I once shared a rather large apartment with two other guys above the establishment we owned and operated.  We were relatively flush at the time and decided our time was too important to clean our own house, so we hired someone to do the job. 

As is the case with most roomies, some are more, and some are less slovenly.  Ours was no different but the lopsidedness in this case is almost legendary.  Basically the help would come in and clean the whole place, two bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room and bath, in one day.  After all that is it took another full day just to clean the other guys bedroom.

That isn't the funny part.  Bear with me.  The humor, dripping in irony, is that on this guys wall there was a placard that read:

NEVER WRESTLE WITH A PIG;

1)     YOU'LL GET ALL DIRTY and...

2)     THE PIG LIKES IT.

What on Gods green earth does that have to do with anything going on politically you might ask. 

I am talking specifically about White House lawyer Monica Goodling and her taking the fifth in refusing a congressional subpeona on constitutional grounds.   Can any honest person really blame her?   

Good on her for calling the Dems out, openly questioning their motives, and helping shed light on their scalp hunting excursion.  Had Democrats demonstrated, ever, any modicum of good faith with this White House, the lack of cooperation would not be justified.  Instead their policy by BDS (Bush derangement syndrome) has finally garnered an appropriate response.  None.  Well played.  

At least someone on that end of Pennsylvania Avenue learned something from the Scooter Libby scalping.
Up to now, when it comes to political hardball, this White House plays a pretty mediocre game of beanbag. 

Ms. Goodling is a breath of fresh air who has the good sense not to wrestle with pigs.  In doing so she not only manages to stay clean but enjoys the added bonus of denying the pigs their pleasure.   

       

Not a lot of time for well thought out column this week but here are a few headlines that caught my eye - - along with the customary smart assery, of course. 

Climate scientist sees cover-up

By Eric Pfeiffer
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
March 20, 2007

A NASA scientist who said the Bush administration muzzled him because of his belief in global warming yesterday acknowledged to Congress that he'd done more than 1,400 on-the-job interviews in recent years.

That crushing of dissent can sure be brutal.  Man, the government under Bush can't even get that right.  I found this one particularly smirksome.  It explains a lot about DC.
Study Finds One-Third in D.C. Illiterate

AP
Mar 19 11:50 AM US/Eastern  WASHINGTON (AP) - About one-third of the people living in the national's capital are functionally illiterate, compared with about one-fifth nationally, according to a report on the District of Columbia.

First of all, I just cut and paste, the typo isn't mine.  The national's capitol?  What is that, the government seat of a major league baseball team?

Now we already know that as a matter of routine the folks in congress don't read the bills they vote on, but up til now it never occurred to me 1 in 3 of them couldn't if they wanted to

So that would be 1 in 3 Congressman and Senators, 1 in 3 bureaucrats, 1 in 3 diplomats.  Like I said, explains a lot about the product we see coming out of there..


And there's this affirmation of my comments from earlier this week.  Looks like WSJ editors have been lurking herabout. 

Subpoena Assault
Congress's real goal is crippling the Bush Presidency.
DUH!

Wall St Journal Editorial March 22

As for Congress's subpoenas, they are being issued largely for the political melodrama they create. ....ya think?
...The point of this stunt isn't to learn what Karl Rove knows, or else Congress would accept the White House offer to interview him in private. The exercise is all about creating an aura of "cover-up" and "illegality," never mind the lack of any evidence.

...But no one should be under any illusions that their political sacrifice at the current moment would appease Democrats. Their real target is Karl Rove, and ultimately the crippling of the Bush Presidency. Whatever benefit Mr. Bush would gain by giving GOP Members a ritual sacrifice would be offset by the costs of putting even more Administration blood in the water.

Here here! Couldn't have said it better myself, oops, already did.


But the always worth a read Charles Krauthammer begs to differ in his column titled

An Unnecessary Scandal

It's not a question of probity, but of competence. Gonzales has allowed a scandal to be created where there was none. That is quite an achievement. He had a two-foot putt and he muffed it.

Not to be mean but this shows how much a guy in a wheelchair knows about putting... sorry Doc.

But seriously, if competency were the standard in Washington there would be an awful lot of empty positions and office space. (think CIA, FBI / 911, FEMA / Katrina, DOD / Walter Reed Hospital etc etc) 

I rarely part company with Dr Krauthammer and it grates on me when self proclaimed conservatives are so willing to toss allies under the bus.  Especially when doing so will only embolden the purgers to continue the scalp hunt.  Why wouldn't they when we make it so easy? 

Caving in is nothing short of unmitigated appeasement, and Democrats who, like the terroists they tend to emulate, tactically that is (although I am sure more than a handful would dance in the streets at Bush's beheading) will just step up the attacks at any sign of weakness. 

