Glen Greenwald’s latest piece on immunity for telecom companies that helped the government in the aftermath of 9/11 is one worth reading.  Fundamentally the issue hasn’t changed - telecoms that cooperated with the Bush administration deserve protection as is currently given - but Glen’s analysis of their contributions to lobbying firms and the money’s subsequent flow to the coffers of various politicians is fascinating and sickening at the same time.

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Go to Central Sanity to watch an interesting video of Ron Paul going after Rudy Giuliani (and the response of Giuliani’s campaign). I left the following comment:
What I find amazing is that journalists repeat the talking point that Paul said that the US invited the attack. He didn’t say that, that’s how Giuliani interpreted Paul’s words. Then Paul explained himself again and clearly explained that the US is not to blame for 9/11, but that certain policies do create hostility and that one has to understand that when talking about foreign policy.

I wouldn’t support Paul [were I America], he’s too libertarian (and isolationist) for me, but he does have a good point.

America has ignored the world for several years. “America alone” and all that. What was the result? Right, America was alone and couldn’t do what she wanted to do / believed should be done. America alone is America weakened. That’s the truth.

Even George W. Bush understands that now and has reached out to the international community in the last couple of years.

To have another Bush I in the White House in 08, isn’t something foreigners like me are looking forward to.

Giuliani should moderate his foreign policy tone a bit.

Meet the lunatic fringe of the Democratic Party:

Democrats in America are evenly divided on the question of whether George W. Bush knew about the 9/11 terrorist attacks in advance. Thirty-five percent (35%) of Democrats believe he did know, 39% say he did not know, and 26% are not sure.

Of course the Republican Party has its own lunatic fringe; for a political party in a two party system it is impossible not to have one, especially in a country as big as America.

Andrew Sullivan’s Quote for the Day:
“When a newly revitalized al-Qaeda carries out a 9/11-scale attack, you will own that one,” - Senator Kit Bond, yesterday, to his Democratic colleagues in the Senate.