From CQ:
Congressman Twitters an Iraq Security Breach
By John M. Donnelly, CQ Staff
A congressional trip to Iraq this weekend was supposed to be a secret.
But the cat’s out of the bag now, thanks to a member of the House Intelligence Committee who broke an embargo via Twitter.
A delegation led by House Minority Leader John A. Boehner , R-Ohio, arrived in Iraq earlier today, and because of Rep. Peter Hoekstra , R-Mich., the entire world — or at least Twitter.com readers—now know they’re there.
“Just landed in Baghdad,” messaged Hoekstra, a former chairman of the Intelligence panel and now the ranking member, who is routinely entrusted to keep some of the nation’s most closely guarded secrets.
Before the delegation left Washington, they were advised to keep the trip to themselves for security reasons. A few media outlets, including Congressional Quarterly, learned about it, but agreed not to disclose anything until the delegation had left Iraq.
Nobody expected, though, that a lawmaker with such an extensive national security background would be the first to break the silence. And in such a big way.
Not only did Hoekstra reveal the existence of the lawmakers’ trip, but included details about their itinerary in updates posted every few hours on his Twitter page, until he suddenly stopped, for some reason, on Friday morning.
Since it’s already a matter of public record, here are some of Hoekstra’s twitter dispatches, typos and all, delivered in just 140 characters or less:
“On the way to Andrews Air Force base.12 hour flight to mid east. Be back on Mon instead of tues. Votes mon. I’ll keep you posted,” he wrote on Feb. 4
In his last dispatch today, he wrote: “Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace. Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here [sic].”
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Who Do You Have to F**k To Get an 'A' Around Here?
Have you heard? "We are quite literally after two weeks teetering on an Obama implosion." Courtesy of The Corner. You know, the withdrawals, the stimulus, the Gitmo closing. All weakness. All failure.
Really? I'll let Wonkette answer: Truly, it is embarrassing that the President and the majority party have had to negotiate with the minority party on a major bill, so as to produce the best bill possible. It’s almost as if this is exactly how our government should work!
Or, as I'm going to answer:
-Signed SCHIP
-Restored due process
-Banned torture
-Lifted the abortion gag rule
-Restored the FOIA
-Took out some terrorists in Pakistan
-Made Middle East peace a priority
No, I'm going to say that the FAIL here belongs to The Corner.
Really? I'll let Wonkette answer: Truly, it is embarrassing that the President and the majority party have had to negotiate with the minority party on a major bill, so as to produce the best bill possible. It’s almost as if this is exactly how our government should work!
Or, as I'm going to answer:
-Signed SCHIP
-Restored due process
-Banned torture
-Lifted the abortion gag rule
-Restored the FOIA
-Took out some terrorists in Pakistan
-Made Middle East peace a priority
No, I'm going to say that the FAIL here belongs to The Corner.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
She Ain't Nice; She's My Daughter
I often wonder how I'm doing as a parent. As psychotic as it sounds, I review the day in my head every night to see where I did the good stuff and to think about how I can do the other stuff differently next time. Don't get me wrong. I'm not aiming for perfection or anything resembling it. I just like to give some thought to my parenting so I can assist the BBDD in his vow to "keep her off the pole." Some days I feel like I am the greatest mom ever. Other days I pray to God that I'll make it to her bedtime without bloodshed or a psychotic break.
Today was one of those days where I felt like I must be doing something right. I was watching Bambina in her toe tapper class. There is a little boy in her class who just loves her, while she is totally noncommittal due to her current distaste for boys. This kid is so sweet and a little off-beat. He wears dresses to school. And girls' pajamas. And he loves pink and purple. (I'm digressing here to say that this is why I love 4 year olds: they don't care about stuff like that. This kid has other boy friends, and nobody cares about the dresses; they don't make leaps of judgment based on their biases. Except, the kids' parents do, and worry that this dress thing might be abnormal or amoral or--gasp!--communicable. Same with me and Bambina. I was offering her peanut M&M's before class, then I kissed her and said "I love you; have fun!" A kid near me said, "You are her mommy," and I said, "Yes I am!" A lady comes over and asks me if the petite blond one is mine; I say "No--she is mine, and have to finally say, after pointing 5 times--'the adorable Asian girl' to get her to comprehend that a total Aryan appearance does not require an Aryan child. The kid got it without all the adult assumptions: you are the person who loves this girl; you must be her mommy.)
Anyway, boy dancer wants one of the purple dancing ribbons but gets yellow instead. He was so sad that he started to cry inconsolably. I could see Bambina--purple ribbon in hand--looking at him and walking toward him.
Now, I know how you want this story to end so it can be One To Grow On, but it doesn't end that way and I'm glad it doesn't. Let me tell you why.
