This really says it all about the last eight years:

Karl Rove, who refused to answer questions for years on the outing of Valerie Plame as a CIA official, criticized Barack Obama on Monday for not being more forthcoming in the Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) scandal.

Rove, a former top White House adviser to President Bush, said on Fox News, “[Obama] should have, right from the beginning, been more forthcoming.”

What can you add to that, really?

As always, every attempt to justify torture inevitably returns to the mythical ticking time-bomb scenario, and we are now to the point that we need a sort of Godwin’s Law for this, as it is inevitable that any discussion of torture will lead to ticking time bomb scenarios. In the most recent version, Reuel Marc Gerecht takes us back to September 7th, 2001, and says, basically- “What about then? Then would you torture?”

It just never stops.

Rather than watch David Gregory on MTP, I would recommend you pour a cup of coffee and watch Glenn Greenwald on Bill Moyers:

David Gregory will be an hour long rehash of congratulatory gibberish and conventional wisdom, while Greenwald is saying something different and important. And, as Larison and others have noted, it is exceedingly depressing that our media is consumed by bribery attempts by a second rate crook, but completely silent about reports of outright lawlessness. I am willing to bet anything that Senate report will not be discussed at all on MTP, while Blagojevich and the “problems” he poses for Obama will get 45 minutes of the hour long show. Crooks and Liars highlights a relevant portion of the Moyers piece:

What you have is a two-tiered system of justice where ordinary Americans are subjected to the most merciless criminal justice system in the world. They break the law. The full weight of the criminal justice system comes crashing down upon them. But our political class, the same elites who have imposed that incredibly harsh framework on ordinary Americans, have essentially exempted themselves and the leaders of that political class from the law.

They have license to break the law. That’s what we’re deciding now as we say George Bush and his top advisors shouldn’t be investigated let alone prosecuted for the laws that we know that they’ve broken. And I can’t think of anything more damaging to our country because the rule of law is the lynchpin of everything we have.

Depressing, and while I understand why an Obama administration may not desire to pursue investigations of criminality, I disagree strongly with it. Right now, legally and economically, we are two different nations (sound familiar)? The status quo is untenable.

*** Update ***

And no more than ten minutes after I post this, I check memeorandum and find this story in Newsweek about the man who blew the whistle on the NSA’s illegal behavior. The title and subtitle to the Isikoff piece:

“The Fed Who Blew the Whistle: Is he a hero or a criminal?”

I am at a loss to provide a clearer example of what is wrong with our corrupt Washington establishment and their lackeys in the media.

How long is it going to muck out the stables when the Bush administration finally leaves town:

While the Pentagon preps for a new administration, a scandal from an earlier era is rearing its head.

A Defense Department project, supposedly designed to support U.S. troops, was used instead to channel millions of dollars to personal friends and allies of its chief. The “America Supports You,” or ASY, program was led in a “questionable and unregulated manner,” according to a Department of Defense Inspector General report, obtained by Danger Room. At least $9.2 million was “inappropriately transferred” by the project’s managers. Much of that money served only to further promote ASY, instead of assisting servicemembers.

In 2004, the office of then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld set up ASY as a six-month effort to showcase the U.S. public’s backing for the troops and their families. “If you’re serving overseas, and you watch the mainstream media coverage, sometimes you can’t tell if America knows you’re there,” one official overseeing the program says. America Supports You was seen as a way to counteract that sense.

They even loot their propaganda programs.

(via)

While the GOP is transparently attempting to smear Obama with Blahojevich, it would be wise to remember that the Chicago political establishment is not the only hotbed of crime, corruption, and cronyism. For example, this:

Former CIA deputy executive director John Brennan had been the leading contender for the Langley job; he was pressured to withdraw from consideration because he was too closely linked to Bush Administration policies. Brennan still serves as a co-chair of Obama’s intelligence policy review board.

Sources say that Obama’s team is having trouble finding a potential CIA director who lacks politically incriminating links to controversial Bush Administration policies and yet commands the respect of the agency’s rank and file.

It isn’t just the politically incriminating links that are the current problem, as it is the view of many (me included), that the entire federal government has turned into little more than criminal enterprise. And just for fun, this:

Today, President Bush honored 24 recipients of this year’s award, including actor Gary Sinise and Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp. Also included in that mix was Chuck Colson, “the first member of the Nixon administration to serve prison time for Watergate-related offenses.” Colson was President Nixon’s counsel from 1969-1973 and pleaded guilty in 1974 to obstruction of justice. Colson received a one to three year sentence, but served just seven months.

What about Scooter Libby?

