ISOLATED INCIDENT

Culture of Corruption

2006-01-04T06:34:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Well, the Republicans are already trying to outdo themselves in 2006.

In a deal that clears the way for the next phase of a widespread Capitol Hill corruption probe, lobbyist Jack Abramoff is telling prosecutors and the FBI about alleged bribes to lawmakers and their aides on issues ranging from Internet gambling to wireless phone service in the House.

The full extent of the investigation is not yet known, but Justice Department officials said Tuesday they intended to make use of the trove of e-mails and other material in Abramoff's possession as part of a probe that is believed to be focusing on as many as 20 members of Congress and aides. (source)

This has potential to be serious trouble for the Republicans, and especially Tom DeLay. Both DeLay and Abramoff's grubby little hands are all over the Republican party, so, chances are, this scandal scandal runs very deep within the GOP. Five years in power, and the Republicans are already imploding. As usual, Chris Matthews does his best to protect the Republicans...

MATTHEWS: I'm not sure it's partisan. I'm not sure that people are going to see him as part of any Republican culture of corruption. I think [Rep. Randy] "Duke" Cunningham [R-CA] also was sort of a lone wolf in that department. I think we're gonna see this case, basically -- What's the right word? -- it's gonna be kept to itself. It's not gong to be part of a larger story of Washington this year, I think. (source)

Is there a bigger hack in cable news than Matthews? Thanks for doing your job so well. How long before the mainstream media drop the ball on this story? And why are the democrats silent? Sometimes I wish we had an actual opposition party. By the way, the list of Abramoff's campaign contributions can be found here. And, what a shock, all the money went to Republicans.

Impeachable Offense?

2005-12-21T22:12:00.000-06:00

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today asked four presidential scholars for their opinion on former White House Counsel John Dean’s statement that President Bush admitted to an "impeachable offense" when he said he authorized the National Security Agency to spy on Americans without getting a warrant from a judge.

Boxer said, "I take very seriously Mr. Dean's comments, as I view him to be an expert on Presidential abuse of power. I am expecting a full airing of this matter by the Senate in the very near future." (source)

If anyone would know about impeachable offenses, it would be Nixon's former lawyer. At this time, there is about ZERO chance Bush will be impeached, and I don't really see that changing, even if the dems take back Congress. For one thing, that would require a fight, which most of the democrats flat out refuse to do. They like to play nice, you know. Besides, guess what happens if the democrats go through with impeachment and Bush is removed from power...two words that should scare this shit out of you...President Cheney. So let's just focus on taking Congress back and limit the damage the Bush administration can do to this country until 2008, when this country will hopefully come to its senses.

But Clinton Did It...

2005-12-21T21:48:00.000-06:00

Bush is neck deep in shit with the wire-tapping, and it only took the right wing nuts less than a day to come to their master's defense and play the Clinton card. Usually it's within hours, so maybe the noise machine is slipping a bit.

Think Progress is all over this....just read it!! And let's hope some of those moron "liberal" pundits that show up on MSNBC and Fox do their homework because you know the other side will bring up Clinton as much as possible.

The brilliant David Sirota breaks this down further...

In just the last 5 days, we've seen 3 separate explanations rolled out from the White House. First they claimed it was legal all along, then when that didn't fly, they said they had to do it because of a need for speed.

Now that that has been debunked, they are actually claiming they were just too lazy to do "the paperwork." On top of this, they also first told us that the surveillance was only targeted at international calls – but now today, we learn that isn't true either, and that Americans are under surveillance on purely domestic calls.

Let's just walk through the shenanigans, shall we?

Read the rest here. This is a huge story, but you still have this feeling it is going to slip away because of our lazy "liberal" media. They tend to do that.

Victory for Sane People

2005-12-20T21:59:00.000-06:00

The religious kooks take a beating in Dover, PA...

In one of the biggest courtroom clashes between faith and evolution since the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial, a federal judge barred a Pennsylvania public school district Tuesday from teaching "intelligent design" in biology class, saying the concept is creationism in disguise.
...
Jones decried the "breathtaking inanity" of the Dover policy and accused several board members of lying to conceal their true motive, which he said was to promote religion.

A six-week trial over the issue yielded "overwhelming evidence" establishing that intelligent design "is a religious view, a mere re-labeling of creationism, and not a scientific theory," said Jones, a Republican and a churchgoer appointed to the federal bench three years ago. (source)

Amen! Unfortunately, we have to take the good news with the bad.

Eighty-nine percent in this ABC News poll believe in heaven, which is consistent with data going back 30 years. Among believers, 85 percent think they'll personally go there — mainly in spirit, since 78 percent say it's a place where people exist only spiritually. (source)

Great...eighty-nine percent of this country has been consistently retarded for the last 30 years. Even with all the progress made since man's beginning, for some reason most of us still believe there is an invisible being sitting on a cloud in the sky watching and judging us. Eh, whatever...to each his own, I guess.

NYT Sat on Wiretap Story

2005-12-20T21:41:00.000-06:00

More proof the mainstream media is in the Bush administration's back pocket...

The New York Times first debated publishing a story about secret eavesdropping on Americans as early as last fall, before the 2004 presidential election.But the newspaper held the story for more than a year and only revealed the secret wiretaps last Friday, when it became apparent a book by one of its reporters was about to break the news, according to journalists familiar with the paper's internal discussions. (source)

Why does the so-called "paper of record" sit on a story that might incriminate this administration for over a year? Gee, do you think this may have made a difference in the 2004 election? Well, we shouldn't assume anything since, if I have learned anything in the last few years, you can never underestimate the stupidity of a Bush voter. Does the NYT have any credibility left...besides Krugman?

Jonathan Alter breaks it down...

President Bush came out swinging on Snoopgate—he made it seem as if those who didn’t agree with him wanted to leave us vulnerable to Al Qaeda—but it will not work. We’re seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator, or in his own mind, no doubt, like Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

No wonder Bush was so desperate that The New York Times not publish its story on the National Security Agency eavesdropping on American citizens without a warrant, in what lawyers outside the administration say is a clear violation of the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. I learned this week that on December 6, Bush summoned Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger and executive editor Bill Keller to the Oval Office in a futile attempt to talk them out of running the story. The Times will not comment on the meeting, but one can only imagine the president’s desperation.

Read the rest here...truly a stunning piece. Bush could be in serious trouble if the media decide to jump on this.

Bush Eased Spying Limits

2005-12-16T07:10:00.000-06:00

Under a presidential order signed in 2002, the intelligence agency has monitored the international telephone calls and international e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people inside the United States without warrants over the past three years in an effort to track possible "dirty numbers" linked to Al Qaeda, the officials said. The agency, they said, still seeks warrants to monitor entirely domestic communications.

The previously undisclosed decision to permit some eavesdropping inside the country without court approval represents a major shift in American intelligence-gathering practices, particularly for the National Security Agency, whose mission is to spy on communications abroad. As a result, some officials familiar with the continuing operation have questioned whether the surveillance has stretched, if not crossed, constitutional limits on legal searches. (source)

And thank god the world is safer for it...right? Who needs civil liberties anyway? And shouldn't Republicans be outraged because they believe in less government?

Morning Sedition - R.I.P.

2005-12-16T06:52:00.000-06:00

Today is the last broadcast of Morning Sedition on Air America. I started listening to the show when it first started, and it grew from what sounded like an amateur radio show into the funniest and most engaging show on the network. Now the CEO, Danny Goldberg, in his effort to make the station more like a commercial NPR, is taking the show off the air. Co-host Mark Riley will remain and host a news show from 4-6 AM (CST), and Rachel Maddow will host yet another news show from 6-8 AM. Because Goldberg knows the last thing you want people to do on the morning commute is laugh and be informed.

Co--host Marc Maron is out but looks to be in negotiations to develop a program syndicated by Air America. Maron is absolutely hilarious and is a natural radio talent, and I have no doubt he will end up doing something great in the near future. Here's hoping he makes the move to Sirius to join Howard Stern. Maron would definitely bring some great energy to Sirius's rather stale TalkLeft line-up.

Thanks for the laughs, Marc and Mark. The morning commute will suck without you. Oh, and screw you, Danny Goldberg...how do you intend to screw up the network now? Hiring Jerry Springer? Oh, wait...

Note: Springer really isn't that awful.

Is Bush Capable of Telling the Truth?

2005-12-16T06:40:00.000-06:00

President Bush and top administration officials have access to a much broader ranger of intelligence reports than members of Congress do, a nonpartisan congressional research agency said in a report Thursday, raising questions about recent assertions by the president.

Bush has said that Democratic lawmakers who authorized the use of force against Iraq and now criticize the war saw the same pre-invasion intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that he did.
...
"Some of the most irresponsible comments - about manipulating intelligence - have come from politicians who saw the same intelligence I saw and then voted to authorize the use of force against Saddam Hussein," Bush said on Wednesday in his most recent speech. "These charges are pure politics." (source)

Another day, another Bush administration lie. I am still not willing to let democrats off the hook with this one. I've said it before...the democrats knew who they were dealing with in this administration (Cheney, Wolfowitz, Bremer, Rove, etc.), and I just cannot believe they did not know the intelligence was being manipulated. Still, this makes Bush look really bad. Well, makes him look even worse, if that is possible.

Season's Greetings from the Republicans

2005-12-15T22:18:00.000-06:00

How do these assholes live with themselves?

Congressional Republicans made progress on twin tracks Wednesday toward their end-of-year budget goals, passing a bill freezing or cutting back spending on medical research and education and nearing agreement on cuts to the Medicaid health care program for the poor.

The first measure, a $602 billion bill funding a wide variety of health, education and labor programs, passed the House on a 215-213 vote. It would cut federal aid to education for the first time in a decade, and spread about $1.4 billion in cuts across the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education.
...
Democrats harshly attacked the bill as an assault on children and the poor.

"The holidays are supposed to be a time of generosity — a time when Santa Claus fills children's stockings," said Rep. David Obey, D-Wis. "Instead, this Congress is emptying them in order to provide a tax cut that gives 50 percent of the benefit to people making more than $1 million." (source)

Why do Republicans hate the poor? And why do so many of the poor vote for Republicans? Oh, right...gays still walk among us, and there are still fetuses not being born. These right wingers may want to think twice about wanting all of these babies to be born, especially with all the homos molesting children and brainwashing them with their "good taste and sodomy" agenda. All making abortion illegal would do is create more gays, and that would just defeat the point, now wouldn't it? Something to think about.

Patriot Act in Trouble?

2005-12-15T21:45:00.000-06:00

In Congress, where numbers are everything, the math on the Patriot Act suddenly seems to be moving in favor of Sen. Russell Feingold. He was a minority of one four years ago, when the Wisconsin Democrat cast the lone Senate vote against the USA Patriot Act in the traumatic weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. The law, he said then, gave government too much power to investigate its citizens. Ninety-nine senators disagreed.
...
The new Senate arithmetic that emerged this week is enough to place the renewal of major portions of the law in doubt. It was enough to inspire Senate Republican leaders to consider a backup plan in case Feingold's filibuster threat succeeded. Enough to prompt President Bush to dispatch Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to Capitol Hill twice in two days to lobby on the accord's behalf. (source)

This is, potentially, a huge victory for the good guys (us) in Bush's war on civil liberties. With Republicans jumping on board, Bush could be dealt another serious blow. As usual, my question is, why in the hell are the rest of the democrats not speaking out against this legislation? Why on earth would you choose to be on the side of someone with a 38% approval rating?

Sen. Feingold is on a serious roll in the last few months, and his ability to reach across the aisle on important issues like this make him a serious threat for the democratic nomination in 2008. Just the fact he has been against the war from the beginning and was the only senator to vote against the Patriot Act in the first place gives him, in my eyes, a better chance to truly unite the party than Hillary. I would hate to lose him as my senator, but, if he decides to run for president, I will be behind him all the way.

The Real Christians

2005-12-15T06:51:00.000-06:00

When hundreds of religious activists try to get arrested today to protest cutting programs for the poor, prominent conservatives such as James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell will not be among them.

That is a great relief to Republican leaders, who have dismissed the burgeoning protests as the work of liberals. But it raises the question: Why in recent years have conservative Christians asserted their influence on efforts to relieve Third World debt, AIDS in Africa, strife in Sudan and international sex trafficking -- but remained on the sidelines while liberal Christians protest domestic spending cuts?

Conservative Christian groups such as Focus on the Family say it is a matter of priorities, and their priorities are abortion, same-sex marriage and seating judges who will back their position against those practices. (source)

For these right-wing "Christians" like Falwell and Dobson, it's never about actually helping others. It's about power and money, plain and simple. As high-level Republican operatives, their job is to hammer away at wedge issues like abortion, guns rights and gay marriage and keep the real issues out of the public forum. Doing this brings out the single-issue voters and raises money for the Republican party. Very Christian. Remember that these are the same people who accuse the liberals of taking Christ out of Christmas. I guess that's much worse than actually taking Christ out of Christianity. God must be so proud.

O'Reilly Smears Madison

2005-12-15T06:41:00.000-06:00

O'REILLY: All right, well, listen, Jackson, we respect your opinion, but you're dead wrong on this one. Now --

BAIN: Well, maybe.

O'REILLY: -- in the South, Richmond Times[-Dispatch], for example.

BAIN: Right.

O'REILLY: Now, this is a conservative city, Richmond. I mean, this is not Madison, Wisconsin, where you expect those people to be communing with Satan up there in the Madison, Wisconsin, media.

BAIN: Sure. (source)

O'Reilly is so far off on this one. While many of us Madisonians worship Satan, only a select few of us actually commune with him. I have not had a chance to commune with him, myself, but some of my friends were at the 14th Annual Madison Goat and Baby Sacrifice & BBQ last year, and I guess he makes some absolutely killer ribs. Genuinely friendly, too. O'Reilly has completely lost his mind.

Speech Time

2005-12-12T22:07:00.000-06:00

In a rare, unscripted moment, President Bush on Monday estimated 30,000 Iraqis have died in the war, the first time he has publicly acknowledged the high price Iraqis have paid in the push for democracy.
...
"I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," Bush said. "We've lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq."
...
Another questioner challenged the administration's linkage of the Iraq war to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Bush said Saddam Hussein was a threat and was widely believed to have weapons of mass destruction — a belief that later proved false.

"I made a tough decision. And knowing what I know today, I'd make the decision again," Bush said. "Removing Saddam Hussein makes this world a better place and America a safer country. (source)

So, Mr. President, are you saying you would still have gone into Iraq, even if you knew for sure he didn't have WMD's? What justification could you have possibly given for sending over 2,000 soldiers (not to mention the several thousand injured and maimed) and 30,000 Iraqis to their death if not for WMD's? And please explain to me how this country is safer without Sadaam Hussein in power. Worldwide terrorism is way up, and the rest of the world hates us. Yeah, I feel much safer. What an absolute load of crap...

All Hail Sam Seder!

2005-12-12T21:53:00.000-06:00

I am not a huge fan of The Majority Report on Air America, but the democrats need to take a lesson from host Sam Seder on how to counter the right-wing spin machine. From CNN earlier today...

SEDER: Listen, as far as the war on Christmas goes, I feel like we should be waging a war on Christmas. I mean, I believe that Christmas, it's almost proven that Christmas has nuclear weapons, can be an imminent threat to this country, that they have operative ties with terrorists and I believe that we should sacrifice thousands of American lives in pursuit of this war on Christmas. And hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayer money.

PHILLIPS: Is it a war on Christmas, a war Christians, a war on over-political correctness or just a lot of people with way too much time on their hands?

SEDER: I would say probably, if I was to be serious about it, too much time on their hands, but I'd like to get back to the operational ties between Santa Claus and al Qaeda.

PHILLIPS: I don't think that exists. Bob? Help me out here.

SEDER: We have intelligence, we have intelligence.

PHILLIPS: You have intel. Where exactly does your intel come from?

SEDER: Well, we have tortured an elf and it's actually how we got the same information from Al Libbi. It's exactly the same way the Bush administration got this info about the operational ties between al Qaeda and Saddam. (source)

Watch the whole thing here. Can someone please clone Sam Seder and send him to all the talking head shows to take on the Republican blowhards?

Stewart Takes on O'Reilly

2005-12-08T22:37:00.000-06:00

Jon Stewart blasts O'Reilly's so-called "war on Christmas." Check out the video here. Hilarious!

