Coldflame

News That Really Isn't News

2007-07-15T20:00:00.001-04:00

Bush and Bandar
In George W. Bush's last press conference, he mentioned al-Qaeda at least thirty times, insisting that they were the main cause of our troubles in Iraq. When you actually look at the numbers, this group is responsible for about 10% of the misery in Iraq. The LA Times reported today about where most of the suicide bombers come from : Saudi Arabia. Are they al-Qaeda ? Hard to tell when they blow themselves up into tiny pieces. I think it is likely that they are Wahhabi, though. In any case it seems that country that provides most of these outsiders in the Iraq War is Saudi Arabia, supposedly our staunch allies. To be fair, I would say this simply points out how different a "War on Terrorists" really is and how misbegotten it is to attack a whole country's government. It's really only smaller groups, not a country's army in total.

Yeah, But Can You Prove It ?

2007-07-12T21:02:00.000-04:00

Today three Christian Extremists from Operation Save America disrupted a Hindu chaplain as he tried to deliver the invocation at the opening of Senate business. They were heard to shout that this prayer was an "abomination." They said there was no God but their God. I really would like to see them prove that.

An "F" for the Iraqi Parliament

2007-07-12T15:12:00.000-04:00

I would like to see the Bush Regime treat America's school children as well as they treat the Iraqi Government. The benchmark report which just came out shows that the Iraqis haven't achieved any of the expectations at all. Tony Snow says they have made satisfactory progress in about half the areas examined.

Now, when the bureaucrats at No Child Left Behind (LOL) rate our schools, teachers, and kids they expect all 39 of their criteria to be met. If a school misses just one area, they get an "F". Consequently, many schools in my state, Florida, get an "A" on state ratings, but an "F" from NCLB. As a teacher, I would certainly be fired if I failed students because they missed one assignment. Yet we're supposed to be satisfied with the spin coming out of this White House.

Ultimatum

2007-04-03T20:31:00.000-04:00

I couldn't resist stealing this one from Bartcop.com. It's so funny and so true. I actually believe it's photoshopped from a real picture that they call "Redneck Babysitter." In any case, this concoction is very appropriate for the most childlike President.Unfortunately his arms and hands have been left free for signing statements or one of those rare vetoes.

Corporate Dishonor

2007-04-03T17:31:00.001-04:00

The third largest electronics dealer, Circuit City, has laid off 3400 workers (8% of its workers) because they felt they were being paid too much. CC's management seems to think everything is fine, though, because the laid off can come back to their same jobs, but at less pay than they had been earning previously. This is not a stunt, but a new management strategy of the free market, global economy. It's common knowledge that Circuit City has not been performing well, and I think they deserve everything they don't get. I could kick myself because the computer I'm typing this post on came from CC - but I won't make the same mistake again. I'd rather make my purchases from a corporation that has a little more honorable dealings with its staff.

Collateral damage: I stripe this story together with the ubiquitous WalMart self checkout lines. I refuse to use them when I see the actual human cashier folks that may soon be out of job because customers are willing to do the work of checking out their groceries.It's always the little guy or gal that suffers.

Subpoena Goodling

2007-04-03T16:31:00.000-04:00

I don't quite understand this Monica Goodling Fifth Amendment business. My understanding is that she can be subpoenaed (as 31 members of Clinton's WH were), she then appears before Congress, and there she has the right at that time to invoke the Fifth Amendment to any answers that she feels might incriminate her. She (nor you or I) does not get to not appear before the committee because she worries about what they might ask her. Isn't that the way it works? Refusing to appear I should think is contempt of Congress. Nothing new for the loyal Bushies.

Also, another consideration is Ms. Goodling's extremely broad interpretation of the Fifth. The actual language of the Amendment says something about incriminating oneself in a "criminal" case, not the procedures and operations of a government agency like the DOJ. It seems that she has already decided on her own that some crime has occurred. I wouldn't doubt it myself.

A further point of interest : I couldn't find a photo of Monica Gooding on the Web. Google images, nothing. Yahoo, nothing. Ask.com : Your search has produced no results. She is definitely under the radar.

Update: My bad. I misspelled her name. It's Goodling. Still this is the only picture of Monica Goodling I could find. She's the second from the right at the picnic table. Apparently this is a Regent College get together.

Scenario

2007-03-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Dick Cheney will retire from the Vice Presidency very soon now for medical reasons (but also to take the heat off further Plame investigations). This will enable George W. to place his brother Jeb in that position. It's been historically difficult for a Vice President to make the jump to President, but it's worth a try, right Jeb?

They Got It Right

2007-02-07T20:39:00.000-05:00

Gen. Anthony Zinni

Gen. Anthony Zinni,former Commander-in-Chief of Central Command, led an attack on Saddam's forces called "Operation Desert Fox" in 1998 (according to Thomas Ricks in Fiasco).This enormous endeavor employed more rockets and bombs than the entire Gulf War. At the time, Clinton haters said that the President was only trying to distract the Public from his extramarital affair. Years later, it appears that these raids may have totally destroyed Hussein's ability to produce WMDs, and in the process, bombed his capabilities back to the nineteenth century.

Zinni disagreed with Neocons like Paul Wolfowitz about heading for Baghdad. Zinni said we would end up with a "Bay of Goats", a disastrous invasion worse than Jack Kennedy's Cuban mess. Zinni said, "This is going to generate another one of our defeats there where we get a bunch of people slaughtered." Zinni is quoted in Ricks' Fiasco.

Scott Ritter

Scott Ritter, Marine, major weapons inspector, warned us that Saddam wouldn't, couldn't be able to attack us. He spoke up at a time when administration types were trying to convince us that Saddam's rockets, with a maximum range of 200 miles, were somehow going bomb American cities. War zealots did all they could in the form of ad hominem attacks on Ritter - even suggesting that he was a pedophile, so we could not possibly listen to him.

These two were patriots who understood the needless devastation that lie ahead for our country and its soldiers.

Why the Hell Should Anyone Anywhere Listen to These Guys ?

2007-02-06T19:52:00.000-05:00

All these wise men were wrong (year after year after year) about the Iraq War.

David Brooks

Tries to hide how really conservative he is by always appearing Generally Bemused By It All. Wrong about the uptake of the War, still wrong today, but appears in the Times quite regularly anyway.

David S. Broder

This Dean of Beltway Pundits has become convinced that he is as special as his bio indicates. Unfortunately, he doesn't always present the facts. Still, you may often see his columns reproduced in your local paper, and see him on television a great deal. He seems so invested in protecting his idea of the Washington Scene that he isn't too reliable a source.

Joe Klein

LINO- Liberal in Name Only. He becomes upset when actual liberal bloggers point out how often he criticizes the good guys, and sides with the Repugs.

These gentlemen must have contracts clad in strong bars of iron with their publishers !

Update: These writers are some of the Big Guns. There are so many others who got it all wrong !

We're All Suffering From Fundamentalism

2007-01-04T08:05:00.000-05:00

Ayman al-Zawahiri
In Lawrence Wright's magnificent book, The Looming Tower, the author delineates the rise of al-Qaeda in the modern world. He concludes that the "debacle" of The Six Day War set the stage for the surge in Islamic Fundamentalism we're currently suffering. Fundies like al-Zawahiri sold his people the idea. Wright says that such extreme leaders insisted that the reason the Arabs were so beaten by Israel was because, "God has turned against the Muslims. The only way back to Him was to return to pure religion."

