Author: HL

Late Late Night FDL: Don’t Wait Too Long
Madeleine Peyroux — Don’t Wait Too Long, Los Angeles, 2009.

Madeleine Peyroux — Don’t Wait Too Long, Los Angeles, 2009.

What’s on your mind?

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The Texas Textbook Massacre
Our friends at Brave New Films sent us this update on the Texas Board of Education’s partisan rewriting of American history. If you haven’t been angry enough today, hop past the jump and give it a gander.

Our friends at Brave New Films sent us this update on the Texas Board of Education’s partisan rewriting of American history. If you haven’t been angry enough today, hop past the jump and give it a gander.

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Trish Nelson: The Depravity of Chuck Grassley – A Poem by Iowan John Shumaker
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CHICAGO — President Barack Obama is spending the long Memorial Day holiday weekend at home in Chicago, where he will sleep in his own bed…

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Hannity again falsely suggested Obama ignored oil spill, TN flooding

Sean Hannity again falsely suggested that President Obama ignored the floods in Tennessee and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. In fact, Obama responded quickly to both disasters.

From the May 27 edition of Fox News’ Hannity:

HANNITY: But this president never mentioned the largest flood in Nashville in 500 years. To this day he’s not mentioned this. He didn’t speak publicly about [the oil spill] for eight long days. Now, there is a political aspect to this, especially in light of the massive criticism that George W. Bush received in light of a two-day-slow response to Katrina.

Fact: Tennessee’s governor praised the administration’s flood response

Declaration provides federal aid. In a May 4 release, the White House stated that Obama “declared a major disaster exists in the State of Tennessee and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area” affected by “severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes beginning on April 30, 2010, and continuing.” The statement said that aid includes “grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.” [Whitehouse.gov, 5/4/10]

Fox News.com: Tennessee governor said he has “never seen this kind of response.” Hannity’s own network reported that Gov. Phil Bredesen stated: “I’ve never seen this kind of response … and we’ve had our share of tornadoes and so forth.” Bredesen reportedly further stated, “FEMA and the White House could not have been more helpful in this thing.” Fox also reported that Obama spoke with Bredesen on Monday, May 3, and that FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate had been to the state twice since the storms. [FoxNews.com, 5/6/10]

Bredesen: “The President was on the phone to me before the sun came up practically on Monday morning.” In another White House statement, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs posted Bredesen’s description of the federal response:

I have to say that FEMA and the White House have been absolutely supportive. Very quickly FEMA was on the ground here before the raindrops started falling. … The President was on the phone to me before the sun came up practically on Monday morning. Slightly after it came up, other people from the White House had called and checked in with us and helped. … I’ve never seen this kind of a response to things that have happened. We’ve had our share of tornadoes and those kinds of things. … I’m very, very pleased with the response we’ve gotten from the administration. [5/6/10]

Fact: Administration responded immediately to rig explosion, oil spill

White House immediately dispatched officials, Coast Guard to work on response. As Media Matters detailed, the same day the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded on April 21, the White House held a briefing with top administration officials, and Deputy Secretary of the Interior David Hayes was dispatched to the region. The same day, the Coast Guard announced that four units were responding to the fire, with additional units en route.

Coast Guard began containment efforts on April 23. On April 23, the Coast Guard stated:

The Department of the Interior, MMS [the U.S. Minerals Management Service], and the Coast Guard continue to support the efforts of the responsible parties to secure all potential sources of pollution. Both federal agencies have technical teams in place overseeing the proposals by BP and Transocean to completely secure the well. Until that has occurred and all parties are confident the risk of additional spill is removed, a high readiness posture to respond will remain in place. 

Although the oil appears to have stopped flowing from the well head, Coast Guard, BP, Transocean, and MMS remain focused on mitigating the impact of the product currently in the water and preparing for a worst-case scenario in the event the seal does not hold. Visual feed from deployed remotely operated vehicles with sonar capability is continually monitored in an effort to look for any crude oil which still has the potential to emanate from the subsurface well.

