The Fifth Horseman

Reid Rampages Through House Of Representatives

2005-11-02T11:45:00.000-05:00

I love alliteration. Really, I do.

I also love that the Democrats finally seem to have grown some balls.

Like yesterday, when Senate Democrats shut down the Senate to demand some answers from the GOP about the shady evidence leading up to the Iraqi Quagmire.

From cnn.com:

The Senate reopened about two hours later, after members agreed to appoint a bipartisan group of senators to assess the progress of the "Phase 2" probe, the office of Majority Leader Bill Frist said.

The three Republicans and three Democrats are to report back to Senate leaders by November 14.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. The Democrats took action, and actually got some results.

Wow. First the Libby Indictment...then, this. Let's hope this good fortune lasts.

Just for kicks, here's Harry Reid's personal site, Give 'Em Hell Harry.

In other news, it's nice to know that some sensibility remains in the Heartland, especially with regards to the Right To Privacy. Americablog has these results from a Gallup poll about the Alito nomination:

If you were convinced that Alito would vote to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, would you, personally, want the Senate vote to confirm him to the Supreme Court, or not?

Yes, confirm: 37%

No, not: 53%

No opinion: 10%

It's nice to know that this country hasn't gone to hell completely.

In not so happy news, a new chapter has emerged in the Chickenhawk Torture Saga. The Washington post ran this article about the expose of a secret CIA detention facility in Eastern Europe. Here's an excerpt:

Host countries have signed the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, as has the United States. Yet CIA interrogators in the overseas sites are permitted to use the CIA's approved "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques," some of which are prohibited by the U.N. convention and by U.S. military law. They include tactics such as "waterboarding," in which a prisoner is made to believe he or she is drowning.

For those of you that haven't caught on just yet, "Enhanced Interrogation" = Torture.

Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?

Bring Back Miers!

2005-10-31T16:20:00.000-05:00

Sure, the woman had no judicial experience to speak of...but, at least she wasn't a Right Wing Ideologue. At least, not blatantly.

Not sot for Samuel Alito. Not by a long shot. Dubya learned from the bad Miers experience. This nomination is a blatant appeal to Dubya's Far Right Base.

Alito is bad news. And here are, courtesy of ThinkProgress.org, the reasons why:

ALITO WOULD OVERTURN ROE V. WADE
ALITO WOULD ALLOW RACE-BASED DISCRIMINATION
ALITO WOULD ALLOW DISABILITY-BASED DISCRIMINATION
ALITO WOULD STRIKE DOWN THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT
ALITO HOSTILE TOWARD IMMIGRANTS

These are, of course, simply the headings for the ThinkProgress article. For an in-depth explanation of the headings, hit the link in the text above the quote.

Not scared yet? Well, then visit and read the articles here and here.

However, the Unofficial Award For Best Alito Freakout has to go to this entry, over at the Rude Pundit.

In a nutshell, my message is this: Samuel Alito is a bad choice. A horrid choice. Be afraid of him.

If there ever was a time for the Democrats to use the filibuster, it is now. Come on, guys. You fought like hell to keep this thing...now, it's time to use it.

Freedom On The March?

2005-10-24T16:04:00.000-04:00

It's nice to know that we're winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, isn't it?
I mean, just look at these poll numbers, courtesy of skippy. From a poll of Iraqis by the British Ministry Of Defence:

• Forty-five per cent of Iraqis believe attacks against British and American troops are justified - rising to 65 per cent in the British-controlled Maysan province;

• 82 per cent are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops;

• less than one per cent of the population believes coalition forces are responsible for any improvement in security;

• 67 per cent of Iraqis feel less secure because of the occupation;

• 43 per cent of Iraqis believe conditions for peace and stability have worsened;

• 72 per cent do not have confidence in the multi-national forces.

Finally, I bring you this excellent SNL sketch, courtesy of Crooks And Liars.

Well, that's all I have time for today. Sorry about the patchy update schedule. Life has been a little crazy lately.

2005-10-23T18:13:00.000-04:00

Wow. I am incredibly busy.

I'll post when I have time again. Hopefully, Monday or Tuesday.

Or whenever.

More Treasongate News

2005-10-22T18:14:00.000-04:00

It has not been a good week for the Chickenhawk Brigade. No siree, it hasn't. Their biggest problem?

The Plame Leak Scandal.

In the past week, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has shifted his focus to include not only Karl Rove and Scooter Libby, but Dick Cheney, and his possible role in a deliberate leak of Plame's name. And, it seems that Fitzgerald has uncovered some interesting information... From the Washington Post:

One former CIA official told prosecutors early in the probe about efforts by Cheney's office and his allies at the National Security Council to obtain information about Wilson's trip as long as two months before Plame was unmasked in July 2003, according to a person familiar with the account.

The same article continues on:

Lawyers in the case said Fitzgerald has focused extensively on whether behind-the-scenes efforts by the vice president's aides and other senior Bush aides were part of a criminal campaign to punish Wilson in part by unmasking his wife.

Additionally, there are have been some rumblings that an indictment, or several indictments, could be on the way from Fitzgerald. From the Wall Street Journal:

...lawyers and others close to the case say [Fitzgerald] may be piecing together a case that White House officials conspired to leak various types of classified material in conversations with reporters -- including Ms. Plame's identity but also other secrets related to national security.

An indictment on the way, they say? Maybe Fitzgerald will post it on his new website.

We can only hope.

Hammer In The Slammer and Bad News for Rapture Rick

2005-10-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

Well, you've probably heard by now about the arrest warrant issued for Tom DeLay...and his appearance, for fingerprinting and booking, at a Texas courthouse.

I must say, I'm disappointed in the quality of the mugshot. DeLay doesn't seem all that unhappy, does he? Honestly, he looks like he's posing for high school yearbook photo. And what about the cuffs? Did they even cuff him?

This makes me wonder: would DeLay have been treated differently if he were, shall we say, a disheveled 20-year-old dropout brought in on misdemeanor possession charges? Or a young black man caught loitering on private property? Or a young woman brought in for stealing $10 worth of merchandise from a convenience store?

I mean, this is America. Everyone is equal in the blind eyes of the law, right?

I think we all know the answer to that question.

In other news, it looks like there's more trouble ahead for our nation's Worst Senator, Rapture Rick. From Radar Magazine:

Poor Rick Santorum. A few months ago, he was being hailed by his GOP brethren as a leading White House contender. Now it looks like the gay-bashing golden boy, who is running for a third term in Pennsylvania, may not even make it back to the Senate. According to a poll published yesterday in The Hill, the devoutly Catholic candidate is now trailing Democrat Bob Casey by 16 points. But as Santorum's campaign has lost steam, Capital Hill sources say his support from RNC heavies has also evaporated. The blow-dried bible-thumper, who launched his campaign with a giant war chest, is also being deserted by the party's major moneymen, who are focusing their largesse on more competitive candidates.

"This is how the Republicans operate," sighs a veteran GOP campaign manager close to Santorum. "Even if you agree with their agenda, they'll abandon you if you're behind in the polls and move on to the next-most important race."

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it looks like Rick Santorum is on his way out.

Good riddance, I say.

Bad Harriet!

2005-10-19T16:21:00.000-04:00

Hats off to Maureen Dowd for this title: "Naughty Harry: Lawyering Without a License". That's right, ladies and gentlemen. This woman, who has been nominated to the most powerful judicial body in the nation, can't seem to perform a task as simple as paying the dues that allow her to practice law in Washington D.C. From Dowd's article:

I was just coming to grips with the idea that a Supreme Court nominee doesn't need to have any experience for the job.

Now it turns out that a Supreme Court nominee doesn't even need to always be a lawyer in good standing.

Harriet Miers shared a little secret about herself on her application to be an associate justice: "Earlier this year, I received notice that my dues for the District of Columbia bar were delinquent and as a result, my ability to practice law in D.C. had been suspended."

Did that little dog on the birthday card she sent W. eat her dues?

Wow...just wow. This is the same woman that could be, if the nomination goes through, handing down rulings on gun control and abortion.

Speaking of choice...the woman is against it. This frightening tidbit came from the LA Times:

Supreme Court nominee Harriet E. Miers told a conservative group in 1989 that she opposed abortion and would "actively support" legislation to severely restrict the procedure should the Supreme Court overturn Roe vs. Wade, documents released Tuesday showed.

Granted, this survey is 16 years old...so, there has been some time for Miers to see the error of her anti-choice ways. But, nevertheless, this hardly inspires any confidence in my cold, liberal heart.

When put into the simplest of terms, Harriet Miers = Inexperienced and Anti-Choice.

On a happier note, the first two episodes of "The Colbert Report" have been, on the whole, immensely enjoyable. Although I have lost the will to compose a full-length review of the show, I will post a link to this fellow, who composed an extensive review that, for the most part, corresponds with my own opinion.

Read, and enjoy. Or, better yet, watch it and decide for yourself.

Turdblossom testifies…again

2005-10-15T12:34:00.000-04:00

Well, Karl Rove made his fourth appearancee before the Treasongate Grand Jury yesterday.

Is an indictment on the way? I hope so.

However, that's not nearly as interesting as this story. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Treasongate has expanded. Not only are Rove and Scooter Libby under investigation, but now Dick Cheney himself is facing scrutiny.

That's right, The Dark Lord may be going to court sometime in the near future.

Unsurprisingly, all of this scrutiny has caused some tension among the Chickenhawks in the White House. The New York Times wrote about the mood in the Oval Office:

...the inquiry has swept up a dozen or more other officials who have been questioned by investigators or have testified before the grand jury, and, should it lead to the indictment of anyone at a senior level, it has the potential to upend the professional lives of everyone at the White House for the remainder of Mr. Bush's second term.

The result, say administration officials and friends and allies on the outside who speak regularly with them, is a mood of intense uncertainty in the White House that veers in some cases into fear of the personal and political consequences and anger at having been caught in the snare of a special prosecutor. And given how badly things have been going for Mr. Bush and his team on other fronts - a poll released Thursday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center put his approval rating at 38 percent, a new low - they hardly have deep reserves of internal enthusiasm or external good will to draw on.

So, the Chickenhawks are sweating?

Good. This should be a lesson for them: crime doesn't pay. If you don't want to be prosecuted, then stop breaking the law. It's as simple as that.

Here's hoping that we actually see some justice doled out in the next few weeks.

Well, to wrap things up, I give you this. Watch it....it's worth it.

High Crimes And Misdemeanors?

2005-10-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

The nice folks at skippy the bush kangaroo ran this excellent article about the legal ramifications of the Miers nomination. Read, and judge for yourself.

In other news, Harriet Miers has a truly awful way with The Written Word, as David Brooks pointed out in his column for today, entitled "In Her Own Words". Here are some excerpts of Miers' prose:

--"More and more, the intractable problems in our society have one answer: broad-based intolerance of unacceptable conditions and a commitment by many to fix problems."

--"When consensus of diverse leadership can be achieved on issues of importance, the greatest impact can be achieved."

--"An organization must also implement programs to fulfill strategies established through its goals and mission. Methods for evaluation of these strategies are a necessity. With the framework of mission, goals, strategies, programs, and methods for evaluation in place, a meaningful budgeting process can begin."

--"We have to understand and appreciate that achieving justice for all is in jeopardy before a call to arms to assist in obtaining support for the justice system will be effective. Achieving the necessary understanding and appreciation of why the challenge is so important, we can then turn to the task of providing the much needed support."

Now, this just might be me being an elitist snob, but...this makes me even less likely to support her. I'm pretty sure that writing is an integral part of being a Justice on the Supreme Court, and any other government job, for that matter.

Then again, nothing about this nominee really inspires confidence in me. Who is this woman? What has she done? Does she have any opinions? Views or thoughts?

Is she even an American citizen?

All are doubtful.

In less dismal news, the witty folks over at The Onion ran this delightful bit of satire: "Bush To Appoint Someone To Be In Charge Of Country". For your reading pleasure, I present one of my favorite bits:

"I've been talking to folks from all across this country, from Louisiana to Los Angeles, and people tell me the same thing: This nation needs a strong, compassionate leader," Bush said. "In response to these concerns, I'm making this a top priority. I will name a good, qualified person as soon as possible."

Oh, if only that were true. However, this next bit sounds a little more realistic:

While many Beltway insiders have named senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) as likely candidates, White House sources revealed that Bush may be leaning toward a stalwart loyalist. The list reportedly includes fellow Yale graduates, Midland, TX business associates, and various GOP fundraisers with connections to the Bush family.

"Despite their inexperience in government, they've clearly passed the Bush character test," said a White House staffer who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "I think the president is looking for someone he's comfortable with and can trust, above all else. A [former FEMA director] Michael Brown type, or maybe even Brown himself."

Oh dear. That sounds right on the money. This would be funnier if it weren't so plausible.

Only three years left.

Treasongate Explained...And Other Stories

2005-10-11T16:28:00.000-04:00

Does the Plame leak case have you confused? We all know that Karl's a crook...but why?

Well, luckily for you, Chris Matthews prepared this timeline on Hardball.

Even if you're familiar with the case, watch the clip, if only for the delightful hints of a possible Turdblossom indictment.

This next topic is also one that brings joy to my heart: more bad news for this nation's Worst Senator.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen...things are looking bad for Rapture Rick Santorum, with the latest polls showing him trailing Robert Casey by 18 points in the Pennsylvania Senate race.

Am I gloating?

Yes. Yes, I am gloating.

Well, this next news is not quite-so-happy. In fact, it's downright bad. The New York Times ran a stingingly accurate article about the Chickenhawk Brigade's horrid response to Katrina, and the Left Wing's failure to use the response to bring national attention to the issues of poverty and race. Sadly, the Right Wing did not hesitate in enacting their own, more sinister, agenda. Here's an excerpt:

Conservatives have already used the storm for causes of their own, like suspending requirements that federal contractors have affirmative action plans and pay locally prevailing wages. And with federal costs for rebuilding the Gulf Coast estimated at up to $200 billion, Congressional Republican leaders are pushing for spending cuts, with programs like Medicaid and food stamps especially vulnerable.

Wonderful. Although the Hurricane itself was tragic and destructive, it did present a golden opportunity to bring some questions about this nation's economic and racial injustices to the public's attention. But we squandered that opportunity and now, if the Republicans have their way, we're going to do our best to make those already horrific injustices even worse.

Don't you just love Compassionate Conservatism?

Bill O'Reilly Is A Moronic Ape-Man

2005-10-10T16:54:00.000-04:00

Bob Herbert penned another excellent column today, entitled "Who Isn’t Against Torture?"

Well Bob, the answer to that question is simple: The White House. Those guys love torture.

Bob seems to know this, too. Observe this lovely tidbit about the President's opposition to bipartisan anti-torture legislation:

So who would you expect to remain out of step with
this important march toward sanity, the rule of law
and the continuation of a longstanding American
commitment to humane values?

Did you say President Bush? Well, that would be
correct.

The president, who has trouble getting anything right,
is trying to block this effort to outlaw the abusive
treatment of prisoners.

That pretty much says it all folks. According to Dubya: torture = good, human rights = bad.

Wonderful guy, ain't he?

These next two tidbits, I present mainly for my own entertainment...

First of all: this clip of Ann Coulter on Real Time with Bill Maher. Interestingly enough, Coulter seems to have flip-flopped on John Roberts. Although she seems to think he's great now, she was singing a different song when she penned her column entitled Souter in Roberts' clothing.

I know, Ann Coulter is not exactly smart...so this is something of a cheap shot. But I couldn't resist.

In other news, everybody should watch Stephen Colbert's new show. Really, I'm not kidding. Everyone should watch it. Here's a description of the showfrom Stephen himself:

With his promotion to anchor, Colbert says he will draw from the "dazzling hubris" of Bill O'Reilly, along with Sean Hannity and Joe Scarborough, plus "the folksiness of Aaron Brown, the way he mulls the news and loves to chew the words. And the sexiness of Anderson Cooper. Certainly they sell him as attractive." Watching O'Reilly and company inundate viewers with opinions, he says, is like witnessing a spectacle "as natural as a gorilla beating his chest."

It premieres a week from today. Mark your calendars, folks.

2005-10-09T15:24:00.000-04:00

The Fifth Horseman is taking a brief vacation. Normal posting will resume on Monday.

Dear President Bush: WTF?

2005-10-07T18:07:00.000-04:00

Well, the New York Times ahs been at it again...this time Thomas Friedman has penned a column entitled "What Where They Thinking?". Here are some choice excerpts:

For Mr. Bush, the question would be: What were you thinking? If you bet your whole presidency on succeeding in Iraq, why did you let Donald Rumsfield run the war with just enough troops to lose? Why didn't you establish security inside Iraq and along its borders? How could you ever have thought this would be easy?

And this:

Sadly, what Iraq desperately needs most from the U.S. today are A.I.D. workers, State Department advisers and technical experts from every agency of the government who can help rebuild Iraq's human capital. But people are afraid to go. And who can blame them? We have never established basic public order there, because we never had enough troops

Now, let me make one thing absolutely clear: our troops should never have invaded Iraq in the first place. However, since we're stuck there, despite my opposition to the war, I know that our only current option is to give the military what it needs to bring everyone home safely. That means body armor, ammo, medical supplies and, yes, even extra troops.

However, the Chickenhawk Brigade has done none of this. In fact, it appears that the White House had no plans whatsoever for an extended stay in Iraq. Like Friedman, this raises one question in my mind: what were they thinking?

The best-fitting term, although juvenile, is this: WTF?

And I'm hardly alone in this sentiment. In fact, it seems that the rest of the nation is finally wising up and raising that same question.

My evidence? This poll from CBS News:

"What do you think is the most important problem facing this country today?"

War in Iraq:18%
Economy/Jobs:16%
Gas/Heating oil crisis:5%
The President/George W. Bush:5%
Terrorism (general):4%
Other:45%
Unsure:7%

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Americans have finally realized that the President himself is a greater threat to this nation than terrorism.

Well, all I've got to say is this: it's about time.

WTF, Mr. President? WTF?

GOP Opposition To Miers

2005-10-06T18:02:00.000-04:00

I don't want to sound obstructionist, or anything, but.....

Woo hoo! It warms my Liberal heart when things go wrong for Dubya.

This time, Dubya's agenda has been running into trouble in the form of Chickenhawk opposition to the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

And not just any Chickenhawks...this nomination is meeting scorn from the big, fat, bloated Chickenhawks. Like Trent Lott. From the La Times:

On Wednesday, skepticism about Miers' nomination came from some GOP senators who normally are party loyalists.

"There are a lot more people — men, women and minorities — that are more qualified in my opinion by their experience than she is," Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) said in a television interview. "I don't just automatically salute or take a deep bow anytime a nominee is sent [to the Senate]…. I have to find out who these people are, and right now, I'm not satisfied with what I know."

Lott's sentiments echoed those of a number of fellow conservative Republican senators, including John Thune of South Dakota, George Allen of Virginia and Sam Brownback of Kansas — all of whom are thought to harbor presidential aspirations.

I couldn't help but notice Trent, the most racist Senator in Washington, inserting "minorities" in there. Cute Trent, very cute. But not very believable.

But that doesn't detract from the main point: many in the Chickenhawk Brigade don't like Bush's nominee. That pleases me.

In other news, Bob Herbert penned an excellent column today, discussing the inherent racism of the GOP's power base. Here are some of his best turns of phrase:

Just as the Democratic Party would have been crippled in the old days without the support of the segregationist South, today’s Republicans would have only a fraction of their current political power without the near-solid support of voters who are hostile to blacks.

When Democrats revolted against racism, the G.O.P. rallied to its banner.

And, this one:

Bill Bennett’s musings about the extermination of blacks in America (it would be “impossible, ridiculous … morally reprehensible”) is all of a piece with a Republican Party philosophy that is endlessly insulting to black people and overwhelmingly hostile to their interests.

Excellent...simply excellent.

Hats off to you, Bob.

Falafel Bill Hates The Blogs

2005-10-05T16:03:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry. A cheap shot...but I just couldn't resist that title.

However, it does happen to be true. Bill O'Reilly hates the bloggers. In fact, Falafel Bill devoted most of last night's O'Reilly factor to attacking the blogosphere.

Silly Bill. Don't you realize that this will just encourage us to do more?

Silly, silly Falafel Man.

In other news, Maureen Dowd had penned another delightfully scathing coumn about Dubya's passion for ego-affirming Yes Men....Wo-men....YES WOMEN. The title alone causes me delight: "All The President's Women". Here's an excerpt (TimesSelect, sorry!):

The West Wing is a parallel universe to TV’s Wisteria Lane: instead of self-indulgent desperate housewives wary of sexy nannies, there are self-sacrificing, buttoned-up nannies serving as adoring work wives, catering to W.’s every political, legal and ego-affirming need.

Maybe it’s because his mom was not adoring enough, but more tart and prickly, even telling her son, the president, not to put his feet up on her coffee table. Or maybe it’s because, as his wife says, his kinship with his mom gives him a desire to be around strong, “very natural” women. But W. loves being surrounded by tough women who steadfastly devote their entire lives to doting on him, like the vestal virgins guarding the sacred fire, serving as custodians for his values and watchdogs for his reputation.