Immediately after 9-11, American Fundamentalists like Falwell told us that we were attacked because of our own evil secularism. And after Katrina struck we heard from some fundies that this was also retribution we deserved somehow because of our secular sins. Don't they seem the same ?

Dr. Falwell

Time to Enlist

2006-12-16T20:52:00.000-05:00

Barbara, George, and Jenna Bush
Now that their father has pretty much rejected all of the touted Iraq Study Group's report and says that he will risk 30,000 more of our beloved soldiers, shouldn't the Twins be first in line ?

Sunni Brothers

2006-12-14T18:25:00.000-05:00

Crown Prince Abdullah
Though George W. Bush's War has been recognized as one of the most disastrous foreign policy adventures ever, it can get worse. The Saudis have announced that they fear for their brother Sunnis in an all Shia Iraq.They remember that most of those terrorists who crashed the Twin Towers were Saudis and Sunni Muslims. They know that Osama Bin Laden (remember him ?) is a Sunni, although they disown him. And certainly Al-Qaeda aligns with the Sunnis. The Saudis say that should events go badly for their Sunni brothers, they will intervene with support. This is bad news.

Here's How It's Done

2006-12-09T09:48:00.000-05:00

From Bartcop by way of Jeff Stahler of The Columbus Dispatch.

Quote of the Day

2006-12-09T08:03:00.000-05:00

CNN reporter Suzanne Malveaux commenting to Lou Dobbs on Bush's view of Iraq War progress:

"President Bush didn't just drink the Kool-Aid, he made it."

It seems it took a real failure of an election and an approval rate of 30% for some reporters to speak out and present something more than he said=she said. Ms. Malveaux is an exception; she has been asking the right questions for a long time.

Quote of the Day

2006-12-04T20:38:00.000-05:00

Al Gore nails it in GQ:

"This administration has been by far the most incompetent, inept, and with more moral cowardice, and obsequiousness to their wealthy contributors, and obliviousness to the public interest of any administration in modern history, and probably in the entire history of the country!”

Great Stuff Happening in Iraq This Week

2006-11-25T09:02:00.000-05:00

Our Home in the Green Zone

2006-11-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

Although more and more politicians are entertaining the notion of declaring victory in Iraq and then getting out, we are still spending lots of our tax dollars on some awfully permanent construction. Take the new Baghdad Embassy. More than a billion has been spent (so far) to provide a safe place for diplomacy in the city. The fifteen foot thick walls should help. Of course, it will cost more than just a billion, but planners are asking for some of that Iraqi oil money that was supposed to pay for the war. Apparently, this embassy is only the beginning, although it will cover 104 acres of prime Green Zone property and employ thousands. Further on up the road the Plan calls for four super bases throughout the country of Iraq. Doesn't this sound like staying the course ?

The McCain War Plan

2006-11-21T16:52:00.000-05:00

John McCain has let the American Public in on his plan to win in Iraq - send in lots of troops. Currently, the idea of sending about 20,000 new troops is being bruited about, but it may be doubtful that such an increase will make a great difference in the killing. I think maybe the real reason that McCain is asking for more is that he wants to distance himself mightily from Bush's disastrous war strategy in view of his campaign for President in 2008. Totally callous. This is how it was done in Vietnam, and if anyone knows Vietnam, it's McCain. In Vietnam times, the hawks like Curtis LeMay (sounding like our former Secretary of Defense) started their winning strategery with "bombing them back to the Stone Age." Although he didn't serve there, President Bush learned from Vietnam that we should stay the course.

We always had the top technology. We've still got the weapons, but no good, new ideas. Not that this is a new idea, but I suggest giving all the major factions (Sunnis, Shias, and Kuwaitis) a cut by partitioning the country, then leaving.

About Time

2006-11-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

From Steve Sack of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Some Good Sonny Boy

2006-11-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

Congratulations, Dr. Dean

2006-11-10T17:42:00.000-05:00

The Democrats won races where they haven't been in the running for years. The final capitulation came from Virginia, a Southern state,against a Republican who was (past tense) a national figure. The DNC helped win in communities where the incumbents thought the Dems had little chance. I think Howard Dean should be praised for his 50 state strategy, even if he didn't spend the DNC's funds the exact way that every Democrat wanted. It surely looks like he was doing something right. The complaints and rumors about his losing his position are unconscionable.

Update: Wouldn't you think that Rahm Emanuel and Howard Dean deserve at least a segment on Meet the Press this Sunday ? You'd be wrong. Instead, Little Russ has chosen to put on several supporters of the Iraq War, all Republicans. No Democrats at all. What Liberal Media ?

Bye John

2006-11-10T17:28:00.002-05:00

Now that the Democrats have won both the House and the Senate, we should be expecting John McCain to honor his promise before the election. He's said to be a man who keeps his word. As I recall it,he said, "I think I'd just commit suicide." Do you think the Democrats could get his seat ?

Guard Your Glass, Dems

2006-11-10T09:30:00.000-05:00

Rohypnol
Thank you for your simile, Grover Norquist. Bipartisanship is like Date rape. Democrats can now apply this kind of thinking to the new situation in Washington.Curious how the Preznit wants to "bury the hatchet" and encourage bipartisanship now that Democrats will assume control of all committees and the legislative agenda. Republicans, in developing their Contract for America under Gingrich and Delay, tightened their control so much that Dems were not given a role at all in much law making or committee work, and were forced to constantly threaten the filibuster to be heard at all. Democrats were given huge amounts of legislation that they never were given the opportunity to read to vote upon as quickly as possible. In fact, the Republicans took power in '94 and did not rest until they nearly impeached the President while issuing thousands of subpoenas and spending millions on counterfeit investigations like Travelgate. Of course, the Democrats have been admonished that they shouldn't do anything like that. That wouldn't be good, the Repugs say - do as I say, not as I have done.

Try as I might to come up with an instance of bipartisanship from the President, I cannot. Bloggers have looked back to No Child Left Behind and Bush's broken promises to Ted Kennedy for an illusory semblance of cooperation. After that there's nothing at all, and even legislation from his own party has been hedged upon by nearly 800 "signing statements." Last week he was still striping the Dems together, as aiding and excusing terrorists as he has done so often. With Bush, Cheney, and Rove it was always something more than a dissenting opinion among equals on the merits of an issue; it was a personal attack on Dems as America haters, usually pointing to a strawman who didn't really exist. Also last week, he cynically admitted that he sometimes has to lie, as he did about Rumsfeld's resignation. Isn't obvious that if the Republicans had done better in the election, Rumsfeld would still be Sec of D ? A glint of reality has entered the Preznit's consciousness ; he has learned that his war policy has failed a national referendum in this election.

I think it's important for the President and Republicans to be treated exactly the way they treated the "Democrat" Party. And Mr. Bush has certainly indicated how important he really thinks bipartisanship is - by attempting a lame duck escape on warrantless surveillance and Bolton's nomination.

