Won't give too much away in case you haven't yet caught last Sunday's episode of The Soprano's - but here's a heads up. After a few on again off again episodes, the latest managed to blow every episode this season outta the water. Top-notch writing and acting in every storyline of the night, plus one shocker that I'd defy any fan to not --- literally --- scream out loud upon viewing. If you didn't catch it yet, do so immediately. A lot went down in this week's superlative episode!

While we try and be Fair & Balanced here at the Brad Blog, occassionally, it's nice to let the Professionals just kick some ass...

"The Senator from Massachusetts has given us ample grounds to doubt the judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security. "
- Vice-President Dick Cheney, Speech at Westminster College, Fulton, MO, 4/26/2004

FLASHBACK! Previous judgement and attitude brought to bear on vital issues of national security by Cheney and Bush...:

"Simply stated, there is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction."
- Vice-President Dick Cheney, Speech to VFW National Convention, 8/26/2002

"The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons."
- Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio Speech 10/7/2002

"After eleven years during which we have tried containment, sanctions, inspections, even selected military action, the end result is that Saddam Hussein still has chemical and biological weapons and is increasing his capabilities to make more. And he is moving ever closer to developing a nuclear weapon."
- Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush, Cincinnati, Ohio Speech, 10/7/2002

"In Iraq, a dictator is building and hiding weapons that could enable him to dominate the Middle East and intimidate the civilized world --- and we will not allow it."
- Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush, Speech to the American Enterprise Institute, 2/26/2003

"But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them."
- Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush, Interview with TVP Poland, 5/30/2003

More HERE if you've got the stomach for it...

NEXT WEEK: "It'll be a cakewalk! We'll be greeted as Liberators!"
WEEK AFTER: "We don't need the United Nations!"
WEEK AFTER THAT: "They'll be able to pay for their own reconstruction from oil revenues!"
WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER THAT: "We can trust Chalabi!"

Even the hardest to the Right seem to now be recognizing what a fine Mess o' Potamia we've gotten ourselves into...

And finally, Eleanor Clift, who still makes my ears bleed, but she got off a good line nonetheless:

As much as I like to criticize the media for being lazy - which they are - I should probably add a word or two in praise of having such an open, independent press in this country in the first place.

Such a declaration of the obvious seems hardly necessary - particularly in light of recent events and their constant reminder of how "our freedoms are what the evil-doers hate".

And yet, it too often seems to be those freedoms precisely which are ironically enough under attack these days from the Bush Syncophants on the Hard Right Wing in the Blogosphere, on Talk Radio and elsewhere.

Instead of speaking out vociferously against the appalling treatment of Iraqi Prisoners, these Right Wingers have --- all too predictably by now --- chosen to use their time, incredibly, attacking CBS instead for having aired the story in the first place (after first holding the story for two weeks at the request of the Pentagon, I should add).

As this week's Newsweek article including an interview with Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski (the commander who over-saw the guards at U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, including those at Saddam Hussein's former torture center at Abu Ghurayb, where these photos were taken) reminds us, we are very lucky to have a free and independent media in this country to keep our Leaders in check. Especially when they are running so wildly adrift with dangerous and self-destructive American Policy.

It has been suggested, by at least this one Rightwing Blog (which ironically calls itself "The Blog of Truth", I might add) that CBS should have informed the Administration of what they learned and then simply "shut up" in light of and apparently in support of current American Policies in Iraq. The Blog's author claims not that CBS is biased --- the usual tribal rallying cry --- but more revealingly, that "they are neutral" and he finds that to be the problem.

But Karpinski's own words underscore the need for the independence of a Free - and yes, "neutral" - Media willing to whistle-blow in service to our country - even with the possibility that such reporting may cause short-term damage to existing Administration policies.

Karpinski's words, taken only at face value to be sure, since she is currently being held responsible by the Military, along with the soldiers who actually committed the alleged atrocities at Abu Ghurayb, once again underscore the reasons why such a Fourth Estate is so necessary in this country.