Call me immature...but the thought of Laura Bush talking about "natural women" made me laugh. The phrase brings to mind 1960's Women's Lib and bra-burnings. Definitely not a topic that the Laura "Stepford" Bush seems to know much about.

Also, I doubt that Bush wants any of his subordinates, male or female, to have a strong will and/or opinion. Dissent, no matter how intelligent, is not permitted under a Chickenhawk Regime. It could give the plebains dangerous thoughts.

And, Lord knows we can't have that, now can we?

Tags: Falafel Bill, Maureen Dowd, Politics,

More Fun With Tom DeLay

2005-10-04T10:45:00.000-04:00

Poor Tommy. He really is having a bad week, isn't he?

First last week's charges, and now this. That's right, ladies and gentlemen...Tom DeLay was indicted again yesterday, this time on charges of money laundering. As of right now, here are the potential punishments DeLay could be facing (cnn.com):

Money laundering is punishable by five years to life in prison under Texas law, with fines up to $10,000. The conspiracy charge carried a penalty of up to two years in prison and fines up to $10,000.

Granted, he'll probably just get a slap on the wrist. Nevertheless, hope springs eternally. Maybe DeLay will get what he deserves this time.

In other news, I am still worried about Dubya's nomination of Harriet Miers. And you should be too. The woman is a complete unknown. Even the Chickenhawk Brigade doesn't seem to know anything about her.

In fact, the Chickenhawk reaction to the nomination has been quite confused and rather mixed.

On the one hand, we've got right-wingers actually opposing the Miers nomination. This is somewhat encouraging to me.

However, on the other hand, we've got batshit crazy right-wingers, like the Traditional Values Coalition, offering their support for the nomination. This alone makes me wary of Harriet Miers. Anybody who gains the support of the "moral values" crowd is not to be trusted.

The bottom line is, we don't know nearly enough about Miers to celebrate just yet. Sexual harassment aside, Clarence Thomas sounded somewhat sane in his confirmation hearings....and he has turned out to be the most backwards justice on the Court today. We can't afford to let that happen again. Now is no time for the Democrats to back down.

Tags: Tom DeLay, Harriet Miers, Politics

Harriet...who?

2005-10-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

That was my first though upon learning of the new Supreme Court nominee. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I didn't think he could do it...but he did.

In Harriet Miers, Dubya has actually managed to find a nominee even more ambiguous than John Roberts.

Just as with Roberts, this makes me nervous. We can't afford to have one, much less two, Stealth Chickenhawks, appointed to the Supreme Court.

It's gonna be another nailbiting month for the Horseman.

In other news, the columnists of the New York Times have been at it agian. In his piece entitled "Miserable By Design" (sorry, you'll need TimesSelect), Paul Krugman ripped the Chickenhawk Brigade's Katrina response a new one. Seriously, this was his first line:

The Bush administration is trying to treat Hurricane Katrina's victims as harshly as the political realities allow, so as not to create a precedent for other aid efforts.

Krugman went on to say:

The crucial point is that President Bush has been forced by events into short-term actions that conflict with his long-term goals. His mission in office is to dismantle or at least shrink the federal social safety net, yet he must, as a matter of political necessity, provide aid to Katrina’s victims. His problem is how to do that without legitimizing the very role of government he oppose.

Excellent, quite excellent. Even as times get worse, it's good to know that I can still count on The New York Times to, for the most part, speak the truth.

In other news, one of my covert sources mailed me this excellent article. You would do well to read it, and quote it next time a Chickenhawk talks about "Freedom On The March" or the "Rise of Democracy" in the Mideast.

Well, that's all I have time for today. It's a nice day out there...why don't you go for a nice, evening stroll with the kids? Or wife. Or dog.

Or whatever.

"In the Beginning, There Was Abramoff"

2005-10-02T11:45:00.000-04:00

Boy, have I got some fun stuff for you today, folks.

The printed media is at it again, giving me all sorts of delightful quotes about DeLay, Abramoff and all the Crooked Chickenhawks in Washington.

This first tidbit is from an editorial by Frank Rich entitled "In the Beginning, There Was Abramoff". Enjoy:

Mr. DeLay's latest plight is only a tiny detail within this vast Boschian canvas of depravity. If this were Watergate - and Watergate itself increasingly looks like a relatively contained epidemic of corruption - the Texas grand jury's indictment of the congressman and his associates would be a sideshow tantamount to the initial 1973 California grand jury indictment of the Nixon aide John Ehrlichman and his pals in the break-in at Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office; Watergate's real legal fireworks were still in the wings. So forget about all those details down in Texas that make your teeth hurt; don't bother to learn the difference between Trmpac and Armpac. Fasten your seat belt instead for the roller coaster of other revelations and possible indictments that's about to roar through the Beltway.

Wow. Frank Rich is right about one thing: Tom DeLay is hardly the only Chickenhawk Crook that needs to be brought to justice. Something is rotten in the Republican party. Rampant cronyism and corporate crookery have gone far enough. It's time for some housekeeping, and Tom DeLay has to be the first to go. I just hope that the cleaning doesn't atop there: plenty more Chickenhawks are in dire need of an extended prison vacation.

Next, I bring you this story. Another retired American general has spoken out against the Iraq War. Unfortunately, none of the major media outlets have picked it up, so I was forced to use this source: The Lowell Sun. Read the story here. It will be worth the time.

Finally, I bring you some tidbits from The Daily Kos. Kos is angry. F-bomb angry. This rarely happens. Read this entry: Bush and reality hate each other.

Well, that's all I have time for today, folks. It's another nice day out there. Why don't you go play outside?

Tags: Tom DeLay, Politics, Abramoff, Iraq

Dispatches From The Ministry Of Truth

2005-10-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Wow. I have lost complete faith in the Department of Education.

First, there were Bill Bennett's loving comments...now there is this.

That's right...apparently, the Department of Education is now functioning as something of a Ministry Of Truth, as well. Illegally, of course. From the New York Times:

Federal auditors said on Friday that the Bush administration violated the law by buying favorable news coverage of President Bush's education policies, by making payments to the conservative commentator Armstrong Williams and by hiring a public relations company to analyze media perceptions of the Republican Party.

In a blistering report, the investigators, from the Government Accountability Office, said the administration had disseminated "covert propaganda" in the United States, in violation of a statutory ban.

Of course, I doubt that anything will come of this. Just like the Abu Gharaib abuse, and every other Chickenhawk Scandal, the only punishments will be doled out to hapless underlings and middle-management types. I would like to hope that we have some accountability for the higher-ups, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

In other news, this is an interesting report. I'm not sure that I agree with some of its conclusions...but it's interesting nevertheless.

Well, this has been a short update. Now, I have some Saturday cleaning to do.

Racism: A Chickenhawk Virtue

2005-09-30T17:03:00.000-04:00

Bill Bennett: illustrious Chickenhawker Supreme, former Secretary of Education, proud member of the GOP.

Today, we add a new title: Hateful Racist. On his radio show, Bennett said:

...if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose -- you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down.

Despicable. Between Barbara Bush's comments on the Superdome, "Brownie, you're doing a great job.", and this, it seems the Far Right is finally showing its true colors.

In other news, it appears the Iraqi Quagmire is not only stalled, but completely in reverse.

That's right. Things are getting worse....we're going backwards.

Exhibit A: This Story. Here's an excerpt:

In June, the Pentagon told lawmakers that three Iraqi battalions were fully trained, equipped and capable of operating independently. On Thursday, [General] Casey said only one battalion is ready.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Things are getting worse. Rather than being strengthened with time, Iraqi forces are being weakened by attrition.

Meanwhile, the Insurgency continues to grow stronger.

Freedom On The March.

Tom DeLay Political Death Watch

2005-09-29T18:17:00.000-04:00

Catchy title, eh?

The Printed Op/Ed pages have been having a field-day of Treasongate proportions (Remember that?!? Make sure you do...) over the Tom DeLay indictment. Here are some delightful tidbits for your reading pleasure.

From the LA Times:

Tom Delay has been so intellectually dishonest for so long that news that he may have been criminally dishonest hardly comes as a surprise. The question now is how much worse the political culture will become before it can get better…

But the real scandal in Washington, as someone once said, isn't what's illegal, it's what's legal. DeLay has practically made a career out of testing the boundaries on ethics — and going far beyond them politically.

Here's another, this one from the New York Times:

The imperious Texan is an increasing embarrassment to his party, turning its majority into an undisguised fountain of patronage and an ideological cudgel while skirting the bounds of campaign law…It's long been clear that the political damage to Mr. DeLay has been self-inflicted. His value as a leader was compromised well before his run-in with the prosecutor in Texas.

Wonderful...music to my ears. I have just one wish (other than a conviction): Tom DeLay being lead away in handcuffs and fingerprinted. I'm sure the photo of DeLay in cuffs would make for a wonderful framed keepsake, worthy of display above the mantle of any Progressive Home. I would pay money for it.

In related news of Chickenhawk Crookery, the SEC has turned up the pressure on Bill First, upgrading its inquiry to a formal investigation. Granted, this is hardly news on the scale of the DeLay indictment. However, it's a start.

My Ultimate Dream? Frist, DeLay, and Turdblossom taking an extended vacation to sunny Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. That would be justice.

In other news, the ACLU won a battle with the Thought Police today. Following a request by the ACLU, a New York judge ordered that the Federal Government release classified photos of the Abu Gharaib torture and abuse. Judge Alvin Hellerstein made the decision, despite heavy opposition from both the military and Chickenhawk Brigade. In his decision, Hellerstein said:

Our struggle to prevail must be without sacrificing the transparency and accountability of government and military officials...[America]does not surrender to blackmail, and fear of blackmail is not a legally sufficient argument to prevent us from performing a statutory command...Indeed, the freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed.

Well, said Alvin. It is nice to know that, even when everyone else seems to have gone mad, small pockets of sanity still live on in the Judiciary.

In still other news, The Fifth Horseman recently got a shoutout here on skippy the bush kangaroo.

Though he hardly needs any help getting traffic, I figured that I would return the favor.

Thanks for the love, skippy. Rock on.

The Hammer Goes To The Slammer....hopefully

2005-09-28T15:56:00.000-04:00

It must be my birthday.

No joke. This is all the present I could have wanted.

What am I talking about, you may ask?

Tom DeLay has been indicted and will step down as majority leader.

A Texas Grand Jury indicted DeLay on charges of criminal conspiracy earlier today, forcing him to step down as required by the House rules.

From cnn.com:

Criminal conspiracy is a state felony punishable by six months to two years in a state jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The potential two-year sentence forces DeLay to step down under House Republican rules.

Wow...just wow. The concept of Tom DeLay in the slammer is exhilarating.

Does it seem like I'm gloating?

I hope so...I am gloating. The man is a crook and, hopefully, he will get what he deserves: time behind bars. My only further wish: Indictments for the rest of the Chickenhawk Brigade of Crooks.

Well, that's all the time I have for today. As much as i would like to rant and rave for another hour, I've got stuff to do: shopping, school, social interactions, etc.

It's a nice day. Go play outside.

Fun With Quotes And Numbers

2005-09-27T16:52:00.000-04:00

As a present to you, my readers, I bring you these excellent quotes. First, I bring you Krugman with a fun new game..."Find The Brownie":

The objective in Find the Brownie is to find an obscure but important government job held by someone whose only apparent qualifications for that job are political loyalty and personal connections. It's inspired by President Bush's praise, four days after Katrina hit, for the hapless Michael Brown, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
There are a lot of Brownies. As Time magazine puts it in its latest issue, "Bush has gone further than most presidents to put political stalwarts in some of the most important government jobs you've never heard of." Time offers a couple of fresh examples, such as the former editor of a Wall Street medical-industry newsletter who now holds a crucial position at the Food and Drug Administration.

O.K., enough joking. The point of my games - which are actually research programs for enterprising journalists - is that all the scandals now surfacing are linked. Something is rotten in the state of the U.S. government. And the lesson of Hurricane Katrina is that a culture of cronyism and corruption can have lethal consequences.

Wow...just wow. I, quite honestly, could not have said it better myself. Dubya has, from Day One, appointed cronies and brownnosers (get it? BROWNnosers!) to the most vital of positions...and now we are paying for that with our lives. Disgraceful.

Also, tied for today's best quote is this gem from Frank Rich:

"Bring Back Warren Harding"

You can read the full article here. It speaks for itself.

My next two topics, I write of for my amusement.

First Up: This Daily Show Clip. As usual, it is both more truthful and far more interesting than anything else you will see on cable news. Thinks of it as my present to you.

Lastly, I present some Fun With Numbers, courtesy of skippy the bush kangaroo:

Over 100,000: Number of pro-peace demonstrators in Washington this past weekend.

400: Number of pro-war demonstrators in Washington this past weekend.

Hmmmmm....I wonder if these numbers could mean anything.... Perhaps that the American public is finally fed up with Dubya's Pointless War Of Aggression?

I'll let you be the judge of that.

Have No Fear....Halliburton Is Here!

2005-09-26T16:46:00.000-04:00

Is it just me, or has the Chickenhawk Brigade’s PR work become increasingly sloppy lately?

Case In Point: This Story. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. They arrested Cindy Sheehan, symbolically dragging her away from the White House in handcuffs. I’m sure that won’t make her into a martyr.

Not that I’m complaining. Anything that gives the White House a black eye is alright by me. This just seems like a particularly clumsy faux pas on the part of the Administration. Who knows, maybe Turdblossom took this week off.

In other news...Halliburton has arrived in New Orleans.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen less than a month later, and the Gulf Coast Reconstruction efforts are firmly in the hands of Chickenhawk Corporate Cronies. From the New York Times:

More than 80 percent of the $1.5 billion in contracts signed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency alone were awarded without bidding or with limited competition, government records show, provoking concerns among auditors and government officials about the potential for favoritism or abuse.

Already, questions have been raised about the political connections of two major contractors - the Shaw Group and Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton - that have been represented by the lobbyist Joe M. Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former leader of FEMA.

Get ready for a Corporate Interest Porkfest of monumental proportions. Tragedy has struck...now lets make some money off of it.

It's the Chickenhawk Motto.

P.S. By the way...Dubya is still a drunkard.

Tags: Cindy Sheehan, Peace, Turdblossom, Katrina, Halliburton

On Peaceniks And Chickenhawk Crooks

2005-09-25T15:00:00.000-04:00

It's seems that, at last, Americans are finally wising up to the crookedness of the Chickenhawk Brigade. My evidence?

This Mass Protest against Dubya's War of Aggression.

From cnn.com:

The rally stretched through the day and into the night, a marathon of music, speechmaking and dissent on the National Mall.

Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey, noting that organizers had hoped to draw 100,000 people, said, "I think they probably hit that."

Maybe we're finally wising up to the inherent evil of the Iraq War. Maybe we can start demanding some accountability from the Chickenhawk Brigade. First question: Where are the WMD's? What are we fighting for? If we keep pressure of this sort on the Administration, maybe we can get some answers.

In other news, another prominent Chickenhawk is under investigation for some shady financial dealings. This time, Bill Frist is facing two investigations for ignoring blind trust rules. From msnbc.com:

Frist, R-Tenn., received regular updates of transfers of assets to his blind trusts and sales of assets. He also was able to initiate a stock sale of a hospital chain founded by his family with perfect timing. Shortly after the sale this summer, the stock price dived.

A possible presidential contender in 2008, Frist now faces dual investigations by the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Securities and Exchange Commission into his stock sales.

Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised. The GOP is simply chock full of Crooks, Liars and Scoundrels of all sorts. Rove, DeLay, Abramoff, and Frist are only the tip of the iceberg. However, this Frist scandal causes me particular happiness. Why? I'll tell you why...

This scandal can't be good for Frist's 2008 Presidential Ambitions. However, although I hate to admit it, this probably won't kill his chances for election. If you don't believe me, consider the past two Presidential elections. After those, I have little faith in the American people's capacity to elect a decent President.

Speaking of which, I bring you this....George W. Bush: Still A Drunkard. That's right, our nuclear weapons are controlled by a "recovered alcoholic" who has recently taken up drinking again.

Tags: Peace, Protest, Iraq, Bush Drinking

On Turdblossom And Torture

2005-09-24T13:05:00.000-04:00

Remember a little while ago when I talked about Karl Rove taking the reins of reconstruction? Remember when I told you that the main purpose of reconstruction was not to save lives and rebuild but to salvage Dubya's image?

Well, I hate to say I told you so...but I did tell you. And I was right. Turdblossom is at it again, engineering the Chickenhawk Brigade's response to Hurricane Rita.

Exhibit A: This Story

From the New York Times:

President Bush was supposed to land [in Texas] on Friday afternoon on the first stop of a tour intended to make clear that he was personally overseeing the federal government's preparations for Hurricane Rita's landfall. But the weather did not cooperate.

It was too sunny.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Apparently, Turdblossom doesn't think that images of Dubya smiling in the sunshine are dashing enough. So, instead, we'll have him hide in a bunker in Colorado.

It is truly amazing how much work these guys put into Dubya's image. I wonder what kind of shape this country would be in if they put that same amount of thought and care into actually running this nation and protecting its people...

In other news, I bring you this: Bush Has Started Drinking Again. I know, it's a low blow. Yellow Journalism, and what not. But I couldn't resist.

In still other disaster-related news, I bring you a story from The Iraqi Quagmire. Thanks to three whistleblowers, new information has been revealed as to the extent of torture and abuse of Iraqis at the hands of American troops.

That's right, we are now torturing, Gestapo-style, prisoners for information. From the New York Times:

"They wanted intel," said the sergeant, an infantry fire-team leader who served as a guard when no military police soldiers were available. "As long as no PUC's [persons under control] came up dead, it happened." He added, "We kept it to broken arms and legs."

Despicable. This makes me feel sick. And you know what the worst part is?

Most of the people responsible for the torture will never be held accountable for their actions. Of course, the grunts on the ground will be given slaps of the wrist...but what about their superiors who are responsible for creating an environment that encourages torture? Like the Generals? Or Rumsfield? Or Dubya himself?

Just like with Abu Gharaib torture case, they will all get off scotch free.

Now, where is the justice in that?

2005-09-23T20:04:00.000-04:00

The Fifth Horseman is taking a short hiatus. Normal posting will resume tomorrow.

Alberto's Crusade Against Porn

2005-09-21T16:24:00.000-04:00

Well, it seems that, in face of the disastrous Federal response to Hurricane Katrina, the Chickenhawk Brigade has learned its lesson and decided to change its ways. In fact, in anticipation of Hurricane Rita, FEMA has mobilized all of its resources and begun shipping ice to the site....in Maine.

That's right, in a stroke of sheer genius, FEMA has diverted ice intended for the Gulf Coast to Maine. It gets worse, from ABC 25 in Texas:

...the truck drivers Newscenter spoke to said they went all the way down to the Gulf Coast with the ice -- stayed for a few days -- and then were told by FEMA they needed to drive to Maine to store it.

In conclusion, FEMA = still a fucking mess.

This is especially unsettling when considered in context of Hurricane Katrina, which is currently barreling towards the Gulf Coast at a level of Category 4. Let's hope, for the sake of all the people in its path, that the Chickenhawk Brigade has gained some rudimentary intelligence since the Katrina debacle.

But I wouldn't count on it.

In other news, Patrick Leahy is a sellout.

That's right, a sellout. A collaborator. A girly man. It would be nice if, just for once, the Democrats could get their act together and present a unified front on some important issues. Say, the nomination of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, for example. I am very disappointed in you guys.

In still other news, I bring you a news item that is, at the same time, both terrifying and hilarious: Alberto's War On Porn.

That's right, Alberto Gonzales has declared a War On Porn. Apparently, with the War On Terror completely won, the Chickenhawk Brigade has decided to target its next greatest enemy: Freedom of Speech. From the Washington Post:

The new squad will divert eight agents, a supervisor and assorted support staff to gather evidence against "manufacturers and purveyors" of pornography -- not the kind exploiting children, but the kind that depicts, and is marketed to, consenting adults.

Next on the FBI's agenda: mandatory chastity belts.

If it weren't for the frightening implications this has for Freedom of Speech, this would be completely laughable.

Luckily for Freedom, not all FBI agents are on the same page as their batshit-crazy boss. In fact, several agents, speaking on condition of anonymity, voiced their (often amusing opinion) on Alberto's Crusade. Here are some snippets (source: Washington Post):

"I guess this means we've won the war on terror...we must not need any more resources for espionage"

"I already gave at home."

"Honestly, most of the guys would have to rescue themselves."

It is nice to know that, even in the belly of the beast, some sanity still remains. Perhaps the Universe isn't completely fucked, after all.

Finally, I present you this:

The Impeachment Report

Impeach Bush is still going strong on technorati.com

Tags: Rita, Katrina, War On Porn, FEMA's Folly, Impeach Bush

Crooks On Capital Hill

2005-09-20T16:57:00.000-04:00

Well, my first topic is hardly worthy of the title of Real News.

But it pleases me, nevertheless. Here is the story: Bush Official Arrested in Corruption Probe.

From the Washington Times:

The Bush administration's top federal procurement official resigned Friday and was arrested yesterday, accused of lying and obstructing a criminal investigation into Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff's dealings with the federal government. It was the first criminal complaint filed against a government official in the ongoing corruption probe related to Abramoff's activities in Washington.