Now that so many of their ideas and so much corrupt behavior has been rejected by the voters, Bush feels we should do what he never did, work together with the other party and carry out his program anyway. We've learned that his idea of "bipartisanship" is simply to do what he wants. Infinite hypocrisy. I say no chance: we need to do what is best for all of the people.

Update: Lincoln Chafee says he will block Bolton's nomination. How fitting.

Bush's Idea of Bipartisanship

Tasteless Jokes

2006-11-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

In all the mountainous molehill over Senator kerry's slip up about our troops, I can't help but remember Preznit Bush's absolutely tasteless joke about WMDs. At the Foreign Correspondent's Dinner in 2003, Bush planned out and deliberately delivered his joke about finding WMDs. He illustrated his "joke " with video of his Majesty looking around the White House (behind curtains, in closets)for those darn WMDs. Where the heck were they ? LOL

His total arrogance and disregard for our troop's mission was and is staggering to this day. Thousands of our beloved soldiers have died because of Bush and those non-existent WMDs.His tasteless behavior was enforced by substantial laughter from his audience, the so-called cream of the mainstream media.Yet I certainly don't recall that this garbage was treated as a news story at all. It was just a funny from the Prez.

Happy Halloween

2006-11-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween from Mike Lucovich !

The Real Reason

2006-11-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Preznit Bush actually spilled the beans today on his colleague Rush's show today. In speaking of Iraq, he finally got down to the real reason why we must stay the course: access to oil.

The Decider said, "...they(the terrists) will be in a position to use oil as a tool to blackmail the West. People say, 'What do you mean by that?' I say, 'If they control oil resources, then they pull oil off the market in order to run the price up, and they will do so unless we abandon Israel, for example, or unless we abandon allies."

There's no telling what Bush will let slip when he's not tightly controlled by his handlers or he lacks his Karl Rove transmitter in his ear.Maybe he should have simply begged Prince Bandar to boost production, instead of starting a war.

Incredibly, Limbaugh called this "visionary."

A Letter from Kevin Tillman

2006-10-20T17:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a link to a letter from Ranger Kevin Tillman of his thoughts on his brother Pat's birthday. Very well said.From truthdig.com.

White House Christmas List

2006-10-16T13:41:00.000-04:00

It's so disconcertingly unreal to hear a commentator like Peggy Noonan decry the Left for its savagery. People like her truly are ostriches with their heads in the sand; they can't really be as unintelligent as they appear. Here is a quote from Paul Krugman's latest that tells us a lot about what goes on when comparing the right wing to the left:

"The current Congress has shown no inclination to investigate the Bush administration. Last year The Boston Globe offered an illuminating comparison: when Bill Clinton was president, the House took 140 hours of sworn testimony into whether Mr. Clinton had used the White House Christmas list to identify possible Democratic donors. But in 2004 and 2005, a House committee took only 12 hours of testimony on the abuses at Abu Ghraib."

Yeah, the supposed misuse of that Christmas list was heavy, apparently worth much more time than an international torture scandal. The Christmas List is almost as infamous a crime as Travelgate. This sounds like a freakin' joke, but it's for real.

The Axis of Evil Prevails

2006-10-11T16:39:00.000-04:00

Early on in his Presidency, George Bush initiated his scare tactics strategy by limning the "Axis of Evil", North Korea, Iran, and Iraq. My simple observation is this : under his aegis hasn't the President witnessed, participated in, and exacerbated a world crisis in each of these countries ? As he said, "Bring it on !"

In Iraq we suffer with our servicemen and and women caught in the sights of a little understood civil war with thousands of Americans dead or wounded. Today Johns Hopkins reported that 655,000 Iraqis have died because of this war. The President's response to this was first of all that it certainly wasn't true, but in any case it showed that the Iraqis were able to tolerate some level of violence.This sounds like a costly way to earn your freedom.

We have wrangled with Iran (the winner of the Iraq War) over their nukaloor ambitions to edge of sanctions, which are certainly soon to follow.

Now this week we've reached crisis over North Korea over their pitiful atomic testing, so there has been a rush to blame some previous President (guess who) about stopping Kim Jong Il.It seems that the most important, most efficacious messages from the White House are those that blame other Americans.
As I see it,under Clinton the NKs were being, if not contained, at least slowed down, but nothing at all was accomplished in the six Bush years that followed. You see the current administration plays the game of diplomacy by refusing to communicate with this so-called Axis. Also,it doesn't help matters when your Secretary of Defense serves on the board of a company that sells several light water reactors to the most atomic member of "The Axis of Evil."

Profiles in Cowardice

2006-10-07T11:48:00.000-04:00

Dennis Hastert Can't Sing National Anthem

The last six years have provided more than enough tales out of Washington that I like to call( in contradiction to JFK's book ) Profiles in Cowardice. Denny Hastert's daily lies from his exalted position (still Speaker I believe) are just the latest. Note that not all Profiles feature Republicans;they are by far the majority, but there are a few spineless Dems in there too.For instance, my own Democratic Senator here in Florida voted in favor of torture last week! As this Foley scandal flourishes, each day Hastert and his cohorts try every squirmy trick they know to snake out of actually telling the truth and taking responsiblity for their actions, which, as we all know, makes things worse.

Update: Stick a fork in Denny - he's surely done.

Quote of the Day

2006-10-07T09:06:00.000-04:00

"As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness."

-William O. Douglas-

With passing of the President's Torture Bill, I see Darkness at Noon.

Your Liberal Media at Work

2006-10-05T07:21:00.000-04:00

Above is a slide from Fox News reportage on the Foley matter, but notice he is labeled as a Democrat. How is this possible ? Fox News did this not once but several times. It appears that Fox News is trying to fool the ignorant into believing that Foley's scandal is somehow bipartisan.

Birds of a Republican Feather

2006-10-04T11:59:00.000-04:00

When you go into that voting booth in November, remember these three musketeers : Brown, Bush, and Foley. By the way, shouldn't Mr. Brown have rolled up his sleeves too for the proper hands-on look ?

Heavy Irony

2006-10-03T17:42:00.000-04:00

Bob Geiger points us to what he calls "a tsunami of irony" considering this week's news about teen predator Mark Foley on the White House website. President Bush has proclaimed September 28th as "Child Health Day, 2006." The President's proclamation advises us as adults to be "educating and empowering them (our kids) to avoid risky behavior." You really can't make this stuff up.

New Republican Program

2006-10-02T10:10:00.000-04:00

Ed Stephens says Congressman Foley (R-Stupid) has begun a new program NCBL, No Child's Behind Left.

From The Carpetbagger Report: Yesterday afternoon, a TPM reader asked what may soon be the most common question of the campaign season: "If the GOP can't even keep a bunch of 15 year olds safe, how can they keep America safe?"

Pet Goat Moment

2006-09-30T12:21:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-29T20:05:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-29T18:15:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-27T10:09:00.000-04:00

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".

McCain Cuts and Runs

2006-09-22T18:26:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-21T12:24:00.000-04:00

President Clinton, speaking about the 2000 and 2004 elections:

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

My Way or the Highway

2006-09-18T14:20:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-17T17:14:00.000-04:00

We might even expect the Spanish Inquisition !

Hat tip to Watertiger.

Nice Blues

2006-09-15T18:44:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks to 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera.