Bambina walked over to him and patted/rubbed his back a few times while nodding at him, then she walked away with her purple ribbon in her hand. (You expected a different ending from a 4 year old?!) I kind of teared up watching her, because her behavior showed all the qualities that I hope every day I'm teaching her:
Empathy.
Kindness.
Confidence.
Notice that I didn't say "niceness." I really pray that my daughter will never be nice. Because when people want girls to be "nice," what they want is for them to be more concerned with others than themselves, to the detriment of themselves. You'll pardon me for not raising a nice doormat. I spent too many years of my life being nice in the suffocating sense of the word, and it did not bring positive people or events into my life. So of course I want her to be an empathetic, kind, and giving person. I want her to react when she sees someone hurting. Of course. But I don't want her to feel like it's her job to fix someone or to be responsible for someone else's happiness to the detriment of her own. She's not spoiled. During playdates she will suggest compromises to work through conflicts with her girlfriends, which often involve her giving something up, so she's not (nor is she allowed to be selfish). But this was a different situation, and one I'm glad occurred as it did.
If that makes me not a nice mommy, then I'll gladly take the rap.
Today was one of those days where I felt like I must be doing something right. I was watching Bambina in her toe tapper class. There is a little boy in her class who just loves her, while she is totally noncommittal due to her current distaste for boys. This kid is so sweet and a little off-beat. He wears dresses to school. And girls' pajamas. And he loves pink and purple. (I'm digressing here to say that this is why I love 4 year olds: they don't care about stuff like that. This kid has other boy friends, and nobody cares about the dresses; they don't make leaps of judgment based on their biases. Except, the kids' parents do, and worry that this dress thing might be abnormal or amoral or--gasp!--communicable. Same with me and Bambina. I was offering her peanut M&M's before class, then I kissed her and said "I love you; have fun!" A kid near me said, "You are her mommy," and I said, "Yes I am!" A lady comes over and asks me if the petite blond one is mine; I say "No--she is mine, and have to finally say, after pointing 5 times--'the adorable Asian girl' to get her to comprehend that a total Aryan appearance does not require an Aryan child. The kid got it without all the adult assumptions: you are the person who loves this girl; you must be her mommy.)
Anyway, boy dancer wants one of the purple dancing ribbons but gets yellow instead. He was so sad that he started to cry inconsolably. I could see Bambina--purple ribbon in hand--looking at him and walking toward him.
Now, I know how you want this story to end so it can be One To Grow On, but it doesn't end that way and I'm glad it doesn't. Let me tell you why.
Bambina walked over to him and patted/rubbed his back a few times while nodding at him, then she walked away with her purple ribbon in her hand. (You expected a different ending from a 4 year old?!) I kind of teared up watching her, because her behavior showed all the qualities that I hope every day I'm teaching her:
Empathy.
Kindness.
Confidence.
Notice that I didn't say "niceness." I really pray that my daughter will never be nice. Because when people want girls to be "nice," what they want is for them to be more concerned with others than themselves, to the detriment of themselves. You'll pardon me for not raising a nice doormat. I spent too many years of my life being nice in the suffocating sense of the word, and it did not bring positive people or events into my life. So of course I want her to be an empathetic, kind, and giving person. I want her to react when she sees someone hurting. Of course. But I don't want her to feel like it's her job to fix someone or to be responsible for someone else's happiness to the detriment of her own. She's not spoiled. During playdates she will suggest compromises to work through conflicts with her girlfriends, which often involve her giving something up, so she's not (nor is she allowed to be selfish). But this was a different situation, and one I'm glad occurred as it did.
If that makes me not a nice mommy, then I'll gladly take the rap.
"Those Boys Are Much Too Much"
This is for the BabyDaddy, who consistently brings The Awesome and just quite simply re-sets the bar for rockstar Daddyness. BELIEVE that he has done waaay more embarrassing things than this for the Bambina. BELIEVE.
All That and A Bag of SCHIPs
It might be his Weekus Horribilis, but President Obama did a fabulilis thing today in reauthorizing SCHIP, the State Children's Health Insurance Program. SCHIP provides coverage to 11 million otherwise-uninsured American children, and who can be against that?
Oh--that's right--Republicans. Here comes the science: "SCHIP was created more than a decade ago to help children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. Federal money for the program was set to expire March 31, barring action by Congress. To cover the increase in spending, the bill would boost the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by 62 cents, to $1.01 a pack." So they are concerned that smokers--mostly poor folks--will help foot the bill. Their bigger concern, however, is that middle class children will be covered as well as poor children. It is--as the WSJ so wittily phrased it--"stealthcare." Those libbruls are tryin' ta give children free healthcare without lettin' us kill it in committee! That's unAmerican!
Again, the Pubs just don't get it. An estimated 4 million Americans have lost their jobs and their healthcare. This seems like a no-brainer to me. Or, as my friend who now holds elective office (and so will remain nameless so as not to be besmirched by his association with a moronic and smutty blog) says: "It's like sunshine vs. cancer, and they're for cancer." I sure hope they've got insurance.
