The Garlic: 09/21/2008

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Paul Newman Dead at 83

Breaking news, that legendary actor Paul Newman has died.

From an NYT News Alert;

Paul Newman Has Died at 83, His Spokeswoman Says

The actor Paul Newman has died at 83 of cancer, his spokeswoman told The Associated Press. Mr. Newman, whose career spanned five decades, was also a prominent social activist, a major proponent of actors' creative rights and a noted philanthropist. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, and won a best actor Oscar in 1987 for "The Color of Money."

Kind of stunning, as I hadn't been hip to the fact that he has been ill.

For me, and my generation, as youngsters, he would have been the equal today of this generations' Tom Hanks, appearing in dozens and dozens of movies, and always the consummate pro.

Then again, there's a generation, or two that know him as the salad dressing or popcorn guy.

While he won an Oscar for 'The Color of Money', I thought that was somewhat of a "make-up" call ... He should have won it a few years before, for the monster performance he gave in 'The Verdict'.

Paul Newman Dead at 83

Newman's Own Foundation Celebrates the Life and Legacy of Paul Newman

I want to die at home, Paul Newman tells his family as he's given 'weeks to live'

A Tribute to Paul Newman

Paul Newman on Wikipedia

Paul Newman on IMDB

Paul Newman 'Biography'

Cool Hand Luke

This Date ... On The Garlic

27 September 2007... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: If Juan Williams Had Taken President Bush To Sylvia's Restaurant In Harlem

27 September 2006... On The Garlic

Developing Story! White House Fireworks As Cheney Explodes; Cheney Furious, Protests Releasing N.I.E Report Without Smearing Anyone; Fights President; Demands That New CIA Agent Or Spouse Be Exposed, For Either Leak Or Iraqi Assessment

27 September 2005... On The Garlic

Garlic Exclusive! Secret Bush Call For Television Summit with Fictional Leaders Revealed; Meeting Scheduled With Sheen, Davis For Crisis Input; May Reach Out To Other Actors

Top Ten Cloves: What Rafael Palmeiro Is Doing Now That His Season Is Over

Friday, September 26, 2008

Debate Results ... The Flintstones vs. The Jetsons

I gotta say, and without the valid excuse of a hearing aid problem, for about the first 30-minutes, or more, Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain looked like he was going to go down Admiral Stockdale Avenue.

He looked like a third grader, called to the front of the class to do a reading, with each question asked.

And, while Barack Obama was laying out his views and vision as to the economy, Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny, fairly often, ignored the substance of the question (or what Obama had to say), and repeatedly prattled on about spending and earmarks, like he was hitting slow pitches in a batting cage (and quite proud of himself for hitting a lot of singles).

This carried on in the area of Foreign Policy and Iraq.

Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny turned into Cranky John, swatting away the barbs and ties to the Bush Grindhouse, with attempting to belittle Obama with "You don't understand ..."

Obama's best moment, likely, came, when he showered Cranky Johnny with a litany of "You Were Wrong", about the various issues around Iraq.

Oh yeah, Obama also reminded Cranky Johnny, that the war in Iraq had been going on for near five-years - BEFORE THE SURGE - which Cranky John seemed to be staking his territory on.

Cranky John, looking to dig himself out of the hole, went not to his POW-POW-POW super ring, but bored through stories of seeing 650 soldiers re-up in Iraq (and telling him all they wanted to do was win), and how he got a bracelet from some soldier.

Obama, with all the coolness of someone who knows they are right, simply held up his wrist, and informed Cranky John that he had one also.

On the international stuff, Cranky John got all full of himself, on how Obama is going to meet with Wicked Witch of the West, and all her Flying Monkeys, without preconditions and didn't appreciate Obama pointing back to him how, 1) The Bush Grindhouse, in a reversal, adopted some diplomacy and 2) Cranky John's own advisor, Dr. Death, aka Henry Kissinger, said exactly the same thing Obama has said.

Cranky John waited until the final moment to pull out his POW-POW-POW super ring, and he only said "My Friends" once.