Wisconsin Moves Closer to the Dark Ages

2005-12-08T22:18:00.000-06:00

This is just ridiculous...

A constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman and prevent the state from recognizing "substantially similar" relationships is one step away from a statewide referendum, after the Senate advanced the measure Wednesday.

The vote broke down along party lines, with the Senate's 19 Republicans voting for the amendment and 14 Democrats opposing it. The measure now heads to the Assembly, where it is expected to easily pass.
...
The amendment, SJR 53, reads: "Only a marriage between one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state. A legal status identical or substantially similar to that of marriage for unmarried individuals shall not be valid or recognized in this state." (source)

If this passes, it not only outlaws gay marriage, but also civil unions. The Republicans in Wisconsin are really a disgusting bunch, and, unfortunately, they are in control of both the State Assembly and Senate. This bill is nothing more than the Republicans attempting to rally its base to defeat Gov. Jim Doyle, a democrat. Republicans know they can't win when talking about real issues, so they bring up wedge issues like abortion or gay marriage. It is the GOP's national strategy. Let's hope this issue backfires on these pricks and causes the state democrats to organize and take some seats back.

Coulter Heckled

2005-12-08T21:29:00.000-06:00

Conservative columnist Ann Coulter cut short a speech at the University of Connecticut amid boos and jeers, and decided to hold a question-and-answer session instead.

"I love to engage in repartee with people who are stupider than I am," Coulter told the crowd of 2,600 Wednesday. (source)

Oh, but Ann, there are so few that are actually stupider than you. Admittedly, there are a lot of right wing mouth-breathers on the same level of stupidity as you, but not many stupider. Let's take a look at a few of your gems from the past, shall we?

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building."

"Taxes are like abortion, and not just because both are grotesque procedures supported by Democrats. You're for them or against them. Taxes go up or down; government raises taxes or lowers them. But Democrats will not let the words 'abortion' or "tax hikes" pass their lips."

"When contemplating college liberals, you really regret once again that John Walker is not getting the death penalty. We need to execute people like John Walker in order to physically intimidate liberals, by making them realize that they can be killed, too. Otherwise, they will turn out to be outright traitors."

" While the form of treachery varies slightly from case to case, liberals always manage to take the position that most undermines American security. "

"The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet--it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars -- that's the Biblical view."

She is precious, isn't she? I must ask, why are university funds being used to pay for someone who makes a living spewing hateful, harmful rhetoric on a daily basis? I guess the wingnuts would say the same thing if Michael Moore showed up. But please find me anything Michael Moore has said that even compares with the vitriol of the quotes listed above. Anyway, fuck Ann Coulter.

Dean Speaks Out

2005-12-06T21:39:00.000-06:00

Dean, the Democratic National Chairman, on Monday told a San Antonio, Texas, radio station that the United States appears to be making the same mistakes it made during the Vietnam War, and the idea that the war in Iraq can be won is "just plain wrong."
...
"I do not believe in making the same mistake twice, and America appears to have made the same mistake twice," Dean said during an interview with WOIA radio, adding that he wished Bush "had paid more attention to the history of Iraq before we had gotten in there." (source)

By the way, note how, later in the article, CNN says the president "blasts back" at Dean's comments. Liberal media indeed...

Anyway, Dean is absolutely right. This war, like Vietnam, is a miserable, unwinnable failure. Yet, for some reason, the right wing just refuses to accept it because it will not acknowledge this administration lied its way into this war despite all evidence showing it did. Instead, these nuts just blame the liberals for the war's failure because we give comfort to the enemy and undermine the troops. What patriots the Republicans are. Please explain to me how wanting to bring the soldiers home and not wanting another one to die for this worthless war undermines them. Maybe I need to watch Fox News, so I can understand the situation better...Hannity seems to be a wise military analyst.

And Ronald Reagan's least favorite child commented on Dean's statement in a way only a right wing talk show hack could...

"Howard Dean should be arrested and hung for treason or put in a hole until the end of the Iraq war!" [Michael] Reagan told his Radio America audience on Monday. (source)

Don't you love how Republicans are so willing to charge anyone that disagrees with their insane agenda with treason? Yet their support will never waiver for this lying administration or crooks (allegedly) like Tom DeLay? They really are a sad bunch of pathetic losers.

Strange...The President Lied

2005-12-05T22:22:00.000-06:00

From Bush's "Plan for Victory" speech on November 30th...

The progress of the Iraqi forces is especially clear when the recent anti-terrorist operations in Tal Afar are compared with last year's assault in Fallujah. In Fallujah, the assault was led by nine coalition battalions made up primarily of United States Marines and Army -- with six Iraqi battalions supporting them. The Iraqis fought and sustained casualties. Yet in most situations, the Iraqi role was limited to protecting the flanks of coalition forces, and securing ground that had already been cleared by our troops. This year in TAL Afar, it was a very different story.

The assault was primarily led by Iraqi security forces -- 11 Iraqi battalions, backed by five coalition battalions providing support. Many Iraqi units conducted their own anti-terrorist operations and controlled their own battle space -- hunting for enemy fighters and securing neighborhoods block-by-block. To consolidate their military success, Iraqi units stayed behind to help maintain law and order -- and reconstruction projects have been started to improve infrastructure and create jobs and provide hope. (source)

Awesome! Progress is being made in Iraq, and all is well. Freedom is on the march. But wait...from Think Progress...

"I was in that battle from the very beginning to the very end. I was with Iraqi units right there on the front line as they were battling with al Qaeda. They were not leading. They were being led by the U.S. green beret special forces with them." (source)

Can this administration tell the truth about anything? Answer: No. And on a sadder note, we still have almost three years to go.

The VP of Iraq calls Bush's bluff, too...

The training of Iraqi security forces has suffered a big "setback" in the last six months, with the army and other forces being increasingly used to settle scores and make other political gains, Iraqi Vice President Ghazi al-Yawer said Monday. Al-Yawer disputed contentions by U.S. officials, including President Bush, that the training of security forces was gathering speed, resulting in more professional troops. (source)

Are We Safe Yet?

2005-12-05T22:09:00.000-06:00

Time, money and ever-present terror threats have done little to close gaping holes in the nation's security system, the former Sept. 11 Commission said Monday in accusing the government of failing to protect the country against another attack.

The panel cited disjointed airplane passenger screening methods, pork-barrel security funding and other problems in saying the Bush administration and Congress had not moved quickly enough to enact the majority of its recommendations of July 2004.
...
"We shouldn't need another wake-up call," Kean said. "We believe that the terrorists will strike again; so does every responsible expert that we have talked to. And if they do, and these reforms that might have prevented such an attack have not been implemented, what will our excuse be?" (source)

And this whole time I thought the Republicans were the party of national security. But, I guess, since The Republicans are the party in power, they have to take the blame. And you know they are always so willing to take responsibility for their actions. The good news though is that we all got tax cuts. Well some of us did. Actually, I didn't get anything, so I am feeling a bit ripped off right now.

ID Failing

2005-12-05T06:46:00.001-06:00

Intelligent design posits that the complexity of biological life is itself evidence of a higher being at work. As a political cause, the idea has gained currency, and for good reason. The movement was intended to be a "big tent" that would attract everyone from biblical creationists who regard the Book of Genesis as literal truth to academics who believe that secular universities are hostile to faith. The slogan, "Teach the controversy," has simple appeal in a democracy.

Behind the headlines, however, intelligent design as a field of inquiry is failing to gain the traction its supporters had hoped for. It has gained little support among the academics who should have been its natural allies. And if the intelligent design proponents lose the case in Dover, there could be serious consequences for the movement's credibility.
...
While intelligent design has hit obstacles among scientists, it has also failed to find a warm embrace at many evangelical Christian colleges. Even at conservative schools, scholars and theologians who were initially excited about intelligent design say they have come to find its arguments unconvincing. They, too, have been greatly swayed by the scientists at their own institutions and elsewhere who have examined intelligent design and found it insufficiently substantiated in comparison to evolution. (source)

Intelligent design is a joke. It states that biological life is so complex, only a "higher being" could have created it. Very scientific. Seriously, who are the freaks that subscribe to this idea? Sadly, there are way too many. From a May 3 article...

A Gallup poll late last year showed that only 28 percent of Americans accept the theory of evolution, while 48 percent adhere to creationism - the belief that an intelligent being is responsible for the creation of the earth and its inhabitants. (source)

Facts and science be damned, I guess. No wonder this country has been heading in the wrong direction on so many issues...

The War on X-Mas

2005-12-05T06:32:00.000-06:00

More proof the right-wing is completely losing it...

The American Family Association is leading a boycott of Target for not using the words "Merry Christmas" in its advertising. (Target denies it has an anti-Merry-Christmas policy.) The Catholic League boycotted Wal-Mart in part over the way its Web site treated searches for "Christmas." Bill O'Reilly, the Fox anchor who last year started a "Christmas Under Siege" campaign, has a chart on his Web site of stores that use the phrase "Happy Holidays," along with a poll that asks, "Will you shop at stores that do not say 'Merry Christmas'?"
...
The Christmas that Mr. O'Reilly and his allies are promoting - one closely aligned with retailers, with a smack-down attitude toward nonobservers - fits with their campaign to make America more like a theocracy, with Christian displays on public property and Christian prayer in public schools. It does not, however, appear to be catching on with the public. That may be because most Americans do not recognize this commercialized, mean-spirited Christmas as their own. (source)

Awwwww...the poor white Christians. They are such an oppressed minority. There must be something more interesting for these right-wingers to talk about. But when you are losing the public debate on almost every issue, I guess desperate measures are necessary to rally the base (see also gay marriage and abortion). Yet another loser issue brought to you by our friends at Fox News.

Don't Mess With Texas

2005-12-02T06:55:00.000-06:00

Justice Department lawyers concluded that the landmark Texas congressional redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay (R) violated the Voting Rights Act, according to a previously undisclosed memo obtained by The Washington Post. But senior officials overruled them and approved the plan.

The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the department's voting section, said the redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts. It also said the plan eliminated several other districts in which minorities had a substantial, though not necessarily decisive, influence in elections.
...
The memo also found that Republican lawmakers and state officials who helped craft the proposal were aware it posed a high risk of being ruled discriminatory compared with other options. But the Texas legislature proceeded with the new map anyway because it would maximize the number of Republican federal lawmakers in the state, the memo said. (source)

Very disturbing. But it's Texas, so it's hardly surprising. Your Republican party hard at work...

Pay for Play in Iraq

2005-12-01T06:43:00.000-06:00

Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq," an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future.

"Western press and frequently those self-styled 'objective' observers of Iraq are often critics of how we, the people of Iraq, are proceeding down the path in determining what is best for our nation," the article began. Quoting the Prophet Muhammad, it pleaded for unity and nonviolence.

But far from being the heartfelt opinion of an Iraqi writer, as its language implied, the article was prepared by the United States military as part of a multimillion-dollar covert campaign to plant paid propaganda in the Iraqi news media and pay friendly Iraqi journalists monthly stipends, military contractors and officials said. (source)

If everything was going so well in Iraq, would this kind of propaganda be necessary? But, then again, would you expect anything less from this morally corrupt government? Worst president...EVER...

WI Loves Its Guns

2005-12-01T06:28:00.000-06:00

Police could check whether the owner of a car they stop is carrying a concealed weapon under a compromise that sponsors of a bill to let Wisconsin residents carry hidden weapons have reached with law enforcement groups.

Sponsors say the amendment eliminates police lobbying organizations' major hang-ups with the Republican-authored bill. The bill's authors and representatives of several law enforcement groups planned a press conference Wednesday morning to announce more details. (source)

Wisconsin Republicans have hijacked this state's long history of progressive politics. They are doing everything possible to roll back the clock 100 years. This is just the latest example. How in the hell is allowing citizens to carry a concealed weapon a good thing? And does this amendment to the bill really help law enforcement? Some don't think so...

The minor change announced today to the concealed weapons bill amounts to window dressing on a very dangerous, unnecessary piece of legislation. Having more people carrying around loaded, hidden weapons under their coats during the holiday season will not make Wisconsin any safer. It could put the public at risk, and it will make the job of law enforcement more difficult and more dangerous.

The change announced today doesn't always allow law enforcement to know if a suspect is carrying a concealed weapon. Officers would still be at risk in many situations not covered by the amendment, like when they are responding to a domestic violence call, responding to someone who's not in a car, or pulling over someone who has committed a crime other than a traffic violation. (source)

Good to hear Gov. Doyle plans on vetoing the bill. He isn't the greatest governor, but, right now, he is all we have keeping this state from devolving into a right-wing nightmare. We must keep this guy in office...

Why Do Republicans Hate National Security?

2005-11-30T22:42:00.000-06:00

The Republicans are looking out for us...

Efforts to train thousands of federal agents to protect commercial flights during heightened terror alerts were quietly abandoned more than a year ago because Congress objected to the cost, government investigators said Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress, reported that the federal air marshal service suspended its efforts to develop such a "surge capacity" by training customs and immigration agents to protect passenger airliners. (source)

My thanks to the great AmericaBlog for the information.

Pelosi Follows Murtha's Lead

2005-11-30T22:07:00.000-06:00

I think Murtha may have started something here...

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday embraced a call by a prominent member of her rank-and-file to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq two weeks after she declined to endorse it.

"We should follow the lead of Congressman John Murtha, who has put forth a plan to make American safer, to make our military stronger and to make Iraq more stable," Pelosi said. "That is what the American people and our troops deserve."
...
"I'm endorsing what Mr. Murtha is saying, which is that the status quo is not working and that we need to have a plan that makes us safer and our military stronger and makes Iraq more stable," she said. "I believe that what he has said has great wisdom." (source)

Now let's hope to see more democrats jump on the Murtha train because it is obvious this "stay the course" strategy of the administration is not going to fly with the American public.

Same Old Crap

2005-11-30T21:35:00.000-06:00

Ah, yes. Poll numbers are falling, the war is a miserable failure...it must be time for a rousing speech from our Commander-in-Chief...

President George Bush said yesterday that America was on course for "complete victory" and he ruled out any firm timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. Instead he declared that Iraqi forces were beginning to take the lead in the battle against the insurgency.
...
In the midst of a war that has cost the lives of more than 2,100 US troops and in which public opinion has turned decisively against the President, he was trying to persuade the home front that despite evidence to the contrary, they were winning. (source)

Anyone else still waiting for what the hell "complete victory" is? But, hey, the President says we are making progress, so it must be true. Of course, we always seem to be making progress in Iraq. You would think that, with all of the progress made since the beginning of the war, we will be able to bring our soldiers home really soon. Right? Anyone? I guess we just stay the course rather than develop an exit strategy since the plan has been so incredibly successful thus far. Just the same line of bullshit...

Here is the response from our great senator, Russ Feingold...

While today’s speech by the President was billed as yet another attempt to lay out a plan for finishing the military mission in Iraq, the only new thing the administration gave the American people was a glossy 35-page pamphlet filled with the same rhetoric we’ve all heard before. Today’s action by the White House isn’t a step forward, it’s a step back.
...
The American people, an increasing number of elected officials, and more and more military and intelligence officials understand what the President doesn’t - that our seemingly indefinite presence in Iraq, and the lack of a plan to redeploy troops, feeds the insurgency and hurts our national security. (source)

Hillary the Hawk

2005-11-30T06:57:00.000-06:00

"I take responsibility for my vote, and I, along with a majority of Americans, expect the president and his administration to take responsibility for the false assurances, faulty evidence and mismanagement of the war," the New York senator said in a lengthy letter to thousands of people who have written her about the war.

At the same time, she said the United States must "finish what it started" in Iraq.

Clinton and other hawkish Democrats have come under criticism from liberal anti-war activists, many of whom will hold sway over presidential primary contests. The former first lady, who is up for re-election in 2006, would likely be an early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination should she decide to seek it. (source)

I am tired of democrats saying they only gave Bush the authority to go to war and then saying they were betrayed by faulty intelligence. That excuse just does not fly with me. The democrats knew who was in office, and knew Republicans had plans to attack Iraq before Bush was even "elected." Hillary is only hurting herself with this wishy-washy stance, and she is making room for another democrat to win the party's nomination in 2008. Personally, I hope she stays in the Senate, but I know that is highly unlikely...

All's Well in Iraq

2005-11-30T06:45:00.000-06:00

In a departure from previous statements, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said this week that the training of Iraqi soldiers had advanced so far that the current number of U.S. troops in the country probably would not be needed much longer.