“From what we have observed yesterday and through the night, we are not seeing any signs of release of crude in the subsurface area. However we remain in a ‘ready to respond’ mode and are working in a collaborative effort with BP, the responsible party, to prepare for a worst-case scenario,” Landry stated early Friday morning.

April 26: Oil recovery and cleanup were to resume after adverse weather passed. On April 25, the unified command team responding to the spill stated:

The unified command is implementing intervention efforts in an attempt to contain the source of oil emanating from the wellhead at the Deepwater Horizon incident site Sunday.

The unified command has approved a plan that utilizes submersible remote operated vehicles in an effort to activate the blowout preventer on the sea floor and to stop the flow of oil that has been estimated at leaking up to 1,000 barrels/42,000 gallons a day.

Also, BP is mobilizing the DD3, a drilling rig that is expected to arrive Monday to prepare for relief well-drilling operations.

Additionally, the oil recovery and clean-up operations are expected to resume once adverse weather has passed. These efforts are part of the federally approved oil spill contingency plan that is in place to respond to environmental incidents.

April 28: Federal officials realize spill was far more severe than BP led them to believe. An April 28 New York Times article reported, “Government officials said late Wednesday night that oil might be leaking from a well in the Gulf of Mexico at a rate five times that suggested by initial estimates.” The Times further reported:

In a hastily called news conference, Rear Adm. Mary E. Landry of the Coast Guard said a scientist from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had concluded that oil is leaking at the rate of 5,000 barrels a day, not 1,000 as had been estimated. While emphasizing that the estimates are rough given that the leak is at 5,000 feet below the surface, Admiral Landry said the new estimate came from observations made in flights over the slick, studying the trajectory of the spill and other variables.

An April 30 Associated Press article reported, “For days, as an oil spill spread in the Gulf of Mexico, BP assured the government the plume was manageable, not catastrophic. Federal authorities were content to let the company handle the mess while keeping an eye on the operation.”

Hannity made these false claims before

Hannity previously suggested Obama did nothing on flooding, oil spill. On May 6, Hannity claimed that “[w]e have a massive flood in Nashville, the president, as of now, has yet to comment on it.” Hannity asserted on April 30 that the Obama administration “sat back for 9 days and they did absolutely nothing” about the oil spill”; on May 25, he said of the administration’s oil spill response, “they did nothing from day one … they haven’t done a thing.”

BP top kill halted due to “snag,” another giant underwater plume of oil discovered
Author’s note: This is three-part piece, but what is most noteworthy is that all of the information was obtained through corporate media. Are they finally waking up, or this is so bad there is no hiding it anymore? Excerpt: The New York Times reported today that BP’s “top kill” effort has been halted due to a snag. A […]

Voters Still Angry Despite Brighter Outlook
“Americans are increasingly optimistic about the economy, but that brightening outlook hasn’t softened their outrage over the country’s direction and its political leadership,” a USA Today/Gallup Poll finds.

Two-thirds of those surveyed say they are “angry” about the way things are going, the highest percentage in the decade the question has been asked. By nearly 2-1, they would rather vote for a candidate who has never served in Congress than one with experience.

The poll also finds a huge intensity gap between the parties: 50% of Republicans are “extremely motivated” to vote this year; 30% of Democrats are.

House Votes to Repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”
The House of Representatives voted to let the Pentagon “repeal the ban on gay and bisexual people from serving openly in the military, a major step toward dismantling the 1993 law widely known as ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’” the New York Times reports.

“The House vote was 234 to 194, with 229 Democrats and 5 Republicans in favor, after an emotionally charged debate. Opposed were 168 Republicans and 26 Democrats.”

The Washington Post notes Democrats pushed ahead on the issue over the objections of some key military leaders, who said Congress should have waited to vote until a study is complete.

Meanwhile, the St. Petersburg Times reports Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) — in an apparent nod to Democratic voters — switched his position on the issue and said he would support the repeal if he were in the Senate.