What is to be gained by not fighting back at least as hard as they are?  Even if it is only for the sake of doing so on principle it still has the benefit of exposing their depraved politics.    

Last week most assumed the Attorney General would be gone by the end of this week.  I admonished the White House to show some spine and the President, much to his credit, through down the gauntlet on subpoenas. 

You suppose the White House is lurking Heartland Murmers too?  Maybe I'll get 1400 interviews too..... 

 

I plead guilty to cherry picking quotes out of context to prove a point, but this is such a rich example of the cognitive disconnect between feelings and facts that I just had to share it with you. 

 

It is not so much an indictment of the media for casting negative light on what appears to be good news, as if that would be noteworthy.  But it mostly evidence of how poor of a grasp people, or at least those who answer polling questions, have on how the economy works.

 

What a country, while the economy steams along the people affected by it turn their attentions to the latest on American Idol or who sired Anna Nicole Smith’s most recent offspring. 

 

 

The Headline in the AP article reads…

(my comments in blue) 

Unemployment Rate Drops to 4.5 Percent

By JEANNINE AVERSA
AP Economics Writer

 

This is an AP article chocked full of good economic news.  For example

 

 

From the first paragraph:

• Wages grew briskly.

 

And this from further down

 

• job gains in the previous two months turned out to be stronger than previously estimated

 

And of course we need the obligatory expert commentary…

 

• “…the labor market is still in good shape," said Joel Naroff, president of Naroff Economics Advisors. "The job market is still tight enough to drive up workers' wages."

 

And then there’s this…

The Dow Jones industrials were up 12 points in morning trading.

Sensing a pattern yet?  Bear with me…

There are these tidbits of positivism . . .

 Workers' wages grew quickly last month.

 Over the 12 months ending in February, wages grew by 4.1 percent.

I don’t mean to pile on but …

 

• The economy expanded by 3.3 percent last year, the best showing in two years.

 

And of course it wouldn’t be a worthy economic report without mentioning that nasty old trade deficit, but, wait, could it be?  It’s not as bad as we thought…

 

• the trade deficit narrowed to $59.1 billion in January as U.S. exports climbed to an all-time high.

 

AND YET we get this…

Just 41 percent of the public approves of the president's handling of the economy, compared with 57 percent who disapprove, according to an AP-Ipsos poll.

 

Huh? 

So there you have it.  The economy is doing well yet Bush gets more fault for its mishandling than credit for its success.  You might believe negative advertising doesn't work but you'll never convince me.  And this story is a perfect example of why.

I have always believed that good marketing outperforms a bad product every time.  This is a twist on that theory which bears it out in spades.  To wit; A steady marketing campaign in the form of negative, competence-questioning, news against this President on everything from the economy to the war has successfully created, nurtured, and perpetuated the perception that he is incapable of doing anything right, even when the facts prove otherwise.

This is also as good of example as you’re likely to find showing exactly what they mean when they say that in politics, perception is reality.    For another just notice how anti-war types have already declared our defeat in Iraq.  they understand that so long as they get that narative established the reality of an actual victory will be rendered moot.

I gave a lot of credence to those who claimed the Democrats won last November without offering a cogent agenda.  It was clear they had no intention of showing their hand, or didn't have one to show, but decided their best bet was the steady and prolonged anti-Bush agenda, hoping to convince 50% plus 1 that even no agenda at all would be better than this.  It worked. 

Give them credit for political acumen in using the depth of American impatience for electoral advantage proving yet again that  when it comes to conquering by division no one does it better than Democrats.

That, as they say, is history.  Now we get their agenda as seen from the driver's seat and the all important power of the subpoena.  Now that Scooter Libby  is old news, one scalp collected, NEXT!  Enter Alberto Gonzalez..  When it comes to political gamesmanship this White House is sometimes like Elmer Fudd up against the Democrats Bugs Bunny.

For any president other than this the firing of District Attorneys wouldn't even be news.  At will employees in the private sector can be fired with or without cause anytime.  So, supposedly, can District Attorneys.  But now that Rahm Emmanuel is leading Democrat strategy we can count on a steady stream of conflated charges, hearings, and subpoenas.  Trained in the art of political sabotage at the elbows of Bill Clinton and his wife, Emmanuel will ply the craft of gotcha politics with renewed vigor.  They will trumpet, and with the help of their lapdogs in the mainstream media, headline even the hint of incompetence of the White House.

Though not very apparent lately, the bully pulpit does have its advantages but one of them isn't  the luxury of deciding what is and what isn't a scandal.  If he hasn't figured it out by now a scandal is deterrnined by the press and their political division the Democrat party. 

