Sunday, October 28, 2001, 3PM EST  -- WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (APJP) -- Team Smirk is taking a hammering from all sides -- even their usually all-too-sycophantic cheerleaders.  Our editors were guffawing out loud at right-wing queen of spin Andrea Peyser's withering editorial describing the details of how Little George's team mishandled the anthrax crisis and the war on terrorism.  Talk about "with friends like these" situations!

So Andy Card, His Dumbness's chief of staff, made the rounds of the talk shows along with Secretary of War Don "Dr. Strangelove" Rumsfeld, hoping to reverse the defensive position they found themselves in at air time.

Their big spin point: "This is a war against terrorism which requires patience."  

The other big spin was an unwelcome and embarrassing comment early in the week by Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, who actually called the latest campaign for more tax cuts "show business."  Now members of the Shrub Club are counterspinning ;louder than Ethel Mermen.  Did they carry it off? Read on...

This Weak
Strange-feld on defense

In the voice-over for the This Weak's opening teaser, Sam Donaldson made much of the "war on two fronts" (a theme we would hear repeated numerous times this pundit Sunday) and the growing perception that the shooting war in Afghanistan is sputtering.  

Before the guests could peddle their spin, ABC correspondent Brian Ross did a brief piece from New York on the anthrax crisis -- including news of yesterday's closing of a Princeton, New Jersey post office after a trace of anthrax (what Ross described as "one spore") was found, and a leak from scientists claiming they found chemicals that are "trademarks" of Iraqi anthrax.

Huh?  Might they also be used to create more lethal airborne germs by US labs also?

And Sam fired the first question at guest "Dandy" Don Rumsfeld: "Is the war just not going as you hoped it would?"  Rumsfeld tried his very best to be reassuring: the campaign is only three weeks old, we're getting better intelligence, and the pressure is on bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

Sam asked if the military was helping Abdul Haq (note that Sam asked about the military).  Rumsfeld said he requested and received assistance from "another element" of the US government (i.e. not the military -- can anyone say CIA?).

Cokie Roberts then quoted a prior pessimistic assessment of dealing with bin Laden -- but also played up statements that bin Laden is the problem.  Rumsfeld called Cokie on her selective quoting -- the problem, he said, is terrorism, and if Osama disappeared, terrorism and terrorist networks would not go away.  He practically sounded like he was chiding Cokie when he pointed out that thousands of Americans were dead and that the war is on terrorism, not Osama personally.  This was not the first time we would see Rumsfeld bristle this weekend -- His Fraudulence's ambassadors to the "free press" were a bit prickly this weekend, certainly not comfortable with even the gentle grilling they were getting.

One can only imagine how these same press stooges would have handled Gore's staff were the president-elect rightly in power rather than this appointed, pathetic usurper.  It's almost a certainty that the press would be calling for heads, including that of Gore himself -- that is, if the events of September 11th would have happened under Gore (which we doubt).

So, asked Sam, why not roll out massive ground troops now?  Rumsfeld cryptically said that ground troops "have not been ruled out." Ooooh.

Sam: "But you're not saying they are going in soon."

Rumsfeld: "That would not be wise of me."

Translation: "That was a stupid question, Sam, and you knew damned well I wouldn't answer.  Gimme a question so I can put up some cover for Bush Baby before he looks weaker, stupider and lamer than he already is -- that's SUPPOSED to be your job!"

What about the timetable, asked Cokie -- adding that Pakistani strongman Pervaz Musharraf used a word associated with Vietnam: "quagmire".  Rumsfeld could only say that everyone wants this over, and that there are different coalitions focusing on different elements of the war on terrorism, again pushing the spin that "there is no single coalition."

Cokie: "So if Pakistan pulls out that's going to be OK?"

Rumsfeld: "Pakistan is not going to be pull out... [Musharraf] is in a very difficult situation."

Translation: "We've got him over a barrel -- he's damned if he does, more damned if he doesn't!"

When Cokie asked about the Arab world and Iraq, this gave Rumsfeld a chance to slam Iraq as a "state sponsor of terrorism."  Cokie decided to probe a bit about alleged "evidence" that the anthrax came from Iraq -- ignoring evidence gathered by others in the press that the anthrax might well be from a US military lab and distributed by Neo-Nazis.  Rumsfeld gave the boilerplate "bring 'em to justice" answer before he launched into an attack on Saddam and reiterated that "the president has said this is a war against terrorism."

There it was again: "This is a war against terrorism [i.e. this requires patience]."  Rummy was stuck peddling the same spin point -- one that also seeks to prop up notions that the president somehow has the incipient smarts to declare and fight a war against vaguely defined enemies.  This mantra-like sound bite of the week seemed to be the fallback position every time a line of questioning seemed to be leaning in the direction of making Team Smirk look like bunglers.

Rumsfeld next slammed Al Jazeera for acting as a sort of message board for Al Qaeda -- ignoring the fact that the network has close ties to America's diplomatic and intelligence communities, and has been used to aggressively push the American point of view.  Such a slam undercuts others in the administration who are going out of their way to keep relations between America and  the majority of Arab and Islamic nations friendly and cooperative.

The final question from Cokie: have you been tested for Anthrax?  No, chuckled Rummy.

With the Don-meister finished -- and with the next guests all "health experts" (please -- we watch these shows for political spin and lies, not medical updates), we decided to do slum a little, grabbed the remote, and went to our favorite low-rent station -- from the network that brings you Temptation Island and Who Wants to Get an Annullment from a Multi-Millionaire, we tuned to...