President Bush will give a major speech Wednesday at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in which aides say he is expected to herald the improved readiness of Iraqi troops, which he has identified as the key condition for pulling out U.S. forces. (source)

Does everything with this administration have to be a PR move? The public turned against this war months ago, and now Bush is talking about removing troops from Iraq to ease the pain of his sliding poll numbers. But, Mr. President, won't this provide comfort to the terrorists? Let's watch the right-wing pundits spin this...

Think Progress reviews the current situation in Iraq here. It isn't good.

Bush Administration = Bad!

2005-11-28T22:22:00.000-06:00

And the destruction of the Bush administration continues...

In an Associated Press interview, former Powell chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson also said
President Bush was "too aloof, too distant from the details" of postwar planning. Underlings exploited Bush's detachment and made poor decisions, Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson blamed Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and like-minded aides. He said Cheney must have sincerely believed that Iraq could be a spawning ground for new terror assaults, because "otherwise I have to declare him a moron, an idiot or a nefarious bastard."
...
Cheney's office, Rumsfeld aides and others argued "that the president of the United States is all-powerful, that as commander in chief the president of the United States can do anything he damn well pleases," Wilkerson said. (source)

Kinda puts things into perspective, doesn't it? And if this doesn't expose the absolute arrogance of the administration, this just might....

Bush’s closest advisers have long been aware of the religious nature of his policy commitments. In recent interviews, one former senior official, who served in Bush’s first term, spoke extensively about the connection between the President’s religious faith and his view of the war in Iraq. After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the former official said, he was told that Bush felt that “God put me here” to deal with the war on terror. The President’s belief was fortified by the Republican sweep in the 2002 congressional elections; Bush saw the victory as a purposeful message from God that “he’s the man,” the former official said. Publicly, Bush depicted his reëlection as a referendum on the war; privately, he spoke of it as another manifestation of divine purpose. (source)

Oh my god. The President is fucking insane! But, from the looks of things, God is plenty pissed.

Be sure to read the rest of the article by Seymour Hersh. Fascinating information from one of the best in the business.

Macy's Gay Parade

2005-11-23T06:44:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone...except to those damn queers...

Antigay Colorado group Focus on the Family said Tuesday that its members plan to distribute 5,000 "stress balls" along the parade route to promote a Web site it operates that claims that homosexuality is a disorder that can be cured through faith. Visitors to the site, TroubledWith.com, who think they might be gay or lesbian are told, "You're not simply 'wired that way.'" In another section, visitors are told that being gay or lesbian can be prevented, because "like other adult problems, homosexuality begins at home. Mom and Dad are key players." Also to blame are porn, the media, and "seduction by peers." (source)

Sick, sick people. Aren't there poor people they could be saving. Wait, wait...that might actually be something Jesus would do.

Iraqis Want U.S. Out

2005-11-22T22:25:00.000-06:00

Iraqi leaders at a reconciliation conference reached out to the Sunni Arab community by calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces and saying the country's opposition had a "legitimate right" of resistance.
...
In Egypt, the final communique's attempt to define terrorism omitted any reference to attacks against U.S. or Iraqi forces. Delegates from across the political and religious spectrum said the omission was intentional. They spoke anonymously, saying they feared retribution.

"Though resistance is a legitimate right for all people, terrorism does not represent resistance. Therefore, we condemn terrorism and acts of violence, killing and kidnapping targeting Iraqi citizens and humanitarian, civil, government institutions, national resources and houses of worships," the document said. (source)

Tell me if I am interpreting this correctly, but, basically, Iraqi leaders that we helped put in power are saying it is not terrorism to attack U.S. troops. It seems to me they really want us out. Hmmm...do you think, perhaps, we should listen and get the hell out of Iraq? Not if you're Dick Cheney...

"Any suggestion that prewar information was distorted, hyped, fabricated by the leader of the nation is utterly false," Cheney said, decrying the "self-defeating pessimism" of many Democrats. He added that to begin withdrawing from Iraq now, as some lawmakers have suggested, "would be a victory for the terrorists." (source)

So good to see that Cheney is such an optimist when it comes to putting soldiers' lives on the lines. Paul Krugman has more here.

Jean Schmidt's Meltdown

2005-11-22T21:41:00.000-06:00

For those of you that missed it, on Friday night, the House decided to politicize the Iraq war and held a vote regarding immediate withdrawal from Iraq. The vote was a result of Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), a longtime supporter for the Iraq war, calling for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Of course, it was defeated 403-3 as it was just another way for the Republicans to try and paint the democrats as unpatriotic and the party that wants to "cut-and-run." Instead, it made the Republicans look like the pathetic politicians they are.

The newest member of Congress, Rep. Jean Schmidt of Ohio, proved she is the perfect mouthpiece for today's Republican party by saying the following...

"Yesterday I stood at Arlington National Cemetery attending the funeral of a young marine in my district. He believed in what we were doing is the right thing and had the courage to lay his life on the line to do it. A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body – that we will see this through." (source)

Well, not only did this moron get booed, and not only did she have the remarks stricken from the record, but it turns out her statement may not have been totally true...

Danny Bubp, a freshman state representative who is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve, told The Enquirer that he never mentioned Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., by name when talking with Schmidt, and he would never call a fellow Marine a coward.

"The unfortunate thing about all of that is that her choice of words on the floor of the House - I don't know, she's a freshman, she had one minute. (source)

Perhaps you idiots in Ohio's second district should have voted for the better candidate instead of voting for the party. At least Paul Hackett wouldn't be a national embarassment like Schmidt.

Republicans Strike Again

2005-11-18T06:40:00.000-06:00

The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday narrowly voted to trim social programs for the poor along with farm subsidies, student loans and other federal benefits as part of a $49.9-billion package of spending cuts.
...
Democrats argued that by the time Congress wraps up its work for the year, Republicans will actually add to the U.S. deficit if they push through about $60 billion in tax cuts.

Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, the senior Democrat on the House Budget Committee, said: "After the tax cuts are passed, there won't be a dime to pay for (hurricanes) Katrina or Rita." He noted that the Republican budget calls for a $781 billion increase in U.S. borrowing authority. (source)

Wow...it's like the Republicans are trying to cause this country to go bankrupt. Seriously, what is wrong with these people?

Robert Parry Brings It

2005-11-17T22:34:00.000-06:00

On Jan. 27, 2004, Bush said, “We went to the United Nations, of course, and got an overwhelming resolution – 1441 – unanimous resolution, that said to Saddam, you must disclose and destroy your weapons programs, which obviously meant the world felt he had such programs. He chose defiance. It was his choice to make, and he did not let us in.”

Bush’s revisionist history sought to make him look like the reasonable one provoked into unavoidable action. The president also must have been confident that none of the journalists who heard his remarks would dare challenge him – and he was right. Because of that, many Americans might still hold the false impression that Hussein’s rejection of U.N. inspections had forced Bush’s hand.

The significance of this provable lie to the other Iraq War falsehoods is that it demonstrates Bush’s intent to deceive. The “Saddam-did-not-let-us-in” lie also shows that Bush’s response to getting caught in one deception – failing to find the WMD stockpiles, for instance – seems to lead him to start a new set of lies. (source)

Parry does an excellent job calling the Bush administration on its bullshit and the media on their unwavering willingness to buy into it. Be sure to read the rest of the article, and read Parry's past articles on his website, which is just fantastic.

Yet Another Hawk Comes Around

2005-11-17T22:14:00.000-06:00

Do you sense a pattern here?

One of Congress' most hawkish Democrats called Thursday for an immediate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq, sparking bitter and personal salvos from both sides in a growing Capitol Hill uproar over President Bush's war policies.

"It's time to bring them home," said Rep. John Murtha, a decorated Korean War and Vietnam combat veteran, choking back tears during remarks to reporters. "Our military has accomplished its mission and done its duty."
...
Seldom overtly political, Murtha uncharacteristically responded to Vice President Dick Cheney''s comments this week that Democrats were spouting "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges" about the Bush administration's use of intelligence before the war.

"I like guys who've never been there that criticize us who've been there. I like that. I like guys who got five deferments and never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done," Murtha said.

Referring to Bush, Murtha added, "I resent the fact, on Veterans Day, he criticized Democrats for criticizing them." (source)

That is quite a change of heart, and I have a feeling more democrats will be seeing the light soon. As Armando states, who is going to dare question Murtha's patriotism? My guess is, the smear campaign is probably already in the works.

Also you have to love how Republicans accuse the democrats of "playing politics" with the war. What a bunch of hypocrites. Anytime the Republicans accuse the democrats of some wrongdoing, chances are they are doing what psychiatrists call "projecting." Go watch Sean Hannity for a while, if you can hold back the vomit, and you will understand. These people are disgusting.

Update: E.J. Dionne adds his take on Murtha...

There was a political thunderclap across the capital yesterday when Rep. John Murtha -- Marine veteran, defense specialist, longtime hawk and traditional supporter of presidential prerogatives in foreign policy -- called for pulling American troops out of Iraq. American soldiers, he said, "have done all they can in Iraq." Continued engagement by American troops was "not in the best interest of the United States."

To understand what these words meant coming from this tough, moderately conservative Pennsylvania Democrat, try to imagine Bush calling for increasing taxes on the rich or Arnold Schwarzenegger criticizing bodybuilding. Support for the administration's war strategy is crumbling. (source)

Clinton Speaks on Iraq

2005-11-16T22:16:00.000-06:00

Former President Clinton told Arab students Wednesday the United States made a "big mistake" when it invaded Iraq, stoking the partisan debate back home over the war. Clinton cited the lack of planning for what would happen after Saddam Hussein was overthrown.

"Saddam is gone. It's a good thing, but I don't agree with what was done," Clinton told students at a forum at the American University of Dubai. "It was a big mistake. The American government made several errors ... one of which is how easy it would be to get rid of Saddam and how hard it would be to unite the country." (source)

When is Hillary going to admit the war was a mistake? Listen to your husband, woman! Go make Bill a steak!

Seriously though, we know there is a better than average chance that Hillary is running in 2008. But, despite her popularity within the party, I think her continued support for the war may hurt her and clear the way for another candidate to overtake her. And, besides, with an overwhelming majority of the democratic party firmly against the war, why not admit it was a mistake? Really, what's the risk?

Deconstructing Cheney

2005-11-16T21:33:00.000-06:00

Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday added his voice to the chorus of Republican criticism of Democrats who contend the Bush administration of manipulating intelligence on Iraq. That accusation, he said, "one of the most dishonest and reprehensible charges ever aired in this city."

"Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing force against Saddam Hussein," Cheney told the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a conservative policy group. Democrats shot back immediately, with the party's 2004 presidential nominee, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, saying "it is hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq" than Cheney. (source)

Amen, Senator Kerry! It's just more of the same from this administration...deflect the criticism onto someone else, and never EVER take responsibility. But, as Bush's sinking poll numbers show, the public isn't buying it. Cheney's numbers are even lower, so maybe he isn't the best guy to send out there to try and convince everyone the democrats are out of line with their questioning of pre-war intelligence. But, really, why should we listen to Cheney at all? AmericaBlog does a great job listing Cheney's lies here. The man has absolutely zero credibility...and he's evil.

Doyle Takes a Stand

2005-11-15T06:51:00.000-06:00

Governor Jim Doyle announced that subpoenas are being served today requiring the chief executives of the five major oil companies to appear at a hearing in Milwaukee on December 1, 2005 to testify about the record profits they made in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
...
"The big oil companies have made an unprecedented fortune from recent high gas prices," Governor Doyle said. "These same companies also happen to be the largest producers of natural gas, and they are poised to continue to make record profits as heating costs in Wisconsin rise 50 or 60 percent. Wisconsin consumers deserve a refund, and I am going to keep up the fight until Congress and the President agree to take some real action." (source)

I am happy to see Gov. Doyle take a stand since the oil men leading this country will never look into it. These oil companies received billions of dollars in tax breaks and subsidies, yet they felt the need to screw the public in times of crisis, even when there was barely a dropoff in production. Let's hope other governors join Doyle in asking these questions because the public deserves answers.

What Is the Deal With Ohio?

2005-11-14T22:31:00.000-06:00

While debate still rages over Ohio's stolen presidential election of 2004, the impossible outcomes of key 2005 referendum issues may have put an electronic nail through American democracy. Once again, the Buckeye state has hosted an astonishing display of electronic manipulation that calls into question the sanctity of America's right to vote, and to have those votes counted in this crucial swing state.
...
But none of the on-the-ground glitches can begin to explain the impossible numbers surrounding the alleged defeat of Issues Two through Five. The Dispatch polling has long been a source of public pride for the powerful, conservative newspaper, which endorsed Bush in 2004.

The Dispatch was somehow dead accurate on Issue One, and then staggeringly wrong on Issues Two through Five. Sadly, this impossible inconsistency between Ohio's most prestigious polling operation and these final official referendum vote counts have drawn virtually no public scrutiny. (source)

Are any democrats paying attention at all? You would think someone would want to speak up considering it is happening right under our noses. Any takers?

Brad Friedman does an excellent job summarizing the voting in Ohio here. He has been tirelessly covering voting irregularities since the 2004 election, so be sure to read the BradBlog to keep current on this important issue.

Our Lying Bastard President

2005-11-14T22:08:00.000-06:00

While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war.

These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. (source)

What a great idea to use Veterans' Day as a campaign rally and an opportunity to blame the democrats for the problems in Iraq. After all, it wasn't his fault. It never is, is it? I guess, since he has used the military the last five years for his own personal gain, why should Veterans' Day be any different? What a classless schmuck. Unfortunately for Bush, what he says about the Senate's access to pre-war intelligence does not seem to hold much water. Some might even call it lying. From Saturday's WaPo...

The administration's overarching point is true: Intelligence agencies overwhelmingly believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, and very few members of Congress from either party were skeptical about this belief before the war began in 2003. Indeed, top lawmakers in both parties were emphatic and certain in their public statements.

But Bush and his aides had access to much more voluminous intelligence information than did lawmakers, who were dependent on the administration to provide the material. And the commissions cited by officials, though concluding that the administration did not pressure intelligence analysts to change their conclusions, were not authorized to determine whether the administration exaggerated or distorted those conclusions.
...
National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley, briefing reporters Thursday, countered "the notion that somehow this administration manipulated the intelligence." He said that "those people who have looked at that issue, some committees on the Hill in Congress, and also the Silberman-Robb Commission, have concluded it did not happen."

But the only committee investigating the matter in Congress, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, has not yet done its inquiry into whether officials mischaracterized intelligence by omitting caveats and dissenting opinions. (source)

Oh, there's more...be sure to read the rest of the article and the President's wonderful re-writing of the history of the war in Iraq...on fucking Veterans' Day!! And let's rejoice knowing the press will do its job from time to time. The Center for American Progress has more here.

Edwards Comes Forward

2005-11-14T06:52:00.000-06:00

I was wrong.

Almost three years ago we went into Iraq to remove what we were told -- and what many of us believed and argued -- was a threat to America. But in fact we now know that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction when our forces invaded Iraq in 2003. The intelligence was deeply flawed and, in some cases, manipulated to fit a political agenda.

It was a mistake to vote for this war in 2002. I take responsibility for that mistake. It has been hard to say these words because those who didn't make a mistake -- the men and women of our armed forces and their families -- have performed heroically and paid a dear price. (source)

I am happy to see both Kerry and Edwards admitted their vote was wrong, though I wish they would have said this last year when it really mattered. It is a great piece by Edwards, but I believe this may just be him pandering for votes as he and Kerry both prepare to run again in 2008 (big mistake). Still, more democrats need to follow their lead...I am looking at you, Hillary.

O'Reilly Pisses Off SF

2005-11-14T06:46:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday's version of O'Reilly's syndicated radio program, "The Radio Factor," the host vented his exasperation at two ballot measures that San Franciscans were in the process of approving on election day.

If city voters were intent on voting to oppose military recruitment in public schools and to ban handgun ownership, O'Reilly reasoned, then maybe it should be cut off from federal dollars. To illustrate his point, O'Reilly riffed on a vision of a San Francisco nation-state:

"Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead," O'Reilly went on. "And if al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead." (source)

O'Reilly is completely out of control. This is a guy who paints himself an independent, yet he takes any and every opportunity to bash the "Hollywood left" and the media "elite." Of course, he is just looking out for the "folks." Unless they are San Francisco folks. I deal with O'Reilly by thinking of him as a kind of avant-garde comedian because it is really impossible for me to take him seriously. Unfortunately, millions of people in this country listen to this moron, which makes him dangerous...much more dangerous than Sean Hannity, who is just a blowhard that doesn't hide his allegiance (some would say boy-love) for President Bush. Think Progress has more here and here.

