Greg Mitchell's Blog, page 217

McCain Flushed Out

As you may have heard, a photog caught Sen. John McCain playing poker on his handheld device during today's key testimony on the Syria crisis.  Then he was asked on CNN about it.  Just said he was bored--and lost a lot of money.  CNN claims he was kidding about that latter part.  But no doubt:  attack on Syria would be the true gamble.   See my twitter feed @gregmitch for a blow-by-blow on much of the hearing.

Pynchon, Odd As Always

Trailer for much-awaited novel.

New Polls: Most Americans Against Strike vs. Syria

I dismissed earlier polls here because most people were not up to speed with claims for and against, or even that chemical weapons might have been used--let alone, where Syria is located.  Now enough publicity and debate has gone on to make this Pew poll and this ABC poll significant.  Pew finds Dems and GOPers  against a strike, and larger numbers doubting it will do much good, anyway.  And that's with at least 53% saying that Assad's use of chemical weapons has already been proven.   "Pew's latest findings suggest that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's alleged breach of Obama's so-called "red line" has done little to shift public opinion."

ABC shows even more opposition, about 6 in 10 against.   And 70% don't even want to arm the rebels in Syria (recognizing more than, say, McCain and Graham, that they have large radical base). 

'NYT' Cuts AIPAC Reference

Update:  NYT public editor on the paper's explanation, and issues related to changing stories without noting change or archiving.

Earlier:  Startling though not exactly surprising.  I saw it first from M.J. Rosenberg but perhaps someone else had earlier.  Daily Beast and others referred to the quotes before cut so this for real. The Boston Globe published it earlier in picking up the story,  for example.  Jeffrey Goldberg just tweeted this to me:  "Trying to get an answer about why it was cut." (And later:  "Still no explanation from the Times why that paragraph about AIPAC disappeared from its story today.") This was cut from top (online and in print) New York Times story:

Administration officials said the influential pro-Israel lobby group Aipac was already at work pressing for military action against the government of Mr. Assad, fearing that if Syria escapes American retribution for its use of chemical weapons, Iran might be emboldened in the future to attack Israel. In the House, the majority leader, Eric Cantor of Virginia, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, has long worked to challenge Democrats’ traditional base among Jews.

One administration official, who, like others, declined to be identified discussing White House strategy, called Aipac “the 800-pound gorilla in the room,” and said its allies in Congress had to be saying, “If the White House is not capable of enforcing this red line” against the catastrophic use of chemical weapons, “we’re in trouble.”

All of the changes in story tracked here.  

Goldberg talks to Politico about it.  As he notes, very "strange"--original article was accurate and no space issues on the Web....Some dialogue with the Times' Robert Mackey on Twitter, in which he claims "transparency."

UPDATE:   See NYT explanation for cut here near bottom of page ("gorilla" quote had appeared the day before). 

Here's Rosenberg's comment:

Obviously the White House and/or AIPAC did not want to be caught saying that the reason we are attacking Syria is to show AIPAC, the “800 pound gorilla,” that we are serious about the war the lobby really craves: Iran.

But there it is. Or was.

AIPAC censorship even applies to the Times.  Only in America (not Israel, where AIPAC’s power does not extend to Haaretz).

Rosenberg comments: Obviously the White House and/or AIPAC did not want to be caught saying that the reason we are attacking Syria is to show AIPAC, the “800 pound gorilla,” that we are serious about the war the lobby really craves: Iran. But there it is. Or was. AIPAC censorship even applies to the Times. Only in America (not Israel, where AIPAC’s power does not extend to Haaretz). Brent Sasley at The Daily Beast had commented when he read original story; One might, then, expect it to take a public position on the biggest issue of the day, U.S. strikes against the regime’s military assets. And after President Obama announced he was going to Congress for authorization for the attack, observers began wondering—with some claiming more confidently—that AIPAC would become much more active. Apparently White House officials even fear what AIPAC will do. If Obama is seen as not enforcing his red line over Syria, how, one hinted, would this “800-pound gorilla in the room” view the Administration’s Iran policy. - See more at: http://www.thenation.com/blog/176001/...