FAUX News Spin-Day

And wouldn't you know it!  There was Bush's "Chief of Stiff", Andy Card, essentially saying that nobody in the press has any business speculating over what the CIA does and knows (we're so reassured that Card wants to restore the tradition of an unaccountable, rogue CIA), then trying to make us believe that Shrub is a great leader -- he talked about how Chimp Boy gets up early, works hard, exercises every day, and is an in-charge guy -- these days, with a lot more vigor.

What a riot!  You NEVER saw Clinton's spin-meisters having to claim that Clinton was up in charge or intelligent -- let alone competent or up to the job of the presidency without being propped up by Uncle Dick and Condi Rice.  Card didn't intend to, but the "All is well, we're in good hands, don't panic" message in his spin stuck out like a Texas smirk.  Hell, the fact that His Fraudulence's people have to tell us not to panic is enough to make any thinking man worry.

Tony Snow's next guest was Sen. John Kerry (D-MA); Tony asked Kerry whether the right targets had been picked.  Kerry said that being careful in targeting is a critical element of the war -- especially with thousands of Pakistanis wanting to go to "holy war" against America.  There have been major bungles, he said (wow! at least someone is admitting it) -- but we have to take out Al Qaeda aggressively.  Brit Hume answered his own question when he said Kerry was making a big thing about civilian casualties and not targeting Al Qaeda aggressively.  Kerry reminded chicken-hawk Hume that he spoke from experience (a reminder that he's an actual Vietnam vet, unlike George the Lesser) -- and images of civilian targets are being used against us, so it makes sense to target only military facilities and helping the Northern Alliance take Maz-al-Sharif.  Additionally, Kerry said that humanitarian assistance is moving more smoothly.

Mara asked if Kerry agrees with Jim Woolsey, former CIA boss, that we have to prepare to fight Iraq.  Kerry said no in the short term, but in the long term we have to "remain focused on Iraq" (translation -- stay quiet and keep your powder dry, Mara; war with Iraq is good for FAUX News ratings but ill-advised now).  Mara wouldn't let go -- she said there's been a lot of talk in the alliance about Iraq.  Kerry reminded her again that these things take time -- and now the US is in a strong position to work with the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council (the "top five"); inviting a war complicates the present campaign against Al Qaeda.

Juan asked about a possible compromise on the airline security bill, but never pointed out that Smirk and his House pals want to stick with failed privatization.  Kerry walked on eggshells, talking about more aggressive screening, and a perception in the country that we can do better; after all, we don't give presidential security to the lowest bidder.  Kerry wants accountability, training and supervision.

What Kerry should have come out and said was, "The deaths of thousands of Americans is in part the fruit of rampant and incompetent privatization -- the selling out of YOUR safety to the lowest bidder."

Tony said the bogus POTUS wants a tax cut.  Kerry said that even conservative economists scoff at this move (he should have explained why) -- and a big tax giveback to business won't stimulate the economy.  Kerry slammed companies going "on the cheap" -- and specifically Rep. Dick "Dick" Armey (R-Bush Puppet) who opposes unionized airline security, yet IGNORES the fact that such unions would be BANNED from striking.

Next up -- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Perjurer and Liar).  He said that Europe instituted government screeners about ten years ago then scrapped it  (not entirely, Tom -- but then, you've never been known for your honesty), and said that privatization is the cure (for passenger safety, as we have seen)!  DeLay praised Israeli security, and slammed the Senate for going against "the president's wishes".

Ha, ha, ha -- in our book, that's MORE than enough justification for the Senate's action -- opposing a weak and stupid man who can't get a grip on simple issues without a tutor.

DeLay likes the idea of pilots with guns (i.e. the danger of depressurizing a passenger cabin or blowing up a fuel tank).  DeLay LIED and said Kerry claimed it is not safe to fly and that Democrats are out to "nationalize" airline security -- yet NEVER supported the previous assertion and FAILED to admit that that is exactly what most flyers want.

In another demonstration of how out of touch with reality DeLay is, he immediately lit into criticism of tax cuts as "class warfare" -- but backtracked when Tony said that even Treasury Tin-man Paul O'Neill doesn't like the idea.  Tony acted as pitch-man for Lindsey Graham's utterly stupid idea that would strong-arm states into dropping their sales taxes during the holiday season -- at a time when those revenues are so sorely needed.

Tony asked DeLay about the shutdown -- and criticism of House members as "wimps." DeLay, of course, blamed the media (which is pretty funny, when you consider that the right-wing New York Post was the paper to run the "WIMPS" headline when the House tucked tail and fled Washington) -- and said that he had a responsibility to his staff.

What about the government's responsibility to letter carriers, DeLay?  Or have you been paid off by the credit card lobby too?

DeLay, for about the hundredth time, said he would "support the president" on some other issue, not "tell the president what to do as the Senate does."

But, Tom, what's wrong with that?  Condi Rice, Andy Card, Uncle Dick Cheney and Dr. Strange-feld tell His Chimp-ness what to do all the time!

Panel time! Brit Hume blasted people who are even saying there are civilian casualties in Afghanistan and the bombing campaign is dragging on -- and tried to attack Kerry for saying that we should fight aggressively but be careful.  We're surprised he didn't denounce Afghan civilians themselves as worthless -- after all, this is a guy who seems to have it in  for anyone who isn't American, WASPish and rich.  Juan said the problem is that people speaking for the Pentagon, saying that we may not be able to get Osama and the Taliban are tenacious, are contradicting their previous assertions.  Tony conceded that maybe the Defense Department was "overly optimistic".  Hume grumbled something.