With luck, it won't be the last. Next on my wish list: a joint Tom DeLay/Karl Rove indictment. This would be excellent, if only for the title I would give the entry: Tom And Turdblossom Go To Court.

In other happy news, it seems that some more Democrats have decided to grow some balls. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Harry Reid has announced that he will oppose the confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice.

Of course, even with the support of Reid, the Democrats are hardly unified in their opposition to Roberts. This is discouraging and worrisome, to say the least. We know next to nothing about the man, yet we're ready to make him one of the most powerful figures in the nation. It simply doesn't make sense.

Still, despite the almost total futility of the gesture, Reid's opposition to Roberts is encouraging. In fact, since that awful day in January, Reid has proven to be quite scrappy in holding back the rising tide of Chickenhawk Stupidity.

So, Roberts looks to be a lost cause. He is going to be confirmed. At this point, we can do nothing about him but pray that he doesn't shape up like Rehnquist. However, O'Connor's seat on the court is still empty. So, we can't let our guard down yet. This time, the Democrats need to vote as a unified block, and demand some answers. One surprise Chickenhawk on the court would be bad enough....two would be disastrous.

Goodbye, Roe v. Wade.
Goodbye, Gay Rights.
Goodbye, Freedom of Speech.

Goodbye America.
Hello Jesusland.

Take That, Turdblossom!

2005-09-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

If you will recall, I wrote yesterday about Karl Rove taking charge of the Reconstruction of the Gulf Coast. Of course, everybody knows the reason Turdblossom has been deployed: to save Dubya's reputation. Rove's job is to make people believe in the President again. That was the purpose of the President’s address last Thursday. Well, guess what?

It's not working.

In fact, Dubya's approval ratings actually dropped after his face-saving speech in New Orleans. Excellent. Perhaps the American Public is finally catching on to the Chickenhawk Brigade: they make promises, but they never actually follow through on them.

In other news, Barack Obama continued doing what he does best: being awesome. On Face The Nation, Obama discussed the stupidity of the Administration's refusal to raise taxes to pay for Katrina:

This I think is where the problem comes in. You can't fight a war in Iraq that's costing upwards of 200 billion dollars and rebuild Katrina-rebuild N.O. and respond to the aftermath of Katrina-and try to deal with all the other domestic needs that we have, and- then cut taxes for the wealthiest 1% of Americana. I mean there was talk right-immediately after the hurricane that the republicans in the senate were still going to push forward with the repeal the estate tax which is mind boggling I think. We need some adult supervision of the budget process...

Rock on, Obama. you can see the video clip here at Crooks and Liars.

In other news, I give you this tidbit of foolishness. Apparently, we are winning the war in Iraq, simply because more enemy soldiers are being killed than American soldiers.

Funny....I think I've heard that logic before. Could it have been here?

You would think we would have learned something since Vietnam. In a guerilla campaign, it doesn't matter how many rebels you kill. They'll simply recruit more from an almost endless supply of angered, young males, both domestic and foreign.

The only solution to this Catch-22 is to not have invaded Iraq in the first place. Unfortunately, it's too late for that.

In still other news, I bring you:

The Impeachment Report

Impeach Bush is still going strong on technorati.com. Keep it up, guys.

Tags: Impeach Bush, Katrina, Iraq, Turdblossom

Turdblossom Takes Reins of Reconstruction

2005-09-18T12:07:00.000-04:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen. If the buzz is true, it would seem that Karl Rove has been chosen to head the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.

If true, this will simply confirm what I have suspected all along: the primary concern of the Chickenhawk Brigade on the Gulf Coast is not recovery; it is saving face. If Bush actually wanted to rebuild the Coast in the best manner possible, and help the most people, he would post man with experience in rescue operations and logistics.

Instead, it looks like he wants to assign his Propaganda Chief.

Indeed, government activities in and around New Orleans have already begun to take on a decidedly Rovian slant. The Washington Post made this prediction about Dubya's face-saving speech on Thursday:

Tonight's speech promises two classic features of the Rove approach.

Bush will take advantage of powerful imagery -- the Associated Press reports the speech will be held in historic Jackson Square, with the famous St. Louis Cathedral as a backdrop -- and he won't risk having anyone around who might disagree with him or ask an impertinent question. In fact, the AP says, there won't be a live audience at all. (And even the journalists covering the event are being told they won't be allowed to stray from their press vans.)

Expect more of this, ladies and gentlemen. The President, and the entire Administration, had their noses bloodied thanks to Hurricane Katrina. To save face, and prevent an upset in the 2006 midterms, they are embarking upon a Rove-lead PR blitz. That means that all actual relief work will have to take a back seat to the President's PR-posturing and Rovian propaganda.

Also, expect to see plenty of pictures of Dubya posing with scruffy, rustic firefighters. People eat that shit up.

My next topic is one of pure amusement: Bill O'Reilly. Keith Olbermann recently bestowed upon O'Reilly the title of: Worst Person In The World. Amusing. Very amusing. You can see the clip here at Crooks and Liars.

In other news, it looks as if Rapture Rick Santorum's Senate seat is in danger In the latest polls, Santorum is trailing his Democratic challenger by 14%. Good riddance.

And, finally, I bring you this: Impeach Bush is still in the Top Ten and going strong.

Tags: Katrina, Karl Rove, Impeach Bush, 2006 Elections

GOP Opposition To John Roberts

2005-09-17T14:17:00.000-04:00

It's an odd when a Republican mayor shows more balls in opposing White House policy than most Democratic members of the Senate. Odd, but true. That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Republican Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, has announced his opposition to Bush's nomination of John Roberts. Bloomberg said:

“Judge Roberts’ response did not indicate a commitment to protect a woman’s right to choose...There can be no turning back and for that reason I oppose the nomination of Judge Roberts as chief justice of the Supreme Court.”

Granted, Bloomberg is the mayor of one of the most liberal cities in the nation, so this announcement will hardly put his career at risk. Still, my hat is off to him for having more balls than half the Democrats in Congress. Certain Senators would do well to follow his example.

In other news, Dubya has already started sabotaging the relief efforts he promised in his face-saving speech Thursday evening. Follow this link: Bush Rules Out Raising Taxes for Gulf Relief.

That's right, people of New Orleans. You're important...just not important enough for Bush to force his rich pals to cough up any more dough.

This is especially ridiculous when considered in light of our gargantuan deficit. Although the full extent of Katrina's damage upon the economy is not yet known, it has been estimated that the reconstruction efforts on the Gulf Coast could raise the Federal deficit from its current $350 billion to $500 billion in the coming fiscal year.

So, this leaves one question: if Dubya won't raise taxes, where will the money come from? The answer is simple: budget cuts. Of what, you may ask?

Well, it is safe to assume that the cuts won't come from the Chickenhawk Brigade's beloved War Machine. If anything, they'll need more cash. I doubt that Congress will be willing to give up money from its pork-laden highway bill, either.

That leaves the usual suspects: social programs and education. The Middle Children of the Chickenhawk Brigade's domestic policy. Look for significant budget cuts from Education and Social Welfare programs in the near future.

In other news, "Impeach Bush" has reclaimed the #1 slot at technorati.com. Hat's off to the nice people of the Impeach Bush Coalition and all other members of the Impeach Bush Campaign. You guys have to be doing something right.

tags: impeach bush, katrina, politics

Irresponsibility and Evasion: The New Orleans Address

2005-09-16T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well, almost three weeks and several thousand dead Americans later, Bush finally decided that Hurricane Katrina was serious enough to warrant a speech on primetime television.

As would be expected, the Chickenhawk Brigade is practically shitting itself with glee, as it scrambles to find new and interesting ways to praise the President’s love and compassion. Perhaps worst of all is the reaction of many Democrats, too scared to call out Bush on his hypocrisy, who seemed just as eager as the Chickenhawk Brigade to praise the President's speech.

Well, fuck them. They can be collaborators if they wish. I am going to tell the truth.

I was not impressed by the President's speech. Not even close. Here are my reasons why:

1: No mention of an Independent Investigation into the Administration's dismal response to the disaster. However, this doesn't worry me that much. The vast majority of the American public, including 64% of Republicans, favor an Independent Investigation. If he ignores their wishes, the GOP runs the risk of being clobbered in the 2006 midterms. This threat of losing power is quite possibly the only thing that will motivate Mr. Bush to do the right thing.

2: Although he "accepted responsibility", the President said nothing about any sort of consequences and/or accountability for the failings of himself and his entire Administration. I guess that part is up to us.

3: Although he did accept responsibility for the Administration's failures, Dubya offered no explanations for his criminally slow response. That needs to change.

4: I saw no evidence of this masturbatory "compassion" the Chickenhawk Brigade has been raving about. In fact, Dubya seemed just as stiff and heartless as usual. He referred to his own Father as "Former President Bush", for Christ's sake. Who does that?!? Compassionate conservative, my ass.

5:Still no apology, or even bashful remarks, about his mother's racism.

And, finally, I bring you this tidbit of information from Brian Williams's blog:

In anticipation of Dubya's symbolically poignant trip to New Orleans, and his coldly emotionless speech, power was restored in the city's warehouse district. However, this was not meant to last. Williams wrote:

"And yet last night, no more than an hour after the President departed, the lights went out. The entire area was plunged into total darkness again, to audible groans. It's enough to make some of the folks here who witnessed it... jump to certain conclusions."

A real compassionate conservative, eh?

However, there is one bright spot. Despite the almost orgastic praises of the Chickenhawk Brigade, Dubya's Dismal Address has failed to kill the buzz for his Impeachment. In fact, the words "Impeach Bush" are, as of now, still maintain a #2 spot on the Technorati Top ten list.

Sure, it's a long shot. But being The Underdog is always so much fun. Let's Impeach the Bastard.

Commission Reports and Bathroom Breaks

2005-09-15T16:42:00.000-04:00

Before I get into the usual heavy stuff, I would like to share with you, dear readers, a story that has caused me untold joy. I am not even going to attempt to describe it myself. Just follow this link: Bush's Bathroom Break.

Amusing, very amusing. But, now we have to move onto business.

The GOP is back in true form, and has resumed doing what it does best: evading responsibility.

Yesterday, in a vote strictly along party lines, the GOP-dominated Senate voted down Hillary Clinton's proposal to create an independent commission to investigate the government's pitiful response to Hurricane Katrina.

Disgraceful. Absolutely disgraceful. The GOP clearly realizes its own guilt in the horrid response, and is trying its best to hide its mistakes.

However, luckily for us Principled Left-Wingers, it doesn't look as if they're going to get away with it. From nola.com:

In a CNN/USA Today Gallup poll taken Sept. 8-11, 70 percent of those surveyed supported an independent panel to investigate the government's response to Katrina. Only 29 percent were opposed.

Additionally, it would be wise to keep in mind that the GOP tried to oppose the creation of an independent commission to investigate 9/11. And we all know how that turned out.

So, despite the GOP's best efforts, it wouldn't be wise to write off an Independent Investigation just yet. We just have to keep public outrage going to fuel calls for the creation of the Commission.

Now, on to the next topic: The John Roberts Confirmation Hearings.

Although not surprising, yesterday's spineless performance on the part of the Democrats was hardly surprising. Yet again, only two Democrats really exhibited the balls to ask meaningful questions of Roberts.

As in the previous day, Joe Biden appeared to be the most feisty of the Democrats, not letting Roberts get away with his usual stonewalling:

See, you've told me nothing, Judge.

With all due respect, you've not -- look, it's kind of interesting, this Kabuki dance we have in these hearings here, as if the public doesn't have a right to know what you think about fundamental issues facing them.

There's no more possibility that anyone one of us here would be elected to the United States Senate without expressing broadly and sometimes specifically to our public what it is we believe.

Additionally, Chuck Schumer had a few moments of scrappiness, particularly with regards to the eerie similarities between Clarence Thomas's views on privacy rights, as expressed in his confirmation hearings, and the views expressed by Thomas:

This is obviously very important, because Justice Thomas seemed to be more full in his view of privacy at his confirmation hearing than later, when he was on the court, at least if you read his decisions.

And you are not willing to say that your view is different than the view Justice Thomas stated in Lawrence.

So, hats off to Biden and Schumer for asking the important questions. Now, here's my message to the rest of the Democrats: step it up, guys! This man could be Chief Justice of Supreme Court for decades. That's a lot of time to fuck up the country by reversing gay rights, affirmative action, and a woman's right to choose. It is you responsibility, as American citizens as well as Senators, to ensure that Roberts won't reverse these milestone decisions.

That means asking the tough questions.

In other news, the words "Impeach Bush" are still holding steady at the #1 Slot at Technorati.com.

Excellent.

John G. Roberts: International Man of Mystery

2005-09-14T16:10:00.000-04:00

This confirmation process is, quite honestly, making me quite nervous. Mainly because, even after months of news reports and investigations, I still know next to nothing about where Roberts stands on The Issues. I was hoping that the start of the confirmation hearings yesterday would clear up some of my doubts.

Sadly, they haven't. If anything, the Senate Confirmation hearings only reinforced my doubts.

Roberts, a sly and crafty devil, consistently managed to answer the Committees softball questions without actually revealing anything about his stances on women's and gay rights, among other things.

Here is an excerpt of a portion of Joe Biden's questioning of Roberts:

BIDEN: Do you agree that there is a right of privacy to be found in the liberty clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?

ROBERTS: I do, Senator. I think that the court's expressions, and I think if my reading of the precedent is correct, I think every justice on the court believes that, to some extent or another.

First of all, Roberts didn't really answer the question. He managed to avoid actually telling Biden his personal views, while still managing to sound reassuring to us Principled Left-Wingers.

However, I am hardly reassured.

First of all, let me take issue with this statement: "I think every justice on the court believes that, to some extent or another." This is most unsettling of all. If Roberts is indeed a justice in the mold of Rehnquist, Thomas, and Scalia, we're all fucked. The three conservative justices, like Roberts, professed to believe in privacy rights. However, according to the Three Amigos, these privacy rights don't apply to gays and women, as they have tried to infringe upon the rights of both groups numerous times.

So, you can understand why Robert's sweet nothings are hardly reassuring to me.

However, Democrats are to blame for this fiasco, as well. The Democrats were hardly aggressive in their questioning of Roberts. In fact, with the exception of Joe Biden, most of the Democrats seemed content to allow Roberts to get way with his bullshit. Of all the Democrats, Biden was the only one with enough balls to confront Roberts about his question-dodging, calling Robert's avoidance of the questions "misleading".

So, here's my message to the Democrats: Grow some balls, and start asking the tough questions. This man is being nominated for life to the highest Judicial Body in the nation. He could do some serious damage to a woman's right to choose and gay rights, if he turns out to be a Right-Wing Loony. So, start questioning him.

However, one thing about Roberts frightens me more than others. More frightening than anything else is this: The Family Research Council Applauds Roberts' Abortion Answer. The FRC is a militantly hateful anti-gay and anti-women's rights group with the ultimate goal of converting the United States into a Christian Theocracy. Their approval of Roberts alone is almost enough to make me hate the man, even if he does turn out to be a Moderate or Liberal.

Finally, I bring to you this last tidbit of information. The words "Impeach Bush" are holding steady at #1 on the Technorati list of searches.

Hats off to the folks over at the Impeach Bush Coalition for helping to create Blogger Buzz for the Bush Impeachment. This nation needs Regime change. And we need it now, before Bush can kill off any more of us through his criminal negligence.

Dubya: I accept responsibility...sort of...

2005-09-13T17:36:00.000-04:00

Well, two weeks after he killed thousands of people in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Bush has finally admitted the obvious: the Administration's Shoddy Response to Hurricane Katrina is his fault.

Now, don't get all excited just yet. Sure, Dubya admitted responsibility. This all means nothing unless Dubya actually makes some constructive changes to the nation's emergency response system.

And that seems doubtful, at best. If you'll recall, in the aftermath of another catastrophe caused by his negligence (the 9/11 attacks), Dubya vowed to increase the nation's readiness to withstand another attack or natural disaster. The result of this, no matter how Dubya tried to prevent its creation, was the Department of Homeland Security. However, being unable to prevent its creation, Dubya crippled the DHS's capacity to respond to disasters and rendered it virtually useless.

Thus, if anything, Dubya's creation of the DHS compounded the disastrous situation in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. The DHS was utterly incapable of responding swiftly enough to save the lives of the people of New Orleans.

That was Dubya's response to the last National Disaster. Installing a idiotically complicated and inefficient system that had the effect of allowing thousands of the nation's citizens to drown and starve to death four years later.

So, you can probably see why i have little faith in Dubya's promise to "accept responsibility" for the disaster and implement useful changes. Actions speak louder than words. And this man's actions indicate a childish buffoon, utterly incapable of learning from his deadly mistakes. He promises to "make things better" but, like a short-sighted child, simply makes the same mistakes again.

It's what he has always done, and I see no reason to believe that he'll change his ways anytime soon. I hope, for all our sakes, that he does...but it doesn't really look all that likely.

It's time for regime change. If we impeached Clinton for a blowjob, we damn well better be able to impeach Bush for killing thousands of his own people.

And don't give me that crap about "high crimes and misdemeanors". If we can't run our Leader out of office for homicidal negligence of this sort, something is seriously wrong with this nation's political system. That means the system needs to change...quickly, before it can kill off any more of us.

Mary's Media Blitz

2005-09-12T16:45:00.000-04:00

Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu made the rounds of the Sunday morning talk shows, hitting several of the major networks.

Landrieu, as you will recall, was berated by CNN's Anderson Cooper for her supportive words of the Federal Government's pitiful response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Mary listened to these words and, surprisingly enough for a politician, seemed to actually consider them and have a change of heart. In fact, Mary made the rounds of this Sunday's talk show circuit, berating the Chickenhawk Brigade's efforts to push blame for Katrina on State and local authorities. Here are some choice quotes…

From CBS' Face The Nation:

While the president is saying he wants to work together as a team, I think the White House operatives have a full-court press on to blame state and local officials, whether they're Republicans or Democrats, whether it's [MS Gov.] Haley Barbour or [LA Gov.] Kathleen Blanco, whether it's [New Orleans] Mayor [Ray] Nagin or a Republican mayor from Mississippi.

And, from Fox News Sunday:

I'm asking the White House to stop sending out press releases blaming local and state officials.

This is a far cry from the Mary Landrieu we saw two weeks ago, obliviously praising the Federal Government's response to Hurricane Katrina.

Unlike the President and his cronies, when presented with the facts, Mary seems capable of seeing the truth. That's refreshing. We hardly see any of that these days.

Mary also spoke the truth. The Chickenhawk Brigade has been even more hypocritical than usual over the past couple weeks. Even as they denounce the "Liberal Media" for playing the "blame game", they simultaneously try to push responsibility for the fuckups onto the State and Local governments.

In other news, FEMA Director Michael Brown has officially resigned. Of course, this barely rates as news. Although Bush technically "reassigned" Brown to Washington, this reassignment was a dismissal in all but name. Good riddance. The man was utterly incompetent. It's just a shame that his incompetence killed so many people before he resigned.

Finally, I give you this final tidbit of information. The words "Impeach Bush" are occupying the #2 slot on the Technorati Top Ten list and still going strong. Although the campaign has a snowball's chance in hell of actually running Dubya out of office, the buzz it has been generating can hardly hurt the Common Cause of Principled Left-Wingers everywhere.

And, who knows? Perhaps the campaign will fuel public calls for an Independent Investigation into the government's Hurricane Katrina failures. We can only hope.

Dubya's Imaginary World

2005-09-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

The New York Times ran an excellent story today, detailing the string of catatstrophic failures in the Federal Government's response to Hurricane Katrina. In its article, the Times hit the Administration's primary failure right on the nose:

While local officials assumed that Washington would provide rapid and considerable aid, federal officials, weighing legalities and logistics, proceeded at a deliberate pace.

FEMA appears to have underestimated the storm, despite an extraordinary warning from the National Hurricane Center that it could cause "human suffering incredible by modern standards." The agency dispatched only 7 of its 28 urban search and rescue teams to the area before the storm hit and sent no workers at all into New Orleans until after the hurricane passed on Monday, Aug. 29.

Now, I'm not saying the State and local governments are blameless is the disastrous response to Katrina. However, there is only so much that the local authorities can do with their limited resources. A relief effort of the magnitude of that in New Orleans was simply too much for Local and State resources to handle. They needed Federal Aid. And that Federal Aid arrived far too late.

Newsweek also ran an interesting article: How Bush Blew It. In the article, Newsweek discussed Bush's staff and inner circle:

Bush can be petulant about dissent; he equates disagreement with disloyalty. After five years in office, he is surrounded largely by people who agree with him. Bush can ask tough questions, but it's mostly a one-way street.

The President doesn't live in, or even care about, the Real World. He lives in an elaborate fantasy land in which his word is Supreme, and the opinion of all others be damned. In his World, let's call it DubyaWorld, Bush doesn't like to be reminded of the suffering of the plebeians in the outside world. He also doesn't like to be reminded of his mistakes.

Because, in DubyaWorld, whatever Dubya says is Right.