I have said this before, but it is worth repeating:

In order for the Republicans to get back to their roots so that they may one day get back in power, they are going to have to become “fiscal conservatives” again. Now granted, looking at the history of Republican rule, they have NEVER been fiscal conservatives, as the vast majority of our national debt, to include the largest annual budget deficits, were all brought to you via Republicans. However, there are a lot of idiots like me out there who don’t pay attention, and think Republicans are fiscally responsible. As such, expect the Republicans to spend the next few years simply saying no to any and all spending. What they are hoping is a couple years of them saying no and the Obama administration spending will allow them to rebuild their favorite fantasy- the GOP as prudent defenders of the taxpayer’s money.

With that in mind, Tim Pawlenty has an op-ed in the Politico, urging the Republicans to… wait for it, wait for it… “return” to fiscal responsibility:

The Republican Party’s conservative values — freedom, personal and moral responsibility, the power of capitalism and a limited accountable government — are as important as ever. The GOP should build on its core principles by making its case with common sense ideas that are better than our competitors.

Our approach on issues like security, energy independence, free market solutions for better health care and education with a focus on accountability for results instead of just increased spending are ideas that will do just that.

But it all starts by putting first things first. A cornerstone of the Republican Party must be fiscal responsibility — living within our means like most Americans do. Wall Street and the federal government chronically disregard this principle and have substantially contributed to our current economic mess.

And because he knows Republicans don’t have it in their DNA to be responsible about anything (see this morning’s post for confirmation of that assertion), he is proposing a balanced budget amendment to FORCE them to be responsible. The Republicans understand that right now their number one mission is to return to the pre-Bush fantasy (and it is a fantasy, as this graph demonstrates) that they are somehow responsible stewards of your money. The fact that this is mere fiction will not stop them, and you should be prepared to swat down all the disingenuous posturing and posing they intend to do as they attempt to simulate fiscal responsibility the next few years. This isn’t about actual fiscal conservatism, this is about getting back in power to relive the glory years of the Bush administration, because we need to face facts- the folks pushing this pile of twaddle are the same ones who make up the 28% crowd who would have voted for Bush again in 2008.

I would love a fiscally responsible government, and that is why I voted for the Democrats. At least if they blow billions, it will be on the American people.

Tim is fond of pointing out that Republicans love to point out how terrible the government is, then they work really hard to get elected and prove their point. Via LGM, the next chunk of evidence:

The Department of Homeland Security and Department of Agriculture have no plan to work together in the event of a food-borne disease outbreak or terrorist attack. The Department of Defense’s security clearance process takes so long it jeopardizes classified information. The EPA’s chemical risk assessment program is improperly influenced by private industry.

When Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) requested a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) listing questions his fellow senators might ask President-elect Barack Obama’s political nominees at their upcoming confirmation hearings, he probably didn’t expect a 150-page list of Bush administration screwups. But that’s what he got.

The entire report is here (.pdf).

Here we go again:

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) called on President-elect Obama Monday to raise the Small Business Administration to a cabinet-level position, as it was under the Clinton administration.

Snowe’s request raises an interesting scenario: If Obama raised the SBA and then named Snowe as the secretary, Maine Gov. John Baldacci—a Democrat—would be in position to appoint a Democrat to the Senate, giving the party at least 59 members. That’d leave them one short of a filibuster-proof majority. If Al Franken pulled out a victory in the Minnesota recount, Democrats would be at 60.

I can’t be the only one who thinks all this nonsense about 60 is just an excuse- “Oh noes, we wanted to do this, but we only had 58 Democrtaic votes!” With as many moderates and conservative Dems as there are out there, I am hard pressed to think of scenarios where they would be unable to peel off a Republican vote or two, and should they fail to do that, they will have probably already lost conservative Democrats. The simple fact that they are counting Lieberman as one of the solid 58 votes shows how fanciful this thinking is. This focus on 60 Democrats is silliness.

Speaking of fetishes- Bush’s EPA director can’t figure out the difference between science and God. I am sure this surprises no one.

Via the Albany Project, the 2008 Bush plan for dealing with the housing downturn:

The Administration has aggressively pursued policies to help deal with current challenges. Facing declines in housing markets of the past two years, the Administration has made proposals for modernization of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)...

[....]

These policies are intended to help provide transition relief-without any direct costly “bailout” from the Federal Government for individuals or institutions that had taken on excessive speculative risk and without interfering with the effective functioning of the free market.

No one could have predicted. We will be greeted as liberators. Blah blah blah.

Now that the pretending is over, Bush is scrapping the ranch for what will no doubt be toney new digs in Dallas, but before our cowboy rides off into the sunset, we learn via the Pine View Farm that there is still time for some parting middle fingers to the American public:

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday approved a last-minute rule change by the Bush administration that will allow coal companies to bury streams under the rocks leftover from mining.