Then Tony said something surprising -- he implied that perhaps Abdul Haq was denied help from the US after calling for it on his satellite phone. Hmmm -- is FAUX News pressuring Smirk to get into a bigger war faster?  Lord knows, they're losing viewers to CNN like rats jumping from a sinking ship.

There was some pap from Juan about party-line votes on tax cuts (i.e. bipartisanship is dead) -- Mara said there will be partisanship on the economy, but not on the war on terrorism.  Juan said the people support Little George (ha, ha, ha -- yeah, sure, with all the doubts about bombing and the fumbling of the anthrax crisis, let's see how long that lasts).  Mara again stated the obvious: the House is the only place where Shrub can see his (handlers') agenda come to life in Congress.

Tony's final word: carping about people (read: blaming the Democrats for) complaining that the Afghan campaign is taking too long.  Tony cautioned patience.  Remember, he said, that most victims so far have been American.

So all of a sudden it's wrong to question the current strategy which could make thousands more Americans victims.  Hoo-boy...  

-- Donna Wynner

McLaugh-In!
John McLaugh-In goes insane again!

Issue one: Congress anthraxed!

Horror! Shock!! Hyperbole!!! Um, John... a couple offices constitutes a full, all-out "anthraxing"? John reviewed the situation -- congressional staffers are working all over town, and anthrax seems to have travelled quite a distance in the air and permeated large areas.

Are we getting into bio-warfare shape fast enough?

Larry Kudlow said yes, trying to put up covering fire for the government.  Eleanor Clift said that unlike the Unabomber case, we don't have 17 years to wait -- and people have died because the government bungled the issue.  Larry tried to jump down her throat -- but John said that America's becoming almost paranoid with "germophobia".  Tony Blankley said this is a shakedown for a larger attack -- and new challenges that have never before been faced; he pointed out that the British hoof-in-mouth outbreak is looking more and more like a terrorist-style bio-warfare attack.  Jim Warren, now sporting cool "slacker boy" sideburns, said that the British had learned to live with terror -- but we're "flabby" about our own national security.  John bellowed, We have no national strategy (we were surprised he didn't personally blame Bill Clinton).  Larry put on his glasses (he looks eerily like New York arts patron Gil Kaplan when he wears them) and said that we should give our Homeland Security führers... er, leaders time.

Will the antiterrorist legislation help ?  Eleanor said no when it comes to the present anthrax problem, and she's uncomfortable with the effect on civil liberties -- but under present conditions, she'll support them.  Tony, after saying he's a civil libertarian, does support holding terror suspects indefinitely.

Good grief. Rainy-day civil libertarians are not what this nation needs right now.

Was the "mishandling" (we're pleased to see John being this explicit) of postal workers by the CDC, in that they were not given Cipro early on, a bungle? John even implied that there may be a class issue here -- he usually tries to play down these issues, but this telling acknowledgment speaks volumes.  Jim Warren instead fired away at antiterrorist legislation undermining your rights -- but then said that it was indeed bumbling, but an understandable gaffe given that the "problem" has cropped up for the first time.  Eleanor said that federal officials should have seen the infection of postal workers coming.  Larry tied Ass-KKKroft's tough stance to an improving stock market; he also declared the present scenario an "emergency wartime situation."

Grade the government on the handling of the anthrax attacks!
Larry: C- to B-, going to B+
Eleanor: D
Tony: C-, with the effort at B+ level
Jim: D, totally to be expected
John: Florida, F; New York, A; US Postal Service, F -- that sums to a C-

Issue two: put the pedal to the metal -- accelerate those tax cuts!  John's bullish on those juicy corporate givebacks.   But will the effort kill bipartisanship?  Economist Larry did his conservative duty and explained (in the most tortured manner possible) why tax cuts for ultra-rich businesses somehow help the economy.  Eleanor said that the White House is trapped -- Idiot Boy cannot afford to look as if he's hanging the unemployed out to dry.  Tony accused the Democrats of "rhetoric" -- but HIMSELF used partisan cheap-shots, accusing Dems of "class warfare."  What a laugh!  John said layoffs are hurting the economy; Jim said Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill got it right when he called the House calls for tax cuts "show business".  Kudlow said he was on the wrong side of the issue, and continued his Chicken Little "the economy is contracting" justification for tax cuts.

Then Kudlow tipped part of the GOP's hand: make Zell Miller Treasury Secretary.  We say it's a long shot.

Jim pointed out that executives are writing off the Christmas spending season -- recession is coming.

Is bioterrorism generating economic catastrophe? 
Larry: A little
Eleanor: Get people working
Tony: Deep and prolonged recession
Jim: True -- tax cuts won't help
John: No! The markets will rally! (We heard Tony, we think, muttering "Help is on the way!") 

Only two final predictions!
A MAJOR surprise from Jim -- Yankees win series, Bush calls locker room, announces that Giuliani will succeed Tom Ridge as Homeland Security Czar (we loved it!  Ridge has come across as about the most un-reassuring figure in this whole disaster).
John: The anthrax used in mail attacks will be found to have originated in a US government lab!

-- Dave "Doctor" Gonzo

Beat the "Prezz"
Tim Russert trumps Card!

Tim Russert began MTP with two vid bites on the faltering Afghan war and anthrax stumbles.  The guest was Andy Card.

Tim showed him this week's Time cover: a picture of Curious George looking clueless, the headline reading "On the Spot".

Card's comment: "It's a war on two fronts."

Wow -- daring answer, Andy!  Recycle the rote spin point and IGNORE Tim's having pointed out that your "boss" looks weak and clueless.  You sure reassured us that the Chimp Boy is in control -- NOT!