This elaborate fantasy life is bad news for the rest of us. With no one to challenge, no devil's advocate, Dubya does whatever he wants. Like go to war for nothing. Or take a three month vacation. Or double the deficit. Or ignore the suffering of people in his own nation until public outrage forces him to.

The man is like a small child. A small, selfish child who doesn't want to be told when he is wrong.

Which brings me to my next topic. The Impeach Bush Coalition. Those guys must be doing something right. For proof, examine the list of Tope Ten Searches at technorati.com. Occupying the #1 slot are these words: "Impeach Bush".

Although it is unlikely that Bush will ever be brought to justice, much less impeached, this can hardly be doing much good for his Administration. If nothing else, the Impeachment Movement will at least raise calls for an independent investigation into the government's failings in the response to Hurricane Katrina.

Maybe, then, the people of New Orleans can get some justice against the selfish man-child of a President who ignored their plight until he absolutely had to notice.

We can only hope.

Bush to investigate...himself?

2005-09-10T14:50:00.000-04:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. In face of increasingly vocal calls for an investigation into the Administration's Hurricane Katrina fuckups, the Chickenhawk Brigade has vowed to launch an investigation. This investigation will be conducted by none other than President Bush himself.

That's right. Dubya will be investigating his own failures.

Does anybody else see anything wrong with that? This is the equivalent of asking OJ to investigate his ex-wife's murder, or selecting a fox to investigate a mysterious Henhouse killing.

Just as bad is the GOP-lead Congressional Committee that the Chickenhawk Brigade is trying to organize for the investigation.

Ridiculous. Simply ridiculous. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Dubya and the GOP will be too busy covering their own asses and trying to deflect blame to local officials to actually do any real investigation. What we need is an independent committee , in the spirit of the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the failures of the Federal Government in its response to Hurricane Katrina. Of course, Bush knows that any independent committee’s finding won't look kindly on his sheer incompetence, so he'll try his best to stall the launching of any independent investigation. But he tried to stall the 9/11 Commission Report, and they published anyways.

In other news, the Media, continuing with its recent feisty streak, won another victory yesterday afternoon. If you recall, earlier last week, the Chickenhawk Brigade attempted to prevent the Media from reporting on the death toll and body recovery efforts in New Orleans. I guess the sight of dead bodies must have been giving some people dangerously anti-Administration thoughts.

CNN, still feeling feisty, took their case to court...and won. Rather than fight a CNN lawsuit, the Federal Government decided to allow the Media to report on recovery of the dead from New Orleans. This should be a lesson to the Administration: they may be able to suppress images of the dead from Iraq, but Freedom of the Press is still going strong on our own soil.

Disturbing as they may be, the public needs to see the images of these bodies on the News. Maybe, if they are presented with the sight of these victims of governmental negligence, the public will began to demand some accountability from the Administration that allowed 10,000 of its own citizens to die.

Which brings me to my next topic. Currently, the #2 slot on the Technorati List of Top Ten Searches is this: "Impeach Bush". This movement has been, over the past few days, gained quite a bit of attention in the Blogosphere, even spawning an Impeach Bush Coalition. Now, I realize that this is all likely just a pipe dream. It is highly unlikely that Bush will ever be impeached, no matter what the final death toll of negligence proves to be. That said, this interest in Impeachment could do some good. Even if Bush manages to avoid impeachment, as he likely will, the extra attention provided by the movement could lend some extra fuel to calls for an independent investigation into the Administration's shoddy response to Hurricane Katrina.

Bush let us all down. We pay him to protect us. Instead, through his negligence, he managed to kill off 10,000 of us. We can't let him get away with that. There needs to be an investigation, conducted by an independent commission, and there needs to be some justice.

If I may haul out an old phrase: Regime Change Begins a Home. We have never needed that change more than we do now. It's time for Bush to go back to Crawford. Permanently.

The Depths of Chickenhawk Stupidity

2005-09-09T17:40:00.000-04:00

Hark! I have monumental news.

The Bush Administration has done something right....kinda...sort of...not really.

Secretary Chertoff has finally fired the criminally incompetent Chief of FEMA: Michael Brown.

This would be better news if it weren't for the fact that this didn't happen until almost two weeks after the levees broke. The only smart thing Dubya could have done (unlikely, isn't it?) is to have never hired Brown in the first place. But it's too late for that now. Dubya values political loyalty more than competence, and the lives of his citizens be damned.

However, Brown was by no means the only source of incompetence in the Administration's response to Katrina. In fact, of the many Administration incompetents, the worst of them all is the Big Kahuna: Dubya "Dumbass" Bush himself. I present to you this new information from the New York Times that reveals the utter depths of stupidity prevalent on all levels of the Chickenhawk Brigade.

Apparently, according to the Times, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco asked the President for Federal troops as early as last Monday. By Wednesday, Blanco had increased her request to 40,000 troops.

However, the first Federal troops didn't arrive on the scene until five days after the levees broke.

But that's not even the worst of it. A 7,200 man rapid-response team from the 82nd Airborne Division was ready to deployed from Fort Bragg, N.C., on Sunday morning, almost a day before Katrina hit. This team could have been on the ground in New Orleans within 18 hours. However, thanks to Chickenhawk Incompetence at the highest levels, they didn't arrive in New Orleans until five days after the levees broke.

Incompetence on this level is inexcusable. Regime Changes needs to take place now.

On a lighter note, Dick Cheney, known around the world for his tender love and compassion for all downtrodden peoples, was given a warm reception by the natives of New Orleans. For a laugh, you can view the clip here at Crooks and Liars.

Finally, I would like to finish up today's entry with a topic unrelated to Hurricane Katrina: The Religious Right. Specifically, their rabid hatred of homosexuals. I found this interesting website that presents a side-by-side comparison of contemporary Batshit Crazy anti-gay rhetoric with 1930's Nazi anti-Jew rhetoric.

Eerily similar. Surely, it must be a coincidence....right?

I think we all know the answer to that question: hate is hate, no matter who it comes from. There is no difference between 1930's anti-Semitism in Germany, and modern-day gay-bashing in the "Free World".

Hate is just as ugly, no matter who is spewing it.

GOP Shows Its True Colors

2005-09-08T16:12:00.000-04:00

If there is one thing Hurricane Katrina has taught us, it is this: "Compassionate Conservatism" is a gigantic sack of shit.

Unless you're rich and/or politically influential, the GOP doesn't care if you live or die. Quite simply, the Chickenhawk Brigade doesn't care about poor people.

Here's a quote from Barbara Bush, the Mama Hen of the Chickenhawk Brigade:

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway...so this is working very well for them."

Barbara's message to the people of New Orleans: Sure you lost your home, family and worldly possessions, but it can't really matter that much because you were poor anyways.

What a wonderfully caring lady. She doesn't look down her nose at the poor even a little bit, does she?

Here's another gem of GOP compassion, this one from Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. When asked about the Administration's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina, Chertoff replied:

"You don't normally tell the National Guard to pack up and move within 24 hours unless it's, ya know, a huge emergency."

Apparently a demolished city and 10,000 dead American citizens doesn't constitute an important enough emergency to call up the National Guard.

This makes me wonder: would the Administration's response have been any different if Hurricane Katrina had hit a more influential area...say, Miami or Orange County, California.

I think we all know the answer to that question. If Hurricane Katrina had hit a rich, GOP-dominated area, or even a crucial swing state, Federal troops and aid would have been on the site within a day.

Sorry New Orleans, I guess you're just not important enough to the President. Unless you're rich and powerful, Bush and the Chickenhawk Brigade don't care what happens to you.

I've known this for a while, and I think that, at last, the rest of the country is beginning to come to their senses as well. It seems that, finally, Bush has fucked up badly enough, and killed enough people, to really outrage the masses. Observe the list of Top Ten Searches at technorati.com. The #3 slot on the list is occupied by this term: "Impeach Bush".

Of course, we all know that this is likely to prove nothing but a pipe dream. Bush is too secure to be in any real danger of impeachment, no matter how many American citizens he has murdered. However, the sheer fact that these terms even appear on the list indicates a rising tide of outrage against the deadly negligence of the Bush White House.

The GOP has had control of this country for far too long. Their negligence has now killed thousands of our own citizens. This country needs a Regime Change.

The Bush Response: Lie! Deflect! Suppress!

2005-09-07T17:23:00.000-04:00

10,000 dead. That's the latest estimate of the Hurricane Katrina death toll.

10,000 men, women and children dead thanks to the negligence of the Chickenhawk Brigade. These people have killed three times as many Americans as the terrorists in the 9/11 attacks.

However, it seems that the Bush Administration has finally marshaled all its resources, rolled up its sleeves and finally gotten to work....on salvaging Dubya's Watergate-level approval ratings.

That's right...not saving lives. Saving face.

Realizing that their murderously sluggish response to the disaster was terrible for Bush's "compassionate conservative" image, the White House has embarked on a PR blitz in a last-ditch attempt to ward off facing consequences for their failures.

Not only has Dubya taken plenty of time to pose with firefighters for patriotic photo ops (thus keeping those firefighters from actually rescuing people), the White House has gone on the attack against a pesky, unpatriotic nuisance known as "freedom of the press".

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. FEMA, under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, refused to permit journalists to take photos of dead bodies in New Orleans.

Apparently, photos of the victims of Bush's negligence have been giving the plebeians dangerous thoughts. And, Lord knows we can't have that. No siree.

Essentially Bush is now attempting to get "harmful images" (i.e. the lifeless bodies his victims) off the air, and replace those with "happy images" of him posing with muscled, rustic firemen and rescue workers.

Don't let him get away with it.

We all know the truth by now. Bush and the rest of the Administration neglected the city of New Orleans, cutting funding for flood protection and levee support. And, now the people of New Orleans are paying for it with blood.

Of course, the Chickenhawk Brigade is going to try to push the blame on the State and local officials. Don't let them get away with that either. There is little that the city of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana could have done with only 1/3 of their usual storm-protection funds and with 35% less of their usual National Guard strength (you can thank the Iraq War for that one).

Only the Federal Government has the resources to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. And the people of New Orleans didn't see any of these resources until almost a week after the levees broke.

Incompetence on this scale is simply inexcusable. This country needs a regime change. And we need it now, before any more people die at the hands of the incompetents running the White House.

We simply can't afford to let these people control this nation any longer.

Media Criticism of the Chickenhawk Brigade

2005-09-06T16:05:00.000-04:00

Today must be my birthday. Honestly, this is amazing.

It seems that the Main Stream Media has finally decided to grow some balls, criticize the bungled Federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

First up was MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who made these statements on MSNBC.

No one is suggesting that mayors or governors in the afflicted areas, nor the federal government, should be able to stop hurricanes. Lord knows, no one is suggesting that we should ever prioritize levee improvement for a below-sea-level city, ahead of $454 million worth of trophy bridges for the politicians of Alaska.

But, nationally, these are leaders who won re-election last year largely by portraying their opponents as incapable of keeping the country safe. These are leaders who regularly pressure the news media in this country to report the reopening of a school or a power station in Iraq, and defies its citizens not to stand up and cheer. Yet they couldn’t even keep one school or power station from being devastated by infrastructure collapse in New Orleans — even though the government had heard all the “chatter” from the scientists and city planners and hurricane centers and some group whose purposes the government couldn’t quite discern… a group called The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And most chillingly of all, this is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological.

It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

Amazing. Simply wonderful. If you wish, you can view the full video here.

This was followed up by Meet The Press's Tim Russert, who leveled his own criticism of the government's pitiful response. Here's a choice quote:

And the reason that we need to figure out what went wrong is not just so's that the red guys can point at the blue guys and the blue guys at the red guys, it's because Homeland Security is supposed to make us safer. Based upon what we've seen, they have failed miserably. There will be another hurricane, there will be another terrorist attack, and when that happens, we cannot survive another response like we've seen in our southlands.

You can get the full video here.

Wow. Just wow. Perhaps this disaster has brought about a change in media for the better in the media. Maybe the media will stop spewing out infotainment and start actually asking reasonable questions of the establishment.

CNN's Anderson Cooper has started.

Hell, even Fox News correspondents have begun to question the Administration's shoddy response to the tragedy. You need to watch this video from Hannity and Colmes. Both Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera were furious about the Administration's awful response to Hurricane Katrina. When presented with the horrid truth from Smith, Hannity began his usual spinning: "...let's get this in perspective..." However, Smith cut him off, screaming "This is perspective!" Geraldo Rivera appeared on the same program, holding a child and crying, in hopes of bringing the inhumane conditions in New Orleans to light. Of course Geraldo was, as usual, grandstanding and promoting his favorite person: Geraldo. However, a kernel of rebellious altruism can nevertheless be detected at the heart of his melodramatic self-promotion. And, for a man as self-absorbed as Geraldo, this is monumentally significant.

These people aren't shrill left-wingers. They are correspondents from Fox News. And even they realized that the Administration fucked up big time. And now New Orleans is paying for that mistake with blood.

We pay these people to protect us, and they failed. Now, our own citizens are dying for their mistakes. There needs to be some accountability, and some heads need to roll. The Administration, Bush and Chertoff included, fucked up big time. And they need to face the consequences of their failure.

This is dereliction of duty, my friends. It was the duty of Chertoff and Bush to protect us. They failed. And, now, they need to pay for that failure. There needs to be some regime change around here. The nation simply can't afford to have that man in office for a second longer. Not if we want to make it out of this term alive.

Katrina in The News

2005-09-05T14:45:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Katrina has spawned some interesting television moments over the past week. Perhaps most entertaining of all was Kanye West's outburst during a fundraising telethon on live TV. (I analyzed it here)

But that's not what I want to talk about today. Today I want to talk about the Sunday political talk shows.

Perhaps most interesting was yesterday's Meet The Press. Of Russert's guests for the day, the two most interesting were Secretary of Homeland Security Chertoff and the President of Jefferson Parish Louisiana, Aaron Broussard. (Full transcript here)

Mr. Broussard became quite emotional on the show, blasting the Administration's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina. At one point, a tearful Broussard proclaimed:

"We have been abandoned by our own country."

You can see a video excerpt here at Crooks and Liars.

Almost as interesting as Broussard was Mr. Chertoff, who immediately began doing what the Chickenhawk Brigade does best: denying responsibility for their fuckups. In fact, rather than helping to coordinate the rescue effort, Chertoff spent his time on Sunday making the rounds of the political talk show circuit, trying desperately to shift blame from the Administration on each show.

After Meet The Press, Chertoff began subtle on Fox News Sunday:

WALLACE: How is it possible that you could not have known on late Thursday ... that there were thousands of people in the Convention Center who didn't have food, who didn't have water, who didn't have security, when that was being reported on national television?

CHERTOFF: Well, Chris, you know, that's one of the issues we have to look at.

I mean, we were in constant touch with what was going on in the field, getting information from state and local officials.

As it happened on that very Thursday, I was in a videoconference with state officials and didn't get any information about this.

And one of the things we will look at is, why it is in the middle of this emergent crisis there was kind of a conflict in the information.

Chertoff later dropped the subtle approach to his blameshifting on CNN's Late Edition:

The very day that this emerged in the press, I was on a video conference with all the officials, including state and local officials.

And nobody -- none of the state and local officials or anybody else was talking about a Convention Center.

Apparently, according to the Administration, local and state officials hold all of the responsibility for the disastrous response to Katrina.

Disaster response isn't the main responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. Right?

Wrong. Dead wrong. Let's examine the Mission Statement for the Department of Homeland Security:

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.

The DHS knew that there was no food stockpiled in New Orleans...yet they did nothing about it. They knew that the levees wouldn't hold, yet they refused to evacuate the 200,000 car-less poor folks from the city. And yet, it failed to respond significantly until almost a week after the levees broke.

Not only did Chertoff fail the people of this nation, but the entire Administration failed us. This entire response was a failure on virtually every level of the Administration, all the way up to Mr. Bush himself.

They have failed us, and heads need to roll for that failure.

On Rehnquist and the Hypocrisy of the Katrina Response

2005-09-04T11:11:00.000-04:00

Well, unless you live in a cave somewhere, you've already heard the news.

Chief Justice Rehnquist is dead. Rest in peace. I may not agree with the man, but I can at least wish him peace.

That said, things are going to get increasingly interesting in the next couple weeks. Not only do we have John G. Roberts nomination to think about, we now have to fill the post of Chief Justice.

Quite frankly, this change frightens me. I know it's in poor taste to speak badly of the dead, but honesty will be necessary in this entry.

I am frightened of another justice in the mold of Rehnquist. From abortion to affirmative action to gay rights, Rehnquist has made a point of opposing any decision that could possibly increase the rights of the citizens of this nation.

Another Justice in the mold of Rehnquist could be potentially disastrous for a woman's right to choose (among other things), especially since the positions of Roberts are virtually unknown. The idea of two brand-new, anti-choice justices on the Supreme Court should be very unsettling to principled Left-Wingers everywhere.

Now, on to some Hurricane news.

By this point, all intelligent people know that Bush and the Chickenhawk Brigade don't actually give a shit about the people in New Orleans. In case you still haven't got the picture, I present you this quote by Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff. In response to a question (video clip here) about the Administration's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina, Chertoff said:

"You don't normally tell the National Guard to pack up and move within 24 hours unless it's, ya know, a huge emergency."

So apparently, to the Chickenhawk Brigade, the thousands of American citizens in mortal danger on the Gulf Coast don't constitute an "emergency". Sorry folks, you're not important to the White House. Maybe things would be better if you lived in a swing state.

Which brings me on to my next topic. On Friday night, Bush finally signed a $10.5 billion aid bill for Hurricane Katrina. Bush also visited some affected on Friday, taking time for a photo-op that tied up rescue operations and diverted rescue workers from their task of saving people, so they could stand at attention behind the President.

But I digress. That's not my main point. What I really want to do is draw a comparison between Bush's response to Florida, after it was hit by four hurricanes last year, and Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina this year.

Last year, when four hurricanes slammed into Florida, Bush was on the ground at the site almost immediately for a photo-op with his brother Jeb. Also, he awarded $31 million in disaster relief to Florida residents who didn't even experience hurricane damage.

Is it a coincidence that Florida was a swing state in an election year, while Louisiana was not? Could this have something to do with Bush's speedy response to Florida last year, and his sluggish response Hurricane Katrina this year?

I think we're all intelligent enough to know the answer to that question.
Unless helping you will win him votes or money, Dubya doesn't care if you live or die.

A real "compassionate conservative", huh?

It's About Class, not Color

2005-09-03T12:33:00.000-04:00

Well, unless you live in a cave somewhere, you've probably heard about Kanye West's remarks on live television, denouncing the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina. (Watch it here at Crooks and Liars)

Of the many quotable gems, perhaps the greatest was when Kanye proclaimed:

"George Bush doesn't care about black people."

This statement has caused an amusing amount of anger from the Far Right Wing. (See: here, here, and here).

Now, Kanye's remarks aren't totally true. It is true that Dubya doesn't care about the black people in New Orleans. But it's not because of the color of their skin. Dubya doesn't care about the white people in New Orleans either.

Why, you may ask? I'll tell you why.

George W. Bush doesn’t care about the people of the Gulf Coast because they are poor, and lack political power. The color of your skin doesn't matter to him. All that matters to George W. Bush is whether you live in a swing state or you can give money to the GOP.

Other than that, he doesn't give a shit. Dubya didn't react to the disaster on the Gulf Coast until public outrage forced him to. Only when it looked as if remaining silent would damage him politically did Dubya choose to even mention Hurricane Katrina. And even now, his reaction is pathetic.

Now, here is the interesting question: Would Dubya's reaction have been different if Hurricane Katrina hit a more politically influential area? Say...Florida or Texas? Or maybe Orange County, California.

I'm willing to bet money he would have reacted differently.

So, Kanye was half right. Dubya doesn't care about the black people in New Orleans. But it's not because of the color of the skin. Dubya doesn't care about the people of New Orleans, black or white, because they don't have the money or power to help his political career.

The man is a pure political animal. Nothing more. All he cares about is what you can do for him, and everything else be damned.

Anderson Attacks!

2005-09-02T11:15:00.000-04:00

Finally, we're getting some outrage from the Main Stream Media over the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina. CNN's Anderson Cooper, who has been in New Orleans all this week, verbally bitch-slapped Sen. Mary Landrieu for the government's shoddy response to the disaster on the Gulf Coast.

Here is a choice excerpt from the interview (via mediabistro.com):

LANDRIEU: Anderson, tonight, I don't know if you've heard -- maybe you all have announced it -- but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to pass a $10 billion supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Red Cross up and operating.

COOPER: Excuse me, Senator, I'm sorry for interrupting. I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated.

And when they hear politicians slap -- you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up.

Hats off to Anderson, for being one of the first in the MSM to finally speak the truth and try to hold the government to some measure of accountability. Let's hope others in the media choose to follow his example.

On to more Katrina news. Specifically, Administration lies about their responsibility for the disaster in New Orleans.

On ABC's Good Morning America, President Bush proclaimed:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will..."

Sadly, that is not the case. In fact, engineers have been warning for years of the potential disaster if the New Orleans levees were to break. USA Today had this story: Engineers had warned of a looming disaster.

