The Hollywood Liberal

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“Impeach Bush” to Hang on White House Christmas Tree
The Reliable Source notes a Christmas ornament saluting Rep. Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) efforts to impeach President Bush was accepted for the White House Christmas Tree.

Said the artist: “Apparently, they didn’t read it — or Laura Bush is more progressive than I believed.”

Late Late Nite FDL: Bands and Their Creative Fans
Nada Surf just wrapped up a contest where they called upon fans to create a video for Weightless. Moe may or may not have been the first to have tried back in March, ’07. I like the idea and dare I say both contests took good songs and made them better with this kind of collaboration.

Nada Surf “Weightless”

Moe “Tailspin”

Nada Surf just wrapped up a contest where they called upon fans to create a video for Weightless. Moe may or may not have been the first to have tried back in March, ’07. I like the idea and dare I say both contests took good songs and made them better with this kind of collaboration.  More like this please, bands &  fans.

What’s on your mind tonight?

9 Ways to Halt the Right Wing Culture Wars and Bring Sanity to Sexual Policy
We have a unique opportunity to overturn the perverse agenda of the Religious Right.

The Iraq Pact: A Challenge for the Anti-War Movement
What does the US-Iraq Pact mean for the anti-war movement? It certainly may cement an American perception that the war is finally over, stranding the peace movement as public opinion turns its attention to the economy and the Obama administration….

Loaded Questions
We dug into the internals on the latest Fox News poll, and some of the questions might surprise you (or might not, since it’s Fox). Example: Have you heard any of your friends and neighbors say there is something about…

Wallace Defends Bush?s Abuses Of Power, Says Comparison To Nixon Is ?A Gross Misreading Of History?
During a discussion period after the screening yesterday of Ron Howard’s new film “Frost/Nixon,” Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace defended President Bush against criticism by Howard that Bush has abused the office of the presidency in a way similar to President Richard Nixon: “Richard Nixon’s crimes were committed purely in the interest of his […]

During a discussion period after the screening yesterday of Ron Howard’s new film “Frost/Nixon,” Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace defended President Bush against criticism by Howard that Bush has abused the office of the presidency in a way similar to President Richard Nixon:

“Richard Nixon’s crimes were committed purely in the interest of his own political gain,” Mr. Wallace told Mr. Howard before an audience of a few hundred after viewing the filmmakers new film “Frost/Nixon,” which is about the only U.S. president to resign from office.

“I think to compare what Nixon did, and the abuses of power for pure political self preservation, to George W. Bush trying to protect this country — even if you disagree with rendition or waterboarding — it seems to me is both a gross misreading of history both then and now,” Mr. Wallace said.

So according to Wallace, Bush’s abuses of power in the name of national security are more palatable than Nixon’s because his motives, as Wallace said, were “to protect the country.” Thus he seems to be willing to excuse the disastrous consequences of Bush’s security policies, from the thousands killed and maimed in Iraq to the torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay and beyond. By that logic, Wallace could excuse the atrocities of some of history’s most ruthless dictators.

But Wallace also seems to ignore the fact that, like Nixon, the Bush White House has also abused power for political gain and to maintain control of government. Some examples:

– Outing of Valerie Plame Wilson: In 2003, the White House leaked the CIA identity of Valerie Plame Wilson as retribution for an op-ed written by Plame’s husband, former Amb. Joseph Wilson, that questioned Bush’s justification for war in Iraq.

– U.S. Attorney Scandal: An 18-month DOJ Inspector General and Office of Professional Responsibility investigation released in September found that the Bush administration fired nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 for political reasons.

– Hatch Act Violations: In 2003, Karl Rove and Bush re-election campaign manager Ken Mehlman “visited nearly every agency to outline White House campaign priorities, review polling data and, on occasion, call attention to tight House, Senate and gubernatorial races that could be affected by regulatory action.”

Moreover, in one way or another, the Bush White House has politicized numerous federal agencies, most notably the Justice Department, but also, HHS, the EPA, NASA, DOD, the GSA and the Interior Department.

But maybe the real difference between Nixon and Bush is that when Nixon abused his power, it didn’t cost people their lives.

Gregory Is in Talks With NBC to Host ‘Meet the Press’
NBC is in advanced negotiations with David Gregory to become the moderator of “Meet the Press” and could announce the move as early as Sunday, when Tom Brokaw hopes to wind up his temporary stint on the program, according to network executives familiar with the situation.

Holder Can’t Say No — Just Like Gonzales
Soon after Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, the former president and I had a brief telephone conversation. I had been downright heated about the pardon, a lot angrier than I had ever been about Monica Lewinsky. Clinton implied that I had things historically backward. Long after the Rich pardon had been forgotten, he said, the Lewinsky scandal would remain a vivid memory. That day is yet to come. The Rich pardon is back. The vehicle for this lingering echo from the year 2001 is the choice of Eric Holder as Barack Obama’s attorney general. Holder was Clinton’s deputy attorney general and he played a significant role in the pardon. When asked by the White House what he thought about a pardon for Rich, Holder replied, “Neutral, leaning towards favorable.” These four words have stalked him ever since.

Freedom and the Left
Most people on the left are not opposed to freedom. They are just in favor of all sorts of things that are incompatible with freedom. Freedom ultimately means the right of other people to do things that you do not approve of. Nazis were free to be Nazis under Hitler. It is only when you are able to do things that other people don’t approve that you are free. One of the most innocent-sounding examples of the left’s many impositions of its vision on others is the widespread requirement by schools and by college admissions committees that students do “community service.”