Oh, and Christmas is under attack, according to O'Reilly. Come on, Bill!! That was so last year...

An Opposition Party Emerges

2005-11-10T06:56:00.000-06:00

What has gotten into the democrats lately? First Harry Reid calls the special session with an amazing speech, and now this...

At a news conference, Reid launched an extraordinary attack on Cheney, whom he said had been involved in the "manipulation of intelligence to sell the war in Iraq" as well as "leaking classified information to discredit White House critics."

He challenged the president in personal terms, urging him to "avoid falling in the footsteps of his father who pardoned six men, some were convicted, some were indicted in the Iran-Contra scandal."
...
"Swift public action on your part will make clear that you take seriously perjury and obstruction of justice at the highest levels of our government," the letter said. (source)

Like I have said before, the knife is already in...it's time for the democrats to give it a twist.

The Tide Is Turning

2005-11-10T06:48:00.000-06:00

The recent indictment of Vice President Cheney's top aide has struck a nerve with the American public. Four in five, 79 percent, said the indictment of former Cheney aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby on perjury and other charges is important to the nation, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.
...
The concerns about Libby's case come at a time that a growing number of people, 43 percent, now say U.S. and British leaders were mostly lying when they claimed before the Iraq war that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, while an equal number said they were misinformed by bad intelligence. That's up from 31 percent who felt in February 2004 that the leaders were lying, while 49 percent said they got bad intelligence. (source)

The important thing to note about the poll is how many people are actually aware of the indictment of Libby. The public wants answers, and it wants this administration to be held accountable. With a press finally doing its job and a public hungry for the truth, I am growing more optimistic each day that the truth will come out.

Schwazenegger's Agenda Voted Down

2005-11-09T06:27:00.000-06:00

In a special election called by the Republican movie star, voters handed Schwarzenegger the biggest loss of his two-year career as governor. Taking the stage as returns poured in last night, Schwarzenegger refused to concede defeat while pledging better cooperation with opponents.

"Californians believe that we need reform, we need change,'' Schwarzenegger said in a speech to supporters gathered at the Beverly Hills Hilton. "But the people of California are sick and tired of all the fighting.''

The election is a victory for Democrats and union workers from nurses to firefighters who worked to quash what they said was a Republican power grab. Opponents said Schwarzenegger's defeat weakens a governor who won office in 2003 and prevailed in two votes on initiatives last year, only to see his standing with voters drop as he heads into re-election. (source)

Arnold is screwed, unless the democratic candidate is a real putz. He just spent $60 million on this election and was thoroughly embarassed. California seems to be getting over the "wouldn't it be cool to have Arnold as our governor?" effect. Kos has more on the glorious election day results here. For once, we can all smile...

The Republican De-volution Begins

2005-11-08T22:40:00.000-06:00

From Virginia...

Democrat Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine won the Virginia governor's race Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican Jerry Kilgore in a contest for a GOP-leaning state that was closely watched by political analysts for signs of the public's mood ahead of next year's midterm elections.
...
Kilgore lost despite a last-minute rally with President Bush and a harsh campaign ad that alleged that Kaine, a Roman Catholic opposed to the death penalty, would not have executed Adolf Hitler. (source)

Always smart to bring an evil dictator into the campaign. Bad idea to bring in Hitler, too. *ahem* If this election is used to determine the public's mood, I think we can assume the public is severely pissed off. Sure, it's a year late, but it's a start...right? Here's more...

Jon S. Corzine, a liberal Democrat who parlayed his wealth and experience as a Wall Street executive into victory for the United States Senate five years ago, won election yesterday as New Jersey's 52nd governor. He defeated a moderate Republican and fellow multimillionaire, Douglas R. Forrester, in a nasty campaign that was the costliest in the state's history. (source)

Another win for the democrats, which is great. But we must remember that these are holds and not pick-ups for the dems. But Corzine and Kaine won relatively easily, which is reason to be optimistic. Here's another...

With 97 percent of the precincts reporting in St. Paul, Coleman led 69 percent to 31 percent over Mayor Randy Kelly
...
The St. Paul race was overshadowed by partisan fury over Kelly's decision to endorse President Bush for reelection in 2004. A number of polls showed Kelly fighting a backlash in the largely DFL town over the endorsement. A Star Tribune Minnesota Poll showed that nearly two-thirds of likely voters said Kelly's decision to campaign for Bush influenced their choice of candidate. (source)

Perhaps it is not the best idea to switch parties and support a president 70% of the city voted against. Again, great news, but then there's the disaster-area known as Kansas.

Revisiting a topic that exposed Kansas to nationwide ridicule six years ago, the state Board of Education approved science standards for public schools Tuesday that cast doubt on the theory of evolution.

The 6-4 vote was a victory for intelligent design advocates who helped draft the standards. Intelligent design holds that the universe is so complex that it must have been created by a higher power.
...
"This is a sad day. We're becoming a laughingstock of not only the nation, but of the world, and I hate that," said board member Janet Waugh, a Democrat. (source)

Unfortunately, I don't know if I would call it laughing...more like pity. Ms Waugh, I suggest running from Kansas....run as fast and far as you can. The place is hopeless.

Krugman on Health Care

2005-11-08T06:50:00.000-06:00

The master puts health care myths to rest...

In 2002 the United States spent $5,267 per person on health care. Canada spent $2,931; Germany spent $2,817; Britain spent only $2,160. Yet the United States has lower life expectancy and higher infant mortality than any of these countries.
...
It's true that Americans generally have shorter waits for elective surgery than Canadians or Britons, although German waits are even shorter. But Americans do worse by some important measures: we find it harder than citizens of other advanced countries to see a doctor when we need one, and our system is more, not less, rife with medical errors.
...
Why does American medicine cost so much yet achieve so little? Unlike other advanced countries, we treat access to health care as a privilege rather than a right. And this attitude turns out to be inefficient as well as cruel. (source)

If Republicans were really fiscally conservative as they constantly claim, they would fight for a universal health care system. Polls show people overwhelmingly favor a universal insurance program over the current program, even if means raising taxes. But, since doing this would help the lower and middle classes, the Republicans really don't care.

Thanks Again, John!!

2005-11-07T22:40:00.000-06:00

I have enough pain in my heart from this past weekend watching my beloved Packers drop to 1-7 and the Badgers handed to them by Penn State. But now this...

Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, has told acquaintances over the past year that he suspects that the election was stolen, but that he didn’t challenge the official results because he lacked hard proof and anticipated a firestorm of criticism if he pressed the point.

“Kerry heard all the disquieting stories” about voting irregularities in Ohio and other states, said Jonathan Winer, a longtime Kerry adviser and a former deputy assistant secretary of state. “But he didn’t have the evidence to do more.”
...
The move infuriated some Democratic activists who felt Kerry should have lived up to his campaign promise that he would make sure every vote was counted. In January 2005, as Bush’s victory was being certified by Congress, Kerry also refused to back a resolution challenging the fairness of the Ohio vote. (source)

Where the hell were you in November, Senator? In fairness to Kerry, he would have been crucified by the mainstream media if he challenged the results. But, by the time the election was being certified, plenty of evidence had already rolled in regarding election fraud in Ohio. Even if the results wouldn't have changed, which they almost assuredly wouldn't have, Kerry should have taken the stand. He would have gained the respect back of a lot of people who voted for him and possibly set himself up for another run in 2008. But if Kerry is questioning the results, which is should, then why isn't he on the frontlines trying to reform the voting system? In fact, why aren't all the democrats all over this issue when the 2006 elections are coming up? And why the hell didn't we nominate Dean?

The Future Sure Looks Bright

2005-11-07T22:08:00.000-06:00

Ah yes...Republicans sure are the party of fiscal responsibility, aren't they?

Congress this week is likely to trim federal spending and insist with a straight face that government spending is under better control.

It's not.

"The facts are not partisan, and they're not ideological," said David Walker, the nation's comptroller general. He should know. He's the nation's chief accountant and signs off on the government's balance sheet. America's fiscal future, he said, "is worse than advertised."

Wow. And I thought the economy just sucked. It turns out it really, really sucks. From the same article...

In addition, Republicans intend to make tax cuts permanent, which would drain $70 billion in revenues through 2010 — more than the spending cuts Congress is struggling to find.

And that's only the tip of the iceberg. The real problem is that the government's unfunded liabilities — items that include everything from public debt to promised Medicare and Social Security benefits — are growing at staggering rates. Those liabilities totaled $20.4 trillion in 2000. They reached $43.3 trillion by 2004, after President Bush and Congress increased spending and cut taxes.

See, Republicans? Tax cuts when we have big deficits = BAD. But I guess it is easier to cut those nasty social programs rather than give those millionaires their tax cuts. And make sure the oil companies receive their billions of dollars on subsidies, even when they are making record profits...smart. Well you need to have priorities.

Congress shows no interest in halting a Medicare drug benefit scheduled to take effect next year. It will cost $700 billion over 10 years, and more after. It's one reason why spending on Medicare, the health-care program for the elderly and disabled, is projected to explode.

Medicare benefits promised to 40 million seniors will cost $2.7 trillion more over the next 10 years than what it costs now, according to Heritage Foundation economists. (source)

Okay, that is the fricking Heritage Foundation saying that. In conclusion, this administration is a catastrophic failure in every sense of the word...thank you, morons for voting the man-child in...we are, obviously, all better off for it.

Poor People Screwed...Again...

2005-11-04T06:56:00.000-06:00

House Republicans are pushing to cut tens of thousands of legal immigrants off food stamps, partially reversing President Bush's efforts to win Latino votes by restoring similar cuts made in the 1990s.

The food stamp measure is just one of several provisions in an expansive congressional budget-cutting package that critics say unfairly targets the poor and disadvantaged, especially poor children.

Yeah, like the Republicans give a shit...here's more...

The food stamp cuts in the House measure would knock nearly 300,000 people off nutritional assistance programs, including 70,000 legal immigrants, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Those immigrants would lose their benefits because the House measure would require legal immigrants to live in the United States for seven years before becoming eligible to receive food stamps, rather than the current five years.

About 40,000 children would lose eligibility for free or reduced-price school lunches, the CBO estimated.
...

But some Republicans worry that social service cuts, though relatively small, might have outsized political ramifications, especially when Republicans move in the coming weeks to cut taxes for the fifth time in as many years. Those tax cuts, totaling $70 billion over five years, would more than offset the deficit reduction that would result from the budget cuts.

"The problem is the interrelationship between cutting taxes, which no matter what you do will be viewed as cutting taxes for the rich, and reducing programs for the poor," said moderate Rep. Michael N. Castle (R-Del.). "It's that simple." (source)

Well, gee...could that be because the rich are the biggest beneficiaries of these tax cuts? Hmmmmm. The good news is this bill might not pass because moderate Republicans may realize what a disaster this bill could be. Not to mention some of them have a heart. I like the theory though...offset the costs of the war by wiping out programs for the poor and cutting taxes for corporations. Makes sense to me...

Dick Morris Gets Punk'd

2005-11-04T06:46:00.000-06:00

Former Clinton employee and now in-it-for-the-money Clinton-basher Dick Morris was interviewed on the Thom Hartmann show yesterday and, well...it was really a beautiful thing...via Crooks and Liars...

Morris was prattling on about how wonderful Condi Rice is when Thom questioned her job performance. Immediately, Dick began assaulting Sandy Berger so Hartmann reminded Dick of his hooker obsession. Morris hung up on him.
...
Hartmann: Sandy Berger told me personally Dick that he told Condi Rice when she came into office-that his words to her were look out for Osama Bin Laden. He's coming to get you. You need to be paying attention. This has to be your number one priority and she said, "OK thank you very much for that information," and did then nothing.

Morris: Did he, did he take the documents out of his socks when he told you that?

Hartmann: Come on Dick, do you want me to talk about hookers with you? Come on Dick.

Morris: Okay, well thanks very much for the interview. Bye-bye. (hangs up)

What an unbelieveable pussy. These right wingers love to bash Clinton anytime someone dares attack the Bush administration. Last time I checked, Clinton has been out of office for FIVE YEARS. I punished myself by watching Hannity & Colmes last night and saw a perfect example of this when so-called liberal Bob Beckel and idiot son of a dead president, now talk show host Michael "Dad liked Ron Jr. better" Reagan showed up to debate...um...something. NewsHounds summarizes this on their excellent website...

Hannity tried to make the case that things are going swimmingly for Bush these days. He gloatingly said he felt sorry for Beckel for not getting "Fitzmas," that Alito will be confirmed to the Supreme Court, that there was a 3.8% growth in the economy and that there's a new constitution in Iraq. He somehow forgot those sinking poll numbers, though.

Beckel did get in a few good points after he dithered about not hoping for Fitzmas. Bringing up Bush's dismal poll numbers, Beckel asked, "Is there something that the country doesn't know?"

Hannity couldn't answer, but started making Clinton jokes, that maybe Bush should start having an affair with an intern. Going into browbeat mode, Hannity said that Clinton's highest approval ratings were when he had the affair. "Do you want him (meaning Bush, I assume) to go compromise his integrity and his soul and his principles? Sell your soul for higher poll ratings?" (source)

Hannity's specialty...bashing Clinton to avoid actual debate and catering to his moron fans. Admittedly though, Beckel is really a pitiful spokesman for the liberal side. I will give some credit to Alan Colmes though. He has become very good at picking away at Republican talking points and even takes Hannity on directly sometimes, unlike in the past. His radio show isn't too bad either...

Buckley Weighs in on CIA Leak

2005-11-03T06:53:00.000-06:00

We have noticed that Valerie Plame Wilson has lived in Washington since 1997. Where she was before that is not disclosed by research facilities at my disposal. But even if she was safe in Washington when the identity of her employer was given out, it does not mean that her outing was without consequence. We do not know what dealings she might have been engaging in which are now interrupted or even made impossible.
...
The great question here is Robert Novak. It was he who published, in his column, that Mrs. Joseph Wilson was a secret agent of the CIA. I am too close a friend to pursue the matter with Novak, and his loyalty is a postulate. What was going on? If there are mysteries in town, that surely is one of them, the role of Novak.

The importance of the law against revealing the true professional identity of an agent is advertised by the draconian punishment, under the federal code, for violating it. In the swirl of the Libby affair, one loses sight of the real offense, and it becomes almost inapprehensible what it is that Cheney/Libby/Rove got themselves into. But the sacredness of the law against betraying a clandestine soldier of the republic cannot be slighted. (source)

Even crusty old Buckley says this is a big deal. When are other Republicans going to jump on board and realize the Bush administration has actually weakened national security? Actually, from the latest polls, it looks like some are. But, if I remember right, in the 2004 election, didn't Bush win because the country believed Bush would do a better job protecting us? It looks like that turned out to be DEAD WRONG...good job, right-wingers. It turns out Bush was the biggest threat to administration and not homosexuals.

And why the hell does Novak still have a job...fucking hack...

Bush's Freefall Continues

2005-11-03T06:41:00.000-06:00

This is just getting sad...

Most Americans believe someone in the Bush Administration did leak Valerie Plame's name to reporters – even though Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald indicted no one for doing that. Half of the public describes the matter as something of great importance to the country, and this poll finds low assessments of both the President and the Vice President – with the President's overall approval rating dropping again to its lowest point ever.
...
The President's job approval rating is now 35 percent, his lowest rating since taking office in 2001. More than half the public disapproves of the job he is doing as president.
...
77 percent of Republicans approve of his job performance, and the President retains the support of some of his key constituencies. 61 percent of white evangelicals approve of the job he is doing (up from 55 percent a month ago), as do 54 percent of conservatives. Democrats give the President widespread disapproval, and he gets little support from those Americans who profess no strong ties to either side of the ideological divide. Only 31 percent of Independents and 30 percent of moderates now approve of the job he is doing (nearly the same as a month ago). (source)

Bush is in serious trouble as even the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito has had very little impact. Could conservatives finally be starting to realize this administration is not actually conservative? But one question...who the hell are the 11% of democrats that approve of Bush? Boggles the mind...