So, contrary to what Bush wants us to believe, there was plenty of warning about the vulnerability of the New Orleans levees. He simply chose to ignore it. This is hardly surprising. The man has a bad habit of ignoring the advice of his experts. This habit often has deadly results, such as when Dubya took us to war over evidence that 70% of his CIA analysts said was unreliable. Our troops and the Iraqi people are currently paying for that decision. Now its time for the people of New Orleans to pay for his decision to ignore warnings about the vulnerable levees.

The man is incompetent in the extreme. Under his watch, he has allowed thousands of his own people, and citizens abroad, to die from his bungling leadership. In the corporate world, incompetence of this magnitude would certainly result in his immediate dismissal. The man is completely and utterly incapable of leading a group of people of any sort, much less a nuclear superpower.

Sadly, we're stuck with him for another three years. All that remains to be seen is how many other people he can kill in that time.

Bush Shirks His Responsibility

2005-09-01T17:46:00.000-04:00

By this time, all sensible people know the full story about New Orleans. In the months before Hurricane Katrina came ashore, Dubya axed spending for hurricane-protection programs by millions of dollars.

Perhaps most galling of all is that Dubya cut these hurricane-protection funds even after an FEMA report that warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. Despite these warnings, Bush still insisted on cutting New Orleans flood-control funding by 44 percent to pay for his War of Aggression.

So, Bush made a mistake. A HUGE mistake. At that point, the only decent thing to do is fess up and confess to your mistakes.

However, sadly for the rest of us, Dubya is not a decent person. Not even close.

In fact, in an address to the nation yesterday afternoon, Bush did what he does best: avoiding responsibility for his actions.

In a vague speech that even conservatives at the National Review found “tone-deaf” and "pathetic", Bush talked about everything but his responsibility for the disaster in New Orleans.

Now, I know that actions speak louder than words. However, in this case, both Dubya's actions and his words seem to indicate that the man is completely out of touch with reality. Either that, or the man simply doesn't mind having the blood of thousands on his hands. Being a nice guy, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume the former.

But I digress. Let me explain my statement.

Dubya's words indicate that he is unwilling to accept responsibility for his mistakes. He fucked up, and people are dying for his fuck-ups, both in Iraq and New Orleans.

His actions also indicate a complete lack of responsibility. Not only did the President cut flood-control funds to New Orleans, but his sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina indicates his complete loss of touch with reality. In fact, as late as Tuesday, while New Orleans was completely engulfed in floodwaters, Dubya still had time to give speeches in support of his War of Aggression.

Amazing. Simply amazing. While men and women were dying for his mistakes in New Orleans, he was talking about another one of his mistakes, the War of Aggression that men and women are dying for in Iraq.

The man is completely incompetent. Don't we pay this guy to take care of us? Over the course of his administration, this man has, through lies, bumbling, and outright incompetence killed thousands of people, first abroad, and now on our own shores.

And yet, we still let him keep his job. Now, where is the justice in that?

Casualties of the War

2005-08-31T15:57:00.000-04:00

There have been reports that the Administration has offered Iraqi Sunni leaders $75 million dollars if they sign the Iraqi Constitution.

Granted, these reports are, as of now, unconfirmed. However, if these reports are true they will prove very telling, especially in light of the recent disaster on the Gulf Coast.

Bush had $75 million for bribes, yet not a penny for levee stabilization in New Orleans.

Even if these bribe rumors prove unfounded, my point still stands. Dubya's unnecessary War of Aggression has placed a colossal strain on the nation's budget. To meet this massive strain, funds have been diverted from numerous crucial domestic programs, including levee stabilization.

Sadly, thanks to the President, the State of Louisiana is lacking in

The War in Iraq is currently costing the nation $186 million a day. That breaks down to an average of about $5.6 billion a month.

How much good could even one day's worth of War Funds have done for the people of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina slammed into them? $186 million can pay for a hell of a lot of levee stabilization.$75 million of bribe money could have shored up the levees enough to save the city.

In addition to insufficient funds, 35% of Louisiana's National Guard is deployed in Iraq. That amounts to around 3,500 Guardsmen that won't be available to help with the rescue effort. Now, the Louisiana National Guard claims it has sufficient strength to aid in the rescue effort...but 3,500 extra pairs of hands sure as hell couldn't hurt.

However, thanks to Dubya's War, the State of Louisiana can't have sufficient money or Guardsmen. Bush has made his decision: the Iraq War takes precedence over everything else. And now the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are paying for that decision with blood.

"It's Over for New Orleans"

2005-08-30T22:26:00.000-04:00

Donate to the Red Cross Relief Fund.

If you're reading this, you have enough money to spare. And, if possible, give blood. I'm sure there will be drives in your area.

Between Biloxi and New Orleans, it looks as if the death toll is going to climb into the hundreds. But more urgent is the plight of those still alive and stranded. So donate. Give blood.

If you want more info, CNN has been providing an excellent running update on the worsening situation.

I'm not going to put a political spin on this update. The situation has become too dire. I'll spin later. For now, just donate.

However, sometime in the near future, after all the people are evacuated, there will need to be some accountability. Some policies that contributed to this disaster will need to be reexamined.

But that will come later. For now, donate and give blood.

New Orleans: Victim of the Chickenhawk Brigade

2005-08-30T17:45:00.000-04:00

Dubya has some explaining to do to the people of New Orleans. Earlier this year, Bush denied the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers funds to shore up the levees in New Orleans.

Now the people of New Orleans are paying dearly for this mistake. A two-block section of the vital 17th Street Canal gave way yesterday, allowing water to pour into the city. As of now, 80% of the city is covered in up to 20 feet of water.

Widespreead evacuation orders have now been issued for the entire city. Additionally, widespread, blatant looting has led to the declaration of martial law and an order for all journalists to leave the city.

Sadly, much of this could possibly have been prevented if Dubya hadn't refused to meet the budget requests for the New Orleans levees. It seems that all domestic programs, no matter how vital, have taken a back seat to the financial needs of Dubya's War of Agression. Thanks to Dubya's money-hungry war, the city of New Orleans didn't have enough storm protection to withstand Hurricane Katrina.

This war has caused untold misery to civilians, first in Iraq, and now in New Orleans. Would New Orleans have been spared if Bush hadn't diverted funds away from storm protection? I don't know for sure, but I've got a hunch that some extra government funding sure as hell wouldn't hurt.

However, apparently Halliburton contractors in Iraq are more important to Dubya than the lives of the people in New Orleans. Compassionate conservative, my ass.

Since Dubya hasn't been much help to the people of New Orleans, I guess it's up to us. Donate to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief Effort.

That's all for today, folks.

Hurricane Katrina: The Iraq Connection

2005-08-29T11:20:00.000-04:00

I saw an extremely interesting Hurricane Katrina story on Daily Kos today. Apparently, Bush has been cutting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District hurricane protection budget every year since 2001.

Now, as a liberal, I have been accused of using Bush as a scapegoat for everything. And that's not true. Not everything is Bush's fault...just most things. And this is one of those things.

New Orleans Storm Protection is simply another victim in a long line of programs that have had their funding cut by the Chickenhawk Brigade. Ever since its start in 2003, the Iraq War has been draining vast amounts of funding from crucial domestic programs. Sadly, Hurricane protection for New Orleans has been one of those programs. And now the city and all of its inhabitants are paying for it.

Speaking of disasters, let's move on to my next topic: The Iraqi Constitution. In case you haven't heard, a draft of the Iraqi Constitution has been signed in committee.

But don't pat yourself on the back yet.

The Sunnis are still pissed. According to leading Sunni clerics, negotiations were conducted almost exclusively between the mostly Shiite United Iraqi Alliance and the Kurdish Alliance. Saleh al-Mutlag, head of the Sunni negotiators, said:

The situation is not balanced. We came here on the basis that there is compromise but it doesn't exist.

This is, needless to say, a bad thing. The Sunnis are the main driving force behind the increasingly violent insurgency. We don't want them to feel excluded from the government. If they feel excluded from the government, they'll have more motivation to blow up U.S. troops and other Iraqis. This Sunni anger is a bad sign for the future of the Iraqi nation and the U.S. troops stuck in the mess.

And, despite its apparent optimism, it seems that the Administration is finally beginning to realize the severity of the situation in Iraq. In face of missed goals and resounding failures, the administration has began lowering its goals for success in Iraq.

From the New York Times:

Lowering their sights, administration officials said Sunday that their task now was to keep the political process alive, even if the constitution was rejected in October, and thereby keep the disaffected Sunnis from helping to stoke more violence.

"It's a legitimate position for some Iraqis to decide that they don't like this document," the State Department official said. "That is still within the democratic process. I don't buy the idea that thousands of people will flock to the colors of the insurgency because their just demands in a constitution were turned down."

This is a far cry from the days when Bush espoused his undying confidence in the Iraqi constitution.

In other Iraq news, the Chickenhawk Brigade has continued with its amusingly shrill attacks upon Cindy Sheehan. For your amusement, here are some quotes from the Far Right:

"But Cindy Sheehan has powerful shields that block negative publicity. The shrill voice of the anti-war left is back in Crawford, Texas, accusing Bush of "murdering" her son who died in Iraq on a volunteer rescue mission."
--JackLewis.net

"This woman, this woman like truly makes me sick, you know. Though, you know, what's sicker is that the mainstream media, along with her fellow Crawford crusadors[sic], continues to exploit someone who truly needs some serious emotional assistance."
--Jerkasaurus.com

Of course, we all know what these tirades mean by now. These angry response from the Far Right mean that Cindy is having an impact upon the hearts of the American public. Also, by continuing to angrily denounce Cindy, the Chickenhawk Brigade is simply giving her and the entire pro-peace movement free publicity. So keep it up, guys!

Right Wing Crazies Crash Funerals

2005-08-28T15:38:00.000-04:00

Today is a special day. I usually don't update the blog on Sundays, but events today have forced me to break with that tradition. That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Right-Wing Crazies are at it again.

This time, members of a Baptist church in Kansas are contending that soldiers in Iraq are being punished by God for allowing gays in the military. These protestors have even staged their anti-gay rallies at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.

This is despicable. Not only are the protestors crossing the line by interrupting private funerals, they are also spreading a hateful message of anti-gay rhetoric. Absolutely despicable.

Now, if I was at all like Ann Coulter, I would use this incident as evidence to prove that all Right-Wingers are crazy gay-bashers that want to use a family's grief as an opportunity to spread their homophobic agenda. Luckily for you, I'm not at all like Ann Coulter. I know that the views of these hateful people don't represent the views of most conservatives. These people are Far-Right extremists, of the ilk of Ann Coulter and Rick Santorum. Most of the country is composed of moderates, not lunatics.

That said, this protest does raise an interesting question: will the Right Wing condemn these protests? This question is especially interesting when asked in the context of the Recent protests by Cindy Sheehan in Crawford. Ever since the start of her protest, the Far Right has been accusing Cindy of desecrating the memory of her son by using his death for political purposes.

And the truth is: Cindy Sheehan has been using the death of her son for her own purposes. However, Cindy is using her son's death to spread a message of peace. These protestors are using the deaths to spread a message of hate. There's a big difference between the two situations.

So, if this story develops legs, things could get interesting. Will the Right Wing condemn these hateful desecrations, like they condemned Cindy's protests for peace? If they have any shred of decency, they will. However, these are the same people that demonized a woman for advocating an end to a senseless war of destruction. Unless they can get some political gain from it, I doubt they'll condemn these protests. These people have done too much evil in the past five years for me to expect anything less of them..

On Contraception, The Daily Show, Crooks, Liars, etc.

2005-08-27T13:30:00.000-04:00

First up, on today's report, is some healthcare news. By now, you've probably heard that the FDA has, yet again, delayed its decision on sale of the morning-after pill. Putting politics before science and common sense, Director Lester M. Crawford yet again delayed the decision. His reasons?
According to the New York Times:

Lester M. Crawford, the commissioner of food and drugs, said in a news conference that his agency had decided that the science supported giving over-the-counter access of the drug to women 17 and older, but that the agency could not figure out how to do that from regulatory and practical standpoints without younger teenagers' obtaining the pills, too.

So, sale of this pill has been delayed because Lester is afraid of teenagers having safe sex? Sorry to break it to you Lester, but denying teenagers the morning-after pill isn't going to keep them from going at it. They'll continue to got at it, and just get pregnant more often, brining young infants into a world of poverty and scorn. Meanwhile, women that actually need emergency contraception are suffering for Lester's stupidity.

Now, let's move on to a lighter, more amusing topic: Thursday night's Daily Show. For those of you that don't already know, Jon Stewarts guest on Thursday was conservative writer Christopher Hitchens. Over the course of the interview, Hitchens and Jon eventually got into a polite, yet heated debate over Bush and the Iraq War. Jon then proceeded to politely rip Hitchens a new asshole. If you missed Thursday's show, I recommend that you watch the clip here at Crooks and Liars.

Now, let's move on to another subject that's dear to my heart: Cindy Sheehan and the peace movement. According to a new AP-Ipsos poll, nine out of ten Americans support Sheehan's right to protest the war. This is in sharp contrast to the right-wing crazies, many of whom seem to believe that Cindy's protest borders on treason. Luckily, the American public does not share this viewpoint. 90% of the nation disagrees with the Far Right with regards to Cindy Sheehan. These right-wingers are not in the main stream. They can't even see the shore from their position.

Now, let's move on to my final topic: The Pat Robertson Fatwa. A real Christian public figure has finally stepped forward, in the form of Rev. Jesse Jackson, and called for the FCC to fine Pat Robertson for his on-air call for murder.

The sheer fact that the FCC hasn't yet fined Robertson is, quite frankly, ridiculous. A brief glimpse of Janet Jackson's breast for five seconds on CBS was enough for the FCC to fine the network $550,000. Yet, Pat Robertson advocates cold-blooded murder, and he doesn't get so much of a slap on the wrist?

Now, I'm opposed to censorship. I believe that, no matter how twisted and misguided Robertson is, it was in his rights to say that. And yet, I find it hypocritical that the FCC fines a network for exposing a breast, yet it won't fine Robertson for calling for murder. Where's the consistency? What would have happened if Robertson had called for the murder of an American President? Would he have been punished? You bethca. He would have been ran out of his job on a wave of angry, right-wing, moralistic outrage. And yet, these same moralistic nuts who almost ran Clinton out of office for a blowjob, won't say a thing about Robertson threatening a foreign Head of State.

Where is the justice?

More Right-Wing Fantasies

2005-08-26T11:53:00.000-04:00

This just in: The Right Wing is completely out of touch with reality. Either that or they're lying. Both of those are distinct possibilities.

First up: The Quagmire in Iraq: Like Nero, fiddling while Iraq burns, President Bush continues to speak glowingly about progress in Iraq, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

What evidence am I talking about? I'll tell you:

Did somebody say civil war? That's right ladies and gentlemen, sectarian violence between rival militias has soared in the past couple weeks. In fact, the toll from Iraqi infighting has reached over 100 killed in the past two days alone. I don't know about you, but that hardly sounds like "progress" to me.

Also, the Iraqi Constitution has failed to meet its third deadline. In fact, relations between rival Shiite and Sunni factions have deteriorated so much that Bush was forced to intervene to try to broker a last-minute deal.

I don't know about you guys, but I get the feeling that this Constitution wasn't very well though-out. First of all, hoping to end centuries of strife with a constitution written over several months is foolhardy, at best. Second of all, any constitution in which a foreign head-of-state intervenes is hardly going to represent the will of the people of that nation. It also doesn't help when that same Constitution includes laws that nullify women's rights and establish a theocracy.

And yet, the President continues to speak glowingly of both the phony Constitution and the War in general:

"The establishment of a democratic constitution will be a landmark event in the history of Iraq and the history of the Middle East...It will bring us closer to the day that Iraq is a nation that can govern itself, sustain itself and defend itself."

This can only mean one of two things: either the administration is completely out of touch with reality and actually believe things are going well, or they know that things are going downhill, but they're lying to save face. So, Bush is either deranged, or simply a liar. Either way, it's bad news for the rest of us.

In other war news, Cindy Sheehan has returned to her vigil in Crawford. However, even while Cindy was with her mother, away from Crawford, Right-Wing smears continued:

"She has joined forces with an Unholy Alliance on the other side in the epic battle for freedom in the Middle East and has shown that she will do and say anything to discredit the United States and its commander-chief -- acts which serve the enemy and endanger American lives. She is a disgrace to her brave son who gave his life for the freedom of ordinary Iraqis and the security of his countrymen. She has betrayed his sacrifice and embraced his enemies."
--David Horowitz

"[Sheehan's statement's]...have to be attacked because they are libeling America, endangering America, and they are untrue from beginning to end."
--Charles Krauthammer, Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume

Of course, we all know what these angry tirades mean. The sheer venom of the Right Wing's attacks upon Cindy Sheehan mean that her protest is actually doing some good. Keep it up, Cindy.

For more such gems, visit this site.

I guess I'll finish up this rather lengthy entry with a story that I find simply amusing: The Pat Robertson Fatwa. Pat Robertson finally issued statements apologizing for his call to kill Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. This story has caused me untold amounts of amusement. Now, I could use this story as an opportunity to rant about the hypocrisy of the Religious Right, but I've done that already. Instead, I'll just use this as an amusing story of right-wing hypocrisy to wrap up my entry.

That's all for now, folks.

Mixed-Up Priorities

2005-08-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've got a couple of different subjects today, so I don't want to waste any time introducing them.

First up: Cindy Sheehan.

Remember, a little while back, when Bush refused to talk with Cindy Sheehan? I believe his words were:

"I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so."

Apparently, the President was simply too busy to meet with Cindy. That sounds reasonable, right? I mean, the President surely has important matters of national security to deal with, right? Wrong, dead wrong.

Not only did Bush have time for a leisurely bike ride with Lance Armstrong, he also had time to go on a PR tour through Utah and Idaho to help bolster public support for his failing war. To add insult to injury, Bush has also managed to find time to meet with the families of 19 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So he'll talk to these families, yet he still won't talk to Cindy Sheehan. Why?

Because Cindy opposes the war. According to Dubya, unless you agree with him, you don't matter as a human being. If he can't use your grief to bolster support for his War of Aggression, then your grief doesn't matter to him.

On to my next topic: the mixed-up priorities of bloggers and the Main Stream Media. Just for kicks, let's examine the Top Ten Searches on technorati.com:

1. “Pat Robertson”
2. Ajax
3. “Lance Armstrong”
4. “Intelligent Design”
5. “Cindy Sheehan”
6. “Six Feet Under”
7. “Able Danger”
8. “Utah Rave”
9. Linux
10. 心湖荡漾

You know what I don't see on that list? The Downing Street Memo. Remember that? The smoking gun that proved that Bush lied to us in the months leading up to the Invasion of Iraq?

The Administration stonewalled, refusing to launch an investigation, in the hopes that the public would grow bored and lose interest in the story. Which it did. However, even while the public's attention turned to other topics, an independent committee of congressional Democrats has been working day and night to launch a thorough investigation into the Memo.

As I mentioned, support for an investigation has been confined to Democrats. The 11 senators and 131 congressmen supporting the Resolution of Inquiry have all been Democrats. Until now. Yesterday, Republican congressman Jim Leach announced that he would cosponsor the Resolution of Inquiry into the Downing Street Memo. This story is huge. Between this and Senator Hagel's criticism of the War, it seems that Republican unity is beginning to unravel at the seams.

This is good news for all of us principled left-wingers, and bad news for Dubya and the Chickenhawk Brigade. And yet, other than some coverage of Chuck Hagel, this story has barely generated a peep of response from the Main Stream Media and blogosphere.

Come one, guys. I know that the MSM is pretty much gone forever, but there's still hope for bloggers. It's up to us to generate buzz about the scandals not covered by the MSM (i.e. Karl Rove, The Downing Street Memo, Tom DeLay, etc.).

There are plenty of scandals. We just have to bring them to the light.

More Bad News For The Chickenhawk Brigade

2005-08-24T12:10:00.000-04:00

This week hasn't been going well for the conservatives of the Chickenhawk Brigade. Not well at all.

Perhaps most encouraging of all is the fact that Bush has finally stopped ignoring Cindy Sheehan. In fact, Bush actually took the time to smear Cindy in a speech in Idaho yesterday. In the speech, Bush accused Cindy, and other supporters of peace, of attempting to weaken America:

"She expressed her opinion. I disagree with it. I think immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake.

I think those who advocate immediate withdrawal from not only Iraq but the Middle East would be -- are advocating a policy that would weaken the United States."

It seems that the Administration has finally recognized Cindy as a threat, and started doing what they do best: smearing her credibility. However, they only do this when they feel really threatened. Obviously, Cindy's protest is doing some good by damaging the Administration. Keep it up, Cindy.

In other news, the White House has been attempting to distance itself from Pat Robertson after he recently advocated the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the democratically elected President of Venezuela. Could this spell the end of the Christian Coalition's enormous political clout? I doubt it. But we can hope.

Although it's doubtful that Pat Robertson will be held accountable for his remarks, one conservative has been rewarded for his hateful speech. Conservative D.C. Radio host Michael Graham. Graham had long used his radio show as a platform for hateful attacks upon Muslims, such as this gem, uttered July 25:

"We are at war with a terrorist organization named Islam..."