Card responded to Tim's question about anthrax bungling with a lengthy, rambling string of not-so-reassuring declamations.  He was trying to convey the message to "have no fear, it's all under control" answer -- but had to concede that the administration is on the defensive and reduced to putting out brush fires as each anthrax flame-up hits the press.  He also conceded another worrisome point -- there is still no definitive evidence as to who is behind the anthrax attacks.

To heck with the general public -- if Card had been intending to reassure Boy George's political base and most important supporters, he was doing a pretty miserable job.  If I were a big money contributor to either the Bush campaign or the RNC, I'd be calling and asking for my money back.  Not only has it been a horrendous week for the entire misadministration -- neither Rove nor Card was making anything resembling damage control.  Card's problem was that Tim was asking questions that would force comments such as "We have to be very vigilant" to follow a slew of factoids that showed that nobody has a clue as to what's going on.

Tim then read a comment from the the NY Times as it flashed on the screen calling the Bush team "Bush league" and a Bush supporter calling Team Smirk "rookies".  Again, Card conceded that America was not prepared for anthrax in the mail.  The focus, he repeated, is trying to find out how it happened and how to prevent it again, disrupting terrorist networks, and protecting Americans (essentially an admission that there's been no progress on any of those fronts).

Tim then focused on the nature of the anthrax in Daschle's letter -- with Senator after Senator having said this is highly refined, very potent, two postal workers having been killed by anthrax, then denials by Team Smirk that the anthrax was "weaponized" -- and Gephardt's saying enough with parsing the word "weaponized" and let's get with it.  Card fell right into Tim's trap -- he got bogged down in the definition of "weaponized" -- then went down a litany of the steps the government had taken as anthrax turned up -- quarantines, Cipro -- and concluded, "We have acted responsibly."  Then why wasn't action taken to check out Postal Service facilities and personnel?  There was a huge concession from Card -- they reacted once "the problem became clear" (i.e., maybe we should have acted sooner, but hell, those postal workers didn't vote for us).  Did the government deliberately hold back information on the anthrax attacks?  Card vehemently denied it -- although there is evidence emerging that such information may have been, perhaps inadvertently.

Are there more than two letters that got mailed to Congress?  Card said it's possible.

Hmm.... there had been reports of a suspicious letter being stuffed in a "burn bag" by Hastert's staff.  We wonder if any evidence has been destroyed.

After Card explained the protocol for handling presidential mail, Card asserted that Shrub does not have anthrax.

Problem is, it also became clear that George sees practically none of "his" mail!

Then Tim recounted a week of blunders and setbacks in Afghanistan.  All Card could do was use a few facts to claim "we're making progress" -- but again conceded "we have to be patient as we watch the war."

Tim asked Card about Abdul Haq -- was he on a CIA mission?  Card said he had been working with "our forces" to stop the Taliban and did become "a victim of this war."  So he received no support from our government?  Card no commented.

Tim then turned to the bombing campaign in Afghanistan.  Card said the Taliban has been "disrupted" in their ability to lead Afghanistan (this was another big spin term from the Bush Boys this weekend). Card added that the Taliban are not helping their citizens but "bunkering down"; he believes they are no longer a viable government.  Tim then used a news story to bolster the point that light strikes are now bolstering the Taliban rather than their opponents.  Card, sounding flustered: "Look, this battle will take place on several fronts... it will take a long time" -- angrily falling back on another spin mantra.

Tim then quoted John McCain in the Wall Street Journal -- to the effect, Tim said, that we have to fight this war to win, and at the expense of humanitarian aid.  Card said that "we will stick with" humanitarian aid.  Tim pressed Card on the issue of ground troops; Card said AGAIN that it won't be quick.

There was talk about Musharraf's call for a swift end to the military campaign; Card said that if the Taliban turns over Osama and his top 15 Al Qaeda leaders, it could end the war.  He also said that Musharraf "looks secure" in his leadership (yeah, right -- looks can be deceiving).

Tim asked Card about the assassination of the Israeli Tourism minister.  Card wants to see both sides in the Israel-Palestinian conflict cool it. Tim played footage of Arafat discussing the US pressuring Israel to remove tanks from Palestinian areas -- Card would not bite.

Tim then turned to an editorial from the NY Daily News calling for all airlines -- including those from the Middle East -- to provide federal officials with passenger lists and better identification of passengers coming into the country.  Card likes the idea.  Tim then put Card on the spot about making airport baggage screeners federal employees.  Card lied -- he said that Team Shrub wants "the best plan... supervised by our government".  So why not have sworn federal agents as we do with the border patrol?  Card talked a good game about federal supervision and standards.

Well, gee -- you could say the minimum-wage workers in the Senate cafeteria are under federal standards and supervision.   

Would His Fraudulence sign a compromise airline security bill?  Card said he may not want to but probably would.

Next up: Dick "Dick" Armey (R-Coeds and Booze) and John Edwards (D-NC).  Armey said he doesn't want airline employees to be dues-paying union members and "therefore" supporters of Democrats, then pulled the same deceptive spin that claims Europe and Israel un-federalized their screeners.  Edwards slapped down Armey with a simple reminder: this is war and the Senate acted quickly 100-0 with their airline security bill.

He should have said that Armey is playing politics with the safety of airline passengers including big-money GOP contributors, that these union employees will not be allowed to strike, and that an awful lot of union people have cozied up to Armey's pal George W. Putsch.

