Rich could get smarter while poor get dumbed down

Two stories this week on intelligence issues stand in jarring opposition.

First is the call by several scientists for healthy people to have the right to give themselves intellectual "steroids."

"I would be the first in line if safe and effective drugs were developed that trumped caffeine," author Michael Gazzaniga of the University of California, Santa Barbara, declared in an e-mail.

Second is the sad finding that children in poverty tend to have reduced brain activity.

Barring a VERY comprehensive national healthcare plan, it's easy to see how the income gap could become an intelligence gap as well.

Also, per the statements of Gazzaniga, et al, whether or not any of the scientists in question have any financial connection, Big PhARMA is behind this.

And, the big drugmakers certainly won't rush out to tell you about Second is the sad finding that children in poverty all the side effects of these drugs.

Let's tackle one - chemical dependency. What if the alleged brain-boost effects of Adderall lessen with more and more usage, whether through physical dependency, psychological dependency, or both? And, what if its non brain-boost effects produce good old-fashioned amphetatmine addiction?

In short, there ARE NO "safe" brain-boosters at this time. As Christpher Waljek notes, we've also never tested any of these drugs for use on healthy people for off-label reasons, other than the self-testing going on right now.

And, he adds this - the drugs of today, the Adderall and Ritalin, boost test performance, not necessarily intelligence. (There's a whole raft of sidebar arguments here, of course, on what "intelligence" is, is "intelligence" as currently defined by most U.S. social psychologists more nature or nurture, is there a thing such as "q," etc.)

Back to his main point, that these are focus enhancers and not intelligence enhancers, anyway:

Do you really want a doctor who passed his boards as a result of taking speed — and continues to depend on that for his practice?

No. No. No.

There, that was easy.

On price and related issues, he weighs in again:

How soon before the penis enlargement industry produces herbal stimulants to profit from everyone's cognitive shortcomings?

Obama ‘misstatement’ apparently exposed – Rahm talked to Blago about Senate seat

And named Obama’s “acceptable names”

Time for more retracted sentences from David Axelrod? Perhaps Obama himself? Why, if you (as I assume) have no taint, can you not give straight answers?

Incoming Obama chief of staff and Illinois Fifth District Congressman Rahm Emanuel talked with John Harris, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s chief of staff about filling Obama’s Senate seat, according to a Chicago Tribune source:

Emanuel delivered a list of candidates who would be "acceptable" to Obama, the source said. On the list were Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, Illinois Veterans Affairs director Tammy Duckworth, state Comptroller Dan Hynes and U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Chicago, the source said. All are Democrats.

Well, one “misstatement” of Obama and his Essence magazine/Chicago insider mouthpiece, Roland Martin, is now exposed. Jarrett, if not tops among the four, was at least one of four preferred Obama replacements.

Other points to note? Harris, or other Blago reps, started talking with Rahmbo the Saturday before Election Day. Gee, that was right after Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Indian barbecue, wasn’t it?

Was Blago pursuing two separate lines of shakedown at the same time? Surely Rahmbo had heard about the BBQ blowout for JJ Jr., right? Was Obama, through him, trying to head JJ Jr. off at the pass? Is this why “somebody” pressured Blago not to name JJ?

Also interesting that, per Pat Fitzgerald’s original affadavit against Blago (PDF), Blago was told to, in essence, “chill” for two years — by Obama’s “Advisor B,” who may well be Rahm.

And, Obama himself, along with Rahmbo, Ax, etc., still have all those unanswered questions and non-answer "answers" waiting out there,

Man, more drama, and new plot lines, than you can shake a stick at. It’s “interesting” that MSLBs haven’t touched this with a 10-foot pole. (Update - TPM posted a story link, but no blog post about it, at 8:30 Central, finally. WM and Kos, among others, still nothing.)

Good thing Rahm hasn’t resigned his House seat yet. He could find out that his White House gig suddenly isn’t so secure.

Another not-quiter gets in the MLB Hall of Fame

Joe Gordon? Maybe he was a Yankees team leader in the ’40s. Maybe he was a peach of a guy. A Hall of Famer? NO, even though the baseball Veterans Committee officially says otherwise . Yes, he had power for a 2B, but, even credit him for two missed seasons of WWII and he still wouldn’t have broken 1,800 hits. And, he was just slightly above average as fielder, myths about “Flash” Gordon’s glove aside.

So, what Blago cards does Fitz still have to play?

I would have to say I at least partially agree with Carrie Johnson’s analysis of the Blagosphere (that’s my name for it) so far.

Pat Fitzgerald has giving us a sort of Seurat, his pointillist dot-splattering, and invited us to look at it from his angle, and see the picture of soliciting bribes.

But, maybe we’re using the wrong analogy. Maybe Fitz is like one of those 1970s fundamentalist preachers who claimed to hear Satanic “backward masking” in all sorts of rock music, but got his listeners to “hear this” only by reading them aloud what he said they should “expect” to hear when he spun a piece of vintage vinyl backward.

Maybe Fitz has been psychologically priming us, a lot. And trying to get some people to “roll” by doing that.

Or, let’s look at this from another angle.

We know Fitz hasn’t yet produced all the tapes he has.

But does he have a lot more, or is he trying to run a bluff?

Only until we see the full deal will we know what, speaking along the lines of the intelligence world, is “actionable” as far as what Blago has allegedly done.

Also, don’t forget Fitz isn’t perfect.

I’m not saying there was partisanship involved, but, for various reasons, he didn’t go after Karl Rove along with Scooter Libby, right? Was it because he couldn’t roll Rove easily enough?

As dumb as Blago gives the appearance of being, I don’t think he’s easily rollable.

