WHAT HATH KELLER WROUGHT:

Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales raised the possibility yesterday that New York Times journalists could be prosecuted for publishing classified information based on the outcome of the criminal investigation underway into leaks to the Times of data about the National Security Agency’s surveillance of terrorist-related calls between the United States and abroad.

Those editorial demands for leak investigations in the Plame affair were ill-advised, as many pointed out at the time.

I DON’T THINK I’VE LINKED RANTBURG LATELY, but you should still be reading it, as it collects all sorts of war news in one convenient location.

REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM JEFFERSON captured on video taking a $100,000 bribe: Gateway Pundit has a roundup. This whole “culture of corruption” is getting way out of hand.

Plus there’s this: “$90,000 found in congressman’s freezer . . . The money was divided among various frozen food containers, according to the heavily redacted affidavit.”

Some readers may recall that Jefferson also used the National Guard to secure his home in New Orleans during the Katrina aftermath. Another triumph for Louisiana politics! However, the bribery story puts a new spin on this bit from the story about Jefferson’s urgent visit to his home amid the flood: “Finally, according to the source, Jefferson emerged with a laptop computer, three suitcases, and a box about the size of a small refrigerator, which the enlisted men loaded up into the truck.” Hmm.

THE CARNIVAL OF THE CAPITALISTS is up!

A LEBANESE BLOGGER visits Israel. Excerpt:

The inevitable question came. The question that I hesitate to answer honestly when I’m unsure of my own personal security. “So then, where are you from my friend?”.

I gauged the situation. He didn’t seem like a fanatical person. He seemed friendly. His eyes spoke softly. He cared to know. I told him.

“I’m Lebanese.”

I felt that he wanted to lurch to the back of the car and grab me. But not in an aggressive manner.

“Inta Libnanae? Ana Libnanae” (You’re Lebanese. I’m Lebanese.)

I was stunned. Speechless.

A Lebanese Jew. A Lebanese citizen who practiced Judaism. I’ve never met one before. I should have known he was Lebanese from the beginning. It was after all the nicest Mercedes taxi I’ve been in since coming to Tel Aviv. We have a weakness for brands.

Read the whole thing.

MICHAEL BARONE:

Things are better than you think. Yes, I know, most Americans are in a sour mood these days, convinced that the struggle in Iraq is an endless cycle of bloodshed, certain that our economy is in dismal shape, lamenting that the nation and the world are off on the wrong track. That’s what polls tell us. But if we look at some other numbers, we’ll find that we are living not in the worst of times but in something much closer to the best.

Yes, and if we elect a Democrat to the White House we’ll hear a lot more about those good numbers . . . .

UPDATE: Some related thoughts here on good times and bad.

THE ANCHORESS: “Inexpressible groanings seem to be the stuff of my life these days.” Drop by and offer her your warm thoughts and prayers.

DYMPHNA:

Remember the 1930’s when so many of Europe’s intelligentsia came to America to escape Fascism? Albert Einstein was one; Karen Horney was another. Our intellectual ranks and our universities were enriched as Europe’s totalitarian rumblings caused the educated ranks to flee to safer shores.

It seems to be happening again. In addition to Hirsi Ali’s imminent departure from the Netherlands, there is a growing feeling that Europe is not safe for those who dissent even a little from the received wisdom of the bureaucratic state, or dare to confront the Muslim taqiyya so prevalent there.

Poor Europe needs all the smarts it can get; it would be much better off if it could keep those people.

AN INDIRECT APPROACH ON IRAN: I think that’s pretty much the strategy.

UNILATERAL? NOT US! I caught John Howard’s interview on Wolf Blitzer’s show as I was in the car, and the CNN folks were kind enough to send a transcript. This bit was quite amusing:

BLITZER: So the UN – excuse me for interrupting. The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, said this on May 12th. He said, “I have insisted very clearly both in private and my contacts with the America administration and publicly that I think it’s important that the United States come to the table and that they should join the European countries and Iran to find a solution.”

He’s the secretary general. Do you agree with him?

HOWARD: Yes. Well, when I talk about the United Nations processes I mean the processes through the Security Council. I mean, I respect the views of the secretary general but when I talk of the process I mean the process which is now underway which involves the potential for further resolutions by the United Nations Security Council and I think that is the path at this time that ought to be followed.

Three years ago there was criticism of the United States and her allies, including Australia, for not further using the processes of the United Nations.

The view was taken then that that was not going to work. We now, in relation to Iran, have the opportunity to see how full those processes can be made to work. It’s quite a test for the United Nations and we’re very keen that that test take place.