Political Advice From BP?s Handmaiden, Sen. Mary Landrieu

Cross-posted from Hullabaloo. Has there ever been a more loathsome hypocrite than Mary Landrieu? I don’t think so: Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) says President Barack Obama will pay a political price his lack of visibility in the Gulf region during the catastrophic BP oil spill. “The president has not been as visible as […]

Why Do Christians Try to Impose Their Beliefs on Our Politics?
Author Ian Buruma Discusses "the political excesses of religion" he’s observed over three continents.

Author Ian Buruma Discusses "the political excesses of religion" he's observed over three continents.

BP’s Latest Effort Temporarily Blocks the Oil Gush – But Is It Stable?
"This will be felt for generations to come," warns oceans expert.

"This will be felt for generations to come," warns oceans expert.

Obama’s Crazy Plan To Cut Social Security
Is Obama’s new "debt commission" about to savage Social Security for no reason? Sure looks like it.

Is Obama's new "debt commission" about to savage Social Security for no reason? Sure looks like it.

We Are Living in a Screenworld — Reality Isn’t in the Real World Anymore
Has our new definition of "life experience" rendered tangible interactions irrelevant?

Has our new definition of "life experience" rendered tangible interactions irrelevant?

Fox News Anchors: ?We Can?t Trust BP?
Five weeks into the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States, even the right-wing Fox networks are turning on BP, the foreign oil behemoth responsible for the hundred-million-gallon oil gusher now fouling the shores of Louisiana. On Monday, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith challenged top White House adviser David Axelrod why the […]

Five weeks into the worst environmental catastrophe in the history of the United States, even the right-wing Fox networks are turning on BP, the foreign oil behemoth responsible for the hundred-million-gallon oil gusher now fouling the shores of Louisiana. On Monday, Fox News anchor Shepard Smith challenged top White House adviser David Axelrod why the administration continues to trust BP, whose CEO Tony Hayward bet the disaster will have a “very very modest” impact on the Gulf of Mexico, claimed BP had “contained” the spill, and complained that Americans are too litigious:

And this is the chief executive of the company that’s in charge of cleaning up this disaster now? Who calls us litigious? Who makes comments about the comparative volume of oil and then says the environmental impact is very minimal? And this is the guy we as Americans are supposed to entrust with the largest ecological disaster in American history? Tony Hayward?

On Wednesday, Fox Business Network anchor Liz Claman interviewed John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimper Alliance, whose industry is threatened with extinction by the millions of gallons of dispersed oil contaminating the Gulf Coast. Claman noted that “we can’t trust BP”:

I think one thing we do know is that we can’t trust BP with information at this point. They were the ones, absolutely, you’re correct, who said, “Oh, don’t worry, the oil will not reach the beaches.” Oh, come on!

Watch a compilation:

This righteous anger at big oil is a remarkable turnaround for the networks that lied about the oil spills caused by Hurricane Katrina, deny the threat of oil pollution to the planet, and shilled for offshore drilling during the “Drill, Baby, Drill” summer of 2008.

Charlie Crist flip-flops to support ?Don?t Ask, Don?t Tell? repeal.
When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) announced that he would leave the Republican party to run for the Senate as an independent, he indicated that he would be more free to support “ideas that I believe are good ideas for the people,” instead of just following “one club’s decision.” Indeed, after long supporting “Don’t Ask, […]

When Florida Gov. Charlie Crist (I) announced that he would leave the Republican party to run for the Senate as an independent, he indicated that he would be more free to support “ideas that I believe are good ideas for the people,” instead of just following “one club’s decision.” Indeed, after long supporting “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” Crist has announced that he is now in favor of the new comprise legislation, which would repeal the policy but allow the Pentagon to complete its study before the repeal is implemented. In a statement, Crist said the compromise will ensure that the new policy is “what is best for our military“:

“Ultimately, as in all military matters I defer to the Pentagon and to the Generals and what the Senate is doing today is giving them the ultimate authority to do what is best for our military. So, I would be inclined to support the Senate’s action on this.“

Crist has maintained a traditionally conservative record on LGBT issues, though there is some evidence to suggest he may adopt a more progressive stance now that he has been liberated from the Republican Party. He has said he is “fine” with civil unions, and in 2007, he asked the GOP to stop spending money promoting “a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Florida” in 2007.

