(updated below - Update II)
At 5:00 pm today Eastern, I will be at FDL, hosting a Book Salon with the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Charlie Savage of The Boston Globe. Savage has a superb new book, Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy, documenting the Bush administration's comprehensive effort to subvert the basic checks and balances of our republic.
The discussion will take place in the comment section of the post I wrote -- the post and comment discussion can be found here. Savage will answer questions and participate in the discussion, and both my post and the discussion will remain up at FDL indefinitely (so it can be read even if you don't view it live). I wrote previously about Savage's Pulitzer here, and interviewed him here.
On an unrelated note, I received this e-mail today from someone claiming to be Cpl. Kevin Groenhagen of the USMC:
Pretty weak column on Col. Hunt from a sissy who never served.
After I wrote back and asked him: "You mean like the sissy who is your Commander-in-Chief, and his top Vice Presidential aide, and all of the other followers who send you off to war? Like those sissies who never served?," he responded:
No, I mean a sissy like you. We're getting tired of sissies like you and Sidney Blumenthal discussing the military when neither of you spent a day in uniform. Stick to gay and lesbian issues.Groenhagen
I wish I could write more about this but I must honor the New Rule that we may not "attack the honor and integrity of members of the United States Armed Forces." I trust that anyone who wishes to comment on this exchange will heed that rule as well.
UPDATE: The point in publishing those emails was a narrow one, and -- in response to commenters -- I elaborate on the point here.
UPDATE II: Numerous Google detectives have sprung into action in Comments and it appears that Mr. Groenhagen is not in the Armed Forces at all. Rather, he is, among other things:
* a former unsuccessful local Republican candidate in Kansas who -- after he switched parties -- was expelled from the local Democratic Party because, according to the local party chairman, he was "about as extremist right-wing Republican as you can get in Douglas County";* a frequent Powerline commenter, where he claims to have been a "marine intelligence analyst";and,
* the publisher of a local newspaper in Kansas.
Based on his emails, he is undoubtedly right at home in the Kansas GOP and at Powerline. The good news, though, is that since he is not currently an active member of the United States Armed Forces, there is -- I believe -- no prohibition on questioning his honor or integrity, though I will check tomorrow with Senator Cornyn's office to be certain about that, as we would not want to provoke any Congressional Condemnations. Until then, it is best to err on the side of caution.
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