Oh--that's right--Republicans. Here comes the science: "SCHIP was created more than a decade ago to help children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private coverage. Federal money for the program was set to expire March 31, barring action by Congress. To cover the increase in spending, the bill would boost the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes by 62 cents, to $1.01 a pack." So they are concerned that smokers--mostly poor folks--will help foot the bill. Their bigger concern, however, is that middle class children will be covered as well as poor children. It is--as the WSJ so wittily phrased it--"stealthcare." Those libbruls are tryin' ta give children free healthcare without lettin' us kill it in committee! That's unAmerican!
Again, the Pubs just don't get it. An estimated 4 million Americans have lost their jobs and their healthcare. This seems like a no-brainer to me. Or, as my friend who now holds elective office (and so will remain nameless so as not to be besmirched by his association with a moronic and smutty blog) says: "It's like sunshine vs. cancer, and they're for cancer." I sure hope they've got insurance.
Cheney: Still Evil
Here comes the least-liked man in America to let us know that, in the event of a "highly probable" nuclear or biological terrorist attack, it will be Obama's fault for reversing the policies of his administration: "Whether or not they can pull it off depends whether or not we keep in place policies that have allowed us to defeat all further attempts, since 9/11, to launch mass-casualty attacks against the United States.”
I'm calling bullsh*t on Dickie. This is a man whose legacy involves the suspension of constitutional freedoms, torture, and outright deceit to achieve his ends. Why are we listening to this? It's as if he's hoping for an attack so he can justify his appalling behavior. Nota bene that 9/11 was blamed on Bush's predecessor and that further attacks will be blamed on his successor. This is clearly the desperate counternarrative of a failed politician. Let's treat it as such.
I'm calling bullsh*t on Dickie. This is a man whose legacy involves the suspension of constitutional freedoms, torture, and outright deceit to achieve his ends. Why are we listening to this? It's as if he's hoping for an attack so he can justify his appalling behavior. Nota bene that 9/11 was blamed on Bush's predecessor and that further attacks will be blamed on his successor. This is clearly the desperate counternarrative of a failed politician. Let's treat it as such.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Coming Up Blank
Me, that is. Total inability to compose a coherent thought worthy of 10 seconds of your time. Can I blame it on the fact that it is snowing AGAIN? Come on, now!
We can also blame the time-sink that is Facebook. I love keeping up with my friends, but I think I get caught up in the etiquette of it, ie, I need to reply to that email within 24 hours or else it's rude. If someone writes on my wall I feel compelled to write back. Not that I don't want to write back, but again I just want be responsively timely. I was crestfallen when the BBDD reminded me that people are not hunched over their computers awaiting my message. I happen to think that's an outrage if true.
I'm also otherwise engaged with the Bambina who is, as you know, being very four these days: rapturous joy and total fun interspersed with preadolescent attitude problems, various staged coups d'etats attempting to throw off the yoke of bondage, and lots of eye-rolling. She has also been very funny. When discussing where bacon comes from, she decreed it "bad luck for the pig but good luck for us!" Indeed. When she woke up stuffynosed at 3am for the third night in a row she said that she wanted her nose to clear up, "but sometimes boogers just don't listen." Damn those recalcitrant boogers!
In addition to being funny, she has also been very helpful now that I'm operating with one hand for the next 6 weeks. She is very proud of herself because she can hook and unhook my bra for me. I forgot that I was speaking out loud for a moment, because she now tells people proudly that she can unhook my bra--"something lots of grown men have yet to learn."
Yes, I am mother of the year.
We can also blame the time-sink that is Facebook. I love keeping up with my friends, but I think I get caught up in the etiquette of it, ie, I need to reply to that email within 24 hours or else it's rude. If someone writes on my wall I feel compelled to write back. Not that I don't want to write back, but again I just want be responsively timely. I was crestfallen when the BBDD reminded me that people are not hunched over their computers awaiting my message. I happen to think that's an outrage if true.
I'm also otherwise engaged with the Bambina who is, as you know, being very four these days: rapturous joy and total fun interspersed with preadolescent attitude problems, various staged coups d'etats attempting to throw off the yoke of bondage, and lots of eye-rolling. She has also been very funny. When discussing where bacon comes from, she decreed it "bad luck for the pig but good luck for us!" Indeed. When she woke up stuffynosed at 3am for the third night in a row she said that she wanted her nose to clear up, "but sometimes boogers just don't listen." Damn those recalcitrant boogers!
In addition to being funny, she has also been very helpful now that I'm operating with one hand for the next 6 weeks. She is very proud of herself because she can hook and unhook my bra for me. I forgot that I was speaking out loud for a moment, because she now tells people proudly that she can unhook my bra--"something lots of grown men have yet to learn."
Yes, I am mother of the year.
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