Carmen into living in an Islamic country in the middle of a civil war. And, I might not be what they are looking for anyway.

Goodling's Testimony - NOW I know what bothered me!

Ever since watching clips of the Monica Goodling's testimony about her amazing ability to hire and fire seasoned attorneys at the Dept of Justice I have been bothered by it. I thought she was such a "little-girl" lightweight from a rinky-dink law school that it was an offense that she even had a job in Washington, much less such a job. Now, after reading this article by Emily Bazelon and Dahlia Lithwick, I realize what it really was that was bothering me. It was a variation on an age old theme. See what you think.

Dept of Justice: Multiculturalism is at fault!

David Frum was a speechwriter for the Bush administration. Now he writes for, among others, The National Review. He has a fascinating take on the dust up over the Dept of Justice affair.
Here's the guts of it:

At this point in the attorney affair, it is difficult to avoid concluding:

1) regardless of the legalities, the White House and DoJ were engaged in activities that they believed would appear discreditable if exposed to full public view;

2) that they have told untruths in their effort to conceal the full truth of the matter;

and 3) that the Gonzales Justice Department was overstocked with inadequate people from the Attorney General himself on down.

He then goes on to claim that trying to find multicultural candidates was what drove DOJ to hire so many "inadequate people!!!"

A lot of brickbats have been tossed at the imperious and extravagant US Attorney for Minnesota, Rachel Paulose. Yes, she was in over her head - agreed. So why would anybody think it a good idea to promote an underqualified 34-year-old woman of South Asian ancestry to a highly visible job? Gee - you tell me. And this exercise can be repeated throughout the DoJ and indeed the whole Bush administration.

Not sure about you, but if I were a conservative of color, like Condi Rice, Colin Powell, or a host of others, I'd be a little insulted. Or, come to think of it, that most inadequate fellow, Alberto Gonzalez himself.