This all ended on Monday when Michael Graham was fired for refusing to apologize for his hateful remarks. At last, we have some accountability for a conservative hate-monger. Next on my wish list: a similar loss of employment for Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh.

The next item on my list is not only bad news for the Chickenhawk Brigade, but for everyone in Iraq and the United States as well. That's right ladies and gentlemen, I'm talking about the new Iraqi Constitution. If you listen to the Administration's hollow propaganda, you might believe that this constitution will be a shining beacon of freedom, motivating the rest of the Muslim world to throw off their bonds of oppression and establish democracy in the Middle East.

Sadly, that is not the case. In fact, many secular Iraqis are protesting the Constitution, which they say will curb civil rights in the new Iraq. Quoted from an article in the New York Times:

"The draft constitution, these secular Iraqis say, clears the way for religious authorities to adjudicate personal disputes like divorce and inheritance matters by allowing the establishment of religious courts, raising fears that a popularly elected Islamist-minded government could enact legislation and appoint judges who could turn the country into a theocracy.

The courts would rely on Shariah, which under most interpretations grants women substantially fewer rights than men."

I don't know about you, but this hardly seems like "freedom on the march". In fact, chances are this new government could be more dangerous to the United States than the old government under Saddam Hussein. Hussein was an evil dictator, but he was a secular evil dictator. Saddam cracked down on radical Islam under his rule. However, with a theocracy in Iraq, such as the one we are currently establishing, this will not be the case. In fact, we have currently created a recipe for destruction ten to twenty years down the line. Between the influx of foreign militants and fledgling theocracy in Iraq, we are creating a situation eerily similar to that of 1980's Afghanistan. Thanks to this foolhardy war, President Bush has succeeded in creating the next generation of terrorists and radical Islamic extremists.

Good job, Dubya. Freedom on the march!

Man of God? Gimme a Break...

2005-08-23T12:23:00.000-04:00

Oh boy, have I got an update for you today. I've got so much stuff, I'm going to have to break it up into individual items. In fact, I don't even have time for an into. So, without further ado...

Item #1: Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson proved the extent of his madness yesterday when he called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela. On his batshit-crazy show, "The 700 Club", Robertson told his viewers about Chavez: "If he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it..."

Now this hardly surprises me, as I already knew that Robertson was a loonie. What surprises me is the people who continue to watch his show and admire him as a "Man of God", even after he advocated breaking what is possibly the greatest law of his faith (i.e. "Thou shalt not kill.").

I will never understand Right-Wingers.

Item # 2: Bush Compares Iraq to World War II. That's right ladies and gentlemen, Dubya dared to venture out of the safety of his ranch to speak to an audience of elderly veterans in Utah, the most conservative state in the Union. In his speech, Bush actually compared the Invasion of Iraq to World War II.

Yet again, this only proves that the President is completely out of touch with reality. If the man had any sort of coherence or sense of reality, he would realize that this war has absolutely nothing in similarity with World War II. Dubya would be able to see this if he took the time out of his schedule to walk a little bit down the road outside his ranch, where he could see Cindy Sheehan and her supporters protesting his War of Aggression.

Item # 3: Supreme Court Upholds Eminent Domain Ruling. This is, quite frankly, an outrage. The Supreme Court refused to revisit its decision on Eminent Domain yesterday. I am surprised that this hasn't generated more outrage in the Blogosphere. This decision, which the court refused to overturn, gives local governments the power to seize and demolish homes for private economic development.

Now, I'm no right-wing nut, and I realize that seizure of homes is a necessary evil for public works projects, such as interstates. However, seizure of homes for private economic development, such as Wal-Marts, is simply too much. The government has overstepped its authority on this one. I'm just saddened that a ruling with such ominous implications as this one hasn't generated more outrage from the Blogosphere and Main Stream Media.

Come on bloggers, quit slacking off.

More Conservative Criticism of Bush's War

2005-08-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen: Conservative criticism of the Iraq War.

And I'm not just talking about Chuck Hagel. Between Cindy Sheehan, CNN's "Dead Wrong", and the President's apparently oblivious outlook on the Iraq War, conservative solidarity has began to unravel around the edges. Let's examine some quotes from right-wing bloggers and Talking Heads:

"It's time for us conservatives to face facts. George W. Bush has pissed away the conservative moment by pursuing a war of choice via policies that border on the criminally incompetent."
--Stephen Bainbridge

In a Washington Post column, George Will commented on the foolishly ignorant optimism of the White House:

"Regarding Iraq, the hope is that the democratic transformation that took centuries in much more promising social settings can succeed in Iraq, given another week."
--George Will

"...SecDef Rumsfeld (and therefore the President) made some key miscalculations in regards to how to handle the complexities of Iraq sans Saddam. Clearly the entire assessment on what would happened was far too pollyannish..."
--Dr. Steven Taylor

Additionally, Bush took a hit with the release of a new poll from the American Research group in which his overall approval rating dropped to 36%. In fact, at 58%, more Americans disapprove of Bush than approve of him.

What does this mean for Democrats and principled left-wingers? Between conservative in-fighting and plummeting approval ratings, all of us principled left-wingers and Democrats have been presented with a golden opportunity. Now is the time for the Democrats to come together behind a unified, pro-peace policy. With the public, and many conservatives, on our side, it could be possible to actually get some answers and accountability from the Chickenhawk Brigade.

Of course, this is easier said then done. The current Democratic party is hardly a unified, monolithic block. But the GOP is hardly any better. Now is as good a time as ever for the Democrats to establish themselves as a pro-peace alterntive to the Chickenhawks on the far-right.

Bad News for The Chickenhawk Brigade

2005-08-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

This summer hasn't been very kind to Bush and the Chickenhawk Brigade. Between Cindy Sheehan, increased opposition to the war on Capital Hill, plummeting approval ratings, and an increasingly hostile media, Bush's Iraq War policy has been taking a lot of flak.

Republican Senator Chuck Hagel has, over the past couple weeks, become one of the most prominent critics of the Administration's Iraq policy. In addition to comments last week and in June, Hagel spoke harshly of the administration yesterday on ABC's "This Week":

"We should start figuring out how we get out of there...but with this understanding, we cannot leave a vacuum that further destabilizes the Middle East. I think our involvement there has destabilized the Middle East. And the longer we stay there, I think the further destabilization will occur."

Even more encouraging is the recent behavior of the Democrats. It seems the Democrats are finally establishing themselves as a pro-peace alternative to Administration war-mongering. Yesterday on NBC's "Meet The Press", Democratic Senator Russ Feingood called for his fellow democrats to establish a firm pro-peace position:

"...the Democrats are making the same mistake they made in 2002, to let the administration intimidate them into not opposing this war, when so many of us knew it wasn't a good idea."

In addition to increasingly harsh criticism from both sides of the aisle, the Chickenhawk Brigade has started to take some damage from the Main Stream Media. Beginning with the MSM's constant coverage of Cindy Sheehan, the MSM has stepped up its barrage upon the Bush Administration in the recent weeks. Perhaps most damaging of all was CNN's special report entitled "Dead Wrong", which aired last night. "Dead Wrong" chronicled, in depth, the intelligence failures that led up to the invasion of Iraq. Although CNN revealed little to no new information, the program is still a promising sign for us principled left-wingers. The sheer fact that CNN would air a program such as "Dead Wrong" during Prime Time indicates that the Main Stream Media may actually be ready to ask some real questions of the Administration.

As feeble as CNN's initial effort was, it is nonetheless encouraging that they even tried to do a serious investigation of the Administration. However, this will mean nothing unless CNN and the other networks (except Fox, of course) will pick up this vein of investigation as well. We can only hope.

Rove, Taft, and other Crooks

2005-08-20T11:23:00.000-04:00

It's been my experience that the list of Top Ten Searches at
technorati.com provides a pretty decent indicator of public interest. So, today, I have decided to post Technorati's Top Ten Searches, so that we may examine what the masses are buzzing about:

1.“Joe Ranft”
2. Ajax
3. Dell
4. “San Francisco Explosion”
5. “Cindy Sheehan”
6. “Able Danger”
7. Gaza
8. Krugman
9. “Intelligent Design”
10. “Jude Law”

Interesting, very interesting. Cindy Sheehan is still on the list. That's a good thing, as this means that she is still drawing attention to important question (i.e: "What the hell are we fighting for?).

However, I have a couple problems with the list. There are several topics missing from the list. These are important topics that deserve plenty of buzz and public outrage.

What topics am I talking about? I'll tell you.

Karl Rove and Bob Taft.

Let's start with Bob Taft. Unless you live in a cave somewhere, you probably know his story: Taft, the Republican governor of Ohio, was convicted of four misdemeanors this week, for accepting unreported gifts. However, Taft has vowed to remain in office.

This upsets me for two reasons:

1. Taft refused to resign.
2. The public outrage over this is slim to none, even in Ohio itself.

The hypocrisy of the Right Wing in this story is infuriating. President Clinton had an affair with his intern, which is completely legal, and was almost run out of office on a wave of Right wing outrage. Yet Clinton committed no crime. Taft has admitted to committing four crimes, without so much as a ripple on the outrage meter.

This relates quite well to the Karl Rove leak scandal. We have conclusive proof that Karl Rove leaked the name of a CIA-operative, putting her life in danger. And yet, the outrage swiftly died down, without so much as a sniffle. Clinton never put anyone’s life in danger, yet he was almost hounded out of office by angrily moralistic right-wingers. These same right-wingers have remained silent while the GOP has run rampant with corruption and crime (Rove, DeLay, Abramoff, Taft, etc.)

However, this indifference is hardly limited to far right-wingers. In fact, both the Main Stream Media and Bloggers seem largely indifferent to the rampant wrong-doings of the Republican Party. Yet, these same people almost ran Clinton out of office for a blowjob.

Where is the justice, people? Where is the justice?

Conservative Criticism of the War

2005-08-19T13:20:00.000-04:00

Ah, how I love when things go poorly for the President. Over these past few months, political junkies (such as myself) may have noticed an interesting trend on Capital Hill: the widening gap between the Republicans in Congress and the Republicans in the White House.

Perhaps most encouraging of all is a story about Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican from Nebraska. On Thursday, Sen. Hagel strongly criticized the Administration for its handling of the Iraq War and treatment of Cindy Sheehan.

You can read the full story here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/18/hagel.iraq/index.html.

For your reading pleasure, I have posted some of Hagel's more aggressive criticisms of the Administration.

Hagel started off by mocking Dick Cheney's June assertion that the insurgency was in its "last throes":

"Maybe the vice president can explain the increase in casualties we're taking...if that's winning, then he's got a different definition of winning than I do."

Hagel then went on to discuss the emerging parallels between Iraq and the Vietnam War:

"The longer we stay in Iraq, the more similarities will start to develop, meaning essentially that we are getting more and more bogged down, taking more and more casualties, more and more heated dissension and debate in the United States..."

Hagel also defended comments he made to U.S. News an World Report in June in which he said:

"...the White House is completely disconnected from reality"

Hagel then went on to criticize the President's callous handling of Cindy Sheehan, saying:

"I think the wise course of action, the compassionate course of action, the better course of action would have been to immediately invite her in to the ranch. It should have been done when this whole thing started. Listen to her."

Funny, Hagel's comments eerily resemble my own from yesterday's entry. (http://lunchtimesedition.blogspot.com/2005/08/fantasies-from-right-wing.html) Yesterday, I asserted that the White House, and the Far Right as a whole, was completely out of touch with reality with regards to the growing quagmire in Iraq. Several conservatives posted angry comments, asserting that I, and all liberal in general, were defeatist and out of touch with reality.

However, it is now impossible for those same angry conservatives to simply attack us principled left-wingers, as powerful conservatives are finally criticizing the Administration's complete loss of touch with reality.

Perhaps, finally, we can bring Dubya's fragile house of cards tumbling down around his ears.

Ann Coulter: Raving Lunatic

2005-08-19T11:50:00.000-04:00

Ann Coulter is a hate-spewing, unstable, raving bigot. She also happens to be one of the leading figures of the Far Right movement.

This seething, blonde cauldron of hate finally jumped on the conservative bandwagon, and joined in the Far Right's new favorite past-time: Cindy Sheehan-bashing.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, in an entry on her website (anncoulter.org), Coulter angrily denounced the grieving mother and her pro-peace cause. Just for kicks, here's an amusing tidbit:

"To expiate the pain of losing her firstborn son in the Iraq war, Cindy Sheehan decided to cheer herself up by engaging in Stalinist agitprop outside President Bush's Crawford ranch. It's the strangest method of grieving I've seen since Paul Wellstone's funeral. Someone needs to teach these liberals how to mourn. "

Excuse me? Stalinist? So, by protesting for peace and an end to the war of aggression that took the life of her son, Cindy Sheehan is comparable to a 20th century dictator that murdered millions of his own people?

This is why Ann Coulter has no credibility.

This is my message for Ann Coulter and the rest of the right-wing crazies: keep it up.

That's right guys, keep attacking Cindy Sheehan like the stark, raving lunatics you are.

Why? Because the more vicious the right-wing's attacks on Cindy become, the better Cindy looks for sticking to the high road. Honestly, the woman is staging a peaceful vigil, and the Far Right is attacking her as if she was Satan incarnate.

So, keep it up guys. Keep attacking the peaceful, grieving mother. I'm sure it will do wonders for your reputation.

On to my next topic: The Forgotten Scandals. It's time for a blast from the past. Since Bush was inaugurated for his second term, several instances of Republican wrong-doing and corruption have come to the public's attention. And yet, thanks to pretty blonde teenagers lost in Aruba and other stories, most of these scandals seem to have faded into the background.

For instance, whatever happened to coverage of the Karl Rove leak? Or the Downing Street Memo? Or Tom DeLay's wrongdoings? The administration and GOP leadership has been dragging its feet in investigating these scandals, in the hope that we would forget about them.

And you know what? Most of us have forgotten. Don't let the White House get away with it. It is the duty of every American citizen to demand answers from our government and hold them accountable when they overstep their authority.

It's the most patriotic thing we can do. So, come on bloggers. Let's get the public outrage rolling again.

Fantasies from the Right Wing...

2005-08-18T12:35:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing the Iraq War, and the Cindy Sheehan protest specifically, has taught me, it is this: The Far-Right is completely out of touch with reality.

Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary (mounting death tolls, sectarian infighting, increasingly sophisticated guerilla tactics, etc), many right-wing crazies still insist that we are winning the Iraq War.

In order to get a feel for the depths of their depravity, let's examine some right-wing quotes about the Iraq War:

"How do you want to be remembered in history? Do you want to be part of an America that faced terrorism down, and established democracy where evil men would rule, or do you want to be part of an America that quit?"
--The Confederate Yankee

"All of us must demand victory. Things aren't going well, improve. Sure, war is hell, but wars are won by those who are smart and tough."
--Bill O'Reilly

"Pulling troops out prematurely will betray the Iraqis. Our mission in Iraq, as I said earlier, is to fight the terrorists, is to train the Iraqis. And we're making progress training the Iraqis."
--President Bush, August 11th

"I believe that Iraqis will save Iraq..."
--Lt. Gen. David Petraeus

Hmm...if you listen to the words of the right-wing, it would seem that we are winning the war in Iraq. However, the facts beg to differ.

This raises one interesting question: does the Right Wing actually believe that we are winning in Iraq, or are they simply distorting facts to save face?

Sadly, I suspect the latter. Why?

Despite the Right Wing's optimistic words, its actions indicate that they realize the Iraq War is unwinnable. Follow this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/13/AR2005081300853_pf.html.

In the end, it all boils down to this: there are really only two explanations this inconsistency. Either the Far Right is completely out of touch with reality, and believes we are actually winning in Iraq, or they realize that the situation is becoming worse, yet refuse to acknowledge their mistakes to the public.

Either way, this means bad news for the rest of us.

The Continuing Saga of Turdblossom

2005-08-17T16:51:00.000-04:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen, today I want to talk about Karl Rove.

Now, lately, the media has been covering Cindy Sheehan and her protest in Crawford quite extensively.

Don't get me wrong: this is a good thing. Cindy Sheehan has finally drawn the media into coverage of the most important question of the Bush Administration: what are we fighting for?

However, all this media coverage of Cindy Sheehan has come at the expense of coverage of another important story: Karl Rove and the Plame Leak.

Now, these two events aren't necessarily mutually exclusive. It's not impossible for the media to cover both of these stories at the same time. In fact, these two stories are very closely related. The stories of both Cindy Sheehan and the Karl Rove scandal ultimately come back to the same question: What are we fighting for?

Although more prominent with the case of Cindy Sheehan, this question also plays a fundamental role in the saga of Karl Rove and the Plame leak. If you recall, the scandal first began with a New York Times Op-Ed piece, penned by Valerie Plame's husband, that undermined the entire justification for the Iraq war by revealing the inherent falsehoods in the Administration's intelligence. Karl Rove retaliated by leaking the name of Mr. Plame's wife to the media, thus blowing her cover as a CIA operative, and possibly placing her live in grave danger.

However, since then, media coverage has paid little attention to the root cause of the scandal. Over time, coverage became more confusing, as the story became increasingly complicated. Eventually, coverage and uproar died down almost completely, and the Rove scandal faded into the background. Now, it seems that coverage of Cindy Sheehan's protest in Crawford has completely overshadowed coverage of the Rove scandal.

The saga of Cindy Sheehan raises important questions, and deserves all the media coverage it is currently getting. It is doing a lot of good, by bringing the inconsistencies in the Administration's justification for war to the attention of the public. However, it is distracting us from the scandal of Karl Rove. With the public's attention diverted away from Rove, it is all to easy for the White House to find a way to weasel out holding Rove accountable.

This is a bad thing.

So, come on bloggers! Keep attention on Cindy Sheehan, but don't forget to devote some time to Karl Rove. What we need now is a two-pronged media blitz on the Administration. They're weak and the media smells blood in the water. If we keep the pressure on, we might actually get some accountability from the Crooks on Capital Hill.

Compassionate conservative? Give me a break...

2005-08-17T13:10:00.000-04:00

Remember Bush's 2000 campaign pledge to be a "compassionate conservative"? I knew it was bullshit. However, a large part of our nation seems to have bought this lie...until now.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Thanks to the efforts of Cindy Sheehan, the rest of the country finally knows Bush's "compassion" for what it really is: a bald-faced lie.

Let's examine Dubya's "compassion" in action. Being a "compassionate" man, the story of Cindy Sheehan, grieving over the loss of her son, would surely move the president deeply. His "compassion" would move him to talk to Cindy and personally console her, right?

Wrong. Dead wrong.

When inquired recently, by a reporter, as to what his reason were for not speaking with Cindy, our compassionate President replied: " I'm mindful of what goes on around me. On the other hand, I'm also mindful that I've got a life to live and will do so."

Essentially, the president just said: "Screw you Cindy."

How's that for compassion?

But wait, you say. Surely the president has a good reason for not talking with Cindy. Perhaps his duties as president make him simply too busy to talk with this poor, grieving mother.

That is a possibility. So, let's do some investigation, and examine the president's busy vacation schedule... Over the past couple days, the President has had time for:

Several naps
Lunch with Condoleeza Rice
A bike ride with Lance Armstrong
A fundraiser dinner for wealthy donors
Some leisurely reading time

And yet, the man can't seem to find any time to have a chat with a grieving mother.

If there's one thing that this affair has taught us, it is this: Dubya doesn't care about you. Unless you're rich, or a mindless yes-man, Dubya doesn't care about your opinion. Unless your grief can be used to his political advantage, he doesn't care how you feel. The man is a pure political animal.

Here is what Dubya cares about:

Money
Power
Nap time

Nothing else.

The Sheehan Effect

2005-08-16T13:57:00.000-04:00

Well, Cindy Sheehan has definitely been having a vicious effect upon the right wing. Her vigil in Crawford, Texas finally seems to be doing some serious damage to the right-wing Chickenhawks.

How can I tell? I'll tell you why.

The right-wing's increasingly shrill attacks upon Cindy Sheehan reveal how much damage she is doing to their cause.

Just for kicks, let's examine some of the right-wing's juicer tidbits of shrill whining:

"She doesn't love him. I have no sympathy for charlatans."
--User on Right Thinking Girl (rightthinkinggirl.typepad.com)

"However, she's also a moonbat and somebody needs to tell her to stuff a sock in it."
--Right Thinking Girl

Perhaps more entertaining than the typical shrill insults, are the right-wing's attempts to take the high road. Several right-wing bloggers have attempted to insinuate that Cindy Sheehan is simply a pawn in a wider left-wing conspiracy to bring down the President. Observe the following quotes:

"The right has not used people like Lynn Kelly, Linda Ryan, or hundreds of others, to make their case in our current war. It would be decent if the left stopped using Cindy Sheehan to make theirs."
--Chrenkoff (chrenkoff.blogspot.com)

"There's no question that far left ideologues are controlling access to Cindy Sheehan..."
--Bill O'Reilly

Amusing, very amusing. However, in addition to its pure entertainment value, these shrill, right-wing rants are very telling.

