Happy Hour Discurso

Today's opining on the public discourse.

Karl Rove can run, but he can't hide from John Conyers:

A week ago, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) casually told some associates, when he thought no one else was listening, “We’re closing in on Rove. Someone’s got to kick his ass.”

And what was it, specifically, that warranted this ass-kicking? Conyers said the committee wants Rove to testify about his role in the imprisonment of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman, among other things. “We want him for so many things, it’s hard to keep track,” Conyers said.

This afternoon, Conyers made clear he wasn’t kidding.

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday subpoenaed former White House top political adviser Karl Rove to testify about whether the White House improperly meddled with the Justice Department.

Accusations of politics influencing decisions at the department led to last year’s resignation of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

The subpoena issued Thursday orders Rove to testify before the House panel on
July 10. He is expected to face questions about the White House’s role in firing nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat.

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers had negotiated with Rove’s attorneys for
more than a year over whether the former top aide to President Bush would
testify voluntarily.

AT LAST! The little fucker's got a choice, now: answer the supoena, or get his ass thrown in jail. I really don't think Rep. Conyers was joking. A banner day indeed!

And to add to the sweetness, McCain's finally taking MSM heat for the odious pastors he so enjoys endorsements from:

MORE CRAZY....Another day, another crazy white pastor. Yesterday it was an anti-Semitic rant from John Hagee (John McCain's view: I'm "glad to have his endorsement"); today it's an anti-Islamic rant from Rod Parsley (John McCain's view: Parsley is "a moral compass"). Neither of these is new: Hagee's rant was from the late 1990s and Parsley's rant has been making the rounds of the internet (thanks to Brave New Films) for a couple of weeks. Today, Parsley's sermon, which has the advantage of being available in nice, high-quality video, is finally being aired for a wider audience by ABC News.

I think we're in for some serious entertainment. There's a rumor McCain's already been forced to reject Hagee's endorsement: I have a feeling Parsley's not going to be garnishing this campaign much longer either. Take that! HA!

Speaking of people who have lost support, Carpetbagger's finally had it with Hillary Clinton's antics and has taken the Mr. Nice Guy gloves off:

Just yesterday, I defended Hillary Clinton and her rationale for prolonging the Democratic nominating fight. Given that her own campaign chairman recently said the race would wrap up in early June, and Clinton seemed to honoring a relative cease-fire, there was no real urgency
about her withdrawing.

As Jay Jacobs, a New York superdelegate and top fundraiser for Clinton, told the NYT, “I think in the end, when South Dakota and Montana go last and have their final result, she will sit back and see whether a win can be achieved or not — and if not, she is a class act and will do the class thing and get on board with the Democratic ticket.”

By last night, Clinton had made my defense of her efforts look rather foolish. In fact, looking back, I’ve defended Clinton, more than once, when people said she was putting her own interests above those of the party and the nation.

But after seeing her tactics yesterday, I’m done defending Hillary Clinton.

A day after Senator Barack Obama gathered a majority of pledged delegates in the Democratic presidential nominating contest, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defiantly sent out new signals Wednesday that she might take her fight for the nomination all the way to the party’s convention in August.

Mrs. Clinton stumped across South Florida, scene of the 2000 election debacle, pressing her case for including delegates from Florida and Michigan in the final delegate tally. On the trail and in interviews, she raised a new battle cry of determination, likening her struggle for these delegates to the nation’s historic struggles to free the slaves and grant women the right to vote.

I’m 35, and have been following politics for quite a while, and I’ve never been so disappointed with a politician I’ve admired and respected. Yesterday’s tactics weren’t just wrong, they were offensive. For that matter, they seem to be part of a deliberate strategy to tear Democrats apart and ensure a defeat in November.

For several weeks, I’ve appreciated the fact that Clinton considers herself the superior candidate, and has kept her campaign going in the hopes, from her perspective, of saving the party from itself. But after yesterday, it’s become impossible for me to consider Clinton’s intentions honorable. Her conduct is not that of a leader.

What’s so striking is the shamelessness of her reversal(s). When Florida and Michigan broke party rules and were punished by the DNC, Clinton not only supported the decision, she honored it and spoke publicly about those votes not counting. One of her own top strategists was responsible for making the decision in the first place. Now, Clinton is saying, “Never mind what I said and did before.”

Clinton and her campaign insisted that this was a race for delegates, as per party rules. Now, Clinton is saying, “Never mind what I said and did before.” Clinton and her campaign said the finish line was 2,025. Now, Clinton is saying, “Never mind what I said and did before.”

Instead of trying to help bring the party together — Election Day is 24 weeks away — Clinton went to Florida to argue that if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee, his nomination will be illegitimate. And if the DNC plays by the rules Clinton used to support, it’s guilty of vote-suppression — comparable to slavery, Jim Crow, and Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe.

Believe it or not, this is the short version. If you feel like seeing Hillary thoroughly reamed in the woodshed, head on over to Carpetbagger's place and watch the paddling.

There's nothing quite like the anger of someone who once respected you getting thoroughly disillusioned by your fuckwittery and taking you to task for it. I should know. I once had respect for the Clinton's myself. No more. I haven't unloaded my guns on the beast because I'm afraid I'll end up having to hold my nose and vote for her, but you know what? The restraints are off.

When you've pissed off a sweet soul like Steve Benen at the Carpetbagger Report, Hillary, you've gone a long way past too fucking far.