House Committee Passes Bill Requiring Black Boxes in Cars

Kilpatrick’s Lies Land Him in the Big House

Big Government? Bring It On
Margaret Carlson, Bloomberg
May 27 (Bloomberg) — Big government? Bring it on, to borrow the words of our previous commander-in-chief.Those looking for bipartisan consensus in a fractured Capitol need look no further than officials of both parties pounding on the federal government's doors to stop the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Is It Time To Nationalize the Oil Industry?
Joe Conason, Salon
Nearly every day brings fresh evidence of the malfeasance,  corruption and recklessness that led to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, provoking widespread rage at BP and by implication the rest of the oil industry. Public anger at the Obama administration festers, too, as citizens recognize the pitiful impotence of the federal government in these circumstances. But are they furious enough to consider a radical response? If voters are sick of corporate misconduct and government paralysis, after all, there is an alternative to both: nationalization — or at least public…

Stimulus Raised GDP 4.2% in First Quarter
The massive U.S. stimulus package put up to 3.4 million people to work and boosted GDP by up to 4.6 percent in the first three months of 2010, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday. CBO’s latest estimate does not differ significantly from its previous assessments of the impact of the $893 billion package, passed in 2009.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before
BP is optimistic there is mud in your pipe.

Hey look everybody, everything is looking like it’s no problem — yet again!

BP Plc Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said on Wednesday it appears drilling mud, not oil, was gushing from a ruptured undersea well six hours into an effort to halt a month-old oil spill.

And we’ve no reason to ever doubt their word, so surely this means the corner has been turned and we can go back to being eviscerated by big banks again. Or maybe not them alone.

?

BP Goes In for the Top Kill
The news that British Petroleum began its latest attempt to contain the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill Wednesday afternoon with the “top kill” stopgap strategy would be more heartening if it didn’t come so late in the game—and if there was more of a guarantee that it would do the job.  —KA The New York Times: The Coast Guard gave BP approval on Wednesday morning to move forward with the maneuver after consulting with government scientists, as technicians completed preparatory diagnostic work. A live video feed of the leak was available online throughout the procedure, BP officials said. Tony Hayward, chief executive office of BP said, it would be “a day or two before we can have certainty that it’s worked.” On the other hand, failure could become apparent within minutes or hours, a technician involved in the procedure said. Either way, President Obama will return to Louisiana on Friday to survey the spill’s damage, the White House said. The consequences for BP are profound: A successful capping of the leaking well could finally begin to mend the company’s brittle image after weeks of failed efforts, and perhaps limit the damage to wildlife and marine life from reaching catastrophic levels. Read more

The news that British Petroleum began its latest attempt to contain the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill Wednesday afternoon with the “top kill” stopgap strategy would be more heartening if it didn’t come so late in the game—and if there was more of a guarantee that it would do the job.? —KA

The New York Times:

The Coast Guard gave BP approval on Wednesday morning to move forward with the maneuver after consulting with government scientists, as technicians completed preparatory diagnostic work. A live video feed of the leak was available online throughout the procedure, BP officials said.

Tony Hayward, chief executive office of BP said, it would be “a day or two before we can have certainty that it’s worked.” On the other hand, failure could become apparent within minutes or hours, a technician involved in the procedure said.

Either way, President Obama will return to Louisiana on Friday to survey the spill’s damage, the White House said.

The consequences for BP are profound: A successful capping of the leaking well could finally begin to mend the company’s brittle image after weeks of failed efforts, and perhaps limit the damage to wildlife and marine life from reaching catastrophic levels.