Both candidates exasperated moderator Jim Leher, by not answering (and he asked it four times) what they would cut out of their plans, if elected, due to the Wall Street Meltdown and Hank's Heist Plan.

In summing it up, I peg it as no knockouts, no major gaffes.

But it was The Flintstones versus The Jetsons.

While you could hear, ringing throughout the evening Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny (and Cranky John) often saying how he has been in Congress forever and he knows how to do things, over-and-over, and that came out on the Super Titles and Closed Caption as "Trust Me", while Obama articulated substantive answers, depicting vision and plans, and a commitment to restoring the country's place in the world.

If this debate was supposed to be in Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny's wheelhouse (a much over-used phrase on the cable this evening), then it's going to be all downhill in the rest of the debates.

Next up - Palin vs. Biden (Hey, Hey, Hey, no laughing out loud, yet).

The Dead Campaign Express Is Back On The Road

Dusty Springfield - You don't have to say you love me

Well, that was special, wasn't it?

Stumblin' Bumblin John McCain calls off his Mighty Mouse ("Here I come to save the day!"), "My sister-My daughter" campaign suspension and is rolling down to Ole' Miss for the debate this evening.

Hard pressed to come up with a good example of when a national-stage politician has so thoroughly embarrassed him or herself (excluding his running mate).

By virtually all accounts (excepting of course, his own staff), he was utterly useless, and his ploy was seen for what it was - big-time grandstanding, putting not his bank-slogan "Country First" up front, but, rather, his flailing, dying campaign (or, by a good number of people, it was done to cover-up the dreadful Katie Couric - Sarah Palin interview; If he's going to start covering up for her, he's going to have to light his hair on fire nearly everyday).

So, not sure what that means for the country.

He's still watching over us? ... He doesn't care anymore? ... It will still be a deal, but just not his?

Anyway, here's a good sample of the vibe going down ....

NO METHOD, JUST MADNESS...

Ex-Adviser: McCain "Blinked," Campaign "Governed By Tactics, Not Ideology"

John McCain Blinks

McCain's flailing panic

And the Rove Rats even had the nerve to jump the gun, putting this up this morning - Check this out!

I'm intending (hoping) to get another post up late this evening, with, at minimum, first riffs on the debate.

Will Mr. Economy snap at Obama, with an angry something (not the "N" word, but, perhaps a "son" or "boy")?
While we listen to Obama answering a question, we hear a "thud", the camera cutting over to Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny, who has fallen asleep at the podium?

And, as always, polish the "My Friends" counter before the debate, you can expect a slew of them coming out, and the more "My Friends" that come out, the more that means he's on auto-pilot, just going through the motions.

After the debate, Stumblin' Bumblin Johnny will still have some hard choices to make.

Does he don his Mighty Mouse suit, whether or not he suspends his campaign again (wink, wink), and fly back to Washington?

Or does he huddle with the Rove Rats, and they begin tossing out new diversions, reasons, for keeping Sarah Palin away from her debate, next week?

He's Still Harping About The 10 Town Halls!

Where, oh where can my little 10 Town Halls be
Where, oh where can they be ...
With my campaign cut short and his lead getting long
Oh where, oh where can they be?

Allow me to rant here.

Jesus, he just doesn't get it.

While the bigger buzz, coming from the Brian Williams interview with Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain yesterday is over the "I'm a betting man", referring to whether or not he will show up at the debate this evening, Fly Boy took another opportunity to hawk his "town hall meetings", again chiding Barack Obama for not agreeing to them.

And, it's hard to say, if he's acting like a petulant little child, stamping his feet in a tantrum, or, perhaps closer, to reality, it's in the area of dementia and senility.

And, this is the second time in the past few weeks that he has harped on this, previously, actually blaming Obama's not accepting the town hall meetings for the lying, negative campaign he has run.

McCain Admits He's "Divorced from day-to-day challenges people have"

And notice, in that same exchange, how he blames Obama for his pathetic, scurrilous, gutter--based, insultingly negative campaign?