Yes, it is quite a test for the U.N. And I can see why Bush, Blair and Howard would be “very keen” to see that test take place. And yes, Howard certainly can rub it in.

PORKBUSTERS UPDATE: A look at the explosion of spending since Republicans took over Congress:

Even excluding spending related to Katrina, defense and homeland security, discretionary expenditures jumped 22 percent.

Perhaps more startling, this spending energy has been fueled by nearly unprecedented consumption of pork — the government variety, that is. Pork-barrel projects in the federal budget grew from 1,439 in fiscal 1995 to 13,997 in fiscal 2005, leading one to believe Republicans had been so deprived of this kind of nourishment over the 40 years they were out of the majority that they couldn’t resist gorging.

Just a whisper of an appropriations measure causes frenzy in both houses as members queue up weeks ahead to insert their favorite vote-garnering projects. Conscious about the bad publicity in the past for “bridges to nowhere,” the good lawmakers cut back on the number of earmarks, from 9,963 in 11 appropriations bills, a 29 percent decrease over last year’s 13,997. That is highly commendable, right? But wait. The $29 billion spent on the reduced number of pork projects actually was a 6.2 percent increase over the $27.3 billion spent the previous year.

Among the “crucial” items listed in the Waste folks’ annual Pig Book was $13.5 million for the International Fund for Ireland which helped finance the World Toilet Summit; $6.4 million for wood utilization research; $1 million for the Waterfree Urinal Conservation Initiative, and $500,000 for the Sparta, N.C., Teapot Museum. These political necessities were provided at taxpayer expense while wind and water inundated Louisiana and Mississippi and bombs blew away soldiers in Iraq.

Sigh. House Majority Leader John Boehner told us in his PorkBusters interview that constituents are mad about this, and that he hears that wherever he goes. I think that if people want to see progress here, they need to communicate those sentiments loudly and often.

UPDATE: Stan Brown says that spending isn’t nearly as bad as this makes it sound.

THIS IS A SAUDI TEXTBOOK: The Saudis are not our friends. They are, in fact, at the root of global Islamist intolerance and violence to a degree at least as great as that of Iran. They must change peacefully, or be changed.

BRENDAN LOY: “I see on my cell phone that the mayor who fiddled while New Orleans drowned has been re-elected. Sheesh.”

I predict substantially less support for New Orleans reconstruction. Betweeen the Louisiana delegation’s absurd overreaching in demanding a huge amount of pork-laden funding, and this, they’ve managed to squander a lot of the sympathy that was present in in September. Louisiana’s political class isn’t just greedy — it’s greedy and stupid. Louisiana will pay the price. And probably complain of unfairness when it does.

UPDATE: Will Collier weighs in.

IN MY EARLIER POST on immigration and Iraq, I speculated that many of those leaving are Sunnis. Sure enough, StrategyPage reports — as part of a comprehensive Iraq report that’s worth reading in full — the following:

Sunni Arabs are only 15-20 percent of the population. They used to be closer to 20 percent, but increasing numbers of Sunni Arabs have been fleeing the violence, and Iraq. Most missed are the middle and upper class Sunni Arabs who form the backbone of the Sunni Arab community, and the Iraqi economy and business community. Harassed by gangsters and terrorists, these Iraqis are giving up on the new Iraq, at least for now, and heading to nearby Arab nations or, for the most disenchanted, the West. To many Kurds and [Shiite] Arabs, all Sunni Arabs should be expelled from Iraq. For these bitter victims of Saddam’s decades of abuse, Sunni Arabs have been the cause of most of Iraqis’ problems, and don’t seem to have changed their attitudes much since 2003. But many Sunni Arabs have changed their attitudes, and are trying to work out deals that will give them a place in a democratic Iraq. But first, the Sunni Arab community has to purge itself of its thugs and gangsters. This isn’t easy.

Read the whole thing. And read this piece on tribal militias, too.

UPDATE: Brian Dunn thinks that the Sunni departures are a good sign: “The fact that backers of the Baathists are now leaving Iraq is not a sign that we are losing. It is a sign that the enemy is losing. They see little hope of running things any time soon and are getting out of town before the new cops come around with war crimes and human rights violation charges in hand.”

That’s no doubt true for some. Others, though, are probably feeling pinched between pressure from the remaining holdouts (who, like guerrillas in general, put the most pressure on their own people) and fear of Shia retribution on a fairly undiscriminating basis. True, that hasn’t happened yet, and probably won’t, but I can understand why people wouldn’t want to take their chances.

