Joe Klein's Bucket of Truth has a Peculiar, Yet Familiar Smell

From the precariously balanced mind of Joe Klein

"Politics has always been lousy with blather and chicanery. But there are rules and traditions too."

"John McCain has allowed his campaign to slip the normal bounds of political propriety. The situation has gotten so intense that we in the media have slipped our normal rules as well."

What is "so intense" is that reality is becoming more and more difficult to hide in this day and age and people like Joe Klein along with the majority of the MSM has allowed its facade to slip.

"increasing numbers of otherwise sober observers, even such august institutions as the New York Times editorial board, are calling John McCain a liar."
Referring to the NYTimes ed. brd. as "sober" or "august" must be one of those "euphemisms like mendacity and inaccuracy" that Joe employs.

"McCain's lies have ranged from the annoying to the sleazy, and the problem is in both degree and kind."

"John McCain has raised serious questions about whether he has the character to lead the nation. He has defaced his beloved military code of honor. He has run a dirty campaign."

The gloves are off and have been off for a while now, but never so noticeably since the Palin selection.

Curious aside: In the annoying CNNJackCafferty way, "here's my question to you, (this author, often answers/comments, but rarely if ever gets posted; wrong answer perhaps?): Do you think the artist Stephen Kroninger who is responsible for the McCain cartoon was thinking of this one?

Or rather is he making fun of McCain's injuries? This last toss is from Blandly's bucket, may it land directly on target.

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Iranian-Americans Missing in Iran - Reuters thinks it’s their Dual Citizenship

Ali Shakeri, a dual U.S. and Iranian citizen, businessman from CA and serves on an advisory board of the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding was visiting Iran. He was expected back a few weeks ago and has not been heard from since March 8^th.

This comes after “at least three Iranian-Americans have been arrested, detained or otherwise prevented from leaving Iran in recent months in what appears to be an Iranian crackdown on dual citizens.” The missing people are:

Haleh Esfandiari of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

From the Statement of her Arrest from the Center for Scholars (very interesting and worth a read): “Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and a dual Iranian-American national, was arrested in Tehran on May 8 and incarcerated in the Evin Prison.”

Kian Tajbakhsh, consultant for the Open Society Institute

Statement from the Open Society Institute regarding the detention of Dr. Tajbakhsh in Iran on or about May 11^th.

Parnaz Azima (From April 16, 2007: Parnaz Azima, a reporter for Radio Farda – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Persian service), on a trip to Iran to visit a sick relative had her Iranian passport seized by Iranian authorities who “have failed to return it to her, it said. It was not clear what the reason was. The statement said Azima was once asked to cooperate with Iran's intelligence services, which she refused.”

More on Ms. Azima at RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty

Iran is big on hostages, yet it never seems to effect reality enough for those involved to do anything about it.

In an effort to catch up and not be the only nation holding citizens, Iran’s foreign ministry called for the release of Iranian engineer Mohammad Alavi, not a dual citizen, arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of “transferring classified computer code to Iran” according to IRNA.

According to authorities:

“Mohammad Alavi, who worked at the triple-reactor Palo Verde power plant west of Phoenix, was arrested April 9 at Los Angeles International Airport when he arrived on a flight from Iran. He is charged with a single count of violating a trade embargo that prohibits Americans from exporting goods and services to Iran.”

Summary worth noting; Reuters sees the story as Iranians cracking down of dual citizenship individuals, which is comparable to Navin R. Johnson believing a snipers hitting oil cans was evidence of his hatred of them and not the reality that the sniper was shooting at him. Could his middle name be Reuters?

The supposedly free and democratically elected government of the Islamic Republic of Iran doesn’t like people openly visiting their country and possibly spreading any kind of ideas outside the Mullah’s Islamic leadership and its Islamic penal code.

I wonder if this is yet just another example of what Time magazine considers the irony of democratic politics.

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Time Magazine Flashback: THE KENNEDY DEBACLE: A Girl Dead, A Career in Jeopardy

Searching via google images for a new banner at DeMediacratic Nation this Time Magazine Cover from August 1, 1969 was discovered.

"THE KENNEDY DEBACLE: A Girl Dead, A Career in Jeopardy"

Wonder how that worked out?

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North Korea No Show on first Deadline

Odd that. North Korea is late or has missed its first deadline in the newest deal to with the U.S. and its multi-lateral negotiating party. According to The NY Times:

“The first deadline for North Korea to shut down and seal its main facility for manufacturing nuclear weapons fuel expired Saturday with no apparent action by the North to fulfill its commitments.”

China has asked the U.S. for patience. Ok, not like we have any other choice right? The Times get a dig in, with (italics mine):

“The inaction leaves President Bush vulnerable to attacks from hawks in his own party, who have argued that it was a mistake to return $25 million in frozen funds to the North Koreans — much of it believed to be from illicit sales of counterfeit currency and missiles — and who doubt that the North Koreans will stop producing bomb fuel as well as give up all of its existing weapons.”

Damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t. But that said, allowing the release of the Kim Jong-il obsessed over, $25 million in frozen accounts strikes me as incredibly stupid. According to Claudia Rosett these funds were part of the estimated $500 million to $1 billion earned per year:

“via illicit deals in narcotics, counterfeit cigarettes, counterfeit U.S. currency and other scams, as well as weapons deals. Some of the players and money trails overlapped and intertwined with targets of two major inter-agency sting operations carried out in the U.S. in 2005, dubbed “Royal Charm” and “Smoking Dragon,” aimed at cleaning up alleged North-Korean-related criminal networks with tentacles reaching into the U.S.”

Former Ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton prior to and in anticipation of a missed deadline said:

“One sign of whether we are in trouble is whether the administration will call this a ‘violation’ or use words like “noncompliance.”

Now would one call that prescience or war mongering? How about the common sense of previous actions or statements are a good indicator of future action? Good thing this Bolton guy didn’t bother going through the difficulties inherent in a partisan up or down vote to return to the U.N.; we wouldn’t want anyone like that there would we?

Even South Korea is “threatening” the stopping food aid that had been promised to N.K. to take the steps necessary in shutting down its reactor and nuclear advancement activities. Those mean South Koreans, of all the blustering and “threatening” that has the potential of derailing “business as usual.” Let’s not throw any monkey wrenches into the works that may confuse the great Kim il.

According to a TIME Magazine “piece,” Robert Einhorn who worked for almost 30 years with the State Department on North Korean nukes said:

"The North Koreans don't seem to realize that it is not in their interest to keep undermining and embarrassing those in the Bush Administration who want to find a negotiated solution. In for a penny, in for a pound. The Administration has no choice at this stage but to be patient a few days longer and see if the North Koreans will comply."

No they don’t seem to realize it or perhaps they do, but common sense does point toward waiting a few days to see what happens. Einhorn adds, predicting:

"The Chinese will now be more inclined to come down hard on the North Koreans for further foot-dragging."

Will the Chinese actually come down hard on N.K. or will it just be more diplomatic appearances….I see appearances in the future, if only because “diplomacy” is business as usual.

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A Gift from the Democratically Elected President of an Islamic Republic

TIME magazine explains to the dull masses what message it was that Iran was sending? Beyond the gift(s) that is:

“President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called a "gift to the British people" was a notable victory for Iranian pragmatists over hard-liners — one that could even build momentum within Tehran's power structure and in Western capitals for a diplomatic solution to the standoff over Iran's uranium-enrichment program.”

I always enjoy TIME’s take on what it was that took place before our very eyes and analyzes for us that which we cannot for ourselves. One of my favorite gems was upon the revelation of Iran’s restarting its nuclear program:

"One of the ironies of Iran's latest confrontation with the West is that it is the product of are you ready for this? democratic politics. President Mahmoud Ahmedinajad's move towards restarting work on the country's nuclear program is the classic maneuver of an elected leader caught in a political bind."

Three possible keys as to why the Tehrrorists in Tehran may have taken the “15 victims of a misunderstanding,” or as Time scolds; “(a)lthough President Bush declared that Iran had seized the 15 sailors and marines as "hostages," was these messages:

“· Don't think about attacking Iran, because it has the capacity to threaten Western interests in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East, directly as well as through allies in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine;

· Expect Iran to instigate trouble if the West continues to punish Iran for what it sees simply as exercising as its legal right to nuclear technology; and,

· Iran will play tit-for-tat if U.S. forces continue arresting Iranian officials working inside Iraq, as in the Jan. 11 raid on an Iranian consular facility in Erbil where five Iranians were detained.”

Time feels that Iran “sudden decision,” rather than a backing down, might be attributed to that “Western pressure on the Iranian regime,” may be bearing fruit much like a citrus tree in northern climes during the dead of winter. But it might also mean that may have “achieved some of its objectives.”

Time writes that the “gift,” is that being a “peaceful end to the naval dispute,” that this “is a victory for diplomacy.” This should give a boost and perhaps room for the Iranian chief nuke negotiator, Larijani to succeed in the “talks” with the West. However, real success will more depend upon as Time sees it:

“whether the U.S., following Britain's example, is willing to give diplomacy a real chance.”

This seems to be the take on the situation from The NY Times in an Op-Ed piece today:

“just as Iran will meet confrontation with confrontation, it will respond to what it perceives as flexibility with pragmatism. This message is worth heeding as the United States and Iran seem to be moving inexorably toward conflict.”

