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I think it's hilarious that Newt Gingrich perfectly encapsulates the overriding motivation for everything about the GOP: they are frightened little bunnies, petrified by the bogeyman coming to get them. And according to the Newt-ster, because that bogeyman is so vewwy scawwy, anything and everything you do in the name of making the bad man go away is fine, damn treaties, laws, and morals, much less effectiveness.

The thing that I think motivates Cheney, and I watched this firsthand after 9/11, is the shock of 9/11, the reality that his children and his grandchildren could die, that he has an obligation to America to take extra steps to keep us alive. And I think this was burned into him that day and the following day, and the realization we had been caught totally off-guard. Despite all the warnings of the '90s, we have been caught totally off-guard. And so they did everything for seven and a half years to--and they have a very simple principle: If you're in doubt, do what it takes to help America survive every time.

Then Newt deftly moves into the non-sequitur of claiming that Cheney is right that Obama (in his four months in office, mind you) has made us less safe (hear that? Be afraid! Booga booga booga!) because the CIA has low morale since Obama has said we don't torture and Nancy Pelosi said they lied. There's a big WTF for you. So according to one of the great minds of the GOP, the CIA is so bummed by the fact they can't torture and that the Speaker of the House said they lied in a report (again, ignoring that Newt himself said they lied about the Iran NIE), they are unwilling to do their job to look out for terrorist threats. So should we be comforted by being protected by such dilletantes?

Newt then provides a ridiculous strawman dichotomy that Obama is looking towards the effete ACLU method of "not offending" the terrorists instead of the He-Man/Jack Bauer GOP method of the ends justifying the means. I guess that works when you want to leave your second wife, but in a nation of laws, it's a little more frightening to me than the possibility of another terrorist attack.

Maybe someone ought to mention to Cheney and Gingrich that their fear for the safety of their children and grandchildren is misplaced. They are far more likely to die of heart disease (something with which I think both men have some experience) than of a terrorist attack. Maybe living in mortal fear of Big Macs and french fries is a slightly more logical neurosis.

REP. GINGRICH: Let me just say, I think people should be afraid. I think the lesson of 1993, the first time they bombed the World Trade Center, was fear is probably appropriate. I think the lesson of Khobar Towers, where American servicemen were killed in Saudi Arabia, was fear is probably appropriate. I think the lesson of the two embassy bombings in east Africa was fear is probably appropriate. I think the lesson of the Cole being bombed in Yemen was fear is probably appropriate. I'll tell you, if you aren't a little bit afraid after 9/11 and 3,100 Americans killed inside the United States by an effort, if you weren't worried about the second-wave attack that was designed to take out the biggest building in Los Angeles, I think that, that you are out of touch with reality.

Shorter Newt: Be afraid. Be very afraid. (after all, that's how we get your votes)

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Danger Room: The strange case of the Army's robot thief. A twisted tale of Pentagon millions gone awry.

Democratic Underground: Col. Ann Wright believes the Army is covering up the rape and murder of women soldiers.

Senate Guru: Why Republican Susan Collins of Maine is the most dishonest incumbent up for re-election in 2008 (even more so than corruption czar Ted Stevens).

Information Processing: George Soros on the financial crisis.

The Agonist: Defense lawyers fear government monitoring in cases of terrorism.

Guerrilla News: Labor News Roundup

Heckuva job, Bushie! Wouldn't it have been nice to have a question on this subject at last night's debates?

Democracy Arsenal:

Here is the title of a report from the General Accountability Office on combating terrorism released today:

The United States Lacks a Comprehensive Plan to Destroy the Terrorist Threat and Close the Safe Haven in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

That is not some line buried in the report. That is the title. Wow.

This GAO report may be the most damning condemnation of the Bush administration's counter-terrorism efforts. The report goes on to say that the Bush administration has failed to develop any plan to address the Al Qaeda threat. Worse, the report finds that Al Qaeda is now able to attack the United States and represents the "most serious" threat to this country.

The report's opinion of the Bush administration efforts speaks for itself:

The United States has not met its national security goals to destroy the terrorist threat and close the safe haven in Pakistan…

Not only have we not met our goals but we have no plan to meet our goals. Read on...

But we have to stay the course in Iraq, for our safety.

UPDATE: Emptywheel has put together a fantastic timeline for a little perspective on the Bush Administration Fight Against Terrorism.

This is what George Bush and his band of cronies have turned America into. This is on all of our hands, whether we accept it or not.

