Democratic ingratitude for good intelligence work

Michael Gerson in the Washington Post on the Democrats' troubled relationship with the CIA:

To stanch the CIA's bleeding morale, Democrats have tried reassurance. President Obama, speaking at CIA headquarters, took the Fred Rogers approach: "Don't be discouraged that we have to acknowledge potentially we've made some mistakes. That's how we learn." Yes, children, hypocritical congressional investigations and foreign kangaroo courts are really our friends. House intelligence committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes sent a sympathy note to Langley: "In recent days, as the public debate regarding CIA's interrogation practices has raged, you have been very much in my thoughts." There should be a section at Hallmark for intelligence operatives unfairly accused of war crimes.

The only effective reassurance came from Panetta, who pointed out to Pelosi and others that the CIA actually keeps records of its congressional briefings. "Our contemporaneous records from September 2002," Panetta wrote, "indicate that CIA officers briefed truthfully on the interrogation of Abu Zubaida, describing 'the enhanced techniques that had been employed.' " A primary advocate of the "truth commission" has apparently misplaced her own supply.

Is there any precedent for a speaker of the House of Representatives seeking political shelter by blaming national security professionals? Or for a commander in chief exposing intelligence methods at the urging of the American Civil Liberties Union? Actually, such treatment has precedents. In 1975, the Church Committee nearly destroyed the human intelligence capabilities of the CIA. In the early 1990s, Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan urged closing the agency entirely. The Clinton administration imposed massive budget cuts, leaving behind a demoralized institution.

And now Obama has described the post-Sept. 11 period as "a dark and painful chapter in our history." In fact, whatever your view of waterboarding, the response of intelligence professionals following Sept. 11 was impressive. Within days, the CIA had linked up with the Northern Alliance in Afghanistan and begun preparations to remove the Taliban. The counterterrorism center run of out CIA headquarters was the war on terror in the months after the attacks, making daily progress in capturing high-value targets. Now the president and his party have done much to tarnish those accomplishments. So much for the thanks of a grateful nation.

I guess the days of fawning articles and Vanity Fair covers are over now that the Democrats no longer need the CIA to club President Bush. Unfortunately, the Democrats have reverted to form.

I am both impressed and humbled

The Washington Post's "The Fix" listed the best political blogs for each state. Wisconsin (which actually has a really good reputation for political blogging nationally) has six entries. The Wigderson Library & Pub is proud to be on the list.

The others are (in no particular order):
Eye on Wisconsin
WPRI
Badger Blogger
Lakeshore Laments
Boots and Sabers

I think the quality of the readers and the commenters contributes to this blog's reputation, and I thank you for your continued support and readership.

Dana Milbank's nasty little propaganda piece

If Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank is wondering why "journalists" are so unpopular at Governor Palin events, maybe Milbank should re-read his attack piece on Governor Palin.  Milbank, perhaps upset at the reception a few journalists received at the recent event, purposely inserted quotes from unstable people in the audience in an effort to link in the mind of the reader their remarks to what Palin said.  It's crude propaganda, unfortunately effective because he has the good name of the Washington Post backing him.

What is especially frustrating about Milbank's hit piece is how little actual connection exists between Palin and the couple of anonymous cranks in her audience while the media either ignores or badly attempts to explain away Senator Obama's relationship with the violent radical Bill Ayers.

Update! I wonder what Dana Milbank and those that are aghast at the remarks of a couple of cranks at a campaign stop think of something like this? Would this constitute Palin hatred fostered by Obama? And should the Secret Service get involved?

Cowboys vs Redskins preview

The Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys are the greatest rivals in the history of the NFL, and it is one of the best rivalries in all of sports.  The rivalry famously began when the owner of the Redskins tried to block the formation of the Dallas Cowboys.  Clint Murchison, the first Dallas Cowboys owner, acquired the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" and then told the Redskins ownership they would not be allowed to play their fight song at games.  Thus a franchise, and a heated rivalry, was born.

The Washington Times' Redskins preview is a fun read this morning - if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan.  The Washington Times rates the Cowboys the Redskins' superior on offense, defense and special teams.

