The World Around You

This story (that I picked up from TalkLeft and they picked up from the Philadelphia Inquirer through the Political Wire) should demonstrate once and for all that it is impossible to stop leaks in our media culture,

Bush orders officials to stop the leaks
Concerned about the appearance of disarray and feuding within his administration as well as growing resistance to his policies in Iraq, President Bush - living up to his recent declaration that he is in charge - told his top officials to “stop the leaks” to the media, or else.

News of Bush’s order leaked almost immediately.

Bush told his senior aides Tuesday that he “didn’t want to see any stories” quoting unnamed administration officials in the media anymore, and that if he did, there would be consequences, said a senior administration official who asked that his name not be used.

Good luck with that George!

UPDATE: Daniel Drezner thinks this is really funny, no matter your party affiliation.

The Colts have re-signed RB-Brian Allen as they face a slew of injuries in the backfield

Ricky Williams suffered a sprained left ankle in Sunday’s loss to Carolina that might keep him out of action when the team returns from its bye week and hosts Houston in the RCA Dome Oct. 26. Also, Dominic Rhodes still is dealing with soreness in his right knee and James Mungro might need arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The good news: Edgerrin James, who has missed the past three games with damage to his transverse process (lower back), is expected to return against the Texans.

“Edge, we think, is going to be 100 percent,” coach Tony Dungy said Wednesday.

Mungro might require a scope to feel as chipper. He has been experiencing irritation in his right knee since damaging it at Tampa. Team doctors, Dungy noted, are trying to determine “whether to go in and scope it now during the off week or fight our way through it.”

With so many concerns, the Colts opted to re-sign Allen.

“It’s been a journey,” he said after Wednesday’s practice, “but I’m just thankful to God to be back. I know I can play in the NFL.”

Thomas Friedman has a solid criticism of the administration this morning,

There was a headline that grabbed me in The Times on Saturday. It said, “Cheney Lashes Out at Critics of Policy on Iraq.”

“Wow,” I thought, “that must have been an interesting encounter.” Then I read the fine print. Mr. Cheney was speaking to 200 invited guests at the conservative Heritage Foundation — and even they were not allowed to ask any questions. Great. Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein issue messages from their caves through Al Jazeera, and Mr. Cheney issues messages from his bunker through Fox. America is pushing democracy in Iraq, but our own leaders won’t hold a real town hall meeting or a regular press conference.

Out of fairness, my newspaper feels obligated to run such stories. But I wish we had said to the V.P.: If you’re going to give a major speech on Iraq to an audience limited to your own supporters and not allow any questions, that’s not news — that’s an advertisement, and you should buy an ad on the Op-Ed page.

Such an approach would serve both journalism and the nation, because it might actually force this administration to listen to someone other than itself. And learning to listen may be the only way the Bush team is going to muster and sustain the support it needs to succeed in Iraq.

To begin with, listening might actually force the Bush team to frame its vision of U.S. foreign policy and its rationale for the Iraq war on our hopes for the world, not just our fears of it. Every other word out of this administration’s mouth now is “terror” or “terrorism.” We have stopped exporting hope, the most important commodity America has. We now export only fear, so we end up importing everyone else’s fears right back.

That last sentence is a concise analysis of where we are. It actually echoes Michael Moore’s sentiment in his new book. This country is being run on fear, and that is truly pathetic and sad. If you don’t have hope what else is there? We are a country that has lost hope because all our leaders preach is fear. We’re afraid of “terrorism”. We’re afraid of losing our jobs. We’re afraid of being a victim of crime. We’re afraid of our guns being taken away.

This is a very good lesson for the President’s opponent in 2004. Bush-bashing is not going to win you the election (though it may get you the nomination). The only chance you have of beating the money machine in the White House is to bring a message of hope for Americans. Hope for all our citizens.

Arnold is Governor-elect of California today because he brought a message of hope to the people of “Caleeforneea”, not a message of fear. Maybe he needs to teach a few things to our President today.

UPDATE:

The Mobile Register reports on a tough 12-year old girl in this morning’s edition,

“What do I get out of it?” she asked, when a reporter sought an interview.

That toughness might have helped her keep her cool late Tuesday when, Saraland police say, a 16-year-old boy accidentally shot her in the leg with a .22-caliber rifle. As the boy, Jeffrey Lind, tearfully apologized, Jenny called 911 herself, she said. Then, her mother said, Jenny took off her sock and pressed it to the wound.

“He was more hysterical than I was,” Jenny said.

The children were identified by their families. Police would not confirm identities, but said the boy was checking the gun’s safety mechanism when it went off about 11 p.m. The girl was taken to the hospital, and the boy was taken to Strickland Youth Center, said Saraland Sgt. Steve Stafford.

Discharging a gun inside the city limits is a municipal violation, but the boy probably will not be charged, Stafford said.

“He was pretty distraught,” Stafford said. “Look at the consequences of what could have happened. If his aim had been up, he could have shot and killed her.”

Jenny’s mother, Robin Thomas, said she’s well aware of how bad it could have been. Guns in the home should be locked up so kids can’t get to them, she said.

“There’s too many kids getting shot,” she said. “We all know it was an accident. But accidental deaths happen every day. I just feel very blessed.”

Both families should feel blessed that another accidental gun death was narrowly avoided in this case.

Roy was shot down again yesterday.

The panel of judges that will hear ethics charges against suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore refused Wednesday to answer Moore’s questions about possible bias against him.

Chief Judge William C. Thompson of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary, writing for the nine-member court, said state court rules provide no authority to question members of the panel.

“The Court of the Judiciary is not a party to this action,” Thompson wrote.

Moore’s lawyers filed written questions with the court, however, asking whether in past trials the members of the court have been questioned the way potential jurors are questioned in state trial courts.

They also asked whether the panel’s members, like potential jurors, can be disqualified and whether they have served as past members of the state Judicial Inquiry Commission, which brought the charges against Moore.

“We’re trying to find out if they are biased,” said Jim Wilson, an attorney for Moore. Wilson said Moore’s lawyers will seek other ways to get information about the panel’s possible bias against Moore in the wake of Wednesday’s ruling.

John Gibbs of Attorney General Bill Pryor’s office, which is prosecuting Moore, had no comment on the ruling.

November 12 is inching closer and closer and Roy can see his removal on the horizon. What he really wants to know is if this panel is biased against a judge who violates the law. My guess is they are. Good luck!

UPDATE: Of course Mac has a take as well.