Quote of the Day

2006-09-09T10:55:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-07T21:21:00.000-04:00

"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

2006-09-05T22:12:00.000-04:00

Flat Daddies

2006-08-31T20:51:00.000-04:00

A cutout of Lt. Col. Holbrook with his sons
Going around the Web today is the discovery of "Flat Daddies." Daddy is extremely quiet because he (or she) is a foam cutout of a picture of a soldier (from the waist up) away in Iraq, or Afghanistan. The Maine National Guard has provided life size color photos of these soldiers for their families. That way, Mom and kids can take Flat Dad along to the grocery store or the kids' soccer game or sit him up at the dinner table. I think the families don't know how long they'll have to settle for their Flat Daddy instead of the real one, because the Pentagon keeps asking these soldiers to return to combat for years. Can these be for real? These cutouts would be despicable, if they weren't so weird and sad.

A Prediction

2006-08-22T20:23:00.000-04:00

President Bush will soon find a way to replace Donald Rumsfeld before the elections. The Pres has been so desperate to make some headway in the polls, now at about 35% approval, that he will be forced to sacrifice Rumsfeld to make it appear that he is doing anything at all about that war in Iraq that he started.

Flag Draped Coffins

2006-07-15T12:54:00.000-04:00

Many Republicans complained that Democrats have shown the famous picture of flag draped coffins being unloaded when returning to America. It seems to me that the Republicans are OK with the soldiers' death for a useless, fake war but not with allowing the American public to see them dead. After discarding other reasons for the Iraq War, like WMDs about to be used on us, the BushCo has settled on the idea of spreading Democracy and showing our hegemony over the troubled Mideast. Once again, real events show that this is nothing more than an RNC talking point.

The current mess between Palestine and Israel shows exactly how much authority the U.S. exercises over the Mideast. And oil is headed for $80 a barrel. This administration can't get anything right.Unless, of course, they want the oil companies to make even larger profits. This administration wouldn't do that at the expense of the general public, would they ?

Quote of the Day

2006-07-03T11:28:00.001-04:00

Many of you have seen this quote, but every day it seems more and more relevant :

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

-Pastor Martin Niemoller

Great Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

2006-06-21T15:20:00.000-04:00

This is an underwater redfish shot taken by my neighbor, Larry Kinder, the Tropical editor for Florida Sportsman magazine. Larry is quite a knowledgeable fish finder, for he has made an intelligent study of all the waters in our area, but especially Mosquito Lagoon. Larry leads us to quiet "pole and troll" shallows of the Lagoon, where we catch very nice speckled trout and redfish.Here's one of Larry's taken of me with a nice trout:

Surprise Visit

2006-06-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

This one is too funny not to spread around a little more. Here we have Tony Snow and Dan Bartlett showing us how safe it is to enter the Green Zone of Baghdad. I guess they're safe enough in helmets and flak jackets (I assume those are Army approved).Also , I had no idea Al-Maliki looked so much like Jimmy Finlayson, the master of the double take.

Urgent Cause

2006-06-11T12:55:00.000-04:00

This is so important. Don't let our legislators (the ones we elected, remember?) treat us like cattle that they can sell off to Big Telco. The Internets will never be the same. Do you want A.T.&T., Verizon, or Comcast deciding which sites you will be able access ? Of course not.

Quote of the Day

2006-06-09T22:10:00.000-04:00

"My holy of holies is the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and absolute freedom - freedom from violence and falsehood, no matter how the last two manifest themselves." -Anton Chekhov

Death to Zarqawi

2006-06-09T20:10:00.000-04:00

Now that Zarqawi has been cancelled out by our superior technology and some good intelligence I assume that means that our soldiers,men and women,all 132,000 of them, can come home now.

Republican Priorities

2006-06-09T17:14:00.000-04:00

From Jesus'General
Paul Krugman has a piece out today (pay the Times) that makes a lot of sense about this nonsense Republicans like Bill Frist call their "agenda." Krugman first notes how our Republican congress has nixed 648 million dollars from a bill to secure our ports against terrorists because it's too expensive. Here the Republicans mention our huge deficit, but neglect to indicate that the costs of the War and previous tax cuts are what made it so large. We are currently only checking five percent of what comes in to our ports. Now this week Frist and Co. want the U.S. to forego all of the estate tax, an estimated amount of 355 billion over the next ten years. This is a tax on those that America has done extremely well by, the top one-half of one percent of estates of the vastly wealthy. Let's see...355 billion divided by ten years, that makes 35.5 billion a year that we could use to save our lives, or give it to the wealthy, to make them even more wealthy...On the one hand we have 35.5 billion every year for ten years, on the other a one-time 628 million (with an M)... Doesn't seem like a sensible choice. The Republicans won't even accept a raise in the minimum level from two million dollars to three and a half million. Does that sound like a minimum to you ?

Don't these guys know or care that an endless war against terror is going on ?

A Club to Avoid

2006-06-09T08:25:00.000-04:00

I received a horrific offer in my mail yesterday to get five books for $1 by joining a book club, American Compass,Inc. My main problem was that I had such trouble picking my five books from this "Conservative Alternative." I don't think I would spend twenty cents for any of these books; in fact I wouldn't read them if they paid me.

This club is not exactly a Literary Guild, Book of the Month, or even like the Science Fiction club. Their brochure trumpets Ann Coulter's and Michael Savage's latest works. Apparently, those are the really hot items that will catch your eye and induce you to join up. Those didn't hook me - I would be ashamed to be seen recycling these.

Since most of their writer's work is fiction,I found the actual fiction offerings fascinating. Their brochure leads off of course with the latest from Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, The Rapture. Their tagline : "The countdown has almost reached zero !" Of course, they don't want to end it all quite so soon ("at zero"), because that would surely reduce sales. It's unlikely LaHaye could concoct a post-Rapture novel in which the (Christian)holy would be wandering around Heaven - sounds maybe a little dull, huh ? Also in fiction,I could have chosen the new novel by Oliver North, The Assassins. Mr. North, such a busy man, apparently had some help from co-author Joe Musser. You would think with two of them working on it, they could have found a new title, instead of using the one Elia Kazan used several years ago. For real teamwork though, Chuck Norris can't be beat. For his novel on the Justice Riders, he had a veritable committee of three helping him. So many choices.

I would only have to buy two more books this year for my commitment. If I don't, I would bet they have some great lawyers to come after me. When I checked a collateral offer on the web from this club, it said I had to buy four books to attain my commitment. Which is right? Informatively, it pointed out that although my five books cost a dollar, shipping and handling costs $12.95. Still, I could also get the free duffel bag or the free fleece...

The Demise of Checks and Balances

2006-06-04T19:02:00.000-04:00

As I see it, probably the most serious problem in American Politics today is the way in which our legislators are elected or re-elected and all the the things they will do (or not do) in order to maintain their positions.Our "leaders" will do most anything to respond to what they understand of their latest polls. They don't hear a broad sample of their constituents, but appear to respond to the moneyed. Most seriously, they will abdicate such responsibilities as declaring war, in order to avoid actually speaking up and standing for something, like a sensible, productive foreign policy.