Democrats Show a Backbone

2005-11-02T06:58:00.000-06:00

Unable to win their way with votes, outnumbered Democrats used a rarely invoked Senate rule to force a secret session as a way to dramatize their assertions that the Bush administration misused intelligence in the run-up to war in Iraq.

"They have repeatedly chosen to protect the Republican administration rather than get to the bottom of what happened and why," Democratic leader Harry Reid said Tuesday in demanding that the Senate chamber be emptied of everyone but members and a few staffers.
...
As Reid spoke, Frist met in the back of the chamber with a half-dozen senior GOP senators, including Roberts. Reid claimed that Republicans have repeatedly rebuffed Democratic pleas for a thorough investigation.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., a former majority leader, said a closed session was appropriate for overarching matters like impeachment and chemical weapons — the two topics that last sent the senators into such sessions. Moreover, he said Reid's move violated the Senate's tradition of courtesy and consent. (source)

Bush nominates Alito to the Supreme Court to try and take the attention off of the leak scandal, and Sen. Harry Reid counters with a shrewd move to take the debate back. Besides, this is an investigation that is long overdue, and if it makes the Republicans look even worse, I am all for it.

The usually unflappable majority leader, Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), was searching for words to express his outrage to reporters a few minutes later. The Senate "has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," he said. "They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas." Never before had he been "slapped in the face with such an affront," he said, adding: "For the next year and a half, I can't trust Senator Reid." (source)

Since this country has been hijacked by the Republicans, a little payback is in order. But the democrats need to keep fighting, or this will be all for nothing.

Journal Sentinel Apologizes Two Years Late

2005-10-31T22:15:00.000-06:00

In a column on Sunday, O. Ricardo Pimentel, editorial page editor at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, wrote that, “Yes, regrettably on the matter of WMD, count us as among the many who were duped. We should have been more skeptical. For that lack of skepticism and the failure to include the proper caveats to the WMD claim, we apologize, though I would note that, ultimately, we didn't believe that the president's central WMD argument warranted war. Not then and especially not now.”

The column appeared on the same day Tim Rutten, media writer for the Los Angeles Times, urged major newspapers to own up to their role in easily accepting the WMD argument from the Bush administration. He noted that his own newspaper was among this large group. (source)

Apologies are great and all, but, last I checked, the media's job is to be critical of the government. Maybe the media should have thought of doing some actual reporting back in 2002 and called the Bush administration on its bullshit and, perhaps, save a few thousand lives and a couple hundred billion dollars. Not that it would have stopped this administration's plans since the democrats were too busy waving their little flags and nodding their heads in agreement with Bush.

The New Supreme Court Nominee

2005-10-31T21:55:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty late on this, but in case you didn't know...

President Bush nominated Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court on Monday, hoping to usher in a historic new era of judicial conservatism while ending a Republican divide that doomed an earlier pick.

Members of the Senate's Democratic minority signaled a potentially bruising confirmation battle ahead, with abortion a key issue. Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the party's leader, asked whether Alito was "too radical for the American people" and wondered aloud "why those who want to pack the court with judicial activists are so much more enthusiastic about him" than Harriet Miers. (source)

This is what's known in politics as covering your ass. The nutty wing of the Republican party went insane with the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court because they didn't think she was insane enough to take away women's reproductive rights. So Bush decided to give in to the right wing of the party and nominate the reactionary Samuel Alito. Think Progress has more here on Alito's record, and an even more detailed record is available here. It looks like we may be in for a battle, but, as Kos says, this a perfect opportunity to show the country that Republicans do not have the country's best interests at heart.

Oh, and regarding the Republican talking point talking about all the liberal "activist" judges, there's this...

We found that justices vary widely in their inclination to strike down Congressional laws. Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, was the most inclined, voting to invalidate 65.63 percent of those laws; Justice Stephen Breyer, appointed by President Bill Clinton, was the least, voting to invalidate 28.13 percent. The tally for all the justices appears below.

Thomas 65.63 %
Kennedy 64.06 %
Scalia 56.25 %
Rehnquist 46.88 %
O’Connor 46.77 %
Souter 42.19 %
Stevens 39.34 %
Ginsburg 39.06 %
Breyer 28.13 %

One conclusion our data suggests is that those justices often considered more "liberal" - Justices Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens - vote least frequently to overturn Congressional statutes, while those often labeled "conservative" vote more frequently to do so. At least by this measure (others are possible, of course), the latter group is the most activist. (source)

Strange...that would make what Republicans say untrue. That is just weird...

Ohio Election Fraud Confirmed

2005-10-30T21:33:00.000-06:00

As if Bush doesn't have enough problems...

The latest critical confirmation of key indicators that the election of 2004 was stolen comes in an extremely powerful, penetrating report from the Government Accountability Office that has gotten virtually no mainstream media coverage.

The government's lead investigative agency is known for its general incorruptibility and its thorough, in-depth analyses. Its concurrence with assertions widely dismissed as "conspiracy theories" adds crucial new weight to the case that Team Bush has no legitimate business being in the White House.
...
But the GAO report now confirms that electronic voting machines as deployed in 2004 were in fact perfectly engineered to allow a very small number of partisans with minimal computer skills and equipment to shift enough votes to put George W. Bush back in the White House. Given the growing body of evidence, it appears increasingly clear that's exactly what happened. (source)

In a real democracy, this would have been front page news the day after the election. Instead, the press decided to laugh the whole thing off as a conspiracy theory, and now we have the most corrupt administration this country has ever seen acting as if it has a mandate as it continues to run this country into the ground.

With the 2006 elections coming up, will the democrats finally take a stand and address this issue? Because, with rigged voting machines, even the Republicans' self-destruction won't matter when the votes are counted in their favor. I emailed Keith Olbermann regarding this issue as he was the only TV journalist with the courage to cover it the first time. I encourage you to do the same. His email address is KOlbermann@msnbc.com.

Libby Indicted on Five Counts, Then Resigns

2005-10-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff and one of the most powerful figures in the Bush administration, was formally accused today of lying and obstruction of justice during an inquiry into the unmasking of a covert C.I.A. officer.

A federal grand jury indicted Mr. Libby on one count of obstruction, two counts of perjury and two of making false statements in the course of an investigation that raised questions about the administration's rationale for going to war against Iraq, how it treats critics and political opponents and whether high White House officials shaded the truth. (source)

Rove is safe for now, but it looks like this is only the beginning. Fitzgerald will be speaking later in the day.

Indictment Coming Tomorrow...FINALLY

2005-10-27T22:50:00.000-05:00

Associates of I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, expected an indictment on Friday charging him with making false statements to the grand jury in the C.I.A. leak inquiry, lawyers in the case said Thursday.

Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser and deputy chief of staff, will not be charged on Friday, but will remain under investigation, people briefed officially about the case said. As a result, they said, the special counsel in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, was likely to extend the term of the federal grand jury beyond its scheduled expiration on Friday.

As rumors coursed through the capital, Mr. Fitzgerald gave no public signal of how he intends to proceed, further intensifying the anxiety that has gripped the White House and left partisans on both sides of the political aisle holding their breath. (source)

So we get only get one indictment tomorrow, which is not necessarily a bad thing. This could mean Rove is in even more trouble than previously thought. This could also mean Fitzgerald is expanding the investigation to look at how the administration manipulated intelligence, so it could get the desired war in Iraq. Tomorrow will be interesting, but it looks like we have a long ways to go.

And then there's this...

Vice President Cheney and his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, overruling advice from some White House political staffers and lawyers, decided to withhold crucial documents from the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2004 when the panel was investigating the use of pre-war intelligence that erroneously concluded Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, according to Bush administration and congressional sources.
...
The new information that Cheney and Libby blocked information to the Senate Intelligence Committee further underscores the central role played by the vice president's office in trying to blunt criticism that the Bush administration exaggerated intelligence data to make the case to go to war.
...
After the release of the report, Intelligence Committee, Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Vice Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., said they doubted that the Senate would have authorized the president to go to war if senators had been given accurate information regarding Iraq's programs on weapons of mass destruction.

"I doubt if the votes would have been there," Roberts said. Rockefeller asserted, "We in Congress would not have authorized that war, in 75 votes, if we knew what we know now." (source)

I must call "Bullshit" on the democrats. Quit making excuses for authorizing war and blaming the intelligence you received. You knew who was in this administration, and you knew they wanted a war in Iraq. You cannot tell me the democrats had never heard of the PNAC.

A subsequent PNAC plan entitled “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century,” reveals that the current members of Bush’s cabinet had already planned, before the 2000 presidential election, to take military control of the Gulf region whether Saddam Hussein is in power or not.
...
“The process of transformation,” the plan said, “is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event—like a new Pearl Harbor.” (source)

So 9/11 comes along, and the democrats folded...in the name of patriotism, of course. Bush got his war, fucked it up huge and now the democrats plead innocence as if they had nothing to do with it. If only they had the proper intelligence...riiiiiiight. How could any intelligent person know the war was based on lies? Three words...Dick Fucking Cheney. And what really sucks is most democrats won't admit their mistake and still want to send more troops to Iraq. How hard is it to say you are against the war when most of the country agrees with that position? It might help to stand for something when the 2006 elections come around.

Miers Withdraws!

2005-10-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Under withering attack from conservatives, President Bush ended his push to put loyalist Harriet Miers on the Supreme Court Thursday and promised a quick replacement. Democrats accused him of bowing to the "radical right wing of the Republican Party." (source)

Wingnuts win! Wingnuts win! Miers was clearly not qualified for the highest court in the country. But you have to ask yourself if you would take incompetence over a radical right-wing nominee with an agenda. Either way, Bush is looking incredibly weak right now. He is a lame duck who still has three years to go...

Getting Closer...

2005-10-27T06:49:00.000-05:00

The special counsel in the CIA leak case is expected to announce today or tomorrow the results of his nearly two-year investigation, including whether he will issue indictments against top White House officials.

Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald met yesterday with the federal grand jury in the investigation and then with a D.C. District Court judge, but by the end of the day had made no announcements, leaving the White House and many in the capital on edge.
...
Attorneys involved in the case say they expect Fitzgerald to focus on top presidential aide Karl Rove, who has appeared before the grand jury four times, and the vice president's chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who has made two visits to the grand jury. (source)

Friday is normally not the best day to announce anything earth-shattering since most people are not paying attention. But this story is huge, so, in this case, it may not make a difference. I am really looking forward to this...and I fully expect to be very disappointed.

Don't Forget About Frist

2005-10-26T22:38:00.000-05:00

Another day, another Republican in deep shit...

Managers of the trusts that Frist once described as "totally blind," regularly informed him when they added new shares of HCA Inc. or other assets to his holdings, according to the documents.

Since 2001, the trustees have written to Frist and the Senate 15 times detailing the sale of assets from or the contribution of assets to trusts of Frist and his family. The letters included notice of the addition of HCA shares worth $500,000 to $1 million in 2001 and HCA stock worth $750,000 to $1.5 million in 2002. The trust agreements require the trustees to inform Frist and the Senate whenever assets are added or sold.

The letters seem to undermine one of the major arguments the senator has used throughout his political career to rebut criticism of his ownership in HCA: that the stock was held in blind trusts beyond his control and that he had little idea of the extent of those holdings. (source)

Whoops. I think Frist can kiss any 2008 aspirations good-bye, if his wonderful assessment of Terri Schiavo didn't cement them as dead in the water already. It's like he is actively trying to convince everyone he is a moron.

Mary Kate and Ashley (Sieg Heil Remix)

2005-10-26T22:20:00.000-05:00

Awwwww...isn't this just adorable?

They may remind you of another famous pair of singers, the Olsen Twins, and the girls say they like that. But unlike the Olsens, who built a media empire on their fun-loving, squeaky-clean image, Lamb and Lynx are cultivating a much darker personna. They are white nationalists and use their talents to preach a message of hate.
...
"We're proud of being white, we want to keep being white," said Lynx. "We want our people to stay white … we don't want to just be, you know, a big muddle. We just want to preserve our race." (source)

Don't you just want to fold them up and stick them in your pocket? If anything, they could make American Idol interesting...

Wednesday Could Be the Big Day

2005-10-25T22:05:00.000-05:00

via Think Progress

From the CBS Evening News, to air at 6:30PM:

CBS’ JOHN ROBERTS: Lawyers familiar with the case think Wednesday is when special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald will make known his decision, and that there will be indictments. Supporters say Rove and the vice president’s chief of staff, Scooter Libby, are in legal jeopardy. But they insisted today the two are secondary players, that it was an unidentified Mr. X who actually gave the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame to reporters. Fitzgerald knows who Mr. X is, they say, and if he isn’t indicted, there’s no way Rove or Libby should be. But charges may not focus on the leak at all. Obstruction of justice or perjury are real possibilities. Did Rove or Libby change statements made under oath? Did they deliberately leave critical facts out of their testimony or did they honestly forget? Some Republicans urged Rove to step down if indicted. Not a happy prospect for president Bush.

Any guesses on the identity of Mr. X?

UPDATE: This bit from the CBS segment is also interesting –

SCHIEFFER: John, I am very interested in Mr. X. Is there any clue or hint as to whether he be - maybe someone who outranks Libby and Rove or would he be a lower-ranking official?

ROBERTS: The best guess is that Mr. X, even though his name is not known and some people are just speculating on who he might be or she might be, is somebody who is actually outside the White House, and in that case would be of a lower rank that both Rove and Libby. (source)

Please be Cheney, please be Cheney. We could never be that lucky...could we? This should be interesting.

A Sad Milestone

2005-10-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

The U.S. military death toll in Iraq reached 2,000 Tuesday with the reports of three new deaths, and President Bush prepared the nation for more casualties, saying the "defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice."
...
"Each loss of life is heartbreaking. And the best way to honor the sacrifice of our fallen troops is to complete the mission and lay the foundation of peace by spreading freedom." (source)

Name on thing you sacrificed in the name of defending our freedom, Mr. President. Your poll numbers? Our country's safety? The respect of the rest of the world? The best way to honor the sacrifice of the 2,000 dead soldiers is to not allow one more soldier to die in this unwinnable "war on terror," and bring then home now. With all due respect, fuck you, Mr. President. You don't even what the word sacrifice means. And the majority of this country isn't buying your bullshit anymore...

A majority would vote for a Democrat over President Bush if an election were held this year, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll released Tuesday.

In the latest poll, 55 percent of the respondents said that they would vote for the Democratic candidate if Bush were again running for the presidency this year.
...
On separate issues, a majority of those questioned felt the Democrats could do a better job than Republicans at handling health care (59 percent to 30 percent), Social Security (56 percent to 33 percent), gasoline prices (51 percent to 31 percent) and the economy (50 percent to 38 percent).

Forty-six percent also believed Democrats could do better at handling Iraq, while 40 percent said the GOP would do better. (source)

Even before the elections, most of the country was on the side of the democrats with the big issues of health care, Social Security, women's rights, civil rights and the economy...everything except for national security. But half of this country, the half that was not attacked on 9/11, decided the douchebag-in-chief would be a better choice than John Kerry in keeping us safe. Yet Washington D.C., New York and Pennsylvania, the places directly effected on 9/11, voted for Kerry (DC and NY overwhelmingly so). Fear (and fraud) won the election for Bush. Fear of terrorists, fear of blacks, fear of browns, fear of gays and fear of independent women scared the shit out of white men, so they voted for a moronic man-child cowboy. How do you like the country now? Sadly, 42 percent still approve of the job Bush is doing. What is it going to take?

Coulter Strikes Again...

2005-10-24T23:15:00.000-05:00

Ann Coulter, an outspoken Republican pundit and author, energized and entertained more than 800 UF students and Alachua County residents Thursday night at the third annual Ronald Reagan Black Tie and Blue Jeans BBQ.

The audience, decked out in patriotic garb and cowboy boots, fanatically surrounded Coulter before dinner, asking her to pose with them for pictures. (source)

What the hell is patriotic garb? So, basically, eight-hundred morons gathered in one spot, dressed in their NRA sweatshirts and their $2.99 Wal-Mart clearance flag t-shirts...with cowboy boots...to listen to a factually-challenged woman who worships Joe McCarthy and claims the democrats are "demoralizing America"? From the same article...

She also criticized the media for being liberal and Democrats for whining about their rights under the First Amendment.

"They're always accusing us of repressing their speech," she said. "I say let's do it. Let's repress them."

She later added, "Frankly, I'm not a big fan of the First Amendment."

Her statements received applause, and many attendees said they enjoyed her speech, but some added that they think she's somewhat extreme.