Taking her statements at face value, and there should be a paper trail from which to verify them, such behavior, when kept In-House, out of the Media and thus Public Opinion only allows that such behavior to continue unchecked. It was, of course, only after CBS went to the Pentagon with the pictures to prove the allegations, that the Pentagon seemingly and finally sprang into action. Since they had already presumably heard the warnings from Karpinski previously, it was only the threat of Public Disclosure that seems to have forced them to take action.

Of course, CBS could have warned the Pentagon about going public with these pictures, and then not done so after the Pentagon supposedly took appropriate action. But, as Dubya might say, a threat is only good if you follow through with it. If CBS hadn't then released the pictures, after appropriately giving the Pentagon time to adquatelly respond, it would simply send the message to the Pentagon that they needn't worry about being embarrased in such a way in the future. They'd have the Media in their pocket, which seems to be precisely what the Extreme Right Wing is calling for.

If the Right hopes to remain anywhere within the American Mainstream after all of this nonsense eases up, they would be wise to re-examine their own self-proclaimed set of "American Values" as they continue to perpetrate reprehensible attacks on the Messenger instead of the Message.

Such behavior surely points up the weakness inherent in their own current positions, but that point must be lost on them, as they continue the same drum beat with every bit of media disclosure that they simply don't care for.

If they continue to avoid such sage advice however, hopefully they will soon find themselves relegated to the same extreme margins of American Public Policy where they --- mistakenly --- assume American Liberals with Real Patriotic Values currently reside.

Proceed at your own peril, boys.

A remarkable statement yesterday as the Democratic Response to Bush's weekly Radio Address.

It's very short, I strongly suggest you read it, since it's very difficult to summarize the most telling statements.

It was written and delivered by Paul Rieckhoff, a National Guardsman who recently returned home from Iraq. Rieckhoff had been an investment banker on Wall Street for two years before volunteering for the National Guard. He "knew he would end up in Baghdad...and was ready for it".

While it's all notable, and movingly written, here's one or two key thoughts:

He said a year ago they'd heard of the "Mission Accomplished" banner, and had been told they'd be home in time for summer of '03, until they were told they'd be staying "indefinitely" just three days before they were to have gone home.

The image of Bush's Press Conference two weeks ago continues to pop into his mind:

Next time you hear a Rightwinger give lip service to "supporting our Troops", or the Vice-President reprehensibly charging that John Kerry does not support them, feel free to point them to the statement of this courageous soldier.

As expected, before Rieckhoff even made his address, he was already being added, by the Republican Attack Machine to their growing list of "Liars". Which is very credible confirmation, these days, that the man is well worth listening to.

Two different items on tonight's O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel would suggest that Bill O'Reilly himself has never actually heard of...the Fox News Channel!

In his "Talking Points Memo" at the top of the show he lambasted CBS for showing the photos of the disgracefully mistreated Iraqi Prisoners saying that such photos "give aid to the enemy". Therefore, he would not be showing those photos to viewers and that CBS should be ashamed.

I first saw the photos this morning on Fox News' Studio B program and again later in the day on Fox's Hannity & Colmes. The photos I ran on the Brad Blog were, in fact, taken from...the Fox News Website!

He then went on to blast Ted Koppel for not coming onto his show to explain tonight's Nightline tribute to the servicemen killed in Iraq (as discussed in this earlier Brad Blog item). Yet Koppel, we are told by O'Reilly, did find time to speak to a "far left Radio Network this afternoon". (Presumably, he's referring to Koppel's interview on Air America).

Of course, O'Reilly then failed to mention that Koppel was interviewed by Fox's own Sean Hannity on his radio show just this afternoon! Portions of which were re-broadcast on Fox's Hannity & Colmes!

This shit is just getting too easy. Keep not spinning, Bill! We're looking out for you!

As today's mini-flap rages on concerning the tribute to "The Fallen in Iraq" on tonight's Nightline where Ted Koppel will read the names and show the pictures of those killed in combat, it seems our own Deputy Defense Secretary , Paul Wolfowitz, a major architect for the brilliant plan to go to war in Iraq, should perhaps tune in. With a calculator!