The 1983 rule prohibited dumping the fill from mountaintop removal mining within 100 feet of streams. In practice, the government hadn’t been enforcing the rule. Government figures show that 535 miles of streams were buried or diverted from 2001 to 2005, more than half of them in the mountains of Appalachia. Along with the loss of the streams has been an increase of erosion and flooding.

The 11th hour change before President George W. Bush leaves office would eliminate a tool that citizens groups have used in lawsuits to keep mining waste out of streams. Mining companies had been pushing for the change for years.

It also means that President-elect Barack Obama’s administration will have to decide whether to try to restore and enforce the rule, a process that could take many months of new rulemaking. Obama’s transition team declined to comment on its plans on Tuesday.

Rivers and streams are over-rated, although since Appalachia went for McCain and Pinochet in heels, I guess you could argue this is what we wanted. Also, via the Mahablog, Bush is offering a parting gift to the religious nutters:

The outgoing Bush administration is planning to announce a broad new “right of conscience” rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers to refuse to participate in any procedure they find morally objectionable, including abortion and possibly even artificial insemination and birth control.

So while some on the left are busy getting their progressive selves up in arms because Obama isn’t doing exactly what they want him to do 48 days before he is sworn in, the reality of the matter is that the first few months of the Obama administration are going to have to be spent figuring out how to stave off a depression with a government that has been bankrupted by Republican rule, figure out how to get us out of Iraq, and then spend a good bit of time undoing the last minute parting shots from the Mayberry Machiavellis.

Worst. President. Ever.

Since there still seems to be some bizarre combination of excuse-making, reality dodging, blame-shifting, and general confusion among the right as to why Obama won, let me lay it out real simple for you:

Two Wars
Dow at 8000 when it was up near 14000 a short bit ago
Our financial industry so screwed up that we are spending trillions to rescue ourselves
At the very least, five trillion in national debt over the last eight years
$500 billion deficit
A deep recession for the last year while all Republicans did was say we are not “officially” in a recession.
Rising unemployment
Stagnant wages
Skyrocketing health care costs
$4 dollar a gallon gasoline

And on and on and on. The Republicans have lost the last two elections not because of media bias, but because they are being blamed for the current mess we are in, and they are being blamed for good reason. Until 2006 they controlled Congress and the White House, right now they control the White House. Listening to Republicans trying to blame their loss on media bias is like listening to OJ Simpson trying to blame his conviction on racism.

The Republicans did not lose because of media bias. Dan Rather wasn’t in New Orleans knocking water bottles out of people’s hands at the convention center. Brian Williams didn’t crash the stock market. Keith Olbermann didn’t invade Iraq. Chris Matthews doesn’t run OPEC.

Republicans lost because they were in charge of the country for the better part of the last decade, and their governance has been an unmitigated disaster. This is not rocket science. You can argue that Democrats should share some of the blame for some of the policies, and you would not get any disagreement from me, but that does not change the fact that the Republicans were in charge, and blew it.

Right here:

Marine Cpl. James Dixon was wounded twice in Iraq—by a roadside bomb and a land mine. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, a concussion, a dislocated hip and hearing loss. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Army Sgt. Lori Meshell shattered a hip and crushed her back and knees while diving for cover during a mortar attack in Iraq. She has undergone a hip replacement and knee reconstruction and needs at least three more surgeries.

In each case, the Pentagon ruled that their disabilities were not combat-related.

In a little-noticed regulation change in March, the military’s definition of combat-related disabilities was narrowed, costing some injured veterans thousands of dollars in lost benefits—and triggering outrage from veterans’ advocacy groups.

The Pentagon said the change was consistent with Congress’ intent when it passed a “wounded warrior” law in January. Narrowing the combat-related definition was necessary to preserve the “special distinction for those who incur disabilities while participating in the risk of combat, in contrast with those injured otherwise,” William J. Carr, deputy undersecretary of Defense, wrote in a letter to the 1.3-million-member Disabled American Veterans.

And while this may make your blood boil, and it may look to you like the Bush administration is doing their best to screw vets out of money and care, what you fail to realize is that most everyone in the Bush administration has a yellow “We Support Our Troops” sticker on their car, so there. The soldiers understand what is happening to them:

Dixon said he was denied at least $16,000 in benefits before he fought the Pentagon and won a reversal of his noncombat-related designation.

“I was blown up twice in Iraq, and my injuries weren’t combat-related?” Dixon said. “It’s the most imbecile thing I’ve ever seen.”