Yes, somewhat. She comes out against the First Amendment, yet she seems to be making quite a living using it to spread ridiculous lies about democrats and liberals. In essence, the woman has become a parody of herself. But the people clapping and nodding in agreement with this woman are the same ones that listen to Hannity and Rush to get their news. They are the ones that think DeLay is getting the shaft and the CIA leak case equals "the criminalization of politics." They support Bush no matter what and believe this country is heading in the right direction. They believe in saving the fetus but abandoning the child. And they really, really hate gays. Quite simply, they are hopeless.

CIA Leak Summaries

2005-10-24T22:56:00.000-05:00

If you're like me, you are 6 feet tall, male and a gemini. But seriously, folks...new facts regarding the CIA leak case come out every day, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. For your convenience, a summary of the people involved in the case is here, and a timeline of the scandal is available here. And, finally, Media Matters cuts through the right-wing spin here. Happy reading!

Tell Me Sweet Little Lies...

2005-10-24T22:34:00.000-05:00

I. Lewis Libby Jr., Vice President Dick Cheney’s chief of staff, first learned about the C.I.A. officer at the heart of the leak investigation in a conversation with Mr. Cheney weeks before her identity became public in 2003, lawyers involved in the case said Monday.

Notes of the previously undisclosed conversation between Mr. Libby and Mr. Cheney on June 12, 2003, appear to differ from Mr. Libby’s testimony to a federal grand jury that he initially learned about the C.I.A. officer, Valerie Wilson, from journalists, the lawyers said. (source)

In case you didn't realize the obvious, that makes Libby a liar. And, wow, Cheney is somehow in the middle of this. Libby's loyalty and willingness to cover for his boss make him seem more like a patsy every day. But there's more...

This suggests the inquiry by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald into the leaking of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame has now widened to embrace part of the broader question about the way the Iraq war was justified by the Bush administration.
...
This opens the door to what has always been the most serious implication of the CIA leak case, that the Bush administration could face a brutally damaging and public inquiry into the case for war against Iraq being false or artificially exaggerated. This was the same charge that imperiled the government of Bush's closest ally, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, after a BBC Radio program claimed Blair's aides has "sexed up" the evidence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. (source)

With waning public support for the war and his approval ratings in the toilet, the last thing President Bush needs, in addition to the CIA leak investigation, is the Iraq war put on trial. And, by the way, I am still waiting for the democrats to say something about this...still waiting...2006 elections ring with anybody? Hello...?

My question for today is: Why are contemporary Republicans so full of shit? And a follow-up...How did the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and General Eisenhower get taken over by such lying, thieving, self-serving scoundrels? (source)

Amen, Alec Baldwin...

Bush the Liar

2005-10-20T22:30:00.000-05:00

Remember when Bush said this way back on July 18, 2005...

"If someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration," Bush told reporters during a brief news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. (source)

Ah, memories...

An angry President Bush rebuked chief political guru Karl Rove two years ago for his role in the Valerie Plame affair, sources told the Daily News.

"He made his displeasure known to Karl," a presidential counselor told The News. "He made his life miserable about this."

Bush has nevertheless remained doggedly loyal to Rove, who friends and even political adversaries acknowledge is the architect of the President's rise from baseball owner to leader of the free world. (source)

So, Bush knew that Rove leaked this information all along, but he never said a thing about it. Isn't that...oh, I don't know...LYING? Luckily for the president, he was not under oath when Fitzgerald interviewed him. I love that about Bush...always willing to the right thing.

Loyalty means everything with administration, and truth always takes a backseat. But the truth is coming out, and Bush's ship is quickly sinking. Could the man that built Bush up be the man that brings him tumbling down? Irony is such a bitch...

Even More Cheney...

2005-10-20T22:08:00.000-05:00

Why so much Cheney lately, you may ask...well, quite honestly, I hate the fat, lying prick. But our good VP seems to be in a little trouble lately...

In a scathing attack on the record of President George W. Bush, Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, chief of staff to Mr Powell until last January, said "What I saw was a cabal between the vice-president of the United States, Richard Cheney, and the secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, on critical issues that made decisions that the bureaucracy did not know were being made.

Mr Wilkerson said such secret decision-making was responsible for mistakes such as the long refusal to engage with North Korea or to back European efforts on Iran.

"Now it is paying the consequences of making those decisions in secret, but far more telling to me is America is paying the consequences." (source)

Since it seems none of the main players in the Bush administration are capable of telling the truth, I guess we have to rely on the people assisting the leaders to provide some insight. If this seeps into the mainstream media, expect Mr. Wilkinson to be smeared thoroughly. It's much easier than actually answering the charges.

Hey Bugman...Say "Cheeeeeeese!"

2005-10-20T21:40:00.000-05:00

"The Sugar Land Republican was fingerprinted, photographed, taken before a judge, posted $10,000 bail and left shortly before 1 p.m. His lawyer told reporters DeLay was put through the process because of a political vendetta by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, the Democrat who brought the case. (source)

I love it when a Republican is caught with his penis in the goat, it is considered a partisan attack or, in this case, a "political vendetta." Then we get to hear hours upon hours of Hannity and Rush talk about how divisive the democratic party is and how all of this country's problems are because of those evil liberals, and how this somehow hurts the troops and brings comfort to the enemy. These bastards are incredibly willing to defend criminals like DeLay, but if someone like Cindy Sheehan speaks out against the war, she is committing treason. Interesting how that works. I guess when you have it as good as a lot of these right-wingers have it, you don't want it to be taken away...

Anyway, I don't know if a big shit-eating grin was the best way for DeLay to go about this, but I guess it is better than the alternative...

That picture still kills me... here is one theory why DeLay may be smiling...

Support Our Troops!

2005-10-19T06:37:00.000-05:00

The Pentagon has reneged on its offer to pay a $15,000 bonus to members of the National Guard and Army Reserve who agree to extend their enlistments by six years, according to Sen. Patty Murray (D-Seattle).

The bonuses were offered in January to Active Guard and Reserve and military technician soldiers who were serving overseas. In April, the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs ordered the bonuses stopped, Murray said.
...
Murray, a leading Capitol Hill critic of management of the Pentagon and the Department of Veterans Affairs, said she didn’t know why the bonuses were dropped but suspected it was connected to the tight federal budget.

“It feels like every day I wake up to something else gone wrong,” she said. “And it all goes back to this administration not planning adequately for the Iraq war.” (source)

Yet again, the Bush administration fails the the troops it constantly reminds us it supports. How much longer will the military continue to vote in favor of Republicans? Why does the military continue to act like an abused wife who keeps supporting her bastard husband, even though he beats the shit out of her? Even Farrah Fawcett had her limits...

The Indictments Are Coming! The Indictments Are Coming!

2005-10-18T21:21:00.000-05:00

From Larry Johnson's (not the ex-basketball player) blog...

"Had lunch today with a person who has a direct tie to one of the folks facing indictment in the Plame affair. There are 22 files that Fitzgerald is looking at for potential indictment . These include Stephen Hadley, Karl Rove, Lewis Libby, Dick Cheney, and Mary Matalin (there are others of course). Hadley has told friends he expects to be indicted. No wonder folks are nervous at the White House." (source)

I am trying not to be too happy about this since things like this never pan out like we hope. But, if we can consider Larry Johnson a reliable source, I think the Bush administration is going to have a lot of explaining to do and, perhaps, a lot of prison time to serve.

Indictments were expected to be handed out today or tomorrow. So isn't it convenient that this happens...?

A sketchy threat to blow up vehicles full of explosives prompted authorities Tuesday to close one of the busy tunnels underneath Baltimore's harbor and partially shut down the other. One person who may have been connected to the threat was arrested on immigration charges, a law enforcement official said. (source)

Bad news for administration followed by a terrorist threat...sound familiar?

More on Cheney

2005-10-18T06:44:00.000-05:00

In addition, at least six current and former Cheney staffers - most members of the White House Iraq Group - have testified before the grand jury, including the vice president's top honcho, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, and two top Cheney national security lieutenants.

Cheney's name has come up amid indications Fitzgerald may be edging closer to a blockbuster conspiracy charge - with help from a secret snitch.
...
Cheney and Libby spend hours together in the course of a day, which causes sources who know both men very well to assert that any attempts to discredit Wilson would almost certainly have been known to the vice president. (source)

Maybe I am jumping to conclusions, but I just do not believe Scooter Libby would have leaked Valerie Plame's name without the go-ahead from Cheney. Cheney is sick enough to put our national security at risk to push forward the neo-con agenda. No one goes over Cheney's head without some kind of consequence. Considering this administration's history of smearing those who disagree (Paul O'Neill, Richard Clarke), Valerie Plame was just another casualty. This time, however, someone is calling the administration on it.

Fitzgerald: Vice-president Cheney! Did you order the code red?

Cheney: You goddamn right, I did! Now go fuck yourself...

You can read more about this here.

Effective Today...

2005-10-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

THE much-hyped federal bankruptcy reform legislation goes into effect Monday, and Congress is already debating whether to suspend or modify the draconian law so that people battered into hopelessness by the Gulf Coast hurricanes don't receive another economic beating.
...
Breaking with 225 years of precedent, Congress passed the law in March, apparently encouraged that it will make bankruptcy even more onerous and humiliating — and oblivious to the fact that it will discourage the risk-taking necessary for innovation in an entrepreneurial economy. (source)

Yet another huge victory for the rich and another big "fuck you" to the poor and middle class. So, while the wealthy's homes and assets are protected in case a business goes under, a poor family better hope no member ever gets sick. I am ashamed to say one of my senators, a democrat, voted for this bill, and, in the process, lost my vote. Thanks, Sen. Kohl!! And he isn't the only democrat guilty...check out the roll call vote from March 10. More on this vile bill later, as well as my take on Judith Miller.

Absolutely Disgusting

2005-10-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

It was billed as a conversation with U.S. troops, but the questions President Bush asked on a teleconference call Thursday were choreographed to match his goals for the war in Iraq and Saturday's vote on a new Iraqi constitution.
...
"I'm going to ask somebody to grab those two water bottles against the wall and move them out of the camera shot for me," Barber said.

A brief rehearsal ensued. (source)

Are soldiers nothing more than props to this administration? Bush's poll numbers slip, so he brings out the soldiers to say how fantastic things are going in Iraq. As Operation Truth's Paul Rieckhoff said in the above article, "If he wants the real opinions of the troops, he can't do it in a nationally televised teleconference. He needs to be talking to the boots on the ground and that's not a bunch of captains." And to induce more vomiting, let me just add this little nugget. From the White House transcript of the propaganda, er, press conference...

"And, you know, I wish I could be there to see you face-to-face, to thank you personally. It's probably a little early for me to go to Tikrit, but one of these days perhaps the situation will be such that I'll be able to get back to Iraq to not only thank our troops, but to thank those brave Iraqis who are standing strong in the face of these foreign fighters and these radicals that are trying to stop the march of freedom." (source)

Whenever I feel my head ready to explode from the lies of the monkey-boy administration, I just think to myself, "Freedom is on the march." And a calm comes over me. I don't even think about the nearly 2,000 soliders that have given their lives for an unjust and illegal war. How can anyone really justify voting for this jack-ass? You can listen to the audio of Bush's address to the soliders here.

via Huffington Post, Paul Rieckhoff responds...

This thing was not just staged, it was superstaged. In a disgusting display, the President again used our troops as political props in an event so scripted that it basically turned into a conversation with himself. I wish the White House had put this much effort into post-war planning when my platoon hit Baghdad. (source)

And the fun continues as simple Scotty McClellan tries to accuse Helen Thomas of being against the war on terrorism in today's press briefing...

THOMAS: If they ask us to leave, then we'll leave?

MR. McCLELLAN: I'm trying to respond. A free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the broader Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions of al Qaeda and their terrorist associates. They want to establish or impose their rule over the broader Middle East -- we saw that in the Zawahiri letter that was released earlier this week by the intelligence community.

THOMAS They also know we invaded Iraq.

McCLELLAN: Well, Helen, the President recognizes that we are engaged in a global war on terrorism. And when you're engaged in a war, it's not always pleasant, and it's certainly a last resort. But when you engage in a war, you take the fight to the enemy, you go on the offense. And that's exactly what we are doing. We are fighting them there so that we don't have to fight them here. September 11th taught us --

THOMAS: It has nothing to do with -- Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

McCLELLAN: Well, you have a very different view of the war on terrorism, and I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism. The President recognizes this requires a comprehensive strategy, and that this is a broad war, that it is not a law enforcement matter. (source)

Come on, Helen! If you're not with us, you are with the terrorists. You would think the old bag would get it by now. Oh, and about the Zawahiri letter Scotty mentioned...

In Washington, U.S. officials and experts were split on the letter's authenticity.

Ken Katzman, a terrorism expert with the Congressional Research Service -- the in-house think-tank of the U.S. Congress -- said the letter contained elements that raised doubts about its authenticity.

"The purported letter has Zawahri admitting to certain things that it's not realistic for him to admit, because he would know there's a potential this letter might be intercepted," Katzman said. (source)

So who are you going to believe...the United States government or al Qaeda? And why is that such a hard question?

Dark Overlord in Trouble?

2005-10-13T06:55:00.000-05:00

via Raw Story

Fitzgerald’s examination centers on a group of players charged with not only selling the war, but according to sources familiar with the case, to discredit anyone who openly “disagreed with the official Iraq war” story.

The group’s members included Deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove, Bush advisor Karen Hughes, Senior Advisor to the Vice President Mary Matalin, Deputy Director of Communications James Wilkinson, Assistant to the President and Legislative Liaison Nicholas Calio, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby - Chief of Staff to the Vice President and co-author of the Administration's pre-emptive strike policy.
...
Those close to Fitzgerald say they have yet to uncover any evidence that suggests Cheney ordered the leak or played a role in the outing of Mrs. Wilson. Still, the sources said they are investigating claims that Cheney may have been involved based on his attendance at meetings of the Iraq group. Previous reports indicate Cheney was intimately involved with the framing of the Iraq war. (source)

Could be huge...might be nothing. Even if Cheney is not found to be directly involved, the Bush administration is looking really bad right now. And the public is turning on it quickly...

For the first time in the poll, Bush’s approval rating has sunk below 40 percent, while the percentage believing the country is heading in the right direction has dipped below 30 percent. In addition, a sizable plurality prefers a Democratic-controlled Congress, and just 29 percent think Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers is qualified to serve on the nation’s highest court.
...
The poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points and which was conducted from Oct. 8-10 of 807 adults, also finds that strong majorities don’t believe that the recent charges against GOP leaders Tom DeLay of Texas and Bill Frist of Tennessee are politically motivated. (source)

Makes you wonder who these 39 percent are who still support the chimp in the White House. Blind allegiance goes a long way in the Republican party.

Oh, and thanks to Ben for the plug on his website...be sure to check it out.

Gore Has No Plans to Run in '08

2005-10-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

"I have absolutely no plans and no expectations of ever being a candidate again," Gore told reporters after giving a speech at an economic forum in Sweden.

When asked how the United States would have been different if he had become president, though, he had harsh criticism for Bush's policies.

"We would not have invaded a country that didn't attack us," he said, referring to Iraq. "We would not have taken money from the working families and given it to the most wealthy families."

"We would not be trying to control and intimidate the news media. We would not be routinely torturing people," Gore said. "We would be a different country." (source)

I confess I did not vote for Al Gore in 2000. But despite my vote for Nader, as well as the 2 million others that went for Ralphie, Al Gore won the election. So let's quit the whining about Nader voters costing Gore the election as it is just a completely ridiculous argument. Gore cost Gore the election, with an assist from a hostile media and the Supreme Court...

The difference between the Al Gore of 2000 and Al Gore v2.0 that has emerged in the past two years is I would actually vote for this guy. His speeches have been absolutely electric...the kind of red meat speeches that can unite a party and bring in new and independent voters. Who knows? Maybe we can convince him to run...

I came here today because I believe that American democracy is in grave danger. It is no longer possible to ignore the strangeness of our public discourse . I know that I am not the only one who feels that something has gone basically and badly wrong in the way America's fabled "marketplace of ideas" now functions.
...

It is not that we no longer share ideas with one another about public matters; of course we do. But the "Public Forum" in which our Founders searched for general agreement and applied the Rule of Reason has been grossly distorted and "restructured" beyond all recognition.
And here is my point: it is the destruction of that marketplace of ideas that accounts for the "strangeness" that now continually haunts our efforts to reason together about the choices we must make as a nation.