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CBS:

At the age of 19, Murat Kurnaz vanished into America's shadow prison system in the war on terror. He was from Germany, traveling in Pakistan, and was picked up three months after 9/11. But there seemed to be ample evidence that Kurnaz was an innocent man with no connection to terrorism. The FBI thought so, U.S. intelligence thought so, and German intelligence agreed. But once he was picked up, Kurnaz found himself in a prison system that required no evidence and answered to no one.

The story Kurnaz told 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley is a rare look inside that clandestine system of justice, where the government's own secret files reveal that an innocent man lost his liberty, his dignity, his identity, and ultimately five years of his life.

There's Dick Cheney's One Percent Doctrine in action for ya. Mother Jones has a profile of Murat Kurnaz as well as a timeline of his experiences.

The president’s abysmal poll numbers aren’t worth noting anymore; there’s just no point. He’s extraordinarily unpopular; he’s reviled around the world; and his would-be Republican successors are embarrassed to say his name in public. It’s hardly worth mentioning anymore.

But U.S. News noted this week, however, that the White House is eyeing a Bush comeback.

He’s a poll cellar-dweller whom even GOP presidential candidates sneer at, but George W. Bush and some congressional backers see happy days for the prez this year. His fans have dubbed it his “legacy year,” when they hope to lock in his achievements on the domestic front.

Among the items Bush’s GOP congressional allies want to work on this month: continuing his tax cuts and extending the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. As for the war, they say, the news has been good, and Bushies believe that their guy will eventually get credit for opening the war on terrorism. But more immediately, they are predicting a remarkable poll shift to about 45 percent favorable by the time he leaves office next year.

“Legacy year”? It seems unlikely. He’s the lamest of lame-ducks — rock-bottom public support, Democratic Congress, and the absence of a policy agenda. I was especially amused by the notion that the White House is anxious to work with his “GOP congressional allies” on “continuing his tax cuts.” They do know the Dems are in the majority in both chambers, don’t they?

As for the notion of a “remarkable poll shift” to 45%, I suppose anything’s possible, but this seems like wishful thinking gone horribly awry.

10 Zen Monkeys: 2007 Remixed

Truthdig: The Iowa Caucus Con

Petrelis Files: In announcing Bill Kristol's new gig, and 'disclosing' his political activities and other journalistic endeavors, the NYT neglected to mention Kristol's $8000 in GOP donations.

Defense Tech: Air Force Going Green

The Existentialist Cowboy: Benazir Bhutto paid the ultimate price for daring to say that the US imperial policy of propping up tin horn dictators causes world terrorism.

Pharyngula: Torture--what is it good for?

Who says we aint got good taste buds? Steven Hart of The Opinion Mill and a guest blogger here at MBR, has a new book which is getting some well-deserved attention.

Dennis Milligan, the new chairman of the Arkansas Republican Party, probably shouldn't sound quite this excited about the prospect of domestic terrorism.

He said he’s “150 percent” behind Bush on the war in Iraq.

“At the end of the day, I believe fully the president is doing the right thing, and I think all we need is some attacks on American soil like we had on [Sept. 11, 2001 ], and the naysayers will come around very quickly to appreciate not only the commitment for President Bush, but the sacrifice that has been made by men and women to protect this country,” Milligan said.

I have no idea what Milligan is talking about. Then again, I suspect Milligan doesn't know what he's talking about, either.

AP Via Yahoo:

Dan Bartlett, one of President Bush's most trusted advisers and his longest-serving aide, said Friday he is resigning to begin a career outside of government.

The move was announced on Bartlett's 36th birthday. He has been with Bush for nearly 14 years, from Bush's first campaign as governor of Texas, through two races for the White House and more than six years of a presidency marked by costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and an ongoing battle against terrorism.

As counselor to the president, Bartlett has been at the center of White House decision-making, stepping into the public eye in times of trouble to defend Bush on everything from the unpopular war in Iraq to the government's bungled response to Hurricane Katrina and the Republicans' loss of Congress. Read more...

Here are a few C&L highlights from Dan's career...

(Guest blogged by Logan Murphy)

Former Fox analyst and CIA Agent Larry Johnson, who we've covered here and here has put together a great round up of the crazy things Fox has put on their network and website.

No Quarter

I've been searching, so far without success, for the person/blog that took the time to create the following masterpiece. If you had any lingering doubt about the propaganda and disinformation that spews forth regularly from the demon child fathered by Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes, just take a look. These are not isolated, out of context, screen shots. These are reflective of a mindset and standard of practice that is truly evil.

As a former Fox News analyst I have some first hand experience of dealing with the beast and have the satisfaction of knowing that Rupert Murdoch had me removed from Fox air for daring to suggest that invading Iraq would be a diversion in the war on terrorism.

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