But Edwards did at least make this point: we do not contract out our police or fire departments -- and baggage screeners should be federal officers empowered to enforce the law.  Armey said that there should be a fed at every gate -- but that "mundane" bag checks can be done by non-feds: "this is the way Israelis do it."  Really, Dick? Don't be so sure!  Tim ripped Armey a new one when by reading comments from the Daily News and a Dallas paper -- the latter saying that a dual system is doomed to failure, and Armey and DeLay must compromise.  Armey admitted his little caffeeklatsch scheming with DeLay and Smirk while trying to deny it was political!  We were beside ourselves with laughter -- and almost busted a gut when Armey said he's not doing this for political gain!

What a liar -- this from a guy who said to Tim that he opposed adding union members that support the Democrats -- if that's not "political gain" for anti-unionists in the House, then what in the wide world of political jousting is it?

Edwards should have pointed this out -- instead, he sounded senatorial (read: wannabe-presidential) as he talked about the message to his constituents: we must afford the best protection to the American people.

Armey said there'd be a House vote on Wednesday.

Tim then shifted the focus to more Smirk tax cuts -- and O'Neill's having called it "show business."  The Wall Street Journal, usually tax cut hawks, said Smirk's latest "play" would've closed in Poughkeepsie!  Armey said, "We have to do what we can to make the economy grow" and the present tax givebacks are just the ticket.

So shouldn't we cut taxes?  Edwards said yes -- but the danger is not to do long-term damage, and the focus should be on job creation.  Shorten the incentivization period for businesses to invest in hardware, and you have a winner.  Moderate and low income people need a stimulus also (he should have added, "...as opposed to rich beneficiaries of the Cheney-Card Administration").  Not long afterwards, Edwards explained how some tax cuts take money OUT of the economy -- and cost the nation jobs.

One thing is certain -- on that point Edwards is in tune with the Bob Reichs and Gene Sperlings of the world, progressive economists who understand how to keep the prosperous comfortable while making the middle class and poor richer.  Edwards is being scrutinized as a potential national candidate.  He's as poised, reassuring and focused as Armey is blustery and more than occasionally disheveled.

-- Donna Wynner

 

The Capital Gasbags
This week: Novak grows a brain, O'Beirne doesn't...

Does the anthrax scare mean the "tarists" are winning? Thus began the illustrious "Gang Show" this morning.

Margaret Carlson said she felt we were winning by finally taking precautions. She felt the House weren't wimps after all for closing up shop, since there has now been two deaths associated with the anthrax sent to Daschle's office (which isn't in the House side, so I don't follow). She also touched on the latest outrage going around, saying it didn't take rocket science to figure out that the letter which originated in Trenton, New Jersey -- where there were infections -- and ended up in Washington -- where there were 30 exposures -- may have exposed people when it went through the Brentwood mail facility, yet no one seemed to be too concerned about the postal workers there

She also cited the telling fact that Capitol police dogs were tested for anthrax before postal workers!

The lovely and charming Bob Novak still thinks it was a mistake for the House to recess, but said that all this anthrax mania is distracting from the war against terrorism, and notes that not only are we unprepared for this sort of attack, but the government is still in the dark as to the source of the anthrax .

Al Hunt is concerned about how the cabinet is so "un-sure-footed" in this matter. He said that the report by Bob "RAH-PUB-LA-CUN" Woodward to the effect that the FBI and CIA think this may be due to domestic terrorists really shocked him.

Huh? It only shocks ME that this possibility is just NOW being reported. Anti-abortion terrorists have been using anthrax "threats" against advocates of reproductive choice for years now -- while the right wing turned a blind eye. How smart does one have to be to suspect domestic sources when anthrax hoaxes were mailed to over 100 Planned Parenthood locations in the past few weeks (they've received anthrax mailings now for YEARS) coupled with the fact that all the anthrax mailed initially seemed to target Democrats?

Yet Hunt seems startled by this.

The fact that these terrorists could be supporters of the Republican Right may have something to do with the government's eerie silence on this matter.

Of course, stating the obvious -- namely, that this is home-grown right wing terrorism -- would dilute the massive effort to focus the nation on "evil-doers", not to mention put a dent in right wing fund-raising.

Hunt points out that if this is domestic terror, it changes the story in a huge way.

Yep Al, you're right.

Our Kate rather elliptically said that she felt that if this was linked to foreign terrorism that things would get very weird. We'd have to respond in a "disproportionate" way to these attacks, Kate states, noting that "...life would become immediately even more complicated than it now is." Is that possible, Kate? Is it our patriotic duty to wedge a little more complication into our lives? Or is it possible to avoid a "disproportionate" response here?

Kate did have one lucid moment when she noted that high poll numbers showing faith in government were entirely due to the "rally around" effect, yet people are witnessing just how unprepared and caught off guard the government is in these matters (by the way, a new poll by Newsweek reports 48% of people polled thought Smirk has a "well thought out plan" in responding to terrorism -- that must roughly correspond to the number of heavily medicated people in the country -- and about that many people believe in angels too).

Mark Shields reported the fact that 200 White House staffers who hadn't been tested for anthrax exposure were begun on treatment with Cipro, while everyone else was being told that one shouldn't begin treatment until one tests positive. This kind of mixed message is really lousy from Smirking Dunce & Co.

Al noted that postal workers didn't get ANYTHING -- and paid for it with their lives. Margaret noted that it's stupid to be treating White House people, since nobody can tell whether they have been exposed to anthrax while they're undergoing treatment, and the treatment lasts 6 months. She also observed that Tommy Thompson and Tom Ridge completely dropped the ball and consistently underestimated the threat -- and that the Postmaster General was the only one that said honestly that he can't guarantee that the mail is safe.