"First of all, this is a tough business. Second of all, I think the tone of this whole campaign would have been very different if Senator Obama had accepted my request for us to appear in town hall meetings all over America, the same way Jack Kennedy and Barry Goldwater had agreed to do so. I know that, because I've been in enough campaigns."

So it's Obama's fault the Rove Rats, and signed off by Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny, have been outright lying about Obama in their campaign ads and charges.

You can lay odds he'll, almost definitely, and especially if he is sweating and screwing up, make this charge again (or, in the post-debate spin is where it will pop up).

Good Post Alert - First Palin, Then Campaign Suspension. What Now? ... Slate predicts McCain's next 10 Hail Mary stunts.

We took a different route the other day, but this is pretty good.

From Slate's "low concept: Dubious and far-fetched ideas";

First Palin, Then Campaign Suspension. What Now? ... Slate predicts McCain's next 10 Hail Mary stunts

Check it out!

This Date ... On The Garlic

26 September 2007... On The Garlic

Well, He Isn't The Shakespeare Guy ... And She Ain't No History Girl ...

26 September 2006... On The Garlic

Top Ten Cloves: In Words, What America Means Now To The International Community

26 September 2005... On The Garlic

Cable News Giants Considering All-Hurricane Channel; Pool Resources To Contain Costs; Sponsored Levees In New Orleans Offered

Hughes Makes Official Debut With Mid-East Jaunt; Fall Tupperware Line Just In; Says Flood Victims could have "saved heirlooms"

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard During Dick Cheney's Surgery

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Well, It Depends On Your Definition of Crisis ...

It's probably a good idea, that on the day you light your own hair on fire, and you happen to be booked on the David Letterman Show, you should follow through with the booking, and drag your charred, sorry-ass onto the stage.

Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain didn't do that.

Shortly after announcing he was putting the Dead Campaign Express up on blocks, he ducked out of the Letterman gig, and David Letterman spent virtually the entire program skewering Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny for it.

Especially so, when it was discovered he wasn't rushing back to Washington, to lend his thimble-sized expertise to the current economy woes, as was the reason he gave for lighting his hair on fire (and, we should add, going against the advice of his financial mentor, Phil Gramm, whined about needing to bag out of the debate tomorrow evening, if Hank's Heist was a done deal by that time).

But, wait, it gets worse.

Where Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny rushed to, was another CBS studio, the CBS Evening News, to do an interview with Katie Couric, while his Rove Rats rummage the closets to find and burn the interview Couric did a few hours earlier, with Mommy Moose.

As referenced, Letterman ragged on him for the entire night.

And, lucky for us, someone (perhaps from Letterman's staff, or CBS) condensed it down to a 9-minute video

Kick back and thoroughly enjoy yourselves.

David Letterman Reacts to John McCain Suspending Campaign

Bonus McCain Melting Links

Josh Marshall: How's the Stunt Playing?

Ron Beasley: Hail Mary Pass II

Comrade John Cole: The Latest Spin

The Raw Story: As McCain suspends campaigning, aide accidentally e-mails bailout talking points to media

Attaturk: My Brokerage Ate My Homework

Barry Crimmins: Great American Document

Hilzoy: Say What?

Crimmins Scoops McCain Debate Pullout Doc

You know, this just has to end up at the Smithsonian.

Barry Crimmins got it!

The actual document Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain sent to the Debate Commision, requesting tomorrow's debate with Barack Obama be postponed.

I could extol more on it, however, it will be better that you see it for yourself

Go over to Barry's site, to see the "Great American Document"

This Date ... On The Garlic

25 September 2007... On The Garlic

Breaking News! Bush Reaching Out To Columbia University's Bollinger With Plum Position; Believes School President Can Be Asset In Sliming War Critics, Up-Front and Face-To-Face; Cheney Wants Him For More Iran Bashing

Barry Crimmins - Humvee crisis grips USA!

Top Ten Cloves: Things Overheard During Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Visit To Columbia University

Good Post Alert: Olbermann Rules!