Read the rest of Gore's speech here.

Olbermann Drops a Bomb

2005-10-12T22:25:00.000-05:00

I suggested that in the last three years there had been about 13 similar coincidences - a political downturn for the administration, followed by a “terror event” - a change in alert status, an arrest, a warning.

We figured we’d better put that list of coincidences on the public record. We did so this evening on the television program, with ten of these examples. The other three are listed at the end of the main list, out of chronological order. (source) (video)

Be sure to read the entire list...good stuff.

I believe the first person I heard talk about the coincidence of political turmoil in the Bush administration and elevations in the terror alert was comedian David Cross. It took the press a while to catch up, but better later than never, I guess. Give Olbermann credit though. He was the only one in the mainstream media who did not completely dismiss the Ohio election fraud, covering it for several weeks, and now he is the first one to question the administration on its fear-mongering tactics. Let's hope he keeps the story alive.

Plamegate Development

2005-10-12T06:57:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg are working on stories that point to Vice President Dick Cheney as the target of special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation into the leaking of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name. (source)

Wow...big surprise. Considering members of this administration cannot even take a dump without Dick or Karl's permission, how much doubt can there be that Cheney had a huge role in this?

Meanwhile, Scooter Libby may have have forgotten to tell the federal grand jury something...

In two appearances before the federal grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's name, Lewis (Scooter) Libby, the chief of staff to Vice President Cheney, did not disclose a crucial conversation that he had with New York Times reporter Judith Miller in June 2003 about the operative, Valerie Plame, according to sources with firsthand knowledge of his sworn testimony

Libby also did not disclose the June 23 conversation when he was twice interviewed by FBI agents working on the Plame leak investigation, the sources said. (source)

The plot thickens. The great David Corn has his take here.

Back!!!

2005-10-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

Have I really written one thing in the last five months? How time flies when you try to ignore current events. Of course, if you know me at all, you know I can only hold back for so long before my head explodes. And with the Republicans providing so much material lately, now is a great time to jump back into the fire. Besides, watching Republicans stab themselves in the gut is fun. If only we had an opposition party to kick the knife in a little further and then give it a little twist...some things never change.

Time to ease back into this since I spent most of the night adding some links to the sidebar and deciding on a new template since the old one was becoming increasingly hard to look at. Speaking of hard to look at, President Bush was actually challenged by a reporter during an obvious photo-op down in Louisiana. The reporter? Matt fricking Lauer...check it out...

Later, after Lauer began quoting another Democrat who has criticized the lack of a forgiveness clause in the administration's loan package for hurricane recovery, Bush interrupted and said, only half-jokingly: "You're quoting a lot of Democrats today, Matt, that's interesting."

Bush kept trying to turn the interview into more of a feel-good session. "I think our job is to elevate this whole process out of normal politics," he said.

When Lauer asked whether that was really possible, Bush shot back: "It depends on who asks the questions, I guess." (source)

What an asshole...

Meet Your New Supreme Court Nominee

2005-07-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

In a primetime speech tonight, President Bush nominated John G. Roberts for the United States Supreme Court. While maybe not as outwardly repugnant at Janice Rogers Brown or Priscilla Owen, Roberts' record needs to be questioned. Would you expect anything else from this administration?

The president said Judge Roberts was a man of high integrity and intellect, a jurist respected by people in both political parties, a man committed to American constitutional principles and "justice under the law."..."As deputy solicitor general under the first President Bush, he argued to the Supreme Court that 'Roe was wrongly decided and should be overruled," Naral said in its statement. (source)

Once again, Bush spits in the face of public opinion and nominates someone who will probably do whatever it takes to overturn Roe v. Wade. Howard Dean chimes in as well:

"It is disappointing that when President Bush had the chance to bring the country together, he instead turned to a nominee who may have impressive legal credentials, but also has sharp partisan credentials that cannot be ignored. Democrats take very seriously the responsibility to protect the individual rights of all Americans and are committed to ensuring that ideological judicial activists are not appointed to the Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee will now have the opportunity to see if Judge Roberts can put his partisanship aside, and live up to a Supreme Court Justice's duty to uphold the rights and freedoms of every American and the promise of equal justice for all." (source)

I am afraid the good doctor is dreaming. I hate to jump to conclusions, but, from what I can tell about Roberts, he is a loyal Republican and is very unlikely to very go against the party line. Roe v. Wade may be in real danger. I also fully believe it is pretty much a slam dunk this guy will get confirmed with little difficulty.

You can find more about Roberts here, here, and here. By the way, nice timing with this issue...you know...with members of his administration committing treason and stuff...allegedly.

UPDATE: "The president is a man of his word," said Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group. "He promised to nominate someone along the lines of a Scalia or a Thomas, and that is exactly what he has done." (source)

The Christian right wack jobs are happy...not good.

Santorum's Gaffe

2005-05-19T23:12:00.000-05:00

From Raw Story (sorry about the CAPS, but I am quoting)...

"SOME ARE SUGGESTING WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THE LAW, WE'RE TRYING TO BREAK THE RULES. REMARKABLE. REMARKABLE HUBRIS. I MEAN, IMAGINE, THE RULE HAS BEEN IN PLACE FOR 214 YEARS THAT THIS IS THE WAY WE CONFIRM JUDGES. BROKEN BY THE OTHER SIDE TWO YEARS AGO, AND THE AUDACITY OF SOME MEMBERS TO STAND UP AND SAY, HOW DARE YOU BREAK THIS RULE. IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF ADOLF HITLER IN 1942 'I'M IN PARIS. HOW DARE YOU INVADE ME. HOW DARE YOU BOMB MY CITY? IT'S MINE.'" (source)

Always a smart move to compare the democrats' opposition to the filibuster to a man that killed 6 million Jews. I am sure that doesn't offend the millions of people that still have connections to the Holocaust and lost family members at the hands of the Nazis. Nice job, Rick...you prick.

The blogs are all over this story, picking up the slack from the mainstream media, per usual. As others are asking, will Rick Santorum be held to the same standards as democrats and liberals? Remember, this is a man considered a likely candidate for president in 2008. Could a dream ticket of Frist/Santorum be coming? And, if victorious, would a mass exodus to Canada be far behind?

"I seem to remember a little criticism of MoveOn for briefly hosting an ad that compared a George W. Bush speech to a Hitler speech, and Robert Byrd receiving a little criticism for comparing Republican consolidation of power to 1930s Nazi consolidation of power. So what is going to happen to a leading Republican senator (and probably a presidential candidate) who compares Democrats to Hitler in the middle of World War II? Anybody want to bet against absolutely nothing?" (source)

No. Atrios has more about the "MoveOn standard" here, and the great David Sirota is all over this as well and says this is nothing new...

"Frighteningly, Republicans are becoming quite comfortable using this kind of language that insults the millions of families who lost loved ones at the hands of the Nazis. For instance, GOP operative Grover Norquist compared the estate tax to the Holocaust - as if the modest tax on billionaires was as big a crime as murdering 6 million people." (source)

Check the video out here.

Filibuster Showdown

2005-05-18T23:52:00.000-05:00

"As a dozen Democratic and Republican senators worked behind the scenes to defuse the situation, senators from both parties delivered fiery speeches about the president's judicial nominees and their qualifications to sit on the federal appellate bench. Officially, the Senate was considering the nomination of Priscilla Owen, a Texas Supreme Court justice Bush has tapped to serve on the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New Orleans.

But the real debate is whether Democrats have a right to prevent her and other Bush judicial nominees from being voted up or down before the full Senate. Republicans say no.
...
Frist is preparing to break the logjam with an unusual parliamentary maneuver next week that would ban the filibuster's use against judicial nominees. That would prevent Democrats from blocking all of the president's court appointees, including those to the Supreme Court. Reid has said he would retaliate by blocking Republican legislation and introducing an alternative Democratic agenda." (source)

A couple things here that should bother you. First off, the democrats are right in opposing the confirmation of Priscilla Owen. Second, democrats have confirmed 95 percent of Bush's federal court nominees. But that is just not good enough for the Republicans, who, by the way, blocked a much larger number of Clinton's nominees, many of whom did not even get a hearing on the Senate floor. But these hypocrites want to have all the power, so, eventually, they can appease the Christian rapture right and nominate anti-choice Supreme Court nominees. Public opinion be damned.

I have been very happy with Sen. Harry Reid as Senate Minority Leader. But does that last sentence from the excerpt above just make you wonder why the hell the democrats have not introduced an alternative agenda? The Republicans truly make me sick with what they are doing, but, if the "nuclear option" passes, we have to blame the democrats for being cowards and not providing a true opposition party. At least the democrats seem united on this issue.

Earlier today, Reid chastized the Republican party and its power-grabbing...

"The Washington Republicans are on a quest for absolute power...and we all know what that brings. Their corruption and abuse of power is already here for all Americans to see. House Republican leader Tom Delay is a walking symbol of what's wrong with Washington DC.

At a time when gas prices are going through the roof and families are cutting back on summer vacations, George Bush and Dick Cheney are trying to line the pockets of big oil and walking hand-in-hand with the Saudi princes.

And while health care costs are rising, pensions are sinking, and our economy is stuck in place, Washington Republicans are wasting our time by trying to pay off the far right." (source)

And Sen. Chuck Schumer calls "bullshit" and punks Frist here.

Mainstream Memo Coverage

2005-05-17T22:58:00.000-05:00

From the Tribune...

"A British official's report that the Bush administration appeared intent on invading Iraq long before it acknowledged as much or sought Congress' approval--and that it 'fixed' intelligence to fit its intention--has caused a stir in Britain.

But the potentially explosive revelation has proven to be something of a dud in the United States. The White House has denied the premise of the memo, the American media have reacted slowly to it and the public generally seems indifferent to the issue or unwilling to rehash the bitter prewar debate over the reasons for the war." (source)

The memo has finally been getting some attention from some newspapers (here, here, and here), but cable news has all but ignored it with the exception of Olbermann, who seems to be the only cable host with any sense of professionalism. Let's hope he keeps the pressure on as this story needs some legs before the public will begin to care.

Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) has more on the coverage of the memo here and here. Be sure to contact Rep. Conyers and to let him know that we are all behind him. He is one of the few politicians we can really say is working for all of us.

Smackdown in the Senate

2005-05-17T22:38:00.000-05:00

In case you missed it, Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minnesota, soon to be Al Franken's bitch in '08) had his ass handed to him by British MP, George Galloway...

"Appearing in Washington before the Senate permanent sub-committee on investigations, he accused the chairman Norm Coleman of damaging his reputation around the world.

'I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington but for a lawyer you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice,' he said.
...
He described the sub-committee’s claims as the 'mother of all smokescreens' intended to divert attention from the 'crimes' committed in the invasion of Iraq.

'Senator, in everything I said about Iraq I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong and 100,000 have paid with their lives, 1,600 of them American soldiers sent to their deaths on a pack of lies, he said." (source)

Democrats take note. This is how you confront Republicans on all their BS. Great to see it takes a British MP to show how it's done. Check the video out here, and the transcript can be found here. And John Nichols has more here.

Newsweek Fiasco

2005-05-17T08:42:00.000-05:00

"The White House says Newsweek took a “good first step” by retracting its story that U.S. investigators found evidence interrogators at Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran, but it wants the magazine to do more to repair damage caused by the article.
...
'The report had real consequences,' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday. 'People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged. There are some who are opposed to the United States and what we stand for who have sought to exploit this allegation. It will take work to undo what can be undone.'" (source)

Funny how Simple Scotty says that about the Newsweek story when it seems to apply much better to our current foreign policy. Ah, the smell of hypocrisy at its most rank.

Once again, as it did with Bush's service record, the Bush administration makes Newsweek the story instead of the actual content. And, just as it did with CBS, the administration never actually denied the story. Somehow, the deaths of thousands of people, including 1600 American soldiers, never seem to get blamed on our commander-in-chief. Instead, blame the liberal media. It's much easier and more likely to stick.

"Air Force General Richard Myers told reporters at the Pentagon May 12 that he has been told that the Jalalabad, Afghanistan, rioting was related more to the ongoing political reconciliation process in Afghanistan than anything else.

According to initial reports, the situation in Jalalabad began on May 10 with peaceful student protests reacting to a report in Newsweek magazine that U.S. military interrogators questioning Muslim detainees at the Guantanamo detention center 'had placed Quran s on toilets, and in at least one case flushed a holy book.' By the following day the protests in the city had turned violent with reports of several individuals killed, dozens wounded, and widespread looting of government, diplomatic and nongovernmental assets.

However, Myers said an after-action report provided by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, indicated that the political violence was not, in fact, connected to the magazine report." (source)

And, again, just like CBS did with Dan Rather, Newsweek caved in to political pressure, even though there is absolutely no connection between the story and the riots. What a joke. I would really love to see Newsweek's subscription list in Afghanistan because it must be huge to start rioting.

"But in an interview, the Newsweek editor, Mark Whitaker, mounted a robust defence of his staff, insisting the magazine would not make any retraction, that it did nothing 'professionally wrong', and that nobody at the title would be disciplined over the report.

Mr Whitaker said the magazine had gone to unusual lengths to ensure the accuracy of the original article, including showing a pre-publication draft to a US official, who chose to neither confirm nor deny the essence of the story." (source)

Then why the hell are you apologizing for anything? When will the media start doing its job instead of being a lapdog for Bush?

Lampley Takes Us Back to Ohio

2005-05-12T08:31:00.000-05:00

I had not thought about Ohio for a while, mostly because of how angry I feel anytime I think about how the Bush administration stole the election for a second time. But a post by sportscaster Jim Lampley on the new Huffington Post reminded me that we cannot just let this issue go. Our democracy is at stake, and we need to yell and scream about the election until it cannot be ignored anymore. Because the Republicans will do it again and again...because they know they can. Why do you think these assholes want to get rid of the filibuster? They know the system is rigged in their favor, so they will never lose power. Losing the filibuster will allow them to push through their anti-American agenda.

From the post...

"Oddsmakers consulted exit polling and knew what it meant and acknowledged in their oddsmaking at that moment that John Kerry was winning the election.

And he most certainly was, at least if the votes had been fairly and legally counted. What happened instead was the biggest crime in the history of the nation, and the collective media silence which has followed is the greatest fourth-estate failure ever on our soil.
...
We know that professionally conceived samples simply do not yield results which vary six, eight, ten points from eventual data returns, thaty's why there are identifiable margins for error. We know that margins for error are valid, and that results have fallen within the error range for every Presidential election for the past fifty years prior to last fall. NEVER have exit polls varied by beyond-error margins in a single state, not since 1948 when this kind of polling began. In this past election it happened in ten states, all of them swing states, all of them in Bush's favor. Coincidence? Of course not.

Karl Rove isn't capable of conceiving and executing such a grandiose crime? Wake up. They did it." (source)

Anyone who has listened to Jim Lampley announce a game or fill in for Jim Rome knows the man is an absolute genius. Trust me when I say Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly would not want to debate this guy. The chickenshit media will never let it happen anyway.

Right winger Byron York responded to Lampley's post in typical neo-con half-truth fashion saying there was no evidence that Kerry won more votes than Bush in Ohio. Maybe not directly. But the irregularities and outright fraud found by Rep. John Conyers in his report should have been enough for the media actually do its job and investigate this further. But I guess that would have taken extra work.

The always excellent BradBlog has more on the Lampley-York debate here.

Right Wing Continues Its Attack on Women

2005-05-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

"Last fall, Lacy, a student at SMU, was raped. The next day, she went to the SMU Memorial Health Center and asked for emergency contraception - often called the 'morning-after pill' - to avoid getting pregnant.

However, Lacy, who has asked to remain anonymous, said Dr. Shannon Sims, a doctor at the center, refused to write a prescription for the pill. Lacy, a junior, said Sims told her she did not write prescriptions for the morning-after pill - also known as the Plan B method - because of her religious beliefs.
...
Last week, Caswell said that SMU allows campus doctors to refuse to prescribe the morning-after pill for religious reasons. In a written statement, Caswell said the policy of 'our health center is that physicians and staff are not required to perform or participate in procedures or treatments they are morally opposed to.'" (source)

I have a thought. If you are against prescribing birth control, then don't become a goddamn doctor or pharmacist! My god, I am sick of these self-righteous religious nutcases. Oh, but it gets better...

