Year: 2006

Bush announced today that he is nominating General Michael Hayden to lead the Central Intelligence Agency. The media has already lit a fuse on the debate. Their strategy is to make hay of comments offered by Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) yesterday. Hoekstra said of Hayden, “he’s the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time.” But does Hoekstra represent a Republican position on Hayden? AJ Strata doesn’t think so. And don’t think the Democrats are sitting on their hands. They wasted no time sharing their opinions on Hayden.

Unless something else happens, we can expect to hear a lot about Hayden’s nomination over the next 72 hours.

More: Text of Bush’s speech.

The Democratic party is confident enough of a win in November to pre-announce their plans for change when they take over the House of Representatives. So, what’s the plan?

Think ‘napalm’.

Democratic plans for a legislative blitz during their first week in power that would raise the minimum wage, roll back parts of the Republican prescription drug law, implement homeland security measures and reinstate lapsed budget deficit controls.

Translation: raise taxes.

If Democrats take back the House, they’ll legislate the country back to pre September 11th conditions, and they’ll level punishment against George W. Bush and any Republican who has come within 20 feet of the man since his election.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said in an interview last week that a Democratic House would launch a series of investigations of the Bush administration, beginning with the White House’s first-term energy task force and probably including the use of intelligence in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. Pelosi denied Republican allegations that a Democratic House would move quickly to impeach President Bush. But, she said of the planned investigations, “You never know where it leads to.”

Oh, we know what it leads to, Nancy. The word is Impeachment. And in the case of the Democratic Party, it’s simply an act of revenge. Metering out their hate for Bush and everything he stands for. Carpet bombing.

Are Americans ready to be accomplices in the governance of slash and burn? That’s less than crystal clear, and as such, the Democrats could face rejection by showing their cards this early in the game. They must win at least 15 seats to capture majority status, and with six months to go before voters cast their ballots, their chances are still up in the air.

I hate it when suddenly, through a flurry of point and clicks, I come across a post on another blog that sounds like me, smells like me and most of the time, is me. It’s like someone has been peeking through my windows at night.

I’ll be watching the show live which is due to begin 10 minutes from now. Until then, here’s what we know so far.

— A Capitol Police report says Congressman Patrick Kennedy was ticketed for three charges in connection with an early morning car crash. The report says Kennedy drove his car into a security barrier just before 3 a-m yesterday. It notes the congressman had red, watery eyes, slurred speech and unsteady balance.

— Kennedy says he did not drink. He says he took two prescription drugs — one for nausea and one for sleep.

— The congressman was cited for failure to stay in the right lane, traveling at “unreasonable speed” and failure to ”give full time and attention” to operating his vehicle.

— A police union official says officers were ordered to take Kennedy home, and no field sobriety tests were done. That’s sparked criticism that the lawmaker, who is also Senator Edward Kennedy’s son, was given preferential treatment. The congressman denies that.

2:54 EDT: Cameras are on and media types have filled the room. Audio is up and I can hear all the chit-chat.

3:02 EDT: Headline on Drudgereport says Kennedy will announce that he is entering rehab.

3:04 EDT: Rep. Patrick Kennedy is at the podium. 

3:05 EDT: Kennedy checked himself into the Mayo clinic over the past Christmas holiday for prescription drug addiction. He claims that the events of Wednesday evening concerned him deeply. He has little to know recollection of the events.

3:06 EDT: Kennedy will check into the Mayo clinic today and resume treatment for prescription drug addiction.

3:07 EDT: Kennedy leaves the podium without taking questions from the assembled media.

Key statements:

“Of course, in every recovery, each day has its ups and downs, but I have been strong, focused and productive since my return.”

“I simply do not remember getting out of bed, being pulled over by the police, or being cited for three driving infractions,” Kennedy said. “That’s not how I want to live my life. And that’s not how I want to represent the people of Rhode Island.”

Full text | Video

Sen. Edward Kennedy, Patrick Kennedy’s father, released the following statement:

I love Patrick very much and am very proud of him. All of us in the family admire his courage in speaking publicly about very personal issues and fully support his decision to seek treatment. He has taken full responsibility for events that occurred Wednesday evening, and he will continue to cooperate fully in any investigation.

I have the rare and special honor of being able to serve with my son in the Congress, and I have enormous respect for the work Patrick has done. The people of the 1st District of Rhode Island have a tireless champion for the issues they care about, and today I hope they join me in feeling pride and respect for a courageous man who has admitted to a problem and taken bold action to correct it.

Here’s the AP story on Kennedy. Here’s how the New York Times recounts his announcement. More from MSNBC.

