Month: June 2009

Annnnd there’s the White House turning back to indefinite detention.

Let’s see: Mark Sanford’s disgraced, Michael Jackson’s dead, that couple that everybody else in the universe obsessed over divorced or something, and the Democrats in Congress managed to pass the Twenty-First century’s answer to Smoot-Hawley – yes, this would be a nigh-perfect time to break the news that indefinite detention’s back on the agenda. The only way that it would have been better timing would have been if Tiger Woods had broken his leg again, in fact.

White House Is Drafting Executive Order to Allow Indefinite Detention of Terror Suspects

The Obama administration, fearing a battle with Congress that could stall plans to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, is drafting an executive order that would reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely, according to three senior government officials with knowledge of White House deliberations.

Such an order would embrace claims by former president George W. Bush that certain people can be detained without trial for long periods under the laws of war.

Not much else to say, except of course that this isn’t really a surprise. It’s Gitmo or extraordinary rendition; other countries need to be bribed or browbeaten into openly taking our illegal combatants, and they are certainly distinctly unwelcome on American soil. If I had to guess, we’re going to end up with extraordinary rendition – and no, that isn’t the right answer.

Not my responsibility, though: I voted for the other guy.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

How you know when you’ve gotten yourselves in a legislative pickle.

When you have to yank out a potential “Yes” vote from the pickle jar.

Vicious of me, yes, but my sympathy for Pat Kennedy isn’t what you’d call ‘high.’ And my sympathy for the Congressional Democrats for being so in need of his vote to pass their unseen monstrosity of a bill is even lower. Really: at this point, all you’re doing is writing the NRCC‘s campaign ads for them for next year.

And trust me: to quote the classics, they’re going to be open for business. Hi, Debbie Halvorson! Tell us again how independent you are!

Moe Lane

Crossposted to RedState.

Watch this one to the end.

As Rep. Barton says, come on down. They’re trying to put a majority together, so if you’re a Democrat, now’s the time for a little short-term gain.

Moe Lane

PS: Got to love the machine-like precision and flawless choreography of the Pelosi/Waxman/Markey team, yes? Seventy vote difference, and they’re still going to have to work extra hours on a Friday night. If you ran a fast-food restaurant the way the Democrats run Congress, troubleshooters from Regional would have swooped in months ago to fire half of management.

Crossposted to RedState.

Recapping Bidens LGBT speech.

So… the guy who’s against gay marriage (unlike his predecessor) went to a LGBT fundraiser and told them that his boss (who is also against gay marriage) intends to get DoMA repealed (while at the same he’s still defending it, in terms that started a backlash) and wants to end DADT (while doing nothing to actually end it*); and in the process somehow manages to confuse the governor of Virginia (and DNC chair) with the governor of New Jersey.

In other words, it’s Thursday for Joe Biden.

(H/T: Andrew Malcolm & JammieWearingFool)

Moe Lane

*Dammit.

Crossposted to RedState.

Amazon shuts down its North Carolina affiliates program.

Who’s next?

Via Glenn Reynolds, it’s time for another round of Elections have Consequences!

Action: The North Carolinan legislature (run by Democrats) is about to provide legislation to the governor of North Carolina (Democrat) that allows North Carolina to collect sales tax from Internet transactions.

Reaction: Amazon has closed its Amazon Associates program to North Carolina residents.

To all North Carolinan bloggers and website owners out there – particularly the ones who helped to make sure that North Carolina kept its Democratic majority on the state level – my sincere sympathies; but I must note that this is what happens when you elect too many Democrats.

So stop doing that.

Moe Lane

PS: And before you think I’m being smug: I’m in a state (Maryland) dominated by the Democratic party myself.  I’m pretty sure that they voted something like this down, but I trust them with fiscal policy about as far as I can throw them – and I can’t throw worth a darn.

So if you feel the need to buy something, well… here’s the site. Get it while the getting’s good, huh?

Crossposted to RedState.

The Report that triggered the Weiderhold ‘retirement.’

[UPDATE] In honor of Troglopundit’s request for respect for the KISS principle, here goes:

Fred Weiderhold quit rather than tell Congress he was under Biden’s thumb.

If you don’t have time to read the report that apparently triggered the Weiderhold matter (said report is also available via Senator Grassley’s office, as part of his ongoing investigation) – or even Stacy McCain’s article – here’s a quick timeline.

  • June 18, 2009: Fred Weiderhold, Inspector General for Amtrak, receives a report from a third-party legal firm indicating that Amtrak’s Law Department’s oversight of the Office of the Inspector General resulted in a situation where (as Grassley’s letter put it) “Amtrak’s policies and procedures have systematically violated the letter and spirit of the Inspector General Act.” The firm recommends that Congress be notified, either at the next semiannual report or immediately.
  • June 18, 2009 (evening): Weiderhold resigns.

Well, sometimes the story isn’t complex.  Please read on – but one last summary detail: the General Counsel for Amtrak is Eleanor Acheson, who is well-connected with the Biden family. Continue reading The Report that triggered the Weiderhold ‘retirement.’