25 September, 2006... On The Garlic

Minced Garlic: Brand New Keith Olbermann Special Comment - End Of The Free Pass

Garlic Exclusive - Torture Compromise Follow-Up: Special Song Given To Cheer Bush Up: My Favorite War

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Top Ten Cloves: Things John McCain Will Do Friday Evening, Instead of Debating Barack Obama

News Item: McCain Calls for Debate Delay to Focus on Financial Crisis

10. Practice sending emails and using The Google

9. Teach Sarah Palin something ... Anything!

8. Work on his Electric Car Battery

7. Write up some new POW-POW-POW excuses

6. Call Phil Gramm back, for advice, and promise, on this call, he'll stop whining

5. No speeches ... No dinners ... No appearances ...Campaign suspended ... Time to hit the casinos!

4. Start reading Alan Greenspan's book

3. Bring in Bobby Jindal to exorcise his campaign

2. Help Rick Davis sort out his Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac payments

1. Review, and think about which of his seven house he wants to live in, after he loses in November

"I'll Try To Find You Some, and Bring'em To Ya ..."

OMG!

It is being openly speculated, that the reason Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain poured gasoline on his campaign today, and put a match to it, was Mommy Moose's interview with Katie Couric.

They needed to bury it.

If, by chance, you just got zapped onto earth, had a quick crash course on its' culture, and then viewed this interview, you might come way with thinking, that Katie was still in her NBC 'Today Show' mode, interviewing some turnip from the latest new reality show.

It's only a short snip, about 5-minutes, but it could .... Possibly ... It could leave Leonard Pinth Garnell speechless.

CBS Sarah Palin interview

Bonus Bombs Away Riffs

No More Mr. Nice Blog: IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW

Spencer Ackerman: I Saw My Head Laughing, Rolling On The Ground

Kyle E. Moore: What the McCain Campaign Really Didn’t Want You To See

Emptywheel: Did McCain Blow Off Letterman to Pre-Empt Sarah and Katie?

Palin PBS Poll Being Stacked

Just got an email from a good friend, who hipped me to a on-line poll by PBS's 'Now' program, asking the question "Do you think Sarah Palin is qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States?"

It came with the caveat, that the Right Wing was bag-jobbing it, stacking the vote for Mommy Moose (I just voted, and, incredulously, the "Yes" vote for Mommy Moose was ahead, 50% to 49%).

Yeah, right ...

The typical PBS demo is going to stand behind the Whiz from Wasilla...

Go to the poll here to vote

Bonus Mommy Moose Musings

McCain VP Confusion; Staff Had Canadian Actress Sarah Polley In Dayton Hotel For Three Days

The 1,001 Points of Light

Elmera Gantry

Does The Palin Truth Squad Get Per Diems Too?

How Little We Know ...

Well ... In Her Defense, She Can't See Hewlett Packard From Alaska

Ring of Lying - The New McCain-Palin Campaign Theme Song

Wall Street Chieftains ... Watch Your Back!

It may very well come to dawn on them, the Wall Street chieftains, how lucky they are, as they sit and wait to see if Uncle Sam is going to dole out a wheelbarrel of cash to them for screwing up.

Other CEO's, and one in particular, don't, necessarily, have the luxury of that option;

CEO murdered by mob of sacked Indian workers

Corporate India is in shock after a mob of workers bludgeoned to death the chief executive who sacked them from a factory in a suburb of Delhi.

Lalit Kishore Choudhary, 47, the head of the Indian operations of Graziano Transmissioni, a manufacturer of car parts that has its headquarters in Italy, died of severe head wounds on Monday after being attacked by scores of laid-off employees, police said. The incident, in Greater Noida, followed a long-running dispute between the factory’s management and workers demanding better pay and permanent contracts.

And, much like Wall Street (and to use Joe Pesci's line), "Always the dollars ...Always the fuckin' dollars";

A spokesman for the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry said: “Such a heinous act is bound to sully India’s image among overseas investors.”