The sheer volume of the right-wing's attack on Cindy Sheehan proves that she is doing some good. Additionally, no matter how much the right-wingers call for Cindy to be silenced, their shrill cries are only lending momentum to Cindy's story. Combine this free coverage with mounting death tolls in Iraq and growing public discontent to create a recipe for a Democratic upset in the 2006 midterms. All the Democrats have to do now is establish themselves as a pro-peace alternative to the Republican Chickenhawk Brigade.

Now, there's only one story that need some more coverage: The Continuing Saga of Turdblossom. Remember him? He still hasn't been brought to justice, folks. Don't forget about Karl Rove. The man is still a crook.

Let's put him behind bars.

Vietnam: Version 2.0

2005-08-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

Things have been looking pretty bleak for Dubya and the Chickenhawk Brigade. Between plummeting approval numbers, Cindy Sheehan's protest in Crawford, and increased discontent over the Iraqi Quagmire, things are beginning to look a lot like 1969.

That's right, folks: 1969...Vietnam.

Now, hysterical left-wingers, such as myself, have been comparing Iraq to Vietnam for a while. However, we are no longer alone in this feeling.

In fact, the Main Stream Media has been uttering the V-Word quite a bit in the past few weeks.

Indeed, Henry Kissinger himself has compared the Iraq War to Vietnam. (http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/15/us.iraq/index.html)

Kissinger drew several parallels between Iraq and Vietnam. Perhaps most chilling of all was the complete lack of any sort of objective. In his interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Kissinger said "...we cannot begin with an exit without having first defined what the objective is."

This is the same Catch-22 that kept our troops deployed in the Vietnam Slaughterhouse. Despite a lack of any sort of clear objective, LBJ kept U.S. troops deployed in Vietnam. This is exactly what is happening now. First the objective was finding the WMD, then the objective was building a stable Iraq democracy. When stability turned out to be impossible, the mission shifted to its current objective of "force preservation". Essentially, our troops in Iraq have the mission objective of "not getting killed".

What kind of mission is that? Wouldn't that mission be a whole lot easier if we brought the troops home, away from the war zone?

This is the question that Cindy Sheehan, and others like her, are asking President Bush. What are we fighting for? The administration still has yet to give the American people a straightforward answer to that question.

Our children are over there getting killed for nothing. Almost three years later, and the White House still hasn't told us what they're dying for.

It's time that we get the answers we deserve.

Things are getting ugly...

2005-08-13T12:52:00.000-04:00

Right-wingers are an odd bunch.

Seriously, I can't understand them. They choose the oddest things to become outraged over, like Cindy Sheehan, for example. The right-wing crazies on the blogospehere have been practically foaming at the mouth over Cindy's vigil in Crawford. For amusement's sake, let's examine some of today's jucier quotes, and see if we can observe a pattern:

"In the end, [Cindy] only hurts, her brave son's brothers-in-arms, and their sacrifices, and fine Iraqi people...who risk their lives every day to try to bring freedom to Iraq."
--The Confederate Yankee (http://confederateyankee.mu.nu)

"I think Mrs. Sheehan bears some responsibility for this [publicity] and also for the responsibility for the other American families who lost sons and daughters in Iraq who feel this kind of behavior borders on treasonous..."
--Bill O'Reilly

"...our enemy, Islamists all over the world, is loving every minute of Cindy Sheehan's fifteen minutes, and the Left's craze to extend her time as long as possible. "
--Freedom's Zone (http://www.freedomszone.com/)

Are you seeing the pattern. Apparently, according to the right, utilizing our right to protest is treasonous and causes the deaths of American soldiers.

What kind of twisted logic is that?

Whatever happened to civil discourse and protest? Things have gotten so bad in this country that it's impossible to demand that the President be held accountable without being branded as a traitor and unpatriotic.

If anyone is the traitor, it's these right-wing crazies. They are betraying the dearest principles of our country, namely freedom of speech, by trying to supress the voice of a grieving mother. They are the real traitors, and Cindy Sheehan is the true patriot.

One of the core components of American democracy is limits upon government, imposed by the nation's citizens and press. When the government oversteps its authority, as it did in lying in the months before the Iraq War, it is the duty of every citizen to demand answers from the government.

It is not unpatriotic to demand that our nation's leaders tell the truth. Nor is it unpatriotic to question a war that is consuming the lives of our children. These are simple facts any high school Civics student could tell you. Sadly, it seems that most of our right-wingers failed this class.

That's why it's our duty to educate them.

The Other Moms

2005-08-12T11:34:00.000-04:00

First of all, I would like to start my entry by giving a hearty congratulations to Cindy Sheehan. Through her vigil in Crawford, Cindy has single-handedly managed to bring media coverage back to the most important question of the Iraq War: what are our children dying for?

That said, I would like to devote the rest of this entry to some other parents of fallen soldiers. Although Cindy has been getting the most media coverage, she is far from the only military mother taking a stance against Bush's War. There are dozens of other military mothers (and wives) finally speaking out against the war that took the lives of their sons (or husbands). In fact, some of these other pro-peace mothers have started to finally get some media coverage of their own.

Mary Ann MacCombie lost her son in 2004. Her story was picked up here: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/stories/0805/12iraqmom.html

KCEN-TV, the local NBS affiliate for Central Texas, talked to Cathleen Fox and her son Christopher. They both came to Crawford to support Cindy. Christopher is shipping back to Iraq in a few months. http://www.kcentv.com/news/c-article.php?cid=1&nid=7719

Valerie Fletcher's son is currently deployed in Iraq. Valerie is on her way to join Cindy's vigil in Crawford. http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050811/NEWS01/508110362/1095

WISH-TV, the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, interviewed Jari Sheese. A military wife, Sheese also proclaimed her support for Cindy. http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3712723&nav=0Ra7dF2x

These mothers and wives have joined Cindy in asking the question that is on the lips of sensible people everywhere: What the hell are we fighting for? The White House has still failed to provide a consistent justification for the war that is currently devouring the lives of young American men and women.

As you read, a car bomb is killing Iraqi civilians. As you read, one of our children is being pinned down by enemy fire. As you read, a young man is struggling to walk with a prosthetic leg. As you read, a suicide bomber is strapping on an explosive vest to kill Americans. As you read, men, women, and children are dying.

Why?

That, my friends, is the question that these mothers and wives are asking of President Bush. And that's the question we all need to ask, as well.

Congressional Pork and Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-11T14:00:00.000-04:00

I have two topics I'd like to talk about today: Cindy Sheehan and the new highway bill. First, let's talk about the highway bill.

As you may or may not know, Dubya officially signed the massive, new $286.4 billion highway bill into law today. That, in itself, is not a bad thing. In fact, spending money to improve our highway system is, in my book, actually a good thing. However, the billions of dollars devoted to Congressional special projects is a bad thing. Highway improvement was far from the only thing on the law signed yesterday: the massive bill was fraught with rampant pork from both sides of the aisle. Just for amusement's sake, I am going to list some of the more extreme examples of irresponsible spending on the bill:

$600,000--Horse riding facilities in Virginia
$5.9 million--A snowmobile trail in Vermont
$8 million--Parking for New York's Harlem Hospital
$532,000--A bicycle and pedestrian trail in Tennessee
$1.25 million--A daycare center and park-and-ride facility in Illinois
$3 million--Dust control mitigation for rural Arkansas
$2.75 million--The National Packard Museum in Ohio
$200,000--A historical trolley project in Washington
$2.3 million--Landscaping on the Ronald Reagan Freeway in California

Come on guys, this is ridiculous. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a liberal, so I'm not rabidly opposed to government spending. In fact, I think that government spending is a good thing, as long as it's done responsibly. What do I mean by "responsible"?

I mean spending money on projects that will benefit the common good and improve the lives of everyone, not just special interest groups. This new Highway Bill is clearly not an example of responsible spending.

Now, on to my second topic: Cindy Sheehan. Those of you with a high pain tolerance may have noticed a prevalent trend in the conservative media lately: bashing Cindy Sheehan.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen: right-wing crazies have been rallying in a multi-media attack against Cindy Sheehan on all fronts: television, print, internet, and talk-radio. For amusement's sake, let's examine some of the right-wing's recent attacks against Cindy:

"I think Cindy Sheehan is being used by far left elements who object
to our way of life."
--Bill O'Reilly

"I can’t imagine that Casey Sheehan would approve of such behavior."
--Michelle
Malkin

"Like the second prostitute in I Kings 3:16-27, once her
child was dead, Cindy Sheehan, didn't care about the deaths of other
mother's sons. Her child is dead, and damn all others that would stand
between her and her revenge."
--The Confederate Yankee (http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/)

"[Cindy is] a liar being pimped out to the media by another
liar"
--Moorewatch.com

Interesting. Very interesting. What does all this right-wing anger mean?

This means good news for all of us principled-left wingers. This heated reaction from the right-wing means that Cindy's vigil is doing some serious damage to the Administration Chickenhawks. The right-wing is, basically, giving Cindy and the pro-peace movement free PR. In their efforts to discredit Cindy, the right-wingers are only adding momentum to her story.

This pleases me. Now all we need is some renewed coverage of Karl Rove and Treasongate to make things almost perfect.

The Indictment is a Hoax: Stop Writing About It!

2005-08-10T13:33:00.000-04:00

Wow, just wow. Unless you live in a cave somewhere, you probably know about this Bush Indictment hysteria. For the past 24 hours, the words "Bush Indictment" have held the #1 search slot on technorati.com. This rumor has, of course, been established as entirely false.

So, here's my message to everyone out there: stop writing about it. Every well-intentioned liberal blogger that writes an entry speculating about the indictment hoax is simply fanning the flames of hysteria and doing great harm to the cause of principled left-wingers everywhere.

Why? I'll tell you why.

This uproar over the false indictment is distracting attention away from the real scandals.

We're wasting our time writing about some pipe-dream that will likely never come to fruition. I want to see Bush behind bars as much as anyone, but I know that it will likely never happen. So, since writing about a fake story is simply a complete waste of time, we (i.e. all us principled left-wingers) should focus our liberal outrage where it can do some good.

For your blogging convenience, I have composed a list of more suitable topics, which we should write about instead of the Indictment hoax:

1. Karl Rove
2. The Iraq War
3. Social Security
4. Cindy Sheehan
5. The Downing Street Memo (remember that!?!)
6. CAFTA
7. Stem Cell Research

So start writing about those topics. Stop writing about this false indictment: it's distracting us from the real issues.

P.S. I realize the hypocrisy of this entry in that my main topic was, in fact, the Indictment Hoax. This means that, to some extent, I too am fanning the flames of hysteria by keeping the topic alive. Therefore, I vow that, from now on, I will write about this Indictment Hoax no longer. All the other bloggers would do well to follow this advice. Let's keep the pressure on the real scandals, people, not the fake ones.

Fun with numbers...

2005-08-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

I've seen this in two of my favorite magazines (The Nation and American Prospect), and I love statistics. So, without further ado, I present....

Dubya's America: By the Numbers

1--Number of mothers protesting the war in Crawford, Texas. (Let's hear it for Cindy Sheehan! Wa-hoo!)

20--Percentage of time Dubya has spent on vacation as president. The highest of any president--ever.

34--Number of American soldiers killed in Iraq last week.

41--Dubya's approval rating, as of last week. His lowest ever.

759 -- Number of days since Karl Rove leaked Plame's name, without the White House taking any corrective action.

1,835--Number of American soldiers killed in Bush's War.

23456--Minimum number of Iraqi civilians reported killed by U.S. military.

26559--Maximum number of Iraqi civilians reported killed by U.S. military.

$186,382,344,309--Current cost of the Iraq War.

$7.8 Trillion--Current national debt.

******* ****** ******* ******** *******
Well, that's enough statistics for now, on to my next topic...

I noticed something interesting on technorati.com today. The #6 search on their top ten list was this: "Bush Indictment.” Holy piss. This is too good to be true.

This stimulated my interest, so I did some research and found this quote on the topic (source:http://www.arcticbeacon.citymaker.com/):

"Sources close to the Chicago federal grand jury probe into perjury and obstruction charges against President Bush and others said indictments were handed down this week, but a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois refused to comment.

“We are not talking about any aspect of this case and our office is not commenting on anything regarding the investigation at this time,” said Randall Sanborn from the office of U.S. federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, the attorney conducting the grand jury probe into whether Bush and others in his administration violated federal law in a number of sensitive areas, including the Valerie Plame CIA leak case, involvement in 9/11 and the illegal nature of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "

Wow...just wow. Seeing the words "Bush" and "indictment" together honestly made my heart skip a couple beats. Seriously: seeing Bush behind bars is my dream. But we shouldn't get our hopes up. In fact, it's wise to take any claims of this sort with a hefty grain of salt. 99.9% of the time, they turn out to be complete bullshit. Plus, even if the info does turn out to be true, Bush probably won't be indicted. And even if he is indicted, he'll simply find a way to weasel out of it.

But we can still wish. We'll always have hope, my friends. We'll always have hope.

EDIT: Well, my suspicions were correct. It was bullshit. Still, I had a glimmer of hope for a second there, no matter how faint...

Let's talk about the war...

2005-08-08T14:45:00.000-04:00

Well, the Iraq War has been attracting a lot of attention in the media today. And rightfully so, this pointless war of aggression is now costing dozens of American lives a week. That's right: dozens. 34 U.S. soldiers were killed in this first week of August. Thanks to this death toll, and the efforts of a few brave Americans, it seems that the Iraq War is finally getting some of the harsh criticism it so richly deserves. Observe the top then searches on technorati.com:

1. “Peter Jennings”
2. “Aq Khan”
3. Wmd
4. “Cindy Sheehan”
5. Audioscrobbler
6. Eplatform
7. “Air America”
8. Chile
9. “Fernando Flores”
10. “Lubos Motl”

At #3 is WMD. Status: still non-existent. They were never there. Saddam destroyed them years ago. Iraq was no threat to the United States.

So, what are we fighting for?

At #4 is Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier slain in Iraq. Cindy has been staging an anti-war protest outside of the Dubya's vacation grounds in Crawford these past few days. This protest has attracted the attention of all major media outlets: television, bloggers, the press, and talk radio. In fact, I heard Cindy talking on the Detroit area's local Air America station this morning, explaining her opposition to the senseless war that took the life of her son. Cindy deserves a hearty pat-on-the-back from all of us principled left-wingers for again bringing the Iraq war back into the national spotlight. Good job, Cindy.

There's only one downside to all of this Iraq war coverage: it's drawn fire away from Karl Rove. Don't forget about Rove, people: the crook is still at large. Don't let the White House weasel out of this: keep the pressure on Rove! Don't stop covering the Iraq war, but keep make sure to cover Rove too. Remember: There is never only one scandal. This administration is a hotbed of corruption and iniquity. Let's keep the bastards sweating.

Let's talk about Treasongate

2005-08-05T17:41:00.000-04:00

If you're an avid Treasongate-scandal watcher like me, then these past 24 hours will have been absolutely thrilling for you. Indeed, several interesting developments have emerged in the past couple days. Perhaps most exciting of all is a pair of encouraging new polls that have been released to the public by CBS News: (source:theleftcoaster.com)

"There is currently a grand jury investigating whether a crime was committed when a CIA officer's identity was revealed to reporters. How important do you think the investigation is to the nation -- of great importance, some importance, or very little importance?"

Great: 41 % Some: 39% Very Little: 15 % None: 1 %

"In their statements about the possible leak of the CIA officer's identity, do you think members of the Bush Administration are telling the entire truth, are mostly telling the truth but are hiding something, or are mostly lying?"

Truth: 12% Hiding Something: 55% Lying : 22% Unsure: 11%"

This is very encouraging as it reveals two things:

1. The public wants answers from the administration
and 2. The public isn't falling for the administration's lies.

There is one other development that has excited me, although this one for its entertainment value. What am I talking about, you may ask?

Bob Novak's explosion on live television.

Follow this link to view the amusing video: http://mediamatters.org/items/200508040004.

All in all, a good day for us principled left-wingers. The public has shown that it's still interested in Karl Rove, and Robert Novak's amusing explosion has provided some entertainment. Now all we need is some more coverage of Treasongate on the networks and blogs to make it perfect. (A conviction of Rove would also be nice, but I suspect that's asking for too much).

Come on, people!

2005-08-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

We need to get our priorities straight. Stop paying attention to the wrong stuff! Let's examine the top ten searches on technorati.com:

1. “Intelligent Design”
2. “Yahoo Audio Search”
3. Ajax
4. “Steven Vincent”
5. “Audio Search”
6. Oscon
7. Ipod
8. “Air France”
9. Podcast
10. “Office 12”

This is shameful. Why, you ask?

Because the two most important topics aren't on the list.

Those topics are: the new energy bill and Karl Rove.

Yesterday, Congress broke a four-year deadlock by passing a new multi-billion dollar energy bill. This by itself is not alarming, however, a closer examination of the bill will reveal several shady provisions. Most shocking of all is the fact that the bill grants 2.7 billion dollars in tax breaks to the largest oil and gas industries. This is completely unnecessary, as Exxon-Mobil corporation on its own made 7.6 billion dollars in pure profits this quarter alone. Clearly, the tax breaks are only a blatant political maneuver to keep these rich donors in the GOP camp.

And yet, this bill has not received nearly as much outrage as it deserves from the major news networks. In fact, some of the strongest criticism for the bill came from John Stewart on last night's Daily Show. It's a sad day when Comedy Central provides more reliable and relevant news coverage than the major networks. Very sad.

This brings me to my second topic: Karl Rove. It seems that all the media, televised and bloggerized, has forgotten about Turdblossom. This is exactly what the Bushies want: don't let them get away with it. Karl Rove is a criminal and deserves to go to prison. This will only happen if we keep the pressure on the White House to bring him to justice.

This means you, fellow bloggers. Keep frothing at the mouth and writing strongly worded letters in true liberal fashion. Therein lies the path to victory, my friends.

Let's hear it for the fighters...

2005-08-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

Well, Paul Hackett has lost. Barely. Hackett barely lost the election for a seat in Congress to Republican Jean Schmidt by a vote of 52% to 48%.

Now, you may ask: what is so special about this? The man lost, didn't he?

Yes, Hackett did lose. But before you jump to conclusions, let me tell you a few things about this election.

The district is a Republican stronghold: 64% of its constituents voted for Dubya in 2004.

Hackett has said some pretty inflammatory things. He has been recorded calling Dubya a "son of a bitch" and war-supporters "chickenhawks". Yet, he still almost won a Congressional seat in a heavily conservative district. How is this significant? I'll tell you how.

This means that people are sick of their congressmen pussyfooting around the issues. Hackett is a straight-shooter: he told the truth about Bush and the war-supporters.

This should serve as a lesson to all Democrats. By taking a clear stance on the Iraqi war and the competency of the President, Hackett won more votes in the district than the Democrat's 2004 Presidential candidate. If they want to have any hope of taking back some seats in the 2006 midterms, the Democratic leadership needs to follow Hackett's example.

This means taking a firm stance against the war in Iraq. This means toughening up the language and rhetoric. This means going on the verbal attack against the GOP and strengthening the grassroots. So far, I've only seen this in one powerful Democrat: Howard Dean. And every time Dean does something right, the rest of the party distances themselves from him.

That needs to stop too. We're not going to win the 2006 midterms by playing nice and complimenting the President. This is a dirty game, and we're going to have to learn to fight dirty.

Hackett wasn't afraid to attack the president and play dirty: he used these tactics in the Congressional election and it almost worked.

What the Democrats need to do more than anything else is develop a clear and unified position against the Iraq war. Only then can we finally begin to take back the reins of government and start putting this country back together.

I've got to be careful what I wish for....

2005-08-02T16:50:00.000-04:00

I remember an entry a couple days ago in which I urged my fellow bloggers to concentrate on issues other than Karl Rove alone. Today, I got my wish, and more than I bargained for...

Now, it seems that we're concentrating on everything but Karl Rove. We've allowed ourselves to be distracted by the Bolton nomination, which is exactly what Bush wants to happen. Observe the top ten searches on technorati.com:

1. “Mighty Mouse”
2. “Paul Hackett”
3. “Harry Potter”
4. Linux
5. Flickr
6. “John Bolton”
7. Bolton
8. Oscon
9. “Six Feet Under”
10. Beer

Bolton occupies two of the spaces, while Rove occupies none. It has been like this all day!

This is ridiculous, people. Sure, the Bolton appointment is an outrage, but the fact is that there is nothing we can do about it. The Karl Rove scandal, on the other hand, we can do something about by pressing the administration to bring him to justice.

It would be wise for us to quit worrying about the things we can do nothing about and start focusing on the things we can do something about. We need to focus all our attention on fanning public outcry for bringing Turdblossom to justice. We can't fall for these cheap ploys of distraction anymore.

So start fanning the flames of outrage so we can bring Turdblossom down.

I know you can do it.

Keep your eyes on the ball, people!

2005-08-01T15:05:00.000-04:00

Well, Bush has officially appointed John Bolton as ambassador to the U.N.

This is bad for the U.N. and American diplomacy, blah, blah, blah....you get the picture. I'm not going to focus on Bolton today.

Why? I'll tell you why.