The Dallas Morning News has the top 5 games in the history of the rivalry.  Hard to argue with number 1.

1. Captain Comeback

Cowboys 35, Redskins 34, Dec. 16, 1979

In what is considered one of the great games in NFL history, Roger Staubach rallied his team from a 34-21 deficit in the fourth quarter to clinch the NFC East title.

The Cowboys scored 21 consecutive points to take a 21-17 lead. But Washington came right back to lead, 34-21.

No problem for The Captain, who found receiver Tony Hill for an 8-yard touchdown pass with 39 seconds left.

When the day was over, defensive end Harvey Martin threw a funeral wreath in the Redskins locker room.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the story of Tom Landry's final win as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Tom Landry’s 250th NFL regular-season victory also was his last.

It came Dec. 11, 1988, at Washington. The Dallas Cowboys brought a 10-game losing streak into RFK Stadium. Only their pride was at stake that day.

The Redskins were a different story. They were the defending Super Bowl champs who desperately needed to win this game, which ultimately came down to a Michael Downs deflection of a fourth-down Doug Williams pass in the end zone.

It was a doubly great day for Cowboys fans. Their team got a rare win 24-17, and the Redskins were mathematically eliminated from the playoff picture.

This is the final game between the two rivals at Texas Stadium.  Joe Theismann told the Washington Post:

"What I'll remember," the former Washington Redskins quarterback said last week, "is just how stupid that hole in the roof looked while I was lying on the turf."

The mouth that roared

 The Washington Post looks at the quotable Joe Biden and wonders if Obama is taking a big risk.

...there is no question that his tendency to shoot from the lip worries some in Obama world. As one Democratic consultant put it: "You know there will be three days in the campaign where someone in Chicago will get a call and respond -- 'What did you say he said?'"

Update! Charlie Sykes has a round-up of reaction to Senator Biden's foot-in-mouth disease.

Let's not get too excited

The Washington Post and others are reporting on the good deal Senator Barack Obama got on his mortgage when he purchased his home. What makes this story different from the Dodd and Conrad mortgage deals is that the Washington Post is not reporting that Obama received any special favor, nor was he on any special client list for the bank due to his role in the US Senate. I'm going to agree with Jay Bullock in the center square and say this really isn't that big of a story.

Those hoping for a scandal are just going to have to admit that Senator Obama wasn't important enough of a Senator to have attracted that kind of favoritism. Maybe if had some experience or accomplishments in the US Senate, or even a reputation, he too could have earned the special Senate Democrat mortage loan discount.

So the real scandal of Senator Obama's opulent residence remains the shady circumstances that he was able to enlarge the size of his mansion's property with the help of convicted felon Tony Rezko. As the Washington Post notes at the end of their non-story:

Obama's house purchase has been a source of controversy. In 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that on the day of the closing, the wife of Obama's longtime friend and fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko closed on an adjoining lot that had been the estate's side yard.

The Obamas bought the house for $300,000 less than the asking price of $1.95 million, while Rezko's wife, Rita, bought the neighboring lot for the full asking price of $625,000. Rita Rezko later sold a portion of the undeveloped lot to the Obamas, enlarging the senator's yard.

Tony Rezko already had been linked to a grand jury investigation involving public corruption. Last month, he was convicted of 16 counts in an influence-peddling scheme that reached the highest levels of Illinois state government.

Michigan and Florida bloggers need not apply?

Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post is reporting on the Democratic National Committee's "embedding" of bloggers with the state delegations at their national convention.

Democrats will embed a single state-based political blogger with each delegation at its national convention later this summer, the latest sign of the courting of the burgeoning blogosphere by both political parties.

"The Internet is the most significant tool for building democracy since the invention of the printing press," said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean in a release from the convention committee.

The selection process began in November when the Democratic National Convention Committee began soliciting applications from bloggers for the coveted slots. It ends on April 15 when the picks are made. The selected bloggers will sit with their respective delegations on the floor of the convention and, in theory, offer real-time perspective on the goings-on.

Sounds more like to me a way to discourage bloggers from signing up for press credentials. However, if the convention becomes a battleground, the liberal blogs at the state level could make for some interesting reading.