This Date ... On The Garlic

24 September 2006... On The Garlic

Breaking News! Confusion, As Ahmadinejad Claims He's Enrolling In Columbia, Wants "Campus Life Experience"; State Department Says No Defection Or Asylum Requested; Levi's and Girls Gone Wild Videos Factor In Iranian President Decision

24 September 2006... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves

Mr. Powell? ... Ms. Coulter is here to see you ... The Results - The Garlic's Weekly Poll

24 September 2005... On The Garlic

Weekend Special - Sautéed Cloves

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Some More Heads To Be Pulled Out of Asses

In today's Murdoch Street Journal, Charles Calomiris and Peter Wallison lay down the case for blaming the Wall Street Meltdown on Democrats, Congress, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Incredulously, not one Republican was castigated, and, in particular, one conspicuous Republican.

The Commander Guy ... The court-appointed 43rd President, George W. Bush.

Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain has been beating this drum lately as well.

Much like Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny throws rocks at Barack Obama, over "The Surge", while completely ignoring the first five-plus years of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, Calomiris and Wallison also choose not to look too far in the rear-view mirror.

Not once, not a single word in their "Blame Fannie Mae and Congress" do they mention, reference or otherwise bring up the centerpiece of the Bush Grindhouse's planned legacy - The Ownership Society.

Directly from the Bush Grindhouse, "For Immediate Release - Office of the Press Secretary, August 9, 2004"

Blame Fact Sheet: America's Ownership Society: Expanding Opportunities

"...if you own something, you have a vital stake in the future of our country. The more ownership there is in America, the more vitality there is in America, and the more people have a vital stake in the future of this country."

-President George W. Bush, June 17, 2004

Expanding Homeownership. The President believes that homeownership is the cornerstone of America's vibrant communities and benefits individual families by building stability and long-term financial security. In June 2002, President Bush issued America's Homeownership Challenge to the real estate and mortgage finance industries to encourage them to join the effort to close the gap that exists between the homeownership rates of minorities and non-minorities. The President also announced the goal of increasing the number of minority homeowners by at least 5.5 million families before the end of the decade. Under his leadership, the overall U.S. homeownership rate in the second quarter of 2004 was at an all time high of 69.2 percent. Minority homeownership set a new record of 51 percent in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage point from the first quarter and up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago. President Bush's initiative to dismantle the barriers to homeownership includes:

* American Dream Downpayment Initiative, which provides down payment assistance to approximately 40,000 low-income families;
* Affordable Housing. The President has proposed the Single-Family Affordable Housing Tax Credit, which would increase the supply of affordable homes;
* Helping Families Help Themselves. The President has proposed increasing support for the Self-Help Homeownership Opportunities Program; and
* Simplifying Homebuying and Increasing Education. The President and HUD want to empower homebuyers by simplifying the home buying process so consumers can better understand and benefit from cost savings. The President also wants to expand financial education efforts so that families can understand what they need to do to become homeowners.

Can't have an Ownership Society if no one is buying and owning anything.

You gotta move some product, get the numbers up, rack-up testimonials, create the soundbites and talking points to build up the program.

So, however Fannie and Freddie were managed and/or mismanaged, they had a mandate to sell the legacy, the Ownership Society and sell they did.

As did the rest of the dwarfs, finks, phonies and frauds on Wall Street, dissecting it every which way, so as many cronies as possible could get a piece of the money pie.

Here's some riffs on the great "Ownership Society";

Robert Reich's "What Ownership Society?"

You won’t be hearing much at the Republican Convention about jobs and wages, because job growth has stalled and wages are stagnant. But you will hear about something Republicans are now calling the "Ownership Society." The notion is to expand private ownership through more tax cuts on capital investments, tax credits for saving and privatized Social Security.

Face it: The Republican "Ownership Society" is hokum. Ownership of America is now more concentrated than since the days of the Robber Barons of the 19th century. The richest 1 percent of America owns more than the the bottom 90 percent put together.

Calomiris and Wallison also leave out that it was still, at that time, a Republican-dominated Congress, that was rubber-stamping anything and everything coming out of the Bush Grindhouse.

Calomiris and Wallison also were forgetful in mentioning that two close aides to the Republican nominee for President this year, were retained by Fannie and Freddie, as lobbyists, to, among other things, resist regulation and oversight.