'NYT' Editorial: Obama Still Needs to Make Case on Syria

In an editorial just posted, the Times hails Obama's decision to go to Congress but says he still has a way to go to prove the case for attacking Assad forces in Syria.

If he is to win Congressional support, Mr. Obama and his top aides will have to explain in greater detail why they are so confident that the kind of military strikes that administration officials have described would deter President Bashar al-Assad of Syria from gassing his people again (American officials say more than 1,400 were killed on Aug. 21) rather than provoke him to unleash even greater atrocities.

They will also have to explain how they can keep the United States from becoming mired in the Syrian civil war — something Mr. Obama, for sound reasons, has long resisted — and how military action will advance the cause of a political settlement: the only rational solution to the war.

McClatchy reporters tonight, meanwhile, raised issues about facts, including the alleged death toll.

McClatchy Raises Questions on Syria (Again)

We have, of course, long hailed McClatchy reporters and editors for raising questions about U.S. claim about Syria going back for many months.  And, of course, some in the same crew distinguished themselves in covering the run-up to the Iraq war and the war that followed, at first in the Knight Ridder years.  Now dig this tonight:

The Obama administration’s public case for attacking Syria is riddled with inconsistencies and hinges mainly on circumstantial evidence, undermining U.S. efforts this week to build support at home and abroad for a punitive strike against Bashar Assad’s regime.  The case Secretary of State John Kerry laid out last Friday contained claims that were disputed by the United Nations, inconsistent in some details with British and French intelligence reports or lacking sufficient transparency for international chemical weapons experts to accept at face value....

The story outlines several areas in dispute, including the alleged death toll of over 1400.   Then there's this:

Another eyebrow-raising administration claim was that U.S. intelligence had “collected streams of human, signals and geospatial intelligence” that showed the regime preparing for an attack three days before the event. The U.S. assessment says regime personnel were in an area known to be used to “mix chemical weapons, including sarin,” and that regime forces prepared for the Aug. 21 attack by putting on gas masks.

That claim raises two questions: Why didn’t the U.S. warn rebels about the impending attack and save hundreds of lives? And why did the administration keep mum about the suspicious activity when on at least one previous occasion U.S. officials have raised an international fuss when they observed similar actions?

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/02...

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/09/02...

'Homeland' Leaked

The much-awaited (despite last season's falloff) premiere of the third year of Homeland later this month has been leaked in a working print and tens of thousands have already downloaded it via bit torrent. Story and still images here.   "Since it is a workprint, the source of the leak is likely connected to a post-production studio. Unlike promotional screeners which are sent out to the press in advance, not many people have access to unfinished production work.  Somehow a copy leaked outside official channels, which are generally well protected, and eventually made its way to the scene.  Unlike regular scene releases, however, it was shared by an unknown group called 'HOMELAND,' which is unusual as scene groups often take pride in their work."

Here's an official teaser:

More Tunes for Labor Day

In addition to Springsteen, Morello, Kinks and Cooder below on this page, let's add more, starting with Marianne Faithfull's "Working Class Hero."   Then The Clash love, workin' for the Clampdown.

'Grapes' Songs for Labor Day

First up, Ry Cooder covers the Woody classic "Vigilante Man," straight out of Grapes of Wrath.   Believe it or not, if you're so inclined, you can find a Flaming Lips live eight-minute version.   Then song also inspired by the Steinbeck novel and Woody, Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad," with Tom Morello--one of my favorite vids.  (Same era, my book on Upton Sinclair's incredible 1934 campaign.)

Labor Daze Tunes

First up, Ry Cooder covers the Woody classic "Vigilante Man," straight out of Grapes of Wrath.   Believe it or not, if you're so inclined, you can find a Flaming Lips live eight-minute version.   Then song also inspired by the Steinbeck novel and Woody, Springsteen's "Ghost of Tom Joad," with Tom Morello--one of my favorite vids.  (Same era, my book on Upton Sinclair's incredible 1934 campaign.)