Tax Cut Bob is steamed that the government can't figure out where this is coming from when it's the "crime of the century" (for what it's worth, the century is less than ten full months old, and the anthrax "crime" is in direct competition with Air Jihad, whose body count is in the thousands). Margaret mentioned that Andrea Mitchell had reported that the agent used to aerosolize the anthrax was found in Iraq during inspections there -- which unfortunately proves nothing other than the fact that Iraq has that capability, which we've known for years.

Hunt raised the specter of "Rogue Russian Scientists", which sounds like a great name for a band to me. This is a serious threat though, with many scientists with the knowledge to produce these weapons of mass destruction are wandering around unemployed and broke, thus easier to bribe.

After a refreshing dose of commercials, the Gang returned to address our - well, whatever it is we're doing -- in Afghanistan.

The Dim-Witted Heir was shown mouthing yet more coma-inducing platitudes and meaningless blather.

Then Donald Rumsfeld (you may remember him from The Cold War Show decades ago) appeared, saying:

"Our goal is not to demystify things for the other side. This is a very complicated set of problems. The goal is to confuse, it is to make more difficult, it is to add cost, it is too frighten and it is to defeat the Taliban and the al Qaida."

Hmmmm. Let's examine Don's goals and contrast them with what has already happened in the U.S.

He want's to "confuse" the Taliban. Check, we're about as confused as you can get. He wants to "make it more difficult." Check. Things have gotten much more difficult here.

He wants to "add cost." Mega-check! The cost we're leaping to spend is going to doom the country to deficits for generations, not to mention the hardship it will bring to everyone worth less than a few million.

He wants to "frighten." Check. Lots of frightened people here.

So... using Don's list of goals, the terrorists have been completely successful. Go get 'em, Don! Nothing like sustained massive bombing to make things more confusing, difficult, costly and frightening.

I just have this sinking feeling that Don's actions will make the entire planet more confusing, difficult, costly, and frightening than it already is.

Shields noted that we've gotten at least one bit of hard news from the "war", the capture and execution of the Northern Alliance leader Abdul Haq, and asked if this "war" is going as well as our misbegotten leader and the Pentagon say it is.

Novak got the line of the day with this: "I hope it is, but I have some doubts. I don't know if Secretary Rumsfeld has confused and frightened the Taliban, but he tends to confuse and frighten me (HA!) because I don't know what's going on and I'm afraid that not that much progress is being made or is being made in a way that I can understand."

I couldn't have said it better myself, Bob! You do have your moments. Ha, ha, ha!

Novak also revealed that he'd had two talks with Abdul Haq before he went into Afghanistan from Pakistan. His plan was to convince some Taliban leaders to defect and thus topple the Taliban in a relatively easy manner. But, Bob says, Haq had no support from the CIA or the Pentagon in this, that they had no interest in this plan, and so didn't give him support at all. He said that we held back on the bombing a little so that Haq could organize his forces, but that was it.

Bob thinks this is a catastrophe -- which it is, because of Haq's experience in fighting the Russians. He could have been of key importance to us, but the U.S. was of no help to him and, as we often do with indigenous opposition groups, we left him twisting in the wind.

This is yet another key story that will be quickly forgotten. Why would our government arrogantly ignore this person with such depth of experience and connections who had the same goal as we do in toppling the Taliban? Why did they allow him to basically march into a trap and be murdered? In other words, why did we sacrifice him and allow him to be killed? Was it because the US felt that he'd then have to play a leadership role after the Taliban was defeated and ousted? Did they feel he might not have been as pliable as they wanted, and so allowed him to be killed? It raises many troubling questions.

Margaret noted that the we gave Haq a satellite phone and that's all. Then we left him stranded in the Khyber Pass and did nothing to save him. We did send an unmanned drone over to take pictures of it though. That's reeeal helpful.

Carlson said that the Chimp was right when he said we've destroyed a lot of airfields and defensive positions, but that the ground forces of the Taliban are now more dug in than ever and we'll have to send in ground troops.

Shields said this reminded him of the Bay of Pigs, where we thought we'd send in a small band of counter-revolutionaries and suddenly all the natives would stream down out of the hills and join them and have a triumphant march to Havana. He thinks letting the Haq forces wander into Afghanistan with no support was a huge blunder on the part of the Pentagon.

Kate chimed in from far right field by trying to say that no one ever thought that would work (wrong!) and that there is "no evidence" that this was a blunder on the part of the Pentagon (what "evidence" do you need, Kate??)!

Then the cheese started to slip off O'Beirne's cracker. She reported a general saying that "we are facing the most daunting military challenge we have faced since World War II", and that above all we need to have patience.

Kate must have been hanging at the Pentagon this week, because she said that the military "...attribute it to the fact that the rest of us don't fully understand the strategy, don't fully understand the phases."

No kidding, Kate. Because if they have a strategy, they WON'T TELL US!!!!

"...I think we would be a lot safer and our coalition partners would in the short term be encouraged with a real show of American might and force, and -- underscoring our determination, and that hasn't happened yet."

So Kate is a bit blue that we haven't yet gone in with all guns blazing with a "Real Show" of American might and force. After all, our allies might get a kick out of it -- for a while.

The absence of an all-out, hell-on-earth reign of death and destruction might tend to get a girl down, I suppose. Maybe I'll send Kate a pick-me-up bouquet (you know it's serious when our blowing up a second and third Red Cross warehouse didn't even cheer her up).

