Found at Starbucks: The Pentagon's Papers

American Progress (Lefty Org?) ^ | March 31, 2004 | unsigned

[IncPen]

As most of America slept early last Sunday morning, the Bush administration hustled and bustled to prepare for the Sunday morning talk shows – among others Colin Powell was appearing on "Face the Nation" and Donald Rumsfeld was booked on "Fox News Sunday." Condoleezza Rice was not scheduled to appear until prime time, when she would make a star appearance on CBS' "60 Minutes" – the last in a long line of media appearances that caused 9/11 Commissioner Richard Ben Veniste to quip that "Condi Rice has appeared everywhere but at my local Starbucks."

Well, others in the Bush administration did, apparently, make an appearance at the local Starbucks. And as theWashington Post reports today, one of them – obviously readying himself to prep Defense Secretary Rumsfeld – left his notes on the table. Talking points, hand-written notes on spin tactics that reveal the White House was worried about former Bush adviser Richard Clarke's charges, and a hand-drawn map to the Secretary's house were found by a resident of DuPont Circle, who made them available to the Center for American Progress. The name of said resident is being withheld at his request, as he fears that he may be accused on national television of being "disgruntled."

Link to the papers (pdf)

[IncPen]

Searched, didn't see this posted.

Apparently the docs contained a map to Rumsfeld's house, which has been deleted.

[IncPen]

... ping ...

[MNJohnnie]

Oh yeah Really worried about a guy, Clarke, who is keeping Terrorism, (Bush's Strong suit) the top issue in the voter's minds while they form their 1st impressions of Kerry. I wonder if these notes were a plant to set off the Hysteric Left's wacko wing and keep the Clarke story alive. Clarke is sucking all the oxeygen out of the system and keeping Kerry in the background. It isn't Kerry's vacation that is killing his campaign, it is Clarke.

[JOE6PAK]

Found at Starbucks: The Pentagon's Papers?

Sure,,,just "LEFT" them at a "LEFT WING COFFEE SHOP."

[Cold Heat]

We need to get a conservative only coffee house!

[bayourod]

An earlier article said that the Starbuck's employee who found the notes turned them over to a liberal organization.

Starbucks should have a very firm policy about theft of items accidently left by customers.

[Mo1]

Yooooo ... check this out

[nuconvert]

Center for American Progress

The Center for American Progress is a new non-partisan Washington, DC-based think tank both lead and created by John D. Podesta.

The Center publishes a daily Progress Report, said by the National Review to be "The most aggressive, most energetic opposition research in politics."

According to an article by Matt Bai in the New York Times Podesta's "goal is to build an organization to rethink the very idea of liberalism, a reproduction in mirror image of the conservative think tanks that have dominated the country's political dialogue for a generation.

"Many such left-leaning ventures have been tried over the years and have failed to wield much influence, but Podesta's effort seems different, not only because of his considerable personal stature within the party but also because rage at the Bush administration has galvanized Democrats.

"'The rise of the machinery of ideas on the right has been impressive,' Podesta told the gathering [of Democrats], to nods of assent. 'People have noticed it, and we have talked about it. But we haven't really found the vehicles to compete with what's coming at us.'

"Going back to Barry Goldwater, Podesta said, conservatives 'built up institutions with a lot of influence, a lot of ideas. And they generated a lot of money to get out those ideas. It didn't happen by accident. And I think it's had a substantial effect on why we have a conservative party that controls the White House and the Congress and is making substantial efforts to control the judiciary.'

"Podesta laid out his plan for what he likes to call a think tank on steroids. Emulating those conservative institutions, he said, a message-oriented war room will send out a daily briefing to refute the positions and arguments of the right. An aggressive media department will book liberal thinkers on cable TV. There will be an edgy Web site and a policy shop to formulate strong positions on foreign and domestic issues. In addition, Podesta explained how he would recruit hundreds of fellows and scholars -- some in residence and others spread around the country -- to research and promote new progressive policy ideas. American Progress is slated to operate with a $10 million budget next year, raised from big donors like the financier George Soros.

"'The question I'm asked most often is, When are we getting our eight words?' Podesta said. Conservatives, he went on, 'have their eight words in a bumper sticker: Less government. Lower taxes. Less welfare. And so on. Where's our eight-word bumper sticker? Well, it's harder for us, because we believe in a lot more things.' The Center for American Progress, Podesta said, was concerned with articulating these principles carefully, over time, rather than rushing out an agenda to help win an election in 2004. 'We're trying to build an idea base for the longer term,' he said, to bring about 'an enduring progressive majority.'"


Personnel
Morton H. Halperin, senior vice president of the Center for American Progress. Halperin is also Director Open Society Institute and Open Society Policy Center [1]

Contact
Center for American Progress
805 15th St. NW
Suite 400
Washington DC 20005
202-682-1611
email:progress@amprog.org
Web: http://www.centerforamericanprogress.org

[nuconvert]

"American Progress is slated to operate with a $10 million budget next year, raised from big donors like the financier George Soros. "

[Howlin]

I'm just printing it out to read!

[PureSolace]

What are the odds this was a plant? :)

[dandelion]

The words, "like hell" come to mind. More like, two reporters sitting around waiting for their transgendered prostitute at their local Starbucks when their editor calls and reminds them they're supposed to be on assignment instead, saying, "Hey let's write some crap and call it 'pentagon notes'... We need a name. Quick, grab a legal pad and a pen... sign it, Rummy..."

I can just hear Jon Lovett now...

"Oooh! Ooooh! Lookie here - some notes. Handwritten notes. Pentagon notes. THAT'S the ticket..."

[Devil_Anse]

What th--?

"Found at Starbucks: The Pentagon's Papers". What've they got--napkins printed with 'em or something? This is very weird.

[Mo1]

I can't get it to open up again for me ... what's your take?

[cincinnati65]

Podesta -- non-partisan -- April Fool's???? LOL

[Howlin]

This is from their home page:

Every day we challenge conservative thinking that undermines the bedrock American values of liberty, community and shared responsibility.

I wonder why these notes have THEIR coversheet on them.

[Howlin]

From the WashPost article:

Our good citizen, no dummy he, concluded these were significant papers and should be turned over to the appropriate people. So that would be the Pentagon or the White House?

Oh, no. He turned them over to none other than that most left-leaning think tank, Center for American Progress, headed by none other than former Clinton chief of staff John D. Podesta.


I smell a rat.

[Howlin]

Why would they include a map to Rumsfeld's house?

[Mo1]

I smell a rat

Something sure doesn't pass the smell test

[hellinahandcart]

What are the odds this was a plant? :)

Pretty darned good. :)

It got to the right think tank, didn't it?

I have a vision of these notes being found and returned several times by honest citizens, until finally the right lefty takes the bait...