Pet Goat Moment

Why did Bush just sit there? He's thinking, "Oh Shit ! George Tenet warned me about this attack and we didn't do a thing to stop it."

Straw Men

Probably my least favorite aspect of our American Media is the way they allow the Republicans in power to make up straw men to suit their agendas. No further questions asked. Dutifully reported.

Do all Democrats want to stop eavesdropping on terrorists as the Right says ? Of course not. We simply want the Feds to show some small accountability by obeying the FISA laws and getting a warrant.

Do Democrats want pull out our soldiers to aid al-Qaeda ? Of course not. We want to save our troops for the real war against terror, not for Bush's preemptive lies and the hatred of the Iraqi people.

Now Dennis Hastert claims that Democrats want to turn loose "the 130 most treacherous people in the world" and release them upon the populace. Not so again. Democrats simply question endless incarceration with no charges brought against these "enemy combatants." Many mistakes have already been made. Democrats expect them to be charged, tried, and convicted.

Republicans make this stuff up for their own needs or reelection strategies, but can't name a single Democratic leader who actually says these things.

Update: Perhaps one of the most "treacherous" people was right there with you in the House, Mr. Hastert. His name is Mark Foley. Apparently Hastert knew about Foley's unnacceptable text messages for a year and did nothing about it. This is Republican governance for you.

Quote of the Day

In Bob Woodward's new book,State of Denial, the author quotes President Bush on staying the course in Iraq:

"I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me." -G.W.Bush

How can this man lead us in a war against terrorists ?

Path to Accountability

It's a comeuppance. Clever producers and writers managed to get the queerly slanted "Path to 9/11" broadcast on ABC shortly before election time. Contrary to reality, Pres. Clinton and his people were roundly criticized for their efforts in trying to "get" Bin Laden. This in turn led right wing Fox News to continue what Chris Wallace thought was a gotcha moment against Clinton. The Big Dog turned the tables on a sheepish Wallace, pointing out that though he failed to kill Bin Laden he did try to do it, unlike GWB.

Since Clinton's Rebuttal, there has been a small avalanche of reversals for our great terrorist fighter, Dubya. Just maybe people are fed up with all the contrary talk of this administration. They truly seem to act like they weren't in power on Sept. 11,2001. While scrambling to insist that Clinton was "flatly false", the current pres has been forced to release the latest (two months old) NIE report, at least 3 pages of the 30. This report from all 16 intel agencies generally says that the Iraq War has made the terrorist situation worse, not better. Since declassifying those few pages, public opinion has not swung many to the President's interpretation: most have questioned his administration's efforts,judgment, and competence.

The current frenzy over the NIE report is so just - an outcome of the "Path to 9/11".

You Are Here

Do you see the little blue dot in this photo? That dot is Earth taken from the Cassini spacecraft out past Saturn about 930 million miles away. This apparently the farthest a photo has been taken of our home planet.

McCain Cuts and Runs

Waterboarding
Those few "heroic" Republicans who stood up to the President on keeping torture out of our understanding of the Geneva Convention have caved in. Not so long ago John McCain wrote that such techniques as waterboarding were "torture, exquisite torture." So this is not so much a Profile in Courage as it is a Profile in Cowardice.

Now all these Republicans have reached "a compromise." The President can pretty much do whatever he wants without being accountable to anyone, without it being considered a war crime. This compromise does not even consider the Prez's anticipated signing statement, where he lets the public know that he's not going to obey the law anyway.It's beyond belief to me how this can go on in my country, America.

Quote of the Day

President Clinton, speaking about the 2000 and 2004 elections:

"I'm sick and tired of Karl Rove's bullshit."

My Way or the Highway

The President and his cohorts see the world in much too simple a fashion. In the Rose Garden this week, Bush informed us all that if he couldn't get special exemption for CIA interrogation(read TORTURE), then the CIA wouldn't be questioning any more terrorists. Similarly, Bush indicated that if he had to get warrants for wiretaps, his surveillance program would be ruined. Even though thousands of warrants have been granted since the beginnings of FISA, this President would not be able to continue.

Too often this administration has applied this Manichean, with-us-or-against-us simplicity to totally complex problems,like starting a Democracy where it never existed before - as in Iraq. Certainly it is effective to publicly show resolve (although I wouldn't bait the crazies by inviting them to "Bring it on".That seems like fraternity trash talk.)But somewhere in the background, some efforts at diplomacy are hopefully going on. Right now, it appears that the hopes of our soldiers and their families may hinge on the efforts of James Baker,Bush I's consigliore, to extricate from this unnecessary, useless war.

Expect Anything This Election Season

We might even expect the Spanish Inquisition !

Hat tip to Watertiger.

Nice Blues

First experiment in adding YouTube to this blog. Here's a song made famous by T-Bone Walker, Stormy Monday, played well by Albert King and Garry Moore, formerly of Thin Lizzy.

The Struggle for Civilization

If, as the President insists so often, the war on terra really does mean the end of civilization, then why don't we pull out all the stops ? That would mean sending hundreds of thousands more troops to what he calls center stage, Iraq. Of course, the draft would need to be started up again. In order to finally get Osama, we would need to invade Pakistan with a large force and fight it out with Pakistani tribes there. Our whole country would need to go onto a WWII type of economy, with precious items rationed like gas and meat. Corporations might need to be nationalized for the war effort. The young women would prepare bandages and medical supplies for our Armed Forces. And everyone could pitch in by planting a victory garden. Total involvement - certainly Western Civilization is worth some sacrifice.

Since this is not what's happening, maybe Bush doesn't really mean what he says, ya think ?

Exactly What Happened

Thanks to 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera.

Quote of the Day

Jesus General, Patriot, sees it this way:

"If God didn't want us to make a buck off of 9/11, he'd have made those planes hit something we don't care about like New Orleans."

Quote of the Day

"One of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror." - George W. Bush

It's hard,especially when there is no actual connection that Bush didn't create.

Goodbye Steve