The choice the U.S. faces now is:

“it will have to either escalate its confrontational policy or adopt a policy of engagement. Far from arresting the Iranian danger, escalation would most likely present the United States with new perils.”

What escapes them is that there are “perils” in the steps taken to arrive at the outcome of the “15 victims of a misunderstanding.” Nothing of harm will come to those that bend over backward to the likes of the Tehrrorists in Tehran and you can take this to the bank according to the msm because they know and we don’t.

One thing I note that neither of these two media fonts seem to have caught on to is, this one for Time. The magazine might have considered a fourth aim that may have guided the Tehrrorists actions:

• Iran will play the media for all it is worth as there is no better ally in the hard headed manipulation of reality; with the exception of the Democrat party.

This however may have had the affect of changing the angle of the analysis; an analysis mired in the msm mindset of being in the know and being in the right. Just another lesson for the administration in the laundry list of advice the president should have taken from the elders of knowledge in the media.

The NY Times Op-ed believes, “Iran today sees regional stability in its interest,” which goes a long way toward describing and understanding Iran’s continued sowing of instability in the region. And sees the U.S. “provocative naval deployments in the Persian Gulf,” as the bigger piece of the puzzle; nicely in-line with one of the al Qaeda justifications for 9/11.

“After 28 years of sanctions and containment, it is time to accept that pressure has not tempered Iran’s behavior.” As “sanctions and containment,” cannot make up for the rest of the international community not following suit and doing the same; France, Russia, the EU just won’t cooperate because the Americans are stupid….see? it just won’t work, especially with us (them) continuing big business with the Islamic Republic.

President Mahmoud “Momo” Ahmadinejad has offered the dove of peace to the media and the Left. He has given “diplomacy” another chance to thrive and delay; he has given additional truth to the lie (maybe not) that the West is weak. Ultimately though, I’m starting to think he is right and we should be just a bit more concerned about this fact than many of us choose to be.

Recent pronouncements of peace and love from the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

• “We don’t shy away from declaring that Islam is ready to rule the world.”
• “The wave of the Islamist revolution will soon reach the entire world.”
• “In parallel to the official political war there is a hidden war going on and the Islamic states should benefit from their economic potential to cut off the hands of the enemies.”
• "The UN Resolution was a stillbirth. Even if the UN would come up with ten more resolutions it will not affect he Iranian economy and politics.”
• "Zionist rulers are selfish to the extent that prevent even their own or Western scientists from doing research on the public opinion's important question on Holocaust." "There are still questions... maybe in your so-called Holocaust more than six million Jews were massacred (during World War II), so why do you not allow people to undertake new research?"
• "The real cure for the conflict is elimination of the Zionist regime."

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Tumulty Times for the Right

From Time magazine:

"The dismay that voters expressed in last fall's midterm election was aimed not so much at conservatism as at the G.O.P's failure to honor it with a respect for law and order. And now that subpoena power gives the Democrats their first chance to shine a light into the crevices of an Administration and its very unconservative approach to Executive power, the final years of Bush's presidency are likely to be punctuated by one controversy after another. The past weeks alone have produced a parade of revelations: leftover questions about Vice President Dick Cheney's role in the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby case; the betrayal by neglect of the war wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and veterans hospitals across the country; the connected dots showing that the White House and the Justice Department exploited the post-9/11 USA Patriot Act, of all things, to engineer a purge of U.S. attorneys across the country."

This is really interesting to me. This is the type of reporting/writing that almost overflows with "fact." This is an article from Time that speaks of Conservatives. Can Time not even consider another neato angle; one touching on where the Liberals have gone or are going? Is Time not aware of a change in the Liberal/Democrat side of things or is it all just a given that everything that has been printed regarding the present administration is "fact."

Interesting reading/fodder I have no doubt, but Time and the rest are missing so much more from their side of things; that if they didn't already realize they were on the Left they would be able to see so much more clearly that this is not from an unbiased or centered "just the facts" point of view. There is a story about the Left here too, but that is undetectable from the Left as Time makes clear with its reporting.

I realize my view on this to the Left would just be so much "denial," on my part as they deny, but it's really perplexing. It really strikes me as hoping to force an "appearance," into a reality. And I do realize as far as "power," that the Repubs are not in the majority, but again there is so much more to it than just one side of the spectrum that has/may have or is losing its way.

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Maliki: More Weapons, Less Advice - TIME

Charles Crain of TIME provides a fine example of msm "unbiased" reporting:

"Maliki — taking a page from President Bush's political playbook — said that by wavering in its support for the Iraqi government, the Administration was emboldening terrorists. Insurgents might take such comments as a sign "that they have defeated the American Administration," Maliki said."

You see, Bush doesn't actually believe in anything he says or does, it's all just part of his cynical "political playbook."

To Crain et al, there is no truth to the reality in Iraq...only politics as usual.