This is utter bullshit. Notwithstanding the fact that they should get every penny they deserve, failing to pay these folks will hide the true cost of war. These people are injured and scarred for life because of our desire to wage pre-emptive war. Failing to account for the costs of our actions will just make it easier to engage in this sort of stupidity again. So quit screwing our troops, Pentagon. Quit screwing our troops, Bush appointees. These guys were hurt, in combat, and your post hoc redefining doesn’t change it.

I should probably also add, this sort of thing is nothing new. The brass and the bean-counters have always been screwing our troops this way. For example, remember Gulf War Syndrome, which was widely labeled as bullshit, and that the Pentagon and others spent years denying so they did not have to pay benefits? Guess what? It exists. It is real:

A congressionally mandated scientific panel has concluded that Gulf War syndrome is real and afflicts nearly one-quarter of the 700,000 U.S. troops who served in the 1991 conflict, according to a report released Monday.

The report broke with most earlier studies by concluding that two chemical exposures were direct causes of the disorder: the drug pyridostigmine bromide, given to troops to protect against nerve gas, and pesticides that were used — and often overused — to protect against sand flies and other pests.

Just stop the bullshit and give these guys what they are due.

Here:

The financial world was fixated on Capitol Hill as Congress battled over the Bush administration’s request for a $700 billion bailout of the banking industry. In the midst of this late-September drama, the Treasury Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention.

But corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the enormous implications of the document: Administration officials had just given American banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion.

The sweeping change to two decades of tax policy escaped the notice of lawmakers for several days, as they remained consumed with the controversial bailout bill. When they found out, some legislators were furious. Some congressional staff members have privately concluded that the notice was illegal. But they have worried that saying so publicly could unravel several recent bank mergers made possible by the change and send the economy into an even deeper tailspin.

Patriotism is sheltering your income to avoid paying taxes while receiving $700 billion in handouts from the middle class. Mind you, these are the same folks who are already padding their income with late fees, NSF charges, overlimit fees, and interest rates that make the mafia blush.

Awesome. I just love how the Bush administration manages just a little bit more bad faith with the legislature before leaving Washington for good. Then, you have this:

The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn’t require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in return.

I think Booman has the right idea- the Obama administration needs to treat Washington like one big crime scene.

Reading about the celebrations in Kenya over the election of Obama, I came across this reminder:

Mr Obama’s victory is being celebrated across the continent.

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said it showed “that for people of colour, the sky is the limit”.

The BBC’s world affairs correspondent Adam Mynott says Mr Obama will inherit a foreign policy legacy in Africa that has been one of the high points of the George Bush administration.

Earlier this year President Bush toured through five African nations and people greeted him in their thousands to applaud him for America’s huge contribution in the fight against HIV/Aids.

Since its launch five years ago, his Aids relief programme has spent more than $15bn dollars (£9.5bn) on the continent and saved many thousands of lives.

While Bush will leave office reviled in the United States and hated over much of the world, it will be an odd curiosity that his legacy in Africa will probably be a very good one, and more important, it was earned. Bush legitimately did a lot of good in Africa, and we can argue about specifics and argue there could be more done, but the fact that he did some good should be celebrated. The other thing that Bush did that I have mentioned several times but I think bears repeating was his address after 9/11 in which he defended Islam and more than likely stopped what could have been ugly recriminations against Arab-Americans dead in their tracks. When he did that, he did so immediately, forcefully, and with a clarity and honesty and display of leadership that was visibly absent from virtually every other action of his over the next seven years. It really is something worth applauding, and despite his dismal legacy in virtually every other area, these two actions deserve acknowledgment.

And really, in regards to Africa, it is such a small investment. Look at the good will Bush has earned for us with just 15 billion dollars, and compare it to what we spend in a month in Iraq. Can you imagine what we could do with 15 billion dollars in aid a year, a mere pittance when considering our current budget? It is part of Bush’s sad legacy that his incompetence and neglect leave us financially incapable of expanding his one act of legitimate good.

Just like Sarah Palin’s denial that she didn’t violate state ethics laws when, in fact, the report specifically said she did, we now have Ted Stevens, denying reality.

“I’ve not been convicted yet,” Stevens said Thursday in a meeting with the editorial board of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. “There’s not a black mark by my name yet, until the appeal is over and I am finally convicted, if that happens. If that happens, of course I’ll do what’s right for Alaska and for the Senate. ... I don’t anticipate it happening, and until it happens I do not have a black mark.”

Stevens reiterated that position during a televised debate late Thursday night, declaring early in the give-and-take with Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, “I have not been convicted of anything.”

A jury of 12 people found him guilty of all the charges against him. In Alaska – unlike the other 49 states in the Union, and unlike most other countries with jury systems – this apparently doesn’t mean conviction.