Hunt mentioned our pal Don Rumsfeld saying in a USA Today editorial that he didn't know if we'd ever get Osama bin Laden (wow, knock me over with a feather). How quickly things change! Hunt said that people can argue what our goals and measure of success should be, but getting bin Laden isn't even debatable.

Then Bobby "Give Me a Tax Cut or Give Me Death" Novak again told it like it is: in this operation, he sees the same kind of horrible and dangerous kind of thinking by the military and CIA that made Vietnam such a disaster, "...some of the same stubbornness, the contempt for indigenous forces, the stubbornness of the CIA, the entire 'get out of the way, we are going to win this war' attitude."

That's exactly what is apparent in our sacrificing Abdul Haq. It does NOT look good. Yet more of the idiotic macho cowboy mentality of our unelected President filtering down through the chain of command. And it will have far-reaching negative ramifications for this entire "war."

Margaret notes that we'd assumed that there'd be massive defections from the Taliban, and not only has that not happened, but there's been Muslims from Pakistan going IN to Afghanistan to join the Taliban, all in response to this bombing campaign.

Kate said, "A big military win is the most important thing right now," displaying her typical right-wing pie-in-the-sky belief that the military can accomplish ANYTHING we want, all we have to do is tell it to.

Then we had the delicious treat of seeing old Bob getting into a tiff with Picket Fence Teeth O'Beirne (heh-heh). Bob again complained (as he had a couple weeks ago) about the excessive secrecy from the Pentagon and White House, and explained that secrecy increases when things are NOT going well. When things are going badly, he said, they just say "be patriotic."

Kate jumped in and spouted the catch-all Pentagon excuse that they don't want to disclose "operational details" that might jeopardize their efforts (she MUST have been hanging out at the Pentagon).

Bob shouted, "That's the excuse! That's the excuse!" Yes! Good for you, Bob. You're now getting it. They can use that excuse for not telling the people that are paying for this "war" ANYTHING (unless of course it makes them look good.)

Al Hunt warned that in the Vietnam era, the government's secrecy created what was known as the "credibility gap" and that if this situation continues much longer, it's going to happen again.

Correct Al. Except this unelected gang has had an ENORMOUS "credibility gap" since long before they took over the White House!! That it took this long to report it is inexcusable.

The next segment was on the Congress. Will the Democrats stop being doormats? Will they even TRY to stop the right from cynically using the tragedy to pass every single item on their agenda and then some? Or will they continue with their disgraceful ineffectiveness?

A clip of Bill Thomas (R-Business) was shown in which he said that 40 cents of every dollar of further tax cuts would go to "individuals" to provide consumer spending stimulus, and 60 cents would go to "the machine that creates jobs. Often times it's called business or corporation."

Thomas left out the part about businesses laying off workers in record numbers -- by the tens of thousands. He also didn't specify where this "machine" created jobs, since many of them are in Mexico or the Far East!

Tom Daschle then was shown telling the truth" "I think that Secretary O'Neill was right when he called it 'show business.' It's not as much stimulus as it is just going back to the same approaches that our Republican colleagues have used for a long time."

The so-called anti-terrorism bill was passed with only Russ Feingold (D-WI) voting against it.

Feingold was shown saying, "How much fun do you think it is voting against a bill called the 'USA Patriotic Act?' These provisions are outrageous, they are an old FBI wish list and there's NO reason for them to be in the bill."

He left out how nauseating, deceptive, and disgusting it is that they'd name a bill that strips even more of our cherished rights the "USA Patriotic Act."

Kate blathered some non-sense about how she thought it was bad for Smirk boy to be have to be "diplomatic" to Tom Daschle.

Shields said Thomas "overreached on this one, especially with the repeal of the alternative minimum tax to corporations and $25 billion payoffs to corporations." Gee, only $25 BILLION in windfall giveaways to corporations? Haven't they already gotten about 8 times that already since the Knuckle-dragger got to D.C.? Talk about your incredible return on investment!! WOW!

Hunt seconded that emotion by noting that the bill should have been titled "The Campaign Contributors' War Profiteering Act of 2001"!!!! He then said that the Republican version of the bill was even worse, if that's possible.

Yes Al, it's possible, and usually true.

Al then continued to say that he sees this as a technological race between terrorists and the government, much like we've seen in the drug war. Thus, he says, the government will have to be given "more authority even that we have ever dreamed of before."

That does NOT sound even remotely good. I hope he's very wrong.

Hunt quoted Walter Dellinger, the former Solicitor General, as having said, "We have to be willing to give up liberties that affect all of us, but be very careful about giving up any liberties that affect only a few." Hunt thinks this is the proper way to view things.

Bobby Black Heart said "That's a liberal's view. Wasn't he Clinton's Solicitor General?" God, what a tool. More of this "if anyone served under Clinton, then they must be liberal, and therefore should be dismissed out of hand" stuff. I'm so sick of this crap it's not funny. When will it end?

But Novak redeemed himself by going again to his newly-found rational observations. He said that he agreed with Feingold that these draconian provisions in the Ashcroft bill were just taken off the shelf. He said they had this bill ready in two seconds, and that the measures it contained really had little to do with this war on terrorism.

"They worry me," Bob said -- in reference to the Smirk crowd. "Government always wants to interfere in our lives -- and I'm not talking about a few of us, I'm talking about all of us -- and it always worries me."

It SHOULD worry you, Bob. It should worry all of us.

Novak said that he didn't like the tax bill, and neither did the liberals. He said this was a lobbyist's bill, that they were the only ones that benefited.

He said that he felt that as bad as the House bill is, it may get even worse when it goes to the Senate. Novak made a crack that he didn't think Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill would be talking about "show business" anymore.

