Friday, October 23, 2015

The House Select Committee On Sidney Blumenthal -- UPDATED



Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.
And yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death I will fear no evil, 
For I am the baddest motherfucker in the goddamn valley.


There's a scene between Fast Eddie Felson and Minnesota Fats which comes roughly in the middle of "The Hustler" (which is basically the same scene which comes at the end of "The Cincinnati Kid" between the Kid and Lancey Howard, but that's a different chapter of comparative cinema for a different day.)

Fast Eddie is a prodigy.  A hungry prodigy and the motor that drives him is the dream of facing down the old cue-slinger's and kicking him ass.

And, finally, he gets his wish.

Eddie find himself up big.  Over 11 grand big.  But he doesn't have it in him to quit because winning is not enough.  His ego demands that he destroy the king, and he hasn't gotten Fats to cry "Uncle!" -- to confess that Fast Eddie Felson is the greatest pool player of all time, and hand over the crown.



And because Eddie does not know when to stop, Fats guts him.  After playing and drinking hard all night long, Eddie has nothing in reserve.  Fats, on the other hand, splashs a little water on his face, re-powders his hands, pops a new flower into his lapel and he's ready to go, fresh as a daisy.

And he takes Eddie for every nickel.  Because while Eddie played pool, Fats played Eddie.

Which brings us 'round to yesterday's House Select Committee On Sidney Blumenthal, which featured a marathon and resoundingly presidential performance by the woman who formerly-famous gay conservative Catholic bedwetter, Andrew Sullivan, described less than two weeks ago as a "talent-free hack" who is terrible on the teevee machine.



Yesterday I watched almost the whole, wretched spectacle.  My blow-by-blow of Hillary Clinton's 15 round comprehensive beat-down of the Republican goon squad is here and I have little to add to it, other than I should probably spell-check the damn thing before it becomes part of the Authorized History of the Death of the Party of Lincoln.

What I can say is that this ongoing molestation of our democracy by the Right will never end as long as Fox News voters continue to elect Fox News Republicans who promise to enact Fox News talking points rather than engage in the hard and boring job of responsible self-governance.  Because Benghazi is Whitewater.  Benghazi is Obama's birth certificate.  Benghazi is Planned Parenthood and ACORN and Jade Helm and WMD in Iraq with a side of Freedumb Fries.

As everyone now knows (but the media refuses to say out loud), the Right is now defined entirely by a wildly paranoid "secret narrative" of vast conspiracies, villainous betrayals and promises of ultimate victory that reads like the Book of Revelations as written by Alan West and edited for teevee by Joseph Goebbels.

Benghazi is just another in that endless parade of spiteful, popskull delusions with which the bigots and imbeciles on the Right shut out the real world.   Benghazi is their bottle and their needle, and because today's Benghazi is always doomed to fall apart once it touches the scalding rays of reality, the Right is forever scuttling on to the next Benghazi, and the one after that, and then the one after that.  And they will pay anyone, elect anyone, worship anyone who will promise them that the river of bullshit in which they live will never run dry and leave them flopping around in the open, humiliated and destroyed by those horrible Liberals.

This is why they hate us: not because of some disagreement over policy or platform or philosophy, but because of all the creatures in the forest, the Dirty Liberals are the only ones who dare to hold a mirror up to the Right (and to their enablers in the Beltway media) and show them for craven idiots, sullen losers and seething bigots they really are.

Ten years ago, "Benghazi" was the mounting evidence that the Bush Administration had not only lied us into the wrong war, but was botching that war and pissing away America lives and treasure on their bloody, failed Randite experiment in the deserts of Iraq.  Here is what I wrote back then:
...
The idea is actually so painfully, prima facia absurd that it no more merits “refutation” than does Flat Earthery. It is kinda funny to see what happens when the malformed little homunculi who live inside the Fart Rebreathing GOP Bell Jar try to catapult their house-organ lunacy into the outside world.


Such remarks do have the salutary effect of accidentally setting off a million-candle-power magnesium flare smack in the middle of their own camp. Suddenly, bright as day, you can clearly see what squirmy little monsters they are. You can really do little but shake your head in sad wonder that what once may have been considered the Best and the Brightest are now such craven, lumpen fucktards.

...
Sadly, I would not have to alter a single word to describe all the Bengahzies since.

And sadly, I will not have to alter a single word to describe all the Bengahzies yet to come.

Meanwhile, and to no one's surprise, the Pig People will go right on believing that yesterday was one more glorious triumph on their Shining Path to Total Victory:



UPDATE:

Don't look now, but here comes the new Benghazi, right on schedule:
First on CNN: Former IRS official will not face charges for targeting political groups

By Evan Perez, CNN Justice Reporter
Updated 2:40 PM ET, Fri October 23, 2015

Washington (CNN)The Justice Department notified members of Congress on Friday that it is closing its two-year investigation into whether the IRS improperly targeted tea party and other conservative groups.

There will be no charges against former IRS official Lois Lerner or anyone else at the agency, the Justice Department said in a letter.

The probe found "substantial evidence of mismanagement, poor judgment and institutional inertia leading to the belief by many tax-exempt applicants that the IRS targeted them based on their political viewpoints. But poor management is not a crime."