"NO PUBLIC MONEY can be used to fund abortions in Missouri. But a bill approved last week by the Missouri Senate would deny state aid to hospitals, clinics or counselors who so much as mention the word 'abortion.'

The bill sends state government snooping into places where women have a reasonable expectation of privacy. It sets an impossible-to-monitor standard for what doctors and other health care providers can and cannot say, which intrudes on their obligation to provide essential information about safe, legal medical options for their patients. And it creates cumbersome audit requirements that will add to health care costs and require a larger state bureaucracy.
...
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. John Loudon, R-Ballwin, who insists that it's designed to 'enhance safety.' In fact, it's designed to keep women - especially poor women - from finding out about their right to safe, legal abortion." (source)

This bill has only passed the state Senate and still has to pass through the House. Let's hope common sense prevails. But even the fact that this bill is on the table forces me to ask the question, are we the most backwards country in the industrialized world? We are a country run by ignornant redneck morons. I really do not want to believe they are the majority.

Goddamn Lying Fucking Asshole Bush!

2005-05-05T08:28:00.000-05:00

I guess I needed something to bring me out of my blogging coma...

"The top-level government memo marked 'SECRET AND STRICTLY PERSONAL,' dated eight months before Bush sent us into Iraq, following a closed meeting with the President, reads, 'Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam through military action justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WDM. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.'

Read that again: 'The intelligence and facts were being fixed....'

For years, after each damning report on BBC TV, 'Isn't this grounds for impeachment?' Vote rigging, a blind eye to terror and the bin Ladens before 9-11, and so on. Evil, stupidity and self-dealing are shameful but not impeachable. What's needed is a 'high crime or misdemeanor.'

And if this ain't it, nothing is." (source)

Wait, wait. So you are telling me we did not actually go to Iraq because Sadaam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction that he could attack us with at anytime? You mean to tell me we did not actually go over there to spread democracy in the Middle East? Well I feel absolutely duped. What a shocker. And this administration has been so up-front with the public in the past.

From The London Times...yes, fucking London. You don't actually expect the American media to cover this, do you?...

"It was chaired by the prime minister and attended by his inner circle. The document reveals Blair backed 'regime change' by force from the outset, despite warnings from Lord Goldsmith, the attorney-general, that such action could be illegal.

The minutes, published by The Sunday Times today, begins with the warning: 'This record is extremely sensitive. No further copies should be made. The paper should be shown only to those with a genuine need to know.' It records a meeting in July 2002, attended by military and intelligence chiefs, at which Blair discussed military options having already committed himself to supporting President George Bush’s plans for ousting Saddam.
...
The political strategy proved to be arguing Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed such a threat that military action had to be taken. However, at the July meeting Jack Straw, the foreign secretary, said the case for war was 'thin' as 'Saddam was not threatening his neighbours and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran'.

Straw suggested they should 'work up' an ultimatum about weapons inspectors that would 'help with the legal justification'. Blair is recorded as saying that 'it would make a big difference politically and legally if Saddam refused to allow in the UN inspectors'.

A separate secret briefing for the meeting said Britain and America had to 'create' conditions to justify a war." (source)

The Iraq war has been the downfall for Tony Blair. While it appears he will remain Prime Minister, his days are numbered. The same cannot be said for our fearless leader as he, literally, continues to get away with murder.

Oh, and check out the differences with democracy in action in the United States and Britain here. Funny, yet sad...

Happy Tax Day!

2005-04-15T07:27:00.000-05:00

So it's been ten days since I last wrote something. I do apologize for the delay, but I needed a break from the hatred the Republicans seem to have for the American public that makes less than $200,000 a year. But this little hiatus just confirmed how much I absolutely despise these people. The Republicans are the most vile, greedy, unpatriotic, un-American people on the planet, and it turns my stomach knowing that half of this country was duped into voting for a failure of a human being (well, maybe a D, tops).

"Tens of thousands of people who want to wipe out their debts in bankruptcy court would have to work out repayment plans instead under legislation Congress approved Thursday.

A 302-126 vote by the House sent the legislation to President Bush, who said he was eager to sign the measure, the biggest rewrite of the bankruptcy code in a quarter-century. It marks the second major change in law to benefit business since Republicans increased their House and Senate majorities in last fall's elections.
...
The measure would require people with incomes above a certain level to pay credit-card charges, medical bills and other obligations under a court-ordered bankruptcy plan.

Opponents say the change would fall especially hard on low-income working people, single mothers, minorities and the elderly and would remove a safety net for those who have lost their jobs or face crushing medical bills." (source)

I love the part about how "eager" Bush is to sign this bill. What a good Christian man. Kill some troops, screw the poor...the power of compassionate conservatism is alive and well. Just as in the Senate, this bill passed in the House with democrat support. Check the roll call to see if your Congressman voted for this heinous bill, and be sure to call and express your disgust. These democrats are not on your side, and they need to be defeated as soon as possible. Kudos to Gwen Moore for voting against this measure, not that I would expect anything different from her.

Republican Culture of Life

2005-04-05T08:40:00.000-05:00

"The end of the Terri Schiavo passion play immediately reignited a bitter political debate in this country yesterday, one which will have repercussions from the White House to the U.S. Supreme Court and threatens the political fortunes of those on both sides of the issue.

Condolences quickly gave way to anger and accusations, with the top Republican in the House of Representatives warning judges at both the state and federal level they will have to answer for their actions.

'The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior,' said Tom DeLay, the Republican leader who moved the Florida case to the federal arena."

I think it is safe to say that Tom DeLay could not be happier about the deaths of Terri Schiavo and the Pope since it takes the heat off him. Besides the liberal blogs and independent press, nothing has even been mentioned about what Delay's not-so-veiled threat. Our media are just pitiful. They continue to let hate-mongers like Tom DeLay, Bill Frist, Mitch McConnell, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Randall Terry and Ann Coulter say the most hateful things imaginable, but liberals constantly have to watch what they say for fear of the right wing attack dogs (Matthews, Hannity, Limbaugh, Hume, etc.) jumping down their throats. Just think about how these bastards did everything in their power to destroy John Kerry's service record while barely even touching Bush's service record. Now the press has decided to avoid Tom DeLay althogether, though you know if John Conyers said anything remotely critical of the president, the press would be all over it. I really hate these people.

From the previous article...

"Bush interrupted his Easter break in Texas to return to Washington to sign a bill in the middle of the night moving Schiavo's case to federal court. But courts in Florida and Georgia refused to reopen the case. The Supreme Court declined six times to hear arguments.

'I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others,' Bush said." (source)

This from a guy who has, so far, seen 1500 soldiers die in Iraq for a phony cause and put more people to death than any governor in history. He represents a party that passed a bill making it incredibly difficult for someone having financinal difficulties to file bankruptcy, even if it is the result of high health care costs. And half the country will still vote against their interests because there is an "R" next to the candidate.

To show what "culture of life" the Republican party endorses, check this out...

"SENATOR JOHN CORNYN: 'I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently that's been on the news and I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in - engage in violence.' [Senate Floor, 4/4/05]" (source)

Good of the senator to make excuses for murderers and explaining that he can understand why someone might decide to kill a judge. Mainstream media? Hello? It really is hopeless, especially with the Pope-a-thon going on. Christ...

Republican Hypocrisy Exposed: We Have Pictures!

2005-03-30T23:45:00.000-06:00

First up, watch GOP whore Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Scarborough Country get ripped apart by some crazy doctor who obviously did not get the memo about not ever questioning a Republican when he has the "facts" right in front of him. You can watch the video or just read the transcript here.

James Wolcott adds his take on Scarborough as well as how the whole Schiavo case has been covered...

"Joe Scarborough may be a nice guy off-camera, but his performance in the Schiavo case has been one of the most disgusting stretches in cable-news history--the biggest blotch on MSNBC's record since the hiring/firing of Michael Savage, and you would have thought Rick Kaplan would have learned something from the blunder of his predecessor instead of letting Scarborough lash and trash night after night...Joe Scarborough is just a symptom, a noisy, ignorant, pimply symptom to be sure, but still. The real malefactors are the men in executive suits and suites who put such a bozo on the air and allow him to plant his shoes on the dying body of Terri Schiavo and use her as a political soapbox and religious pulpit. It's conservatives who are dehydrating her, draining every last drop of dignity from her death." (source)

If you ever tune into the FOX News hate-fest, Hannity & Colmes, you get to listen to that lying ass Sean Hannity bitch about all the hatred spewing from the democratic party. This is a common Republican technique: accuse the other side of something you, yourself, are actually guilty of. If you watch cable news, you can see this technique in action every night. Check out this clip, provided by Oliver Willis, and hear Hannity's version of civil discourse. Admittedly, it is nothing really surprising...just funny because he has no idea he is being recorded.

Falwell in Critical Condition

2005-03-29T23:08:00.000-06:00

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. Honestly, I am so sick of the Terri Schiavo coverage that I could not even look at the news lately. The hypocrisy of Republicans is now in full view for everyone to see...but you know that, somehow, the mainstream media will spin it so that no harm comes to any of these assholes. Or they will just ignore it altogether...

On to Falwell...

"Speaking on the 700 Club religious program Falwell said, 'The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen'.'"

In 2003 Falwell announced that he was putting aside everything to devote his time to passage of a federal constitutional ban on gay marriage." (source)

Ah, yes. The true voice of the Republicans. But, of course, rather than being crucified (pun intended) by the media for this obvious hate speech, he continues to be a regular guest on all of the cable talk shows, spewing his absolutely vile views...just like Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Michael Reagan, Michael Savage, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Randall Terry and countless other hate speech artists that never have to pay for the lies and vitriol they spread in this country.

But now the good news...

"The Rev. Jerry Falwell was hospitalized in critical condition Tuesday, battling his second case of viral pneumonia in just five weeks, hospital and church officials said.

Falwell, 71, was admitted to Lynchburg General Hospital shortly before midnight Monday suffering from "respiratory arrest," the hospital said in a statement, meaning his breathing had slowed or stopped." (source)

Call me what you want, but if I had to wish death on someone, it would be this jackass. Honestly, if there truly was a God, I think his wrath would have been felt a long time ago, and Falwell, Dobson and Robertson would have been struck down for misrepresenting God's word to inject their evil views into the poor and uneducated.

Personally, I hope he doesn't recover, but I want him to suffer for a while before I have to deal with the media's adoring coverage of his death. With my luck, he will make a full recovery, and we will all have to suffer through Falwell for giving all praise to God for healing him...but not mention that God is a bit picky when it comes to Terry Schiavo.

Tired of the Schiavo Case Yet?

2005-03-24T23:40:00.000-06:00

In case you didn't know, nothing happened in the world in the last ten or so days except for the Terry Schiavo case. Way to be on top of everything, cable channels! Damn liberal media!

The only good thing that can come out of this fiasco is that Republican hypocrisy is finally on full display for all to see. Anyone with half a brain already knew about these Republican bullshit artists. But maybe, just maybe, some of the more moderate Republicans will now realize their party has left them and demand something better. Probably wishful thinking though.

Here's some hypocrisy served up on a silver platter for you...

"The legal struggle over the fate of Terri Schiavo is exposing what some see as a credibility gap for the Bush administration, Republicans in Congress and social conservatives who want to rid the federal judiciary of so-called activist judges and even strip them of authority.

In the Schiavo case, President Bush and congressional Republicans exhorted the judiciary to intervene, having passed extraordinary legislation over the weekend giving her case a day in federal court. The maneuver expanded rather than contracted federal power, and appeared to encourage the sort of activism that they had long condemned." (source)

How many times have we heard the right wing media bitch about all the liberal activist judges in this country? Honestly, it's too many to count. But there's Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh faking outrage, as always, because the judicial system refuses to reverse previous decisions on this case. And good for the Supreme Court for refusing to hear this case...again.

How about the second course of hypocrisy?

"As Texas governor, George W. Bush signed a law that allows hospitals to pull the plug on critically ill patients despite family objections - the kind of court-authorized move the president and fellow Republicans are challenging in the Terri Schiavo case.

Just last Tuesday, the Texas law resulted in what some call a U.S. first, when a Houston hospital cut off life support for a badly deformed 6-month-old baby after his mother lost a court challenge. The baby died almost immediately." (source)

We sure are selective with the compassion, aren't we, Mr. President?

Judge Does the Right Thing

2005-03-22T08:45:00.000-06:00

"U.S. District Court Judge James Whittemore has refused to order the tube feeding of brain-damaged Florida woman Terri Schiavo, CNN reported on Tuesday.

The U.S. Congress and President Bush intervened to prolong Schiavo's life after her feeding tube was removed on Friday on the order of a Florida court." (source)

Two things will come out of this:

1. The right wing nutjobs will call the judge a liberal activist, which he, of course, is not. Death threats will follow from the fine upstanding "Christian" rapture right.
2. The Republicans will use this as proof that the filibuster needs to be eliminated, so Bush's reactionary judicial appointees can be pushed through to prevent this in the future.

Oh, and to the Republican assholes pushing this issue down out throats, most of the country agrees with the decision.

"Sixty-three percent of those surveyed in the ABC poll said they support the removal of Schiavo's feeding tube.

Among two core Republicans constituencies, 54 percent of conservatives said they support removal of the tube, while evangelical Protestants divide about evenly with 46 percent support.

According to the poll, conservatives and evangelicals also were more likely to support federal intervention in the case, although the support did not reach a majority in either group." (source)

But who cares, right? The good news is this could really cause the Republicans to implode, but the democrats will need to hammer them every step of the way. Let's hope Harry Reid is all over this and show how these right wing pricks will exploit any tragedy for political gain. Besides, isn't the Republican party all for the government getting out of out lives? Please, someone exploit their hypocrisy!

Playing Politics with Terri Schiavo

2005-03-21T08:47:00.000-06:00

"The Senate approved legislation on Sunday that would allow a federal court to intervene in the case of Terri Schiavo, and House Republican leaders spearheaded an extraordinary Sunday night session to speed the measure to President Bush, who rushed back to Washington from his Texas ranch.

'Every hour is incredibly important to Terri Schiavo,' said Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, who led the effort to inject Congress into the long-running legal battle over Ms. Schiavo, the severely brain-damaged Florida woman whose feeding tube was disconnected on Friday afternoon at the direction of a state court.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, acknowledged that such concerted Congressional action on behalf of a single person was highly unusual.

'These are extraordinary circumstances that center on the most fundamental of human values and virtues: the sanctity of human life,' said Dr. Frist, who is a physician." (source)

These Republicans are absolutely disgusting. DeLay is in severe trouble for ethics violations, and Dr. "AIDS can be passed through sweat" Frist is preparing to run for president in 2008. Do you think these two truly give a shit about the life of this Florida woman who has been braindead for 15 years, or could this possibly, just possibly be grandstanding for the religious rapture right? Could they possibly have something to gain from this? Republicans believe in the "sanctity of life" about as much as they truly believe in small government. By the way, that means not at all. Christ, I hate these hypocritical pieces of shit. If faced with the same decision, you know that most of these pricks would demand the tube be pulled. But, instead, this will go back to the courts, so a federal court can decide on Terri Schiavo's fate. I can't wait to hear Hannity and O'Reilly rail against activist judges. I am sure it will happen.

The always excellent Rude Pundit gets to the point. Oh, and, by the way, there is also this...

"Meantime, 70 percent of Americans say Congress' action was inappropriate and 67 percent thought the elected officials were trying to keep Schiavo alive were doing so more for political advantage than out of concern for her or the principles involved, according to a poll conducted for ABC News." (source)

Eh, screw the public. Laura Flanders puts in her two cents worth as well.

Democrats Try a Little Unity...Just for Kicks

2005-03-17T08:46:00.000-06:00

"Senate Democrats threatened Tuesday to block virtually all business in that chamber if the Republican majority carried out a plan to unilaterally impose rule changes that would ensure confirmation of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominations.

The threat, issued by Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), sharply escalated a partisan disagreement that could put the brakes on an array of legislative business in the upper chamber, where Democrats used the threat of a filibuster to block votes on 10 appellate court nominees last year. " (source)

Call me a naysayer, but I believe standing up to "tort" reform, fair elections and bankruptcy "reform are a lot more important than making sure some judges do not get confirmed. I understand we do not want some unqualified, wacky, reactionary wacko for a judge, but what really has a more direct effect on the average American? It is great the democrats are standing up to the Republicans on these nominees, but it is still not enough.