Think back to the lead up to Dubya's Iraq War. Hans Blix and his team had examined 750 suspected WMD sites in Iraq with no weapons found, though remember that Don Rumsfeld said,"We know where they are." Cheney and Bush told the most brazen lies connecting Saddam to 9-11. Yet this wasn't moving along quickly enough. We know that the Pentagon already had our invading force waiting off shore as these inspections were going on.

Our Congress may have had some doubters about the efficacy of such an attack, but they would have had to have pulled a "Profiles in Courage" move to vote against giving the President the go ahead. Certainly a mostly unrepentant MSM was cheerleading the war. Here is a major part of the problem, Congress men and women, in keeping an eye on their next election campaign,have just about totally given up their control of war making. They don't want to be accountable. Our Founding Fathers surely didn't want another King who would personally decide who and when we would attack. Going all the way back to the Korean police action, this is what America and its soldiers have gotten.And this lack of accountability I insist is a function of keeping yourself in office. This is probably the most deadly result of the Demise of Checks and Balances.

Quote of the Day

2006-05-29T15:16:00.000-04:00

"What we now have is a Congressional leadership, the Republican part of which has said it is okay for law enforcement to engage in warrantless searches of the average citizen, now objecting when a search, pursuant to a validly issued warrant, is conducted of a Member of Congress." - Barney Frank

Doesn't everyone see the point here ?

Quote of the Day

2006-05-28T21:11:00.000-04:00

Regarding the wall to be built on the American - Mexican border, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano observes, "Show me a 50-foot wall, and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder."
From Molly Ivins.

Pure Greed

2006-05-23T19:43:00.000-04:00

If only the Republicans could have only been just a little less greedy, they could have had it all for many years to come. When they gained control of the Congress after 40 years on the outs, Newt Gingrich set up a lock tight control never before seen. He rewrote lots of the traditional rules and practices in the running of Congress. A few leading Republicans controlled all committees so that little could come to a vote without their approval. Democrats could barely propose an amendment to an all Republican law. A few leaders passed out K Street lobbyist's money to the peons based on their loyalty to the Repub agenda.

Now the upcoming elections seem more than a bit scary to Republicans. They should realize that whenever the Dems outnumber them (and it will happen at some point) all their rules will work against them. They are working double time to make it appear that William Jefferson's corruption is just like all their theft. Hardly, I still think the Republicans epitomize the "culture of corruption." Their ethics violations out number ours - Mr. Jefferson.

Quote of the Day

2006-05-18T17:49:00.000-04:00

George Will on "values voters":

This phrase diminishes our understanding of politics. It also is arrogant on the part of social conservatives and insulting to everyone else because it implies that only social conservatives vote to advance their values and everyone else votes to . . . well, it is unclear what they supposedly think they are doing with their ballots.

Bold for Christ

2006-05-16T16:17:00.000-04:00

Poor Tom DeLay was attacked by secular sharks because he was just too Christian. I don't think so. I've recently learned about DeLay's involvement (from Ms. Magazine) in keeping reform legislation out of our territory, the Northern Marianas.

Sweatshops in the Marianas paid at least $650,000 to Delay's organization, United Families. These garment entrepreneurs and island officials funnelled money through Jack Abramoff to pay for at least 100 congressional visits to the resorty parts of the Marianas. In return, the Bugman made sure that immigration reform wasn't enacted in the House - though there were plenty of concerned sponsors. DeLay said the Marianas were "a petri dish of capitalism." Hooray for the Free Market i.e., one out of control through Congressional negligence.

Women sewing in the garment factories there were from China, the Phillipines, and Thailand where they could only make 60 cents an hour. In the Marianas they could make $3.05 /hour, but with no U.S. regulation. In order to emigrate these foreign workers had to borrow money (up to $7000) from usurers. To pay off these fees, the women might work as many as a 20 hours a day. Thousands of female workers were encouraged to abort any expensive things like children. Any of this sound Christian yet ? Read the Ms. article.

Quote of the Day

2006-05-15T20:45:00.000-04:00

"Well, I give you fair warning. This is a road map to totalitarianism. Hallmarks of totalitarian regimes have always included an excessive reliance on secrecy, the deliberate stoking of fear in the general population, a preference for military rather than diplomatic solutions in foreign policy, the promotion of blind patriotism, the denial of human rights, the curtailment of the rule of law, hostility to a free press and the systematic invasion of the privacy of ordinary people." -Bob Herbert

High Point of the Bush Presidency

2006-05-07T20:18:00.000-04:00

In an interview last week with a German newspaper, George W. Bush was asked what he felt was the high point of the five years he has spent as President. He thought he had many such high points, but surprisingly enough, he chose: catching that seven and a half pound perch in a pond on his Crawford property. Yeah, that was the best. Not the unification of the world behind an America attacked. Not the installation of a new Democracy in a tyrannized nation.One fish, and not even a gamefish.This one is perhaps the most clueless recent statement from President GW Clueless, an international embarrassment. But come to think of it, Bush may have been uncharacteristically honest here.

Update : it turns out that the world's record for a freshwater perch is four pounds and something,so a seven and a half pound perch just can't be right. Either it was mistranslated or Bush meant a bass, probably a largemouth.

Warnings

2006-05-05T20:37:00.000-04:00

Perhaps the most interesting information to come out of the Moussaoui trial was the reminder of how FBI Agent Samit knew about 9/11 ahead of time. Samit arrested this terrorist in August of 2001. He couldn't get his superiors at the Agency to believe him. Samit couldn't get his bosses to request a warrant to examine Moussaoui's computer. This was the situation in Minnesota that Colleen Rowley blew the whistle on. What a shame that these insiders didn't bother to simply do their jobs. From firedoglake.

Quote of the Day

2006-05-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

To Stephen Colbert speaking to the President and the Main Stream Media:

"Then you have done a braver thing than all the Worthies did"
-John Donne, "The Undertaking"

The Worthies in that audience enable the lies and incompetence of Cheney, Bush, and the rest.

Your Birthright as an American for Sale

2006-05-05T16:44:00.000-04:00

That good steward of our environment,the Bush Administration, has approved plans to sell off 300,000 acres of National Forest.For over one hundred years it has been sound environmental policy to save some of this land for everyone. Now Bush and Co. will sell it to the highest bidder, I assume. The really evil part of this plan is that it was pushed through by saying the proceeds would pay for "rural schools." Who really believes schools were their motivation? I sure don't. As I understand it, this Rural Schools Initiative is supposed to be recompense for local communities not being able to make a profit on these forests. It should not be necessary to sell off public land to pay for such basics as education. This is NTLU, No Tree Left Unsold and the very definition of a slippery slope. Given the public good or profit, our current government always chooses profit.

Corporate Rewards

2006-04-21T16:11:00.000-04:00

Lee Raymond
When you stop at the gas station(it seems like I'm stopping more often lately) think about Lee Raymond, retiring head of Exxon Mobil. Mr. Raymond is credited with boosting this company to the largest profits ever "earned" by any company anywhere. So of course Exxon plans on treating Lee Raymond right. When he retires, he will receive a package worth 400 million dollars. His former salary wasn't bad either. Think of the several minutes it takes to pump those $3 gallons - Mr. Raymond will be making $6,000 per minute as you reach for the hose and clunk it into your tank and hold the trigger.