Shields said that it was reported that Smirk thought it was funny.

Well, sure, Mark -- he thought it was funny to have a woman plead with him to spare her life.

Even Novak said that he doesn't think Chimp boy had a clue what had happened in this bill. "What happened was that his corporate pals got a windfall out of it." And you think Dim Son didn't KNOW that? Get real Bobby! That was why he was laughing. I'd be laughing too if I saw every crazy idea I had going through Congress with NO opposition.

Margaret was as stunned as us that Bob was telling the truth. While we are all thinking of sacrifice, how to help the victims and families of the people killed in the attack with health insurance, etc. these criminals in the House were "dreaming up schemes to reward their campaign contributors.", she said.

Carlson correctly calls this appalling. "IBM is getting 1.4 BILLION DOLLARS because they're a 'job creating machine'???", Margaret asked. Just like Ashcroft dusting off the FBI wish list, she said that this was the lobbyists rushing in and dusting off their list, and dressing them up as a stimulus package. They're simply and utterly reprehensible war profiteers, plain and simple.

Kate started yammering that the Democratic version is worse, saying it's full of "pork" and "spending."

Mark Shields stuck it in her face by pointing out, and this is true, that Enron Energy, a company that simply couldn't GET any more tied up with this administration, contributed $1.8 million dollars to Republicans LAST YEAR. In this bill, they stand to be given --- brace yourself --- TWO HUNDRED FIFTY FOUR MILLION DOLLARS!

Yes, you read that right folks. 254 million smackeroos of YOUR tax money put directly in the hands of what amounts to Smirk and Companies own oil company.

And Kate thinks it's terrible that the Democratic version has "pork" in it. Hey, I wonder what people would rather have: a new bridge, dam, park, convention center, etc. -- OR give that money to an already huge oil company. Kate is an idiot.

The guest of the next segment was Vernon Jordan, plugging his new book with the rather bizarre title, "Vernon Can Read!"

After that, the had on a reporter for a New Jersey newspaper to discuss the New Jersey Governor's race (yawn.)

Then it was time for ---- the "Outrages of the Week."!

SHEILDS: About the American League champions from New York City, Bill Mead once wrote, quote: "Most all good Americans hate the Yankees. It is a value we cherish and pass along to our children, like decency and democracy and the importance of a good breakfast," end quote.

 

 

Now from the New York Post's Deborah Orin we learn the President himself rooted for the Seattle Mariners against the Yankees because they have a smaller payroll. But he turns out to be a Yankee-hater. Mr. Bush, while running on the treadmill was quoted, quote: "I'm for anyone but the Yankees," end quote.

 

 

Now how's that for real political candor?

 

 

NOVAK: "Go Diamondbacks! The National Rifle Association decided not to endorse Republican Mark Earley for governor of Virginia, even though it said he is clearly a better candidate than Democrat Mark Warner. The NRA's scoring system gives Earley an A-minus and Warner a C. But back in 1993 as a state legislator, Earley voted for a bill limiting anybody's gun purchases to one a month. Who needs more than 12 guns a year? The NRA usually is smart enough to know who its friends are.

"This time, it forgot."

What a shock Bob. Imagine that -- the NRA being dangerously stupid!

 

 

CARLSON: "Hey Mark, you don't know the half of it with Enron Corporation, which was in trouble way before September 11, and it's muscled its way to a $254 million package of the stimulus bill. This will do nothing to stimulate the economy, but it will save its chairman, Bush pal Kenneth Lay. The SEC is inquiring into Enron's accounting practices, including a $1.2 billion transaction that infuriated shareholders. Its bonds have fallen below investment grade, and its stock is at a six-year low. Why the handout? Chairman Kenneth Lay gave $1.7 million -- excuse me, $1.8 million to Republicans. Campaign finance reform, anybody?"

SHIELDS: "You're right, Margaret, I didn't even know a third of it."

O'BEIRNE: "This week, the president was back to visiting elementary schools, where he urged schoolchildren to find pen pals in the Muslim world as part of a national e-mail exchange between students. A commander in chief, leading a nation at war, found sitting in little chairs talking about fighting fear with friendship risks trivializing the deadly serious task we face.

"And why aren't students seeking pen pals being encouraged to write to the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines who will be risking their lives to defend us?"

(Perhaps because they don't want kids getting attached to someone that might get blown to bits?)

HUNT: "Kate, I agree with you, though I'm with him on the Diamondbacks. Mark, some Republicans are blasting Joe Biden for allegedly charging that America, quote, 'looks like a high-tech bully in Afghanistan,' end quote.

"That's not really what he said. Asked about the effects of a protracted bombing campaign on the Islamic world, he ventured that it might encourage, quote, 'stereotypical criticism of us that we're this high-tech bully who thinks we can do whatever we want from the air, including indiscriminate bombing of innocents, which is not the truth,' end quote.

"That's not a criticism, it's a reality. It's the criticisms of Biden that are the cheap shots."

And with that, boys and girls, the Capital Gong show drew to an end.

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Donna Wynner is an attorney.  She lives not far from the George Washington Bridge in beautiful Fort Lee, New Jersey.

Dave "Doctor" Gonzo is a media guru, video producer, and political gadfly who lives in a highly fortified high-rise compound with state-of-the-art media room on Manhattan's Upper East Side.  He supports sterilizing most GOP politicians along with first-class mail.

Dash Riprock is a free lance smart-aleck based in Moline, IL. He welcomes mail from "good-doers" at dashriprockapj@hotmail.com.

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