This strategy is not so much a distraction from their complete lack of progress on more pressing issues as it is merely the implementation of their agenda to get Bush.   They are simply keeping the only thing resembling a campaign promise.  There is nothing more important, Iraq, health care, the environment, terrorism, illegal immigration, nothing is more important to the Democrats  than destroying this Presidency.

Many of us foresaw a Democrat victory  rendering an intensified version of their usual gutter politics and it is unfolding week after week.  I personally predicted some sort of impeachment hearings by March.  So far I am wrong but the writing is on the wall.  If you don't think they have a hit list  filled out for the next two years and beyond you haven't been paying attention.  When Gonzalez goes, or even if he doesn't,  it's on to the next scalp.  The strategy is to kick him while he is down so relentlessly that by 2008 we will be so sick of Bush anybody even remotely connected will have a snowballs chance in Alabama of getting elected.  Failing that, if some of them get their fondest wish, the people will get so angry they will demand impeachment hearings. 

The sad part is that, even in spite of the obvious cynical depravity, the strategy is pragmatic and will probably work.   Sadder still is the Republicans, lead by the White House,  insistence in staying above the fray rather than engaging on their terms.  I ask again as I have in the past, Mr President, how's that new tone thing working out for you?  Your chances of winning a gutter fight are pretty poor when you fail to recognize, or refuse to admit, you are in one. 

Seems to me if the White House continues to admonish that we steal our resolve in the war abroad we should expect the same from him regarding the war at home.  


 
 

Well it looks like the liberal media and Democrats got their scalp.  Scooter Libby found guilty on 4 of 5 charges.  I wasn't following this all that closely.. Being in the Heartland here we know our place and this particular production of political theater is more Washington exclusive.  That being said there are a few thoughts and questions about this whole show trial...
questions first:

1. When the trial started one of the first things I wondered was, other than an easier commute, what was the reasoning behind not requesting a change of venue?  Did they actually believe they'd get a fair shake in a Democrat town like Washington?
2. How is it that time and again Republicans operate on the good faith assumption that the press is "only doing its job"?  
3. Are they so naive as to not know the press thinks their job is to destroy them? 
4. Why was the administration so cooperative in this whole charade? 
5. Did they actually believe if they made a show of cooperation they might be treated fairly?
6. Is this the result of President Bushes new tone? and if so..
7. Considering the hatchet job on Tom Delay, and now this, how's that new tone working out for you?

Comments:

1. Scooter Libby is as guilty as OJ is innocent.
2. Even if he is guilty Libbys crime compared to Sandy Bergers is a joke.  If it ever gets to sentencing and he serves a single day in jail it will be colossal miscarriage of justice.
3. This does nothing to change the fact that Joe Wilson lied and those infamous 16 words in that SOTU address are just as true today as they were then.
4. Valerie Plame was not a covert operative, and therefore was not outed, and therefore no crime was committed.  
5. it was the yammering press and Democrats who insisted on this investigation.  The likelihood of these combined forces coming up empty-handed was virtually non-existent.
6. If Bush has any nads at all he will issue a pardon.  What's the worst that could happen, his ratings go down?

Somehow, a jury decided Libby lied.  Now the question remains as to why.  Of course the Dem and press, I know sometimes a simple "they" would suffice, will be regurgitating the same old narrative about manipulating pre war intelligence and quashing dissent yada yada yada.

As a common sense Heartlander I can only belabor the obvious: any time there is a high profile investigation into allegations of a crime, and it is determined none was committed, one will be neccescarily manufactured to justify the investigation.  If the Martha Stewart fiasco didn't prove that theory this should.  

In the end it was about a loyal staffer fending off a cabal of bloodthirsty witch hunters and then falling on his sword for his boss, all because he sincerely, and correctly, felt the boss had much more pressing matters to deal with.

Technically, though I doubt it personally, he may be guilty, so far - - but that doesn't make him wrong.

 

Earlier I had posted on Democrats defeat of week strategy.  Turns out it didn't even see the light of day.

This is good.  

Then another Dem tried floating an amendment to decrease the President's funding request by only $20 million . 

Didn't even make it out of committee.  This too is good.

Finally, after somehow managing to shoot themselves once in each foot already, the House Democrats voted overwhelmingly to eliminate workers secret balloting when deciding whether to unionize or not.

Big labor called in their IOU"s and the Dems paid up.  They did so knowing full well is not likely to get through the Senate, and even if it does it will get vetoed anyway.

In one short week they have managed to look pathetic, as usual, on defense while accomplishing nothing but rank posturing for their biggest paying special interest group.  

I call that a good week.  Many have pointed out that for the Democrats to go down all you have to do is get out of the way and let them be themselves.  This week is indication that theory has some merit.