Checking my facts, I believe this 400 million dollar figure written of elsewhere may be wrong. According to the AFL-CIO's Executive Paywatch site, Raymond only gets 6.5 million dollars per year in retirement. Kind of like winning the Lottery every year for the rest of your life. He also has a deal where he can take a lump sum of 80 mill up front.

Still, think of Mr. Raymond as those minutes tick by - he doesn't count minutes at the pump like we do; he probably has his chauffeur do that sort of thing.

A Modest Proposal

2006-04-11T21:50:00.000-04:00

In July 1953, new President Dwight Eisehower "ended" the Korean War by going there as he had promised. Agreements were signed and an uneasy peace continues there to this day.

In this spirit, I am recommending that President Bush go to Iraq. His presence there during the "last throes" of this not civil war, might be just the tipping point to inspire the faltering purple thumb government.Since we have so much of our Army in place, as well as so many thousands of highly trained Iraqi security forces (I forget exactly how many there are now), certainly the President could make it from Baghdad's Airport to the Green Zone. To effect an even more forceful statement, Our Leader should also bring Laura, Jenna, not-Jenna, and the entire Cheney family.Mission accomplished !

One caution: Make sure you leave Barney in the States: he may be needed.

Repeated Lies

2006-04-07T16:56:00.000-04:00

Once again, at his most recent press conference, President Bush repeated one of his recurrent lies to Helen Thomas. He claimed that Saddam "chose to deny inspectors" to look for WMDs. Why does he continue to say this? This lie totally rejects reality. Everyone knows that Hans Blix's team was in Iraq feverishly searching ; they only had to leave when Bush ordered the first bombings.I guess he can say this because ignorant voters and lazy, biased journalists allow it.

My New Hero

2006-04-06T18:24:00.000-04:00

Harry Taylor
In North Carolina today in a public forum Harry Taylor made this comment to George W. Bush:

Q You never stop talking about freedom, and I appreciate that. But while I listen to you talk about freedom, I see you assert your right to tap my telephone, to arrest me and hold me without charges, to try to preclude me from breathing clean air and drinking clean water and eating safe food. If I were a woman, you’d like to restrict my opportunity to make a choice and decision about whether I can abort a pregnancy on my own behalf. You are –

THE PRESIDENT: I’m not your favorite guy. Go ahead. (Laughter and applause.) Go on, what’s your question?

Q Okay, I don’t have a question. What I wanted to say to you is that I — in my lifetime, I have never felt more ashamed of, nor more frightened by my leadership in Washington, including the presidency, by the Senate, and –

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: No, wait a sec — let him speak.

Q And I would hope — I feel like despite your rhetoric, that compassion and common sense have been left far behind during your administration, and I would hope from time to time that you have the humility and the grace to be ashamed of yourself inside yourself. And I also want to say I really appreciate the courtesy of allowing me to speak what I’m saying to you right now. That is part of what this country is about.

THE PRESIDENT: It is, yes. (Applause.)

Q And I know that this doesn’t come welcome to most of the people in this room, but I do appreciate that.

This transcript is from Think Progress ; video is there too. I think many of us have wanted to say what Mr. Taylor said to the Worst President Ever. However,I don't think I could have improved on Harry Taylor, my new hero.
(Please notice the expression on the lady Harry stands next to - it's priceless !)

After Mr. Taylor's comments, the President goes on to explain why he didn't think he had to obey the FISA law. More of the same power grab.

Looking Back

2006-03-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

I have sufficient faith in America's historians that when they look back on the outbreak and strategy of the Saddam War, they will get it right. Currently the debacle is somehow being blamed on the MSM in one of those all-out coordinated smears by the White House. I don't don't think an objective look back can support this notion that the Media are reporting all the bad stuff, and burying the good stuff.Iraq is certainly one of the most dangerous places on the planet. Unfortunately we can't ask the 85 dead Journalists that have been killed covering the story of taking Saddam out. Side comment: Am I correct in thinking that more Journalists have died under Bush than soldiers under Clinton ?

Dave Johnson at Seeing the Forest lays out the real problem with this administration. BushCo is not "politics-as-usual", it's deconstructing the Constitution. And the major fault of the MSM is letting Bush-Cheney get away with so much.

For instance, the "signing statements" are a red flag as to how much we can count on Bush to carry out Congress' laws. Sure, Clinton had them too - about 105 - but Bush has 500. He has recently created this caveat to the Patriot Act - he says he may not inform Congress about surveillance, even though the bill, his bill, requires it. The real problem is that that Congress and the Media allow this kind of naked grab for unrestrained, anti-Constitutional power.

Finally, Glenn Greenwald puts it this way:

"As usual, the most amazing aspect of all of this is not that the Administration is claiming these powers. It is that even as it claims them as expressly and clearly as can be, the Congress continues to ignore it and pretend that it still retains power to restrict the Administration by the laws it passes. And the media continues to fail in its duty to inform the country about the powers the Administration has seized, likely because they are so extreme that people still do not really believe that the Administration means what they are saying. What else do they need to do in order to demonstrate their sincerity?"

Shameful, but Typical

2006-03-25T10:17:00.000-05:00

One Good Move has the Keith Olberman video that explains his choice for "Worst Person in the World" for this week.

The President's Mom made a generous (at least $30,000) to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Relief Fund. Here's the catch: the money was to be earmarked for 8 (at $3,800 each) of her son Neil's educational software programs to be supplied to Houston schools.Notice that New Orleans doesn't get the software, Houston gets it.Or should I say Neil Bush gets it.

This way Barbara Bush gets to give her son a gift without paying gift tax. Also, she can write this "donation" off her taxes as a charitable contribution. Not illegal, just immoral.This clever move is not surprising with this family and reinforces the notion that the acorn doesn't fall far from the oak tree.In any case, it shows how shabby and really meaningless the Bush model of compassion really is. Barbara Bush's "beautiful mind" seems to be lacking in ethics.

Update: It gets worse. John Aravosis of AmericaBlog notes that Barbara Bush is actually one of the larger investors in Neil Bush's company, so she is using the tax code to make a gift to herself.

DINO

2006-03-23T19:51:00.000-05:00

Here's a screen capture of Joe Lieberman greatly amused as the President jokes about looking around the White House for WMDs. To think that we voted for this ass.

A Test of Democracy

2006-03-23T11:30:00.000-05:00

Abdul Rahman,41 of Afghanistan is on trial for converting to Christianity sixteen years ago, though born to Islam. It appears that his death sentence may be thrown out because his tormenters think he is mentally unbalanced. The courts will have to wait for his sanity to return before they can chop off his head. His whole trial is an indicator that it's not so easy, not a foregone conclusion, that other countries will automatically develop U.S-style democracies.

Why Mommy is a Democrat

2006-03-23T10:40:00.000-05:00

Above is a sample page from Why Mommy is a Democrat, a children's book that explains the general differences between what Democrats have done, and what ever it is that we have now in government. I think it's very telling.

A Case for Absolutes

2006-03-16T16:58:00.000-05:00

Ryan Dobson, James' son, has a seies of books, DVDs, and CDs advocating intolerance for our young people. Titles like Be Intolerant:Because Some Things are Just Stupid or Why We Need to Be Intolerant are sold for a modest "donation."