This appointment is simply another ploy distract attention from the real scandal: Karl Rove.

The early nomination of John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court failed to distract the public from the Rove scandal enough, so the administration is trying this new ploy.

Don't fall for it.

Sure, Bolton is an awful choice, but at this point there is little to nothing any of us can do to stop Bolton's nomination. All of us principled left-wingers would be wise to focus our wrath on something that we can make a difference with: Karl Rove. We have to keep the pressure, and the main attention of the masses, on the immoral antics of Karl Rove.

We finally have a chance to do some damage to Rove and the administration: let's not squander it. Let's hound Turdblossom into an early and unexpected retirement.

A blast from the past....

2005-07-31T12:52:00.000-04:00

It's been my experience that the Most-Searched list at technorati.com serves as a pretty good gauge of what the masses are thinking about. So, let's get inside the heads of the bloggers, and see what all the buzz is about today. We'll do this by examining the top ten most popular searches:

1. “Henry Moore”
2. Emily Bronte
3. “Baptist World Alliance”
4. “Benedicto Xvi”
5. “Leo Prieto”
6. “Karl Rove”
7. China
8. Gay
9. Ipod
10. Vista

Interesting searches. Of course Moore and Bronte are at the top, today being their birthday. I've been focusing a lot lately on Karl Rove, now #6, who has rarely left the top ten list for more than a couple hours since the news of his crooked dealings broke a couple weeks ago.

But you know what I don't see on the search list? "Social Security".

I have heard almost no coverage of Bush's proposed Social Security reforms for at least a month.

Now there are several possible reasons for this...

The first reason is that the administration, finally realizing how unpopular the proposed reforms are, decided to quietly stop pressing the public about Social Security. However, even this is somewhat worrisome to me. Either the Bush administration has truly given up (highly unlikely), or they are biding their time and waiting for public uproar to die down, in the hopes of quietly passing the reforms behind everyone's back. That seems like the most likely option.

In fact, this is one instance in which the Karl Rove scandal may actually be doing the Bush administration some good. Don't get me wrong: I don't want coverage of Karl Rove's crooked antics to stop. Quite the opposite: I want the media to hound the bastard into early retirement. Still, I am worried that the sheer volume of coverage of the Karl Rove scandal has drawn the heat off of some of the administration's other dirty deeds.

For example: when was the last time you heard the words "Downing Street Memo", or "Social Security", or "Stem Cell Research"? These topics have been getting some coverage, but not nearly as much as they deserve. Perhaps worst of all is the passing of Bush's CAFTA bill. While bloggers, including myself, ranted and raved about Rove, Congress quietly passed a bill that could lead to the exploitation of workers abroad and the loss of jobs at home. That's bad news.

So, keep the pressure on Karl Rove, the bastard deserves whatever he gets. But don't get tunnel vision: it's dangerous to focus too much on a single issue, such as the Rove scandal.

Why? I'll tell you why.

Because, with the Bush administration, there is never only one scandal. The collective crookedness of the Bush White House is staggering in its scope and depth. We have to focus on Karl Rove, but not Rove alone. There are plenty of already exposed outrages that haven't gotten the coverage they deserve (WMD's, Downing Street Memo, CAFTA, and many more), and there are likely dozens of outrages and immoral doings the public doesn't even know about yet. This administration is a hotbed of criminal iniquity and greed: let's give it the media coverage it so richly deserves.

At last!!

2005-07-28T15:54:00.000-04:00

Wow. Lately, I've been able to watch the news without getting depressed.

Why? I'll tell you why.

The American public finally seems to be wising up to George W. Bush.

Between the quagmire in Iraq, the failing "war on terror", and Karl Rove's immoral antics at home, the American public is swiftly losing faith with the Bush administration.

In fact, Bush's current approval ratings are at their lowest level since the 9/11 attacks.

A Quinnipiac University Poll, taken July 21-25, shows Bush's approval rating to be at a mere 41%.

41%??

That can't be right. I thought Dubya had a mandate, right?

Hmmmmm...something's fishy here.

HA! I love it when things go wrong for Dubya. I'm giddy as a school girl.

Looking beyond Rove

2005-07-27T17:30:00.000-04:00

Let's talk about lies. That's right: lies.

By this point I (and every other blogger, for that matter), have talked the Karl Rove scandal to death. So today, I'm going to go beyond Karl Rove and talk about the real scandal. The scandal that actually caused the Karl Rove scandal.

What scandal am I talking about?

The Iraq War Specifically, the lies that lead this nation into the Iraq war.

Reuters released a very telling poll this morning (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N27209648.htm). The poll revealed that, for the first time, the majority of Americans "...believed the administration was deliberately misleading when it asserted that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction..."

How does this relate to the Karl Rove scandal?

If you'll recall, this whole scandal began when Robert Wilson, in July 2003, wrote a column in the New York Times asserting that the Bush administration had distorted facts and misled the public when presenting the evidence of Saddam's nuclear ambitions. This distorted and often downright false evidence was used as the primary justification for the war against Saddam.

Karl Rove then leaked the name of Wilson's wife, an undercover CIA operative, to punish Wilson for his article. The revelation of Rove's role in the leak in the past couple weeks has reignited the debate.

However, now, I believe it is time to look beyond Rove himself, and instead examine the root cause all this scandal: the lies that led us into war.

For the first time since the war began, the majority of the American public agrees with Robert Wilson that Bush misled us into war.

This is huge. This is a scandal that far surpasses Karl Rove himself. Not only does this implicate Rove, but it implicates the entire Bush administration. The administration deliberately misled this nation into war through a stream of lies and misinformation, and our children are paying for it with their lives.

That's the real scandal; and it finally looks like the public is beginning to realize it.

Rove and Bolton: Twin Titans of Tyranny

2005-07-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

Alright, I admit it. The title is a wee bit of an exaggeration. I'm sorry. I guess I just have a soft spot in my heart for alliteration.

Anyhow , on to the update.

Item #1: Karl "Turdblossom" Rove

Well, the administration and the GOP members in Congress are still doing nothing to bring the leaker (i.e. Turdblossom, himself) to justice). There haven't been many developments in the past 24 hours, so today I'm going to simply post something I originally saw on Harry Reid's web-site (http://democrats.senate.gov/leak.html).

CIA Leak Case By the Numbers

Number of days after the article outing Ambassador Wilson's wife appeared that the White House required its staff to turn over evidence relating to the leak: 85

Approximate hours between then-White House Counsel Alberto Gonzalez's advance notification to White House Chief of Staff Andy Card that he would require staff to turn over evidence
relating to the case and formal notification to staff of that requirement: 12

Minimum number of times an Administration official leaked classified information about the identity of Ambassador Wilson's wife: 11

Minimum number of times after the beginning of the Justice Department's investigation that White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan claimed Karl Rove was not involved: 5

Number of press conferences since evidence linking Karl Rove to the leak was made public where Press Secretary McClellan has refused to comment on the case, citing an ongoing criminal investigation: 7

Minimum number of hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate accusations against President Clinton involving the "Whitewater" case: 20

Total hearings held by Senate Republicans to investigate the leak of the covert identity of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife: 0

Item #2: John Bolton

Well, unless you live in a cave somewhere, you've probably heard that the Bushies are hinting at a temporary appointment of Bolton. This is interesting, to say the least. To put a different perspective on the story, let's dig into the vault and travel back to the Good Old Days: The Clinton Years. Read this excerpt from a December, 1997 story by CNN (http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/12/14/lee/):

"If they make a recess appointment, then I have to say, it’s a finger in the eye of the Senate,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told FOX on Sunday. “I think you’d find there would be an awful lot of repercussions from that.”
[…]
“I think there’ll be a slowdown on a lot of things from the president,” Hatch said Sunday. “I think you’re going to have difficulty getting judges through. They’re going to have difficulty on the appropriations process. I think there’ll be attempts by some to … really let the president know you don’t do this.”

It will be interesting to hear Hatch's reaction to this nomination controversy, particularly if Harry Reid resorts to some of the tactics threatened by the Republicans in 1997...

Still, things will look bad for the U.N. if Bush pushes through a recess-confirmation. Oh well, at this point, there is really only one thing Democrats can do if Bush does push through a temporary confirmation: do what they've been doing all along: Give the bastard nothing.

Keep fighting him. And, mid-term elections are just around the corner. Who knows, maybe the public will get smarter by then and realize their mistake in installing a Republican majority in both houses of Congress.

We can only hope.

Shameless Traffic Grab

2005-07-26T15:27:00.000-04:00

::Sigh:: Like all bloggers, I am facing something of a dilemna right now. At this point, there are two things I can do, I can either: a)Write what others want to read, OR b)write what I want to write about. However, I've had lot of luck lately. Why? For once, the two seem to be intersecting. Observe the list of top ten searches on technorati.com:

1. Cafta
2. “Stephanie Klein”
3. “Seth Merrin”
4. Liquidnet
5. 林志玲
6. “Virtual Earth”
7. “Harry Potter”
8. Konfabulator
9. Discovery
10. “Karl Rove”

At #10 is Karl Rove. Karl Rove has been in the top ten constantly since he was revealed as the source of the leak. He has also been my sole topic since he was revealed. But that's not my point

Here's my main point: this list is very telling. As his constant presence on the list indicates, people want to know more about the Karl Rove scandal.

Despite Bush's best efforts to distract us, people still want to hold Karl Rove accountable for what he has done.

Here's my message to Dubya and his gang: This scandal will not go away. We want answers. You can't stonewall us forever. Eventually, justice will have to be served.

I look forward to that day with relish and anticipation.

Here's hoping it comes soon.

The Plot Thickens: More Rove News

2005-07-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

Well, some new and interesting twists have developed in the Karl Rove scandal. Or, as I have heard several other bloggers call it: TreasonGate.

I rather like the sound of that.

I've been hearing a lot of fuss over the so-called 12-Hour Gap. For those of you not up to date with our hep lingo, I'll fill you in.

When the Justice Dept. began its investigation into the Plame leak in September 2003, it formally notified then-White House Counsel Gonzales so he would ensure that relevant records would be kept.

But Gonzales did not relay that notification to the White House staff until the next morning, giving him or someone else a 12-hour opportunity to destroy evidence.

Interesting...

But don't get your hopes up. Although it is a pipe-dream fantasy of mine to see Gonzales behind bars, I sincerely doubt anything will come of this resurrection of the "12-hour Gap" theory. There just doesn't seem to be enough hard evidence against Gonzales.

Sadly, this seems to be the case with many members of the Bush administration: Everybody knows that they're crooks, it's just not easy finding hard evidence.

But there's still hope for getting a conviction pinned upon Rove. I wouldn't bet on it (these bastards are tricky, you know), but there is still a faint glimmer of hope that the Grand Jury might actually dole out some justice.

At this point, there are several different fates Rove can suffer:

1. He's convicted and sentenced by the jury. (least likely option, but my favorite)

2. Rove is convicted, but pardoned by Bush (my second favorite option, as this would spell almost certain doom for the GOP in the 2006 midterms)

3. Rove is brought to trial, but still manages to weasel out of justice (more likely)

4. No charges are filed, Rove not brought to trial. (sadly, this is the most likely option)

However, there is one sure thing, no matter what Rove's fate: The Bush Administration will not escape this scandal unscathed.

It will now be impossible for Bush to get away with portraying himself as an honest, down-to-earth, Beltway-outsider. No matter whether Rove escapes justice or not, on thing can be sure: The American people now know that Bush lies.

Try as they may , the Administration won't be able to escape this fight without one hell of a bloody nose.

And that's what let's me sleep at night.

House Renews Patriot Act: We are screwed

2005-07-23T12:46:00.000-04:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. We are screwed.

The House voted 257-171 to renew the USA Patriot Act last night.

Why?

The answer is simple: fear.

Yet again, the GOP managed to shoo in the bill on the heels of a fear-inducing terrorist attack, this time the second London Bombing.

Now I'm not going to make wild charges, but doesn't it seem a little convenient how these things always work out?

A well-placed bombing occurs just in time to scare enough swing voters in the House into passing the renewed Patriot Act.

George W. Bush should give Osama bin Laden a medal.

Why? I'll tell you why. Osama bin Laden has helped the Bush administration's agenda more than any man alive, with the possible exception of Karl Rove.

Al Qaeda's terrorist strikes always occur at the most convenient times. Before September 11th, Bush was one of the most unpopular Presidents ever. However, the attacks rallied the country and conveniently suppressed any protest from lawmakers, out of fear of sounding unpatriotic. Bush exploited this swelling of patriotism to pass despicable laws, such as the USA PATRIOT Act. Also, the September 11th attacks likely got Bush his second term in office.

Think about it. Every other aspect of his Presidency failed. The economy, education, and healthcare are all failing under George W. Bush's reign. The only thing that Bush can really brag about is the war on terrorism.

You know what? Come to think of that, Bush failed at fighting terrorism too.

Why? I'll tell you why.

Bush allowed Osama bin Laden and most of Al Qaeda's fighting strength to escape from Afghanistan. He then sent all our troops into Iraq, where they are now training the next generation of Islamic extremists by serving as human target practice. Like the Soviet's in Afghanistan in the 80's, our occupation of Iraq is breeding the next generation of extremists by drawing new recruits to Radical Islam, and providing them with a place to get real combat training (Iraq). This is going to bite us in the ass ten years down the line when we have to face a cadre of veteran militants, all with combat experience from the battlegrounds of Iraq.

So, in conclusion: George W. Bush is a complete failure at everything he has ever done.

Take heart citizens...

2005-07-22T19:38:00.000-04:00

..for our brave media seems to be rallying and jumping back into coverage of the Karl Rove Scandal.

Although coverage dropped sharply on Tuesday when Bush announced his nominee, it seems that coverage of the Karl Rove scandal has been picking up again.

In other words: the media refuses to be distracted by cheap ploys of distraction.

Not only has the media continued to cover the story, they have uncovered several new bits of information, all of which make Karl Rove's situation even more dire.

Wednesday: The Wall Street Journal reports that the memo "made clear" that the information was "sensitive and shouldn't be shared."

Thursday: The Washington Post reports that the paragraph about Plame was "marked 'S' for secret." This story is repeated on CBS Evening News and CNN.

Late Thursday night: John Harwood , of the Wall Street Journal, revealed on MSNBC that the entire memo was classified “top secret” and the section about Plame was marked “SNF” for “Secret, No Foreign” meaning, don’t share with any foreign intelligence service.

Also, some evidence was offered on last night's Bloomberg News Report that Karl Rove committed perjury

According to Bloomberg, Rove told the special counsel that he first heard Plame’s name from Bob Novak, but Novak “has given a somewhat different version”.

And Cheney’s chief of staff Scooter Libby told the special counsel he first heard it from NBC’s Tim Russert, but Russert says he did not tell Libby her identity.

This is huge.If proven true, this would mean that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby commited perjury, a felony offense.

What does all of this add up to mean: Bad news for Karl Rove and the Evil Empire; and good news for all of us principled left-wingers.

Here's my message for Karl Rove: Whatever you do, don't drop the soap in the prison showers.

Questions about Rove...

2005-07-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

The White House Press Corps has been unusually feisty lately. Ever since the news about Karl Rove became public, reporters at Scott McClellan's press conferences have been actually asking questions and ::gasp:: being journalists. I know, it's shocking. For instance, take this excerpt from this morning's press conference. McClellan began by informing the reporters of this morning's bombing attacks in London. He then tried to use the topic of the bombing to transition into discussion of America's increased transit security. It didn't work. Instead, reporters immediately began hounding McClellan about....you guessed it...Karl Rove. Here's the excerpt:

Question: Why does Karl Rove still have security clearance and access to classified documents when he has been revealed as a leaker of a secret agent, according to Time magazine's correspondent?

McClellan: Well, there is an investigation that continues, and I think the President has made it clear that we're not going to prejudge the outcome of that investigation.

Question: You already have the truth.

McClellan: We're not going to prejudge the outcome of that investigation through--

Question: Does he have access to security documents?

McClellan: -- through media reports. And these questions came up over the last week--

Question: Did he leak the name of a CIA agent?

McClellan: As I was trying to tell you, these questions have been answered.

Question: No, they haven't.

Question: Let me ask--

McClellan: Go ahead, David.

Question And they most certainly haven't. I think Helen is right, and the people watching us know that. And related to that, there are now--

McClellan: Let me correct the record. We've said for quite some time that this was an ongoing investigation, and that we weren't going to comment on it, so let me just correct the record.

Question: If you want to make the record clear, then you also did make comments when a criminal investigation was underway, you saw fit to provide Karl Rove with a blanket statement of absolution. And that turned out to be no longer accurate --

It continues on in this manner for a while: the reporters asking simple, blunt, probing questions; and McClellan stonewalling and/or evading them.

You know what's shocking? The fact that I even used the words "probing" and "White House Press Corps" in the same entry. But, for once, it seems that our White House press is showing some spine.

Why? It's quite simple: revenge.

This administration has snubbed the media time and time again. The media has endured a long line of disgraces at the hands of the Bush administration, including (but not limited to): the planting of White House-friendly reporters in the press corps, mass-mailing Rove-engineered propaganda "newscasts" to the major networks and, last but not least, telling bald-faced lies to the White House Press Corps.

Apparently, after all the humiliations, the media has had enough. Finally presented with a scandal of sufficiently epic proportions, the media has decided to go on the attack against the Bush administration and it's lies..

Finally, we have reporters doing actual reporting: asking actual questions, putting McClellan on the defensive and, finally, taking the constant stream of bullshit with a hefty grain of salt.

The White House has been caught in a lie and, finally, the media seems to want to do something about it. They smell blood in the water, and they're not going to stop questioning the administration until they have nemesis.

Or so I hope.

My message for the media: Whatever, you do guys, don't take no for an answer. Don't accept McClellan's stonewalling: keep asking the tough questions. And, above all: STICK IT TO EM'.

Let's talk about Karl Rove...

2005-07-21T16:06:00.000-04:00

That's right: Karl Rove. Not John G. Roberts, he's just a big distraction.

Right now, I want to talk about Karl Rove.

And, apparently, I'm not alone in this desire. Despite the best efforts of the Bush administration to distract us, the American people still want answers about Karl Rove.

How do I know this? The latest Pew Poll. (http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=250). According to the poll, 48% of Americans are following the Karl Rove scandal “very closely” or “fairly closely.”

Now, I know that 48% isn't even a majority of the American public, much less an overwhelming one. Nevertheless, the percentage proves that, despite the best efforts of the administration to distract us and the propaganda spewed out by Fox News, many Americans simply refuse to ignore the Karl Rove scandal.

However, it gets even better. Of those following the story closely, 58% believe that Karl Rove should resign. This sudden public interest in government accountability, coupled with anti-Rove articles on countless op-ed pages, is enough to warm the heart of any jaded, left-wing blogger.

Now here's a message for the Democrats: Don't let the Bush administration get away with this. Finally, you have a scandal that has drawn significant public interest to do the administration serious harm. Don't let Rove get away with this. Don't stop pressing the White House for answers.

Keep your eyes on the prize, fellas. You have a golden opportunity here: don't waste it. The public is growing tired of the administration's stonewalling. If you keep on pressing, only two things can happen:

1. The administration will continue stonewalling, most likely aggravating the public further.
2. We might actually get some results and accountability.

I know the second option seems unlikely, but still, it's nice to hope.

Keep up the good fight.

My off-the-cuff opinion...(Don't Forget Karl Rove!)

2005-07-20T13:38:00.000-04:00

Really, I'm just not sure....

Moveon.org hates John G. Roberts, but so does Ann Coulter. (http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/welcome.cgi)

This confuses me. Ann Coulter is a crazy, raving bitch who hates everybody that is even mildly intelligent (and by intelligent I mean liberal). So, the fact that Ann Coulter hates him is a plus for him in my book...

But he's also anti-abortion and anti-enviroment....

So confused.....

I've tried doing some research of my own, but the man has only been a judge for two years, so there's really not all that much info on him.

I still need some time to formulate my opinion.

Want to know my initial, off-the-cuff, opinion? Fight him. Don't trust anything Bush does.
If I were Harry Reid, this would be my strategy for reacting to anything Bush does: Give The Bastard Nothing.

Obstructionist? Damn right I'm obstructionist. I'm pissed and I don't want to give the GOP anything.

So, until something else persuades me, I have decided that John G. Roberts is the wrong choice.

Why?
Because Bush nominated him.

Childish, I know. But at this point, I really don't care.

Oh by the way: Don't forget about Karl Rove. The crook is still at large: don't let the nomination coverage distract you from that.

Well, it could be worse... (But don't forget about Karl Rove!)

2005-07-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

It's official, we have a nominee: Bush officially nominated John G. Roberts to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court today.

I couldn't find much on Roberts. He's only been a judge, on the D.C. Court of Appeals, since Bush nominated him for that post in 2003. However, his record as Deputy Solicitor under the first Bush tells us something about his record.

Some of Robert's record on abortion is unsettling. In fact, as Deputy Solicitor General, Roberts argued in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade before the Supreme Court. Although Roberts hasn't officially announced any intentions on Roe v. Wade, his confirmation could potentially put a women's right to choose in grave danger.

However, that