Read more

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Richard (RJ) Eskow: “No More Secrecy”: Open The Wall Street Negotiations and Empower Voters
The Campaign for America’s Future (CAF), CREDO, and MoveOn have launched a petition campaign to ensure that the House/Senate deliberations on financial reform be “fully…

Obama Oil Spill Speech: President To Take Questions, Cite Report, On Gulf Oil Spill
WASHINGTON — Escalating his administration’s response to the disastrous Gulf oil spill, President Barack Obama plans to announce Thursday that a moratorium on new deepwater…

Azadeh Shahshahani: College Educator or Immigration Police? Why Universities Should Not Enter Dangerous Terrain of Local Enforcement of Immigration Laws
Jessica Colotl, the 21-year-old exemplary Kennesaw State college student who fell victim to the Cobb sheriff’s abuse of the 287(g) power, which delegates some federal…

Beck falsely claims Obama will not “honor our troops” on Memorial Day

Glenn Beck falsely claimed that President Obama “has decided not to honor our troops on Memorial Day.” In fact, Obama will speak at a Memorial Day service at a dedicated Veterans Affairs cemetery in Illinois; Obama is not the first president to commemorate the holiday somewhere other than Arlington National Cemetery.

Beck falsely claims Obama “has decided not to honor our troops on Memorial Day”

From the May 26 edition of Premiere Radio Networks’ The Glenn Beck Program:

BECK: The president has decided not to honor our troops on Memorial Day and go to — can you find out the last president that decided to take a vacation and then go to a Paul McCartney — come back for a Paul McCartney concert, but not for the laying of a wreath on Memorial Day? Maybe this has happened before. I don’t recall it.

Obama will commemorate Memorial Day in Illinois ceremony

Obama will speak at veterans cemetery; Biden to lay wreath at Arlington National Cemetery. A White House press release states: “On Monday, the President will participate in a Memorial Day ceremony at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois. Also on Monday, the Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden will host a breakfast for Gold Star Families at the White House. Afterwards, the Vice President and Dr. Biden will participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.” Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery is dedicated as a national cemetery within the VA’s National Cemetery Administration. [WhiteHouse.gov, 5/24/10]

Previous presidents have honored Memorial Day away from Arlington Cemetery

1983: Reagan attended summit meeting; Defense Department official Thayer laid wreath at Arlington. Deputy Secretary of Defense W. Paul Thayer laid a wreath at Arlington Cemetery during the Memorial Day ceremony in 1983, according to a May 31, 1983, Washington Post article (retrieved from the Nexis database). The Associated Press reported that President Reagan attended a “summit meeting in Williamsburg, Va., with leaders of the industrialized democracies.”

1992: George H.W. Bush allowed VP Quayle to lay wreath. In 1992, Vice President Dan Quayle laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day, according to a May 26, 1992, Boston Globe article (from Nexis). The Globe reported that President George H.W. Bush attended a wreath-laying ceremony and made brief remarks at an American Legion hall in Kennebunkport, Maine, where he also played a round of golf.

2002: George W. Bush spoke at commemoration in Normandy. On May 27, 2002, President George W. Bush spoke at a Memorial Day commemoration in Normandy, France.

Bush remained in Texas for Veterans Day in 2007

Veterans Day 2007: Cheney attended ceremony to pay tribute at Arlington as Bush remained in Texas. On November 11, 2007, the AP reported that “President Bush honored U.S. troops past and present at a tearful ceremony Sunday for four Texans who died there.” The AP further reported that “Vice President Dick Cheney went to Arlington to pay tribute to Iraq veterans.”

Report: Blogger Claiming Affair Has Years Of Text Messages With SC Gov Candidate
The website of the prominent South Carolina blogger who claims he had an “inappropriate physical relationship” with gubernatorial front-runner Nikki Haley is claiming in a new post that there are five years worth of emails, voicemails, and text messages between the two — though the site, FITSNews, isn’t saying much about what the correspondence reveals.


South Carolina – Nikki Haley – Politics – Website – Will Folks

Probe Finds MMS Inspectors Got Free Peach Bowl Tickets, Looked At Porn
An inspector general report on the Lake Charles, LA, office of the Minerals Management Service found that inspectors accepted a free trip to the 2005 Peach Bowl paid for by an oil company.