Focus on the Family's site offers this description of one book by Dobson :

Tolerance Is For Wimps When It Comes To The Truth Of God's Word

Ryan Dobson presents the case for absolutes based on the Word of God through the use of examples that break through today's tolerance-at-any-cost atmosphere. Awaken yourself and your friends to the world's desperate hunger for absolute truth — and the church's duty to proclaim it.

I was taught that Jesus was a pretty tolerant guy. It sounds like these Christians no longer turn the other cheek. Provocative food for thought I'm sure.

Quote of the Day

2006-03-14T22:12:00.000-05:00

Dwight D. Eisenhower was our beloved leader who masterfully led our Armed Forces to crush the very definition of evil, the Nazis. When the war ended, though both parties pleaded with Ike to head their ticket, he went Republican. He was broadly, sincerely admired in a way that Ronald Reagan couldn't approach. Yet some of Ike's beliefs were not like the D.C. Republicans we see today. For instance:

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms in not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense." - Dwight David Eisenhower

The Duty of Our Journalists

2006-03-13T17:32:00.000-05:00

"I think it does raise the question, how do you fight and win the war on terrorism? And if Democrats want to argue that we shouldn't be listening to al Qaeda communications, it's their right and we welcome the debate. We are a nation at war." -Scott McClellan

Whether one believes that the MSM is progressive or conservative, I think that it's their duty to correct blatantly false claims by whoever. In this case, Scott McClellan claimed that Democrats don't want to eavesdrop on al-Qaeda operatives, that they must be against the "War on Terror." Of course all Democrats without exception want us to spy on al-Qaeda; they just want to follow the current law in effect that requires some accountability by getting a warrant. Our memories are not so short that we don't remember the abuses of Nixon's Enemies List. This is not rocket science. McClellan is either ignorant, deliberately misleading the public, or simply lying for his party's political advantage.

The President Who Cried Wolf

2006-03-13T16:31:00.000-05:00

Avian Flu Virus
It's a classic story. Call it "The President Who Cried Wolf." So little the current administration puts out is credible that the current threats about avian flu become LOL. Mike Leavitt, Bush's man, has come out with a strategery to help: save an extra can of tuna or three (and perhaps some powdered milk - yum) for when the pandemic hits the U.S. This, of course, is reminiscent of the time Tom Ridge advised us to buy lots of duct tape to seal off every crack around our doors to keep out the terrorist's poison gas. This announcement by Leavitt is more of a "Wag the Dog" diversion to cover falling poll numbers and a burgeoning civil war in our favorite Mid East democracy.Should there actually be an imminent danger from H5N1, the political propaganda this White House foments may well be ignored the way the color-coded warnings of Homeland Security were.

Bush on Trial

2006-03-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

Baby Dubya
A high school government class in Parsippany, NJ has been conducting a mock trial of President Bush for war crimes. Local politicos think the class may have gone too far with a student impersonator speaking the Pres' words.

Curious Hatred of Women

2006-03-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

For all the talk of Bush haters that one hears on the internets, I'm anticipating a whole new kind of hatred when Hilary Clinton actually runs for President. Some of these Cable pundits really must feel that attacking the Clintons is really the bread-and-butter of their business.In reality, this is probably anti-woman paranoia for those types that simply could not stand to have a female in a position of power.

Yesterday, in an interview with John Boehner, Chris Matthews asked him not once, but three times, "Is Hillary Clinton a Socialist?" Totally meaningless and stupid. Heckuva job,Tweety.

Representative Murtha

2006-03-05T20:42:00.000-05:00

Pardon me if I am totally impressed with Rep.John Murtha, and hear every word he says. His aim is true. On Face the Nation today he said this about the Bush War :

"The public is way ahead of what’s going on in Washington. They no longer believe it. The troops themselves, 70 percent of the troops said we want to come home within a year. The only solution to this is to redeploy. Let me tell you, the only people who want us in Iraq is Iran and al-Qaeda. I've talked to a top-level commander the other day, it was about two weeks ago, and he said China wants us there also. Why? Because we’re depleting our resources, our troop resources and our fiscal resources."

Redhedd at firedoglake explains it better than I could :

"Murtha comes across as not only very credible, but also as caring about the lives of our troops, the consequences of the horrible choices made by the Bush Administration, and as having some serious sources at high levels in the military who are having the same concerns. Perhaps because all of that is true -- you can really feel the anger on behalf of the nation and its men and women in uniform coming off Murtha in waves, can't you? Boo yah."

Rep. Murtha truly cares for our soldiers in a way that the thugs in the White House can't even conceive of. Murtha has the clout to express the public's anger with this useless, liar's war to the national media. The MSM doesn't often give anti-war liberals like Feingold or Kucinich a forum, but Murtha cuts through, clear and strong.

The Usual Suspects: Liberals on Television

2006-03-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

Phil Donahue
Phil Donahue had what I considered the most liberal show on television a few years back on MSNBC. When BushCo started the latest Iraq War, Donahue's show was cancelled, even though he had the highest rated show on MSNBC. Certainly a gutless move, and certainly not a liberal policy by his network.

Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers has had a long history of fighting for liberal causes, which he did on his signature show Now with Bill Moyers on public television. When Bill took a well deserved retirement, it was the signal for a Republican appointee, Kenneth Tomlinson, to begin an intrusive, inneffectual inquisition of the CPB looking for liberal slant. Tomlinson has since been replaced because of his questionable practices.

David Brancaccio
Mr. Brancaccio has continued the Now program and continues to examine issues important to Liberals.Reporters like Mr. Brancaccio are called biased if they report at all on such news as Tom Delay's trial.

George Stephanopoulos
George does This Week with George Stephanopoulos every Sunday on ABC. He worked for and helped elect Bill Clinton, so the Right labels him a Liberal. However, my
observation has been that Mr. Stephanopoulos tries so hard to escape such labeling that he often lets Republican spin just go by without comment.

Alan Colmes
His heart is in a Liberal place, but Colmes is a laughinstock and an enabler for Hannity to dominate the discussion while pretending that theirs is an equitable exchange of viewpoints.

Keith Olbermann
Olbermann is probably the most liberal commentator on the air now (there are many to the right of him who have their own shows). An indicator of his effectiveness is that Bill O'Reilly has foisted a petition on the public to remove Keith.

Eleanor Clift
Other shows like The McLaughlin Group have liberal panelists like Clift or O'Donnell, but they are not by any means in control - they are often shouted down by McLaughlin, Blankely, or Buchanan. Fox actually has liberal Neal Gabler regularly on
Fox News Watch. Often the viewing audience is told that someone like Joe Klein will be the Liberal viewpoint, but this is simply false. Klein is likely to regurgitate the current Republican spin or somehow diminish or dilute valid opposition. Digby calls him "a useful Republican idiot." This is the state of the Liberal media on television as I see it. All in all, it's pretty sparse when you're looking for a real Liberal with some spine.

Poll Numbers

2006-02-28T21:22:00.000-05:00

In one year, President Bush's approval numbers have dropped 20 points. The new CBS poll has him at 34% and Dick Cheney at 18%. Particularly upsetting to Republicans are this poll's numbers on National Security; Bush is at 41%, and the Dems have passed him at 43%. This is all so interesting when one considers the memory of Bill Clinton - the week he was impeached by Washington, the country rated him at 60% approval for the job he was doing.