"We found no evidence that any IRS official acted based on political, discriminatory, corrupt, or other inappropriate motives that would support a criminal prosecution," Assistant Attorney General Peter Kadzik said in the letter. "We also found no evidence that any official involved in the handling of tax-exempt applications or IRS leadership attempted to obstruct justice. Based on the evidence developed in this investigation and the recommendation of experienced career prosecutors and supervising attorneys at the department, we are closing our investigation and will not seek any criminal charges."
...
Cue the squealing from the usual suspects about Betrayal! Cover-up! and demands for a House Select Inquisition in 3...2...1...

And when that Benghazi fails, the next Benghazi is already in the pipeline:
Boehner’s next select committee, focusing on Planned Parenthood, to be led by Marsha Blackburn
Beats working.

10 comments:

trgahan said...

"...the Pig People will go right on believing that yesterday was one more glorious triumph on their Shining Path to Total Victory:"

Hell, the Pig People were screeching "VICTORY" on social media before the hearing was even a quarter over. Wonder how badly they will squeal "conspiracy" when nothing comes from yet another hearing?

Todays post-game reporting is just the media making its money. The number of zeros on the Mr. Huston et al. checks depends on how well they say what the Pig People want to hear without looking like they are pandering to the Pig People.

Per Benghazi, it also depends on how hard they ignore all the diplomatic service graves dated between 1980-1988 and 2000-2008. Journalists who don't do will be getting a call from HR about their severance packages on Monday.

Niccki said...

Although I was completely exhausted by wading thru the steaming pile of bullshit that spewed from the herd of idiots that sat on that panel yesterday (and didn't any of them realize they were going to be on television?)I have to admit that Pee Wee Herman (Gowdy's) final remarks to reporters really took me aback! "Well, her testimoney did not differ from the previous investigations" Hey dumb ass, aren't you a lawyer?? Did you ever hear of perjury?? When someone is telling the truth wouldn't you expect the story to be the same?? I know these guys are stupid, and I shouldn't be surprised when they outdo themselves, but somehow I am. People shouldn't lower themselves to that level. Oh and on another related subject, Rand Paul is a douche bag

dinthebeast said...

This is what they do to us: I have found myself cheer leading for the goddamn IRS more than once in recent months...

-Doug in Oakland

Unknown said...

This is a test. Google hates me.

Neo Tuxedo said...

I'm waiting for the follow-up to this illustration. The question is, do you have anyone picked out to be the Boss Tanaka to Hillary's O-Ren? ^_____^

Green Eagle said...

I just want to say that I have read your blog for some time now, and always enjoy it, but I think this is one of the best written things I've ever read by you (or anyone, for that matter.) Thanks for your efforts.

Robt said...

To think with Citizens United and the flow of legal corrupt money.
GOP must use Congressional investigations for election influence.

How pathetic it is to witness the greed of money be equaled by the addiction to the abuse of power.

When Speaker Boehner agreed to allow The Benghazi Select Committee. He was well aware of it's future. He had seen plenty of it. many Cable newsies are more like FOX or the old "Inquirer" reporting on Batboy a product of Government socialism by Liberals.
How loud they accuse and rant when they are taking your land under eminent domain for a foreign corporations private profits. As they shout State Rights and property rights. All the so called fundamentals of the Constitution.

It frustrates me beyond usual that my tax dollars are paying for such mid-evil childhood schizophrenic hateful undertakings.

Not that if the Koch Brothers paid for it would cause glee.
But it would not carry the fuzzy legitimacy costume all this time by the media.

Riddle me this;

How is it the craven Government hateful who do not trust Government and believe government cannot do anything right. With this said,

How is it they trust and believe government and politicians and agree with it;s wasteful spending of tax dollars when it comes to Benghazi or similar failures?

The best I can come up with is, they have ingrained in them that hating Democratic minded, Liberals, is like hating Muslims and Mexicans and blacks.
That they have one switch and it is stuck on hate. Not mild disagreement but full hate.

Introducing exhibit 1
They eat their own.
In the end, they hated Gingrich, Mark Foley, Mitt Romney, George Bush, Boehner.
They hate Ted Cruz and Ted Cruz hates them conservative squishes.
Until Cruz becomes the squish.
This is why Benghazi resonates with their base even though it is Government telling them what and who to hate.

Planned Parenthood is up next. They will get around to the Liberal Pope and his liberal Catholic Church. I mean, they might begin to think that this Catholic Church should not be tax exempt. You watch.


starskeptic said...

A few things in your transcript of the hearing should be parenthetical.

Batocchio said...

Let's also remember Andrew Sullivan's first major conflict with Hillary Clinton. Back in the early 90s, she and her husband tried to pass universal health care. Andrew Sullivan, who comes from a country with universal health care and should know its benefits, helped derail the Clintons' efforts by running lies and propaganda in the supposedly liberal New Republic penned by Betsy McCaughey (who apparently had input by Phillip Morris). Sullivan has his moments, but he has a long history as a self-interested hack, and his attacks smack of the usual projection. He likes to pretend he's independent, but he's really not that different from the rabid Republicans of the House.

Ivory Bill Woodpecker said...

I marvel at the self-hatred which must drive Sullivan, being gay, to be also conservative.

Of course, this is a subdivision of the larger marvel: that anyone who is not white, male, straight, and above all filthy rich is conservative.