According to AP, when asked yesterday how many troops have died in Iraq at a House Sub-committee hearing , Wolfowitz' estimate was some 200 American servicemen short:

The actual number, as of Thursday, was 724 total dead with 522 of them killed in combat according to documentation on the Defense Department's own website. As of this morning, twenty-four hours later, the numbers are 732 and 530 respectively according to their website documentation.

In the meantime, despite a highly critical letter to them from War Supporter, Veteran, Prisoner of War and Republican Senator John McCain, the Sinclair Broadcast Group is refusing to carry tonight's Nightline show on their 8 owned ABC affiliate stations across the country.

UPDATED INFO SINCE POSTING THE ABOVE: Despite Sinclair CEO David Smith's claims that they would not run the broadcast because Nightline is "doing nothing more than making a political statement," it's worth noting that Sinclair has so far donated well over $100,000 in hard and soft money to Republican Candidates and $0 to Democrats since 2000.

As well, the Conservative website Newsmax.com reports the following in a January article titled "Sinclair, The Next Fox, 'Fair and Balanced'" about Sinclair's National News program distributed to the stations they own:

As mentioned, tonight's Nightline will do nothing more than read the names and show the pictures of those American's killed in action in Iraq. Perhaps it's the lack of spin that bothers Sinclair.

One of the oddest comments to the press from Dubya after his joint meeting with Dick Cheney before the 9/11 Commission in the Oval Office, was not: "I answered every question they asked."

Nor was it: "I enjoyed it."

Nor, after finally bowing to political pressure to meet with them at all, this statement: "...if we had something to hide, we wouldn't have met with them in the first place."

No, the oddest moment as it struck me was this response to a question posed on the value of meeting jointly with Dick Cheney, despite critic's charges that it was done so they could keep their stories straight and the Commission's request to to interview him alone like every other President who's ever testified before such a committee: "I think it was important for them to see our body language...how we work together."

Not certain how that's "important" to the Commission, but then I'm not on it. It did, however, hit me as strange. Really, get a room, boys.

Uh, oh. Looks like the BRAD BLOG is now an officially sanctioned member of the Vast Left Wing Conspiracy.

The Democratic Underground, a very popular Leftie Website, has published this Brad Blog article on the "Liberal Media" dropping the ball in looking into Woodward's report on Bush having possibly misappropriated $700 Million of tax payer money to prepare for War in Iraq on their front page!

I shall now move to an undisclosed location for a while...better to avoid the nice folks at the NRA from there until things blow over. Welcome to the BRAD BLOG Comrades!

Yes, polls are polls. But the numbers displayed in the graphic at left are startlingly one-sided, so perhaps worth taking note of.

(Please note, the exact same poll also shows Bush and Kerry tied up (within the margin of error) in the direct face-off question. So the usual "CBS and NY Times run a biased poll!" nonsense won't do much good in regards to this rather stunning and rare point of virtual unanimous agreement amongst Americans.)

According to the AP report just just out since the Bush/Cheney joint meeting this morning with the 9/11 Commission, it seems that the pattern continues...

Do bad stuff, let the genie out of the bottle, apologize for it later. (By the way, Joe Wilson's wife is named Valerie Plame and she is a covert CIA agent!...Whoops, that was wrong of me to mention that. I apologize and will investigate!)

* * * The "disappointing" and "finger pointing" Gorelick memo that was declassified in time for Ashcroft's meeting with the 9/11 Commission, can still be found right here on the Justice Department Website! But we're very sorry for that. * * *

Once again, Mission Accomplished.

Tomorrow, Dubya and his friend Dick Cheney will answer the tough questions from the 9/11 Commission. Together. At the same time. The joint "visit", as Bush refers to it, is unprecedented before such a committee, but such were the demands of the Whitehouse if they wanted the President to answer any questions at all essentially. So, the two boys will be able to get their story straight and stick to it.

Since the "visit" must also be in private, off the record, unrecorded, not under oath, and will not be transcribed, all as demanded by the Whitehouse, all that we --- the American Public who have entrusted these guys to protect us --- can do is speculate on what may go down.

Oh, well then. Here is one such amusing speculation of the transcript that won't be taken courtesy of DemocraticUnderground.com.