Quote of the Day

2006-02-28T18:17:00.000-05:00

"For all the talk about loose lips sinking ships, I can't think of anything any whistleblower has done that gives al Qaeda more information about our vulnerabilities than the terrible performance of this administration." -Digby

President Atticus

2006-02-28T16:53:00.000-05:00

This is garbage - Chris Matthews feels that George W. Bush comes off like Atticus Finch in his handling of the Dubai Port Deal. As I understand it, the only restraint Bush exhibited was through ignorance of the facts, that John Negroponte had developed this payoff for the sheiks of the Emirates.

Atticus Finch was selected as the number one hero in an American film. He is a quiet man who fights for the rights of the poor, no matter their color. Contrast this with Bush's rampant cronyism and sweet deals for the most wealthy. In To Kill a Mockingbird, he is practically coerced into shooting a rabid dog that threatens his neighborhood by the local sheriff, because Atticus is the best shot in town. His son and daughter are amazed to find this out, because he never bragged about it.

Atticus' example is gently, truly Christian without blaring the fact the way that Dubya does. In fact, when he gives his young son his first rifle,he warns his boy never to kill a mockingbird, because they are harmless and only bring us joy.

I can't imagine Atticus Finch telling his enemies to "Bring it on." I certainly can't see Atticus in a flight suit. Heckuva job, Tweety.

Opening the Gates of Hell

2006-02-25T19:51:00.000-05:00

Open Sesame. Today was marked by much more violence in Iraq. One hundred and sixty mosques have been torched. Many bodies have been found executed in Shia style, handcuffed with one bullet to the head. More car bombs. More IEDs. Richard Perle, on the air speaking to Chris Matthews, said we don't have to worry. You would have to search far and wide to find a less credible predictor than Perle. Read on...

Ski Dubai

2006-02-25T16:33:00.000-05:00

One of United Arab Emirates's greatest claims to fame is the billion dollar Mall of the Emirates. This place has over 400 stores and its advocates insist that it is the largest mall outside of North America.

What really makes the mall special is Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope built in their desert climate.Do you think these folks have enough money to burn ? One of these sheiks gave Bush's Daddy a million dollars for his library, so it's no surprise that UAE got such a nice offer from Dubya and Company.

Quote of the Day

2006-02-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

In the words of Louis Brandeis, one of the greatest of our Supreme Court justices: “You can have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, or democracy, but you cannot have both.”

Quote of the Day

2006-02-23T16:19:00.000-05:00

In his defense of the Dubai port deal President Bush said :

"And so people don't need to worry about security. This deal wouldn't go forward if we were concerned about the security for the United States of America."

This statement is from a politician who has staunched his entire bleeding career by repeating this date - September 11th.

Too Much

2006-02-22T21:55:00.000-05:00

The Republican Culture of Corruption operates under a secret strategy : confuse them all with sheer numbers. In this government by Crony, there is just too much to keep up with that's so wrong.I don't think anyone finds it cute anymore that the Leader of the Free World says things like "incent" or "Great British." We don't have enough time to investigate one problem before another one rears its ugly head in our faces. Lies about the big issues, lies about the small things. At least Clinton stuck to oral sex and left it at that. Each and every move by BushCo seems to outdo the last outrage. For this tactic, I am activating The Flipper, or Electric Middle Finger, wirelessly.

Dead -Eye Power Throwing

2006-02-22T20:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Jesus' General for sending me to the Fight Fast website. This one promises to help me physically and spiritually by teaching me to defend myself by throwing paperclips at my attacker thereby impaling he/she in the head.

Here's why you might not have heard of this before :
"I call this power throwing™ a "lost art" because there's just FIVE masters who understand this - and four of them are either dead… in prison… or just won't talk. So you simply can't find this anywhere for any price. I'm not kidding one bit when I say this is info is teetering on becoming a lost art."

What a great site !

The Civil War Has Begun

2006-02-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

The civil war in Iraq has begun in earnest - Iraqi Shiites attacking Sunnis, and vice versa.

A Serious Security Concern

2006-02-21T18:02:00.000-05:00

Folks, though I've thought we've come close before, now it really looks like we've walked completely through the looking glass. Reality is turned around 180 degrees, so that what seemed sensible is flipped over and what seemed inconceivably impossible is a fait accompli. The Bush Politburo and Hurricane Chertoff has announced that a Dubai company run by the government of the United Arab Emirates will now administer our sea ports in Miami, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore.

Does the Pres really think that those terrorists out to kill Americans won't find it easier to get around our criminally weak port defenses when Arabs are running the show ? So this is how BushCo protects us ? This seems like the dangerously pre 9-11 kind of thinking that Mr. Rove and Mr. Cheney describe so often for us. This is coming from the government that secretly monitors mosques with geiger counters. I think someone needs to remind the Commander-in-Chief that the 19 Twin Tower killers were 15 Saudis, 2 Yemenis, and 2 from Dubai.

Furthermore, Bush trumpets his priorities by threatening to do something he has never done : to finally veto something. When a bipartisan selection of Congress choked on this one,he told the world today that he would veto any legislation against this action. Luckily, his word (especially in light of his former veto threats) isn't worth a pitcher of warm piss. Surely, Business is Business, and Capitalism is Capitalism, but this latest piece of greediness is just unreal. And totally, undeniably dangerous.

Coldflame

News That Really Isn't News

Yeah, But Can You Prove It ?

An "F" for the Iraqi Parliament

Ultimatum

Corporate Dishonor

Subpoena Goodling

Scenario

They Got It Right

Why the Hell Should Anyone Anywhere Listen to These Guys ?

We're All Suffering From Fundamentalism

Time to Enlist

Sunni Brothers

Here's How It's Done

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Great Stuff Happening in Iraq This Week

Our Home in the Green Zone

The McCain War Plan

About Time

Some Good Sonny Boy

Congratulations, Dr. Dean

Bye John

Guard Your Glass, Dems

Tasteless Jokes

Happy Halloween

The Real Reason

A Letter from Kevin Tillman

White House Christmas List

The Axis of Evil Prevails

Profiles in Cowardice

Quote of the Day

Your Liberal Media at Work

Birds of a Republican Feather

Heavy Irony

New Republican Program

Pet Goat Moment

Straw Men

Quote of the Day

Path to Accountability

You Are Here

McCain Cuts and Runs

Quote of the Day

My Way or the Highway

Expect Anything This Election Season

Nice Blues

The Struggle for Civilization

Exactly What Happened

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Goodbye Steve

Flat Daddies

A Prediction

Flag Draped Coffins

Quote of the Day

Great Fishing in Mosquito Lagoon

Surprise Visit

Urgent Cause

Quote of the Day

Death to Zarqawi

Republican Priorities

A Club to Avoid

The Demise of Checks and Balances

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Pure Greed

Quote of the Day

Bold for Christ

Quote of the Day

High Point of the Bush Presidency

Warnings

Quote of the Day

Your Birthright as an American for Sale

Corporate Rewards

A Modest Proposal

Repeated Lies

My New Hero

Looking Back

Shameful, but Typical

DINO