Welcome, any dinner-stuffed folk who wander in. Flop down and unwrap these updates on exercising this-or-that . . .
First we have President Bush’s latest messy exercise of presidential power, the pardon that on Tuesday he gave to and on Wednesday snatched away from Brooklyn mortgage-fraudster Isaac Toussie. NYT explains the bad optics:
[O]fficials familiar with the case said that presidential aides — and perhaps President Bush himself — were concerned about appearances, because Mr. Toussie’s father, Robert, donated $28,500 to the Republican National Committee last April, for what apparently was his first political contribution. He also donated $2,300 to the presidential campaign of Senator John McCain.
Josh Marshall’s first take being “Pardons are absolute. They can’t be reviewed or reconsidered or overturned, even by the president who issued them,” he then began to wonder (and hear from readers) but eventually tired himself out and promised more after he sleeps on it. I look forward to whatever he, TPM’s readers, and y’all may add to the discussion, for as NYT reports, “Administration officials and experts in pardon law said they were not aware of a prior instance of a president’s withdrawing a pardon after it was announced.” Can he?
Yesterday I pointed out Dr X’s post about Dr. TN, the stroke-blinded patient who astonishingly exercises both spatial and emotional “blindsight.” NYT has more on this fascinating case and its implications.
You may have noted that the Minnesota Supreme Court, exercising its responsibility, unanimously put the quietus to Norm Coleman’s last small chance to derail certification of Al Franken’s 46-vote margin to win the Senate seat. Next, Team Coleman promises to litigate an election contest, even though both sides know that can only pile on more votes for Franken. So if Coleman doesn’t come to his senses and concede (or Harry Reid & Co don’t provisionally seat Franken), Minnesota won’t have two Senators to offer the 111th Congress on January 6. But either then or soon after, this wag at WaMo will have her satisfaction:
Does anyone else love the concept of a United States Senator whose body of work includes a book titled “Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot”?
Mumph! But, um, speaking of which . . . time we get serious about exercise. To look like this, just do this. Me, I’m working-out with pots and pans today but have an appointment with free weights tomorrow and the NordicTrack on Saturday. (Eww, dusty.)
So, if the going rate on a Senate seat is $1.5 million and the going rate on a Presidential pardon is just over $30k, then political corruption is a crime that pays, right? Whether Dubbya can revoke a pardon is an interesting question, but then this administration doesn’t seem overly concerned about precedents….
I hear you on the workouts! I’ve been meaning to get more than sporadically serious for about 3 years now. Best of luck to both of us.
Thanky, Underdog.
Hey y’all, (especially NMC), don’t miss this well-illustrated one in NYT — The Yoknapatawpha Salon and Inn — about Richard and Lisa Howorth, Square Books, their home (which we drove by the other day), and their PARTIES.
Merry Christmas Lotus! Thank you for the articles. Waiting for 17 Month old to wake up, the decorations and wrapped presents kept her from going to sleep until 2:30 AM
Talk about MERRY, DLM! What fun for y’all — love it. Thanks, backatcha, and have a wonderful day.
Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it. Hopefully, I haven’t missed any other holidays. Sounds like Little DLM had her first real Christmas. Hope that went well.
Great news on Al Franken. Hopefully, Coleman will give it up soon. I think his staff should be able to add up the votes as well as everyone else can.
I’m in Josh Marshall’s camp on the pardon thing, unless there’s some later time when it takes effect, in which case it might be possible to revoke. I’ve never heard of such a thing, but I’m not a lawyer. W sure isn’t worried about precedent, but at least part of the judiciary still is. They will probably have a say in this.