IT’S AS IF THEY’RE ALL CROOKS OR SOMETHING:

Democratic leaders began this year thinking that Republican corruption in Congress would be one of their most lethal campaign weapons, but GOP officials say that firepower has been defused by new accusations of bribery and other abuses against Democrats.

“The Democrats’ attempt to paint this as a one-sided issue has come back to bite them. They have a lot of ethics problems in their own closet,” said Ron Bonjean, spokesman for House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican.

The latest scandal emerged from the investigation of lobbyist Jack Abramoff and lawmakers of both parties who purportedly did legislative favors for him and received lavish trips, gifts and campaign contributions in return, as well as the conviction on bribery charges of former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, California Republican.

It since has widened in the House, where the ethics committee announced last week that it had begun investigating two lawmakers: Reps. William J. Jefferson, Louisiana Democrat, and Bob Ney, Ohio Republican.

The committee is investigating whether Mr. Ney received benefits and gifts from Abramoff as a result of official actions he took. It also will examine accusations that Mr. Jefferson was given money, stocks and other benefits from a technology company in exchange for helping the firm obtain business in Africa. Both men have denied wrongdoing.

Last night, FBI agents raided the Rayburn House Office Building, where Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Ney have offices, Reuters news agency reported. . . .

Another Democrat, Rep. Alan B. Mollohan of West Virginia, is the focus of an FBI investigation for his purported role in obtaining millions of dollars in pork-barrel appropriations for his state, a network of groups he set up that benefited from the money and a personal fortune that grew from $565,000 to more than $6.3 million in just four years.

Mr. Mollohan, the ranking Democrat on the ethics committee, was forced to resign that post under pressure from party leaders.

Stay tuned.

THE BLOGOSPHERE HAS PEAKED: “Employers wiping out Net surfing on the job.” Just watch those pageviews plummet!

WISCONSIN’S REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, MARK GREEN, sits down with bloggers. Sean Hackbarth has the report, and audio.

AT GAY PATRIOT: “I just finished Mary Cheney’s book Now It’s My Turn: A Daughter’s Chronicle of Political Life and recommend it as the most important book addressing a gay topic of the year, if not the past few years. Indeed, it is must-read book for anyone who wishes to talk honestly about the Bush Administration’s record on gay issues.”

FOOD AND FATNESS NOW AND THEN: One argument as to why people are fatter now has to do with restaurant portion sizes, which are a lot bigger than they used to be. Despite other arguments, Helen and I are always reminded of that when we visit Long’s Drug Store, a Knoxville landmark that hasn’t changed much since it opened fifty years ago.

As you can see, Helen’s lunch is pretty small: Nothing supersized here. Of course, all she got was two eggs scrambled and toast.

But I got a cheeseburger. Still, it’s no Monster ThickBurger — just a modest piece of ground beef and some fries. (The crinkle-cut kind, still the best despite the McDonald’s little-fry heresy.) They were actually more generous with the fries than usual.

Whenever we eat here (not all that often, alas) I think that it’s a James Lileks kind of place, though it’s perhaps more fifties-homey than fifties-glitzy, which seems more Lileksesque.

The other nice thing about our lunch is that it cost $7.16 — plus tip, which was rather more than 15%. I don’t feel like the waitresses should suffer for the low prices.

ANOTHER ROUGH DAY FOR AL JAZEERA: I hope these guys were from the Paris bureau, so that it’ll at least be familiar.

DON’T GET TOO FAR ahead of the news cycle.

THE NSA TRANSCRIPTS of my phone calls have somehow leaked.

RANDY BARNETT has thoughts on judicial power and legislative restraint.

BACKUP PODCASTING: Various people wonder about my podcasting backup system. It’s just the Dell Laptop, running Sony Acid Music Studio (the cheap version of the Acid Pro that I use regularly) and Sound Forge Audio Studio 8 (the cheap version of Sound Forge, which takes the place of the Adobe Audion that I usually use). Both are entirely adequate, though not as powerful as the stuff I regularly use. And they’re a lot cheaper.

Sony seems to have managed to avoid ruining Acid and Sound Forge since taking them over from Sonic Foundry. On the other hand, judging by the customer reviews Adobe has managed to screw up Adobe Audition 2.0. I use version 1.5, which is quite close to the Cool Edit Pro that it replaced, but I figured that Adobe couldn’t resist messing with things. Given that I hate Adobe’s user interface, and overall design philosophy, I doubt I’ll upgrade.

THOMAS DOHERTY: “The religion that once put the fear of God into Hollywood now has less influence over motion picture content than People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.”