We’ve heard a number of explanations of what happened Wednesday night, from police who said Kennedy appeared intoxicated, from Kennedy who stated that he consumed no alcohol whatsoever, then being told that he unintentionally mixed prescription drugs. Just a few hours ago further information came from employees of a local bar who reported seeing Kennedy drinking there, and some have said that CBS News had obtained Kennedy’s bar tab. In his presser, Kennedy revised his recollection to say that he in fact had no recollection of what happened.

Sounds to me like a classic blackout experience, and as such, Kennedy’s prior statements have to be thrown out. He’s been telling a lie since the incident first became public. It’s what alcoholics and drug addicts do.

What concerns me is the action of the Capitol Police, the appearance of preferential treatment, and a coverup to keep the whole thing quiet. It’s clear that Kennedy didn’t intend to admit to anything earlier today, and his handlers apparently made every attempt to shut the story down. Once the story began to unravel though, Kennedy had no choice but to come clean. And now that he’s announced his desire to seek help, it’s likely the remaining questions will go unanswered.

MORE: Patrick Kennedy Should Resign

Bush will announce the personnel change from the Oval Office minutes from now.

MORE, via the AP.

STILL MORE: Allah wraps up the days events quite nicely. And this just in: CBS News says Goss was forced out.

Heh.

Via AP.

“I was involved in a traffic accident last night at First and C Street SE near the U.S. Capitol,” Kennedy said in a written statement released by his office. “I consumed no alcohol prior to the incident. I will fully cooperate with the Capitol Police in whatever investigation they choose to undertake.”

Heh.

‘Hhhonnnest, I (hiccup) conzuumed abzzzolutelly no (hiccup) ackeehawl. Juss assk poppy Theddah.’

UPDATE: Now, it’s prescription drugs.

UPDATE II: Pat was seen at a local bar drinking hours before the accident.

UPDATE III: Kennedy has scheduled a press conference for 3 PM EDT today (5/5/06)

Previously: Chappaquiddick II

For some families, traditions run deep. 

KENNEDY CAR CRASH COVER-UP?
Thu May 04 2006 17:12:05 ET

Police labor union officials asked acting Chief Christopher McGaffin this afternoon to allow a Capitol Police officer to complete his investigation into an early-morning car crash involving Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), son of Sen. Ted Kennedy.

ROLL CALL reports: According to a letter sent by Officer Greg Baird, acting chairman of the USCP FOP, the wreck took place at approximately 2:45 a.m. Thursday when Kennedy’s car, operating with its running lights turned off, narrowly missed colliding with a Capitol Police cruiser and smashed into a security barricade at First and C streets Southeast.

“The driver exited the vehicle and he was observed to be staggering,” Baird’s letter states. Officers approached the driver, who “declared to them he was a Congressman and was late to a vote. The House had adjourned nearly three hours before this incident. It was Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy from Rhode Island.”

Baird wrote that Capitol Police Patrol Division units, who are trained in driving under the influence cases, were not allowed to perform basic field sobriety tests on the Congressman. Instead, two sergeants, who also responded to the accident, proceeded to confer with the Capitol Police watch commander on duty and then “ordered all of the Patrol Division Units to leave the scene and that they were taking over.”

A source tells the DRUDGE REPORT: “It was apparent that the driver was intoxicated (stumbling) and claimed he was in a hurry to make a vote.

“When it became apparent who it was, instead of processing a normal DWI, the watch commander had the Patrol units clear the scene. The commander allowed other building officials drive Kennedy home.”

This morning’s incident comes just over two weeks after Kennedy was involved in a car accident in Rhode Island.

Hmmm, me thinks we’re only getting a small percentage of the story here.

MORE: Kennedy Statement | Hardball (video) | Dan Riehl |

STILL MORE: Now, he blames prescription drugs.

STILL STILL MORE: Police Report |

Others: Roll Call report | The Influence Peddler | Ace | Confederate Yankee | Lawhawk |

Hey, nobody said terrorists are smart people.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the most wanted man in Iraq, doesn’t exactly look like a terrorist mastermind in a new videotape released by the U.S. military today.

In blooper-type footage from a Zarqawi video released last week, the al Qaeda in Iraq leader is seen fumbling with a machine gun.

U.S. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch said the video was found during a series of raids in April on purported terror cell safe houses southwest of Baghdad.

Lynch said Zarqawi decided not to publicize the piece, which shows him decked out in New Balance sneakers. In it, he said, Zarqawi had trouble firing his automatic weapon and needed assistance from an aide, and his associates “do things like grab the hot barrel of the machine gun and burn themselves.”

Don’t count on this video being submitted for the $10,000 grand prize.

I can’t wait for someone to remix the audio for this thing…I’m thinking keystone cop style music would work.