New Gun-Rights Gambit Sweeping Nation: ‘Firearms Freedom’
Supporters of gun rights have hit on a new gambit that ties in perfectly with the far-right’s fears during the Obama era.


Gun politics – Gun Control – Pro-Gun Rights – Brady Campaign – Peter Hamm

New York Book Expo: Duchess Sarah & 40 pounds of free books!
The 2010 New York Book Expo moved into full swing today. Last night Barbra Streisand gave the keynote speech and I positively hung on (and wrote down) every single word. But it will take me forever to transcribe all that, so you will just have to wait to find out what “La Streisand” actually said. […]

Ensign Gears Up to Run Again
Despite an ethics investigation and an extramarital affair he had with a staffer, Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is determined to run for re-election, the Los Angeles Times reports.

“The Nevadan has started organizing fundraisers and making calls to donors for help in winning a third term in 2012. Ensign, once a rising star in the Republican leadership, collected a mere $50 during the first quarter of this year, but he’s confident that is about to change.”

Said Ensign: “We just took some time off. We’re getting it geared back up.”

Blumenthal Keeps Big Lead Over McMahon
A new Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut finds Richard Blumenthal (D) leads Linda McMahon (R) by 25 points in the U.S. Senare race, 56% to 31%.

Blumenthal held a 33 point lead in March.

Said pollster Douglas Schwartz: “It looks like Connecticut voters forgive Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, or feel that there is nothing to forgive in the Vietnam service flap. While he has taken a hit with voters, his poll numbers were so high to begin with that he still maintains a commanding lead over Linda McMahon.”

He added: “What is surprising is that McMahon gets no bounce from her Republican convention victory. Her negatives went up 13 points from 26 percent unfavorable to 39 percent unfavorable. The more voters get to know McMahon the less they like her.”

Are Goldman Sachs and the Megabanks Able to Wipe out an Entire Economy with a Keystroke?
How artificial intelligence and robotrading pose a growing threat to the global marketplace.

How artificial intelligence and robotrading pose a growing threat to the global marketplace.

10 Things You Need (But Don’t Want) To Know About the BP Oil Spill
How the owner of the exploded oil rig has made $270 million off the disaster, and nine other shocking, depressing facts about the oil spill.

How the owner of the exploded oil rig has made $270 million off the disaster, and nine other shocking, depressing facts about the oil spill.

Will Congress Finally Tax The Billionaires?
Wall Street tycoons get taxed at lower rates the the people who clean their buildings. Congress might be about to change that.

Wall Street tycoons get taxed at lower rates the the people who clean their buildings. Congress might be about to change that.

Peter Beinart Lashes His Lobby Critics (UPDATE) ++Dershowitz
The original piece is below. It is about Dershowitz. I’m updating with Peter Beinart’s excellent response to the Jeff Goldbergs of the world, who are going after Beinart the way they go after…anyone who dares criticize the Israeli government. Except…


Middle East – Alan Dershowitz – Warfare and Conflict – United States – Israel

Rand Paul Supports Tax Dollars Being Used to Enforce Private Discrimination
Seeing this piece at the Edge of the West, I couldn’t help noting the complete absurdity of the distinction Rand Paul makes between opposing “public” segregation while opposing laws that stop “private segregation.” Edge of the West suggests someone ask…



Law – Rand Paul – United States – Police – Civil and political rights

Why Wall Street’s Political Poison Is Still Catnip for Many Incumbents
Today’s quiz: At a time when California’s Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman is losing ground to her Republican rival in the primary because of her ties to Wall Street, when Utah’s incumbent Senator Robert Bennett was just booted out by…



Wall Street – Utah – Republican – Meg Whitman – California

McConnell disagrees with Paul?s claim that Obama?s BP criticism is ?un-American.?
On Friday, GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul told ABC News that the Obama administration’s promise to keep a “boot heel on the throat of BP” was “really un-American.” “I think it’s part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault,” said Paul. “Instead of […]

On Friday, GOP Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul told ABC News that the Obama administration’s promise to keep a “boot heel on the throat of BP” was “really un-American.” “I think it’s part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault,” said Paul. “Instead of the fact that maybe sometimes accidents happen.” On CNN last night, John King asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who supported Paul’s primary opponent, if he agreed with Paul’s “un-American” comment. McConnell said he did not:

KING: One of the things Rand Paul has said that has generated quite a bit of controversy, as you know, is he said that he found some of President Obama’s criticism of B.P. after the oil spill to be un-American. Do you agree with that?