Give this guy an award, not a criminal citation

A Minnesota homeowner caught kids TP-ing his house and shot them - with a squirt gun full of fox urine.

Obama camp still has non-answer 'answers' on Blago, Jarrett

I don’t think Obama/staff are guilty of anying criminal, but …

Update, 8 p.m.: Per Josh Marshall at TPM, I went to Roland Martin’s blog about the Jarrett timeline.

Let's put it this way. Josh is seeing, because he’s seeking, exculpation of Obama’s apparent poor judgment or communication skills on the Jarrett part of the issue, and Martin as having high explanatory value here, because Josh wants to see that. Well, I don't think it's there.

And, Josh conveniently fails to note that Martin is ... basically an Obama surrogate, or close to it, himself.

So, move along, nothing new here.

Original post: So far, President-elect Barack Obama, and surrogates David Axelrod, have skilfully evaded answering the Politico’s question list about his background in the Blagojevich pay-to-play scandal.

Basically, Kenneth Vogel and Carrie Brown want to know:
• When Obama and Blago surrogates last spoke, as well as head-to-head contacts;
• Were any of these talks about Obama’s opening-up Senate seat;
• What’s up with “correcting” Axelrod, including why it took so long to do it;
• Did Fitz’s office or the FBI talk to you;
• When did you learn Blago was under investigation;
• Did you or your staff contact Fitz or the FBI if you had any reason to sense this was a pay-for-play push by Blago, especially re point No. 1.

I would add a couple of rhetorical questions of my own to which we may not get the answers, either:
• How much less cohesion is there in your inner circle than was portrayed in the campaign, given the number of statements Axelrod had had, not just to retract on his own account, but has had retracted for him?
• Why didn’t you say “Blago must resign” Tuesday rather than Wednesday?
• Do you have any info on any of the “six candidates”?
• Re Politico’s question No. 1, were any of these contacts before you decided to give Valerie Jarrett a White House job?
• Why is your staff letting Obamiacs censor Blago questions on your website, especially since appropriate questions, not just winger trolling are being removed?

That said, let me offer some tentative answers:
• Obama and Blago staffs talked until mid-November or so;
• Valerie Jarrett was offered the WH job AFTER Blago started pushing for “consideration”;
• In spite of this, nobody at Obama’s office (contrary to the early Rahm Emanuel rumor) contacted Fitz or FBI;
• Obama’s inner circle ISN”T that coherent, but Obama, yes, B.O. himself, ultimately, is determined to still be that tight-lipped with the press, or even the public, or your most loyal minions are.

Result? Contrary to MSLBs decrying the MSM for over-covering this issue, etc. you, President Obama, probably will get yourself a Whitewater-type “cloud” that is, as far as the handling of how things have unwound, that is and will be at least partially your own fault.

And, from Obama's Thursday presser through follow-ups later Thursday evening by the Ax and Rahmbo, we're STILL not getting answers

Obama says he has had no personal contacts with Blago since the election, claims his office was not involved with any deal-making, and that he’s still gathering details on who all from his staff had contacts with Blago’s staff.

Analysis?
• Statement No. 1 is a duh; I don’t think Obama is that dumb, and never have.
• Statement No. 2 says nothing; Blago’s “motherfucker” statement already attests to its veracity.
• Statement No. 3? The real question is, not what Obama knows about staff contacts, but what his “rounding up” means. Some sort of “massaging” will happen, as Obama wants to make sure he has tracked every comment down before making any further statement, so that there are no more forced retractions by Axelrod, etc.

Other than that, Statement No. 3, and the rest of Obama’s presser, did nothing to address the “timeline” questions vis-à-vis Jarrett’s appointment to WH staff, etc., what Obama knew a week or two ago about staff contacts, etc.

Obama may well answer these questions in the future. But, anybody who thinks he said anything new Thursday is guilty of wishful thinking.

Meanwhile, Ax gave a non-answer answer Thursday night to part of the Jarrett timeline question, saying she removed her name from consideration for the Senate seat without knowing anything about Blago’s scheming, BUT ….

Because Obama wanted her to work at the White House.

Still unanswered is why he would (suddenly?) want the person reportedly his favorite choice to replace him in the Senate to suddenly come work at the White House.

Simple, Ax said — Just.Another.Politician.™ wanted her at the Big House, not the Capitol, all along.

And, I’m sure Ax checked in with Obama transition staff before making these statements, so nobody will have to withdraw them for him later today. (Unless the Obama recollection of just where he wanted Jarrett when undergoes further, err, clarification.

And, Rahmbo channeled Sarah Palin using kids as human shields to duck answering questions about whether he’s the “Obama advisor” on one Blago tape.

And, Oops! On Jesse Jackson Jr. friends!

Dunno how much Jesse Jr. knew what his friends were doing, but if they were actually responding to Blago’s $1 million fundraising appeal:
• He needs to fire them and get some new friends;
• WE need to ask just how his friends heard about this and why they actually acted on it!

This also lends new intrigue into who was allegedly pressuring Blago NOT to name Jess Jr. to the seat.

Instead of Obama worrying about a tar baby, it may have been a representative of one of the other candidates.

As for Blago calling Obama a mofo, this isn’t something totally out of the blue; there’s some history behind it. The story underlines my subhead; I do not beleive Obama(land) is guilty of anything criminal.

BUT... the mishandling of talking about this issue grows by the day, mushrooming in the same soil environment in which mushrooms, well, mushroom.

What’s the old political saying?

“It’s the cover-up that gets you.”

Well, before the cover-up can come the appearance of impropriety, or of not shooting straight.

Obamaworld looks like it needs some target practice, at the least.


This just gets better by the day.

As Terrell Owens would say here in Dallas: “Getcha popcorn.”