October 2005

President Bush's pick for the Supreme Court, Samuel Alito, has so far pleased
the extreme right. The question will now be in the approval by the centrists.

This was a bold step for Bush. He would of had a better chance of getting
this confirmation through if he made it from the beginning instead of putting
the country through the Miers embarrassment.

It appears that this pick will face the hurdle of getting Democrats to
support him. This of course could lead to a filibuster and another show down
with Republicans and Democrats on the hill. Some part of me says this is what
Bush wants. It is no secret that the Republican party is highly divided right
now. Perhaps he feels that giving them a fight with Democrats will unit his
party. True Bush must remember that Parties don't win election, the candidates
do. With Bush's approval rating and perception of trustworthiness in the gutter,
why should American's be hopeful on his latest pick.

Here is a brief description of Alito that the Associated Press has put out
today:

On top of it all, Miers' nomination angered Bush's conservative backers.
Most welcomed the Alito pick.

So consistently conservative, Alito has been dubbed "Scalito" or "Scalia-lite"
by some lawyers because his judicial philosophy invites comparisons to
conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. But while Scalia is
outspoken and is known to badger lawyers, Alito is polite, reserved and
even-tempered.

"The Supreme Court is an institution I have long held in reverence," said
the bespectacled judge, a former prosecutor and government attorney who has
argued 12 cases before the Supreme Court. "During my 29 years as a public
servant, I've had an opportunity to view the Supreme Court from a variety of
perspectives."

If you first read the cover story that appears on the November 14 issue of
Forbes magazine you may think its just a typical article from a publication
that caters to the business community. Further reading into it reveals something
even more disturbing to people like me and other bloggers out there.

The article attacks bloggers around the country. It focuses on some of the
isolated incidents where blogs were used to attack companies or individuals.
Some of the attacks have actually been based on fact and there are some that are
based on lies.

One of the key victims of this attack is Google who hosts the very service
this blog is on.

But even the Constitution doesn't give a citizen the right to unjustly
call his neighbor a child molester. Google and the like argue they bear no
more responsibility for content than a phone company does for slander over
its wires. But Google's blog business looks less like a phone company and
more like a mix of reality TV and an online magazine. Bloggers provide the
fare, and Google maintains it for them free of charge, sometimes selling
ads.

Heres an update on my previous post
Rove =
Offical 'a'. This is the

Associated Presses report on this issue:

'Official A' Stands Out in Indictment

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer

In a sign of the trouble lingering for the Bush administration, the
indictment handed up Friday in the CIA leak probe refers to someone at the
White House known as "Official A."

The unidentified official could become a courtroom witness against I.
Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who left his job as vice presidential aide shortly
after his indictment on charges of obstruction of justice, making false
statements and perjury.

Although other officials are mentioned but not named in the indictment,
all were identified Friday afternoon during briefings at the Justice
Department.

Except for "Official A."

The mysterious official is identified in the indictment only as "a senior
official in the White House."

No mention is made of Karl Rove, the president's political adviser who
remains under investigation by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald.

It has been known that columnist Robert Novak spoke to Rove on July 9,
2003, saying he planned to report over the weekend that Valerie Plame, the
wife of Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, had worked for the CIA.
Rove told the columnist he had heard similar information.

Fitzgerald gave one of the longest press conferences I think I have ever
witnessed. Saying that, it was also very interesting. He could not get into many
details of the case and left many of us wondering what is still to come but he
did let us in on what is known.

He started off by saying that any investigation focuses on the facts and not
on any statue. This should put to rest all those rumors of him indicting on
"technicalities" and not the actual crimes. The fact is there was actual crimes,
those being the ones listed in the indictment. Later during his question and
answer time he also made response to what certain right wingers called this
being a "technicality" by saying that truth is the "engine of justice".

He said that Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent was classified and that
people close to her did not even know of her employment. He also mentioned how
this hurt our nation as a whole and could prevent the hiring of further CIA
agents who might question the protection of their identity.

While the grand jury has expired, Fitzgerald did mention that he still has
access to other Grand Jury's should they be needed.

This story is far from over. This should prove an interesting weekend,
especially when it comes to the Sunday morning talk shows. Orin Hatch was
already on CNN trying to spin the situation with some of the same old talking
points that Valerie Plame was not covert and this charge is a technicality. I am
sure we will hear many new talking points by the end of the weekend.