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Archive: December 2006

Matt Damon

Actor Matt Damon recently appeared on Chris Matthew's "Hardball" to promote his new movie "The Good Shepherd". Dan Froomkin posted a portion of the transcript on his White House Briefing. Incredible that a Hollywood actor appears to have more intelligence and depth than any prominent figure in our elected government.

"MATTHEWS: Do you think guys like Cheney. . . . Do you think he knew he was saying stuff that wouldn't turn out to be true . . . ?

"DAMON: I'd like to see him under oath.

"MATTHEWS: I would, too. I'd like to see him with you.

"(APPLAUSE)

"MATTHEWS: Do you think if you waterboarded Cheney, like in the movie, that you'd get a different truth out of him?

"DAMON: Well, there's two answers to that question. One is he doesn't strike me as the kind of person who has any real personal courage. When it was his turn to go, he didn't go. He deferred six times.

"MATTHEWS: He said he had other priorities.

"DAMON: Yes, he had other priorities. And he doesn't seem to have other priorities about sending other kids there and other peoples kids.

"(APPLAUSE). . . .

"DAMON: . . . The second part to the answer is that I believe that if you waterboard anybody, they'll tell you anything and that torture is completely impractical, on top of being dishonorable."

Aaaaarrrrrrgh!

Democratic Senator Tim Johnson from South Dakota has apparently had a stroke. The news programs this morning and the internet are already full of speculation about what this might mean for control of the Senate. If Johnson is no longer able to serve, the Republican governor of South Dakota will appoint his replacement --almost certainly a Republican-- until the 2008 elections. Replacing Johnson with a Republican would put the Senate in a 50-50 split, with Vice President Cheney casting the deciding vote.

If Johnson, who is in critical condition, doesn't make it, here are some questions I'd like to ask Tony Snow or President Bush:

"Tony, do you think that Senator Johnson's death vindicates Karl Roves electoral strategy?"

"Tony, do you think that Senator Johnson's death vindicates the President's resolve with respect to Iraq?"

[UPDATE: December 27, 2006]: Senator Johnson is not out of the woods, but he is doing much better than things looked when I first wrote this post. I wish him a speedy and full recovery.