MCCONNELL: I think the criticism of B.P. is obviously well-founded. There’s no question that B.P. or the two other companies involved in this drilling are responsible for what happened. And the government now is subjected appropriately to have questions about what its role was, and not only in approving the drill site but also in approving the spill response plan which was filed with MMS, the Mineral Management Service. So, there’s plenty of blame to go around between the government and B.P. And I don’t — I don’t — I don’t say that in any way what B.P. has done is excusable.

Later in the interview, McConnell chastised Paul’s post-primary gaffes, saying, “I think he’s said quite enough for the time being in terms of national press coverage.” Watch it:

McConnell isn’t the only GOP senator to disagree with Paul’s attack on criticism of BP. Yesterday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a supporter of the oil industry, said that anyone who “doesn’t get angry at what has happened has no emotion.” “And I can see where the Secretary is coming from,” said Murkowski, referencing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, who first made the comment about keeping a “boot heel on the throat of BP.”

Gingrich Attacks And Defends Bank Bailouts In The Same Interview
Newt Gingrich recently sat down with fivethirtyeight.com for an interview promoting his new book To Save America in which he argues that America is being taken over by a “secular socialist machine.” Fivethirtyeight’s Tom Schaller asked about the 2008 bank bailouts, noting that some have called it a form of “corporate socialism.” In response, Gingrich […]

Newt Gingrich recently sat down with fivethirtyeight.com for an interview promoting his new book To Save America in which he argues that America is being taken over by a “secular socialist machine.” Fivethirtyeight’s Tom Schaller asked about the 2008 bank bailouts, noting that some have called it a form of “corporate socialism.” In response, Gingrich attacked the Bush bailout and then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for implementing it:

GINGRICH: I feel very strongly about that. I said at that time that I thought Henry Paulson should not have been Treasury Secretary. I thought it was totally wrong for the former chairman of Goldman Sachs to be funneling billions of dollars from the taxpayers to Goldman Sachs. And I have said over and over, you can’t have capitalism on the way up and socialism on the way down because you get socialism both ways.

Later in the interview, Schaller asked Gingrich what he thinks of President Bush, “under whom the first $3 trillion budget and first $1 trillion deficit was passed.” This time, Gingrich had some very different things to say about the bailouts. The former Speaker defended Bush’s tenure, adding that he had no choice but to push taxpayer money on the nation’s largest banks:

GINGRICH: I think that he was very sincere in his desire to protect America. I think he was very sincere in his basic conservative social values. I think he began his Administration with a real commitment on lower taxes and more economic growth, precisely in the Reagan model. And I think that late in his Administration that he was frankly worn down by the bureaucracies in Washington. […]

And then I think when the crisis hit in the fall of 2008 everybody panicked. Candidly, there was a period there when you had the Federal Reserve chairman and the Secretary of the Treasury saying, “If we don’t do X, Y and Z, the entire world economy is going to collapse.” That’s pretty good grounds for stopping and trying to do something. It’s easy for people to say, “Well, I’d rather have risked a world depression.” But most of the people I talked to in the private sector at the time were really worried about the system freezing up totally.

So in the very same interview, Gingrich attacks the bailouts to play to the anti-government Tea Party crowd, but later justifies them to defend Bush.

But at least Gingrich is consistent on one thing: being inconsistent about his position on the bailouts. When Congress was debating the bailout legislation, he first urged the GOP “in the strongest language possible” to vote against it, but later that day, he said he was “trying to help get it through.” A month later, he urged Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) — who was running for president at the time — to distance himself from it.