Yesterday, the NYT laid it out about Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny's campaign manager, Rick Davis (to which, the Rove Rats running McCain's campaign whined about).

Today, Bloomberg enlightens us to the person Stumblin' Bumblin' Johnny has laying down the carpet for his planned presidency.

Calomiris and Wallison, both, are from the American Enterprise Institute, which has been, for all intents-and-purpose, a second West Wing for the Bush Grindhouse.

Between Hank Paulson's attempted coup, Faux News, and others, laying down the meme of blaming the people who bought houses during this period (and many of them, first in line, as to getting royally screwed), this drivel blaming everyone but the Republicans, break out the umbrellas, as you can expect significant more bullshit to be thrown before the week is over.

This Date ... On The Garlic

23 September 2007... On The Garlic

Retro Garlic ... The Wheels On The Bicycle Go Round and Round ... Round and Round ... Round and Round ...

23 September 2005... On The Garlic

White House In Disarray; Bush Torn Between Visiting Texas or New Orleans; Aides Arguing; VP Suggests To Pack Guitar and Head Again To San Diego; Rove Pushing 'Pro-Active' Disaster Appearances

Top Ten Cloves: Reasons Bill Frist Sold His HCA Stock Before It Tanked

Monday, September 22, 2008

A Night At The Wall Street Meltdown

Sorry for the low posting the past two days.

I've been a bit jammed up on the homefront, and, likely, will be for another day (right now, I am aiming to get back to posting, regular-like, tomorrow (Tues) evening, or Wed AM, at the latest).

But it's hard sitting on the sidelines, so, a few, brief observations.

Hank Paulson ... Al Haig ... Al Haig ... Hank Paulson

Not since those heady days of Reagan's Morning After, have we had such a low-rent, second-banana, administration hack look to take over control of the government.

Henry "Hank" Paulson is showing Alexander Haig what a piker he was.

Haig was just looking to grab a little spotlight, feel the power for a few minutes, maybe sit in the big chair for a spell.

But Paulson ... It's simply breathtaking ...

Like this;

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Paulson wants to dole out $700-Billion to his, and the Bush Grindhouse's, Wall Street cronies, carte blanche!

I mean, considering his background (He came from Goldman Sachs - I don't believe you need to fire up Google Maps to know where they are), it was already the fox guarding the hen house, and now, with this Ponzi-inspiring scam, The Commander Guy is greenlighting handing out the contract for guarding all the hen houses, to said same fox.

Simply breathtaking, in its' raw, naked sleaziness.

Fortunately, there's nearly universal, fist-pounding, raised-eyebrows, no-fucking-way steam building up, notably from Senator Chris Dodd, with an alternative that dwarfs Hank's plans, in details.

The heavy-duty arguments, and horse-trading begins in Congress tomorrow (undoubtedly, under the attack of fear bombs being lobbed by the Bush Grindhouse).

But for now, Hank's Heist looks pretty similar to something else;

A Night At The Opera: Contract Scene

Bonus Hank's Heist Riffs

Nicole Belle - Definition Of Economic Insanity: Handing Paulson A Blank Check For Bailouts

Cernig: Bailout Or Rearranging Deckchairs? (Updated)

Ian Welsh: Hank Paulson’s Raid on the Treasury

Larisa Alexandrovna: Welcome to the final stages of the coup...

Robert Reich: What Wall Street Should Do To Get Its Blank Check

Bill Moyers & Kevin Phillips on Bad Money

Top Ten Cloves: Names Considered To Rename Wall Street

Happy Autumn!

Somewhat apropos, for the first day of Autumn, up here in the Northeast.

A cool, damp, dark day.

So many things to start falling this week ...

Leaves, of course, but also the economy ... Stumblin' Bumblin' John McCain (the drumroll, to the first debate Friday evening).

With all that in mind, take a break and groove to the classic tune, 'Autumn Leaves'

We've chosen the Eva Cassidy rendition, and, if you're not hip to Eva Cassidy, get hip to Eva Cassidy.

Eva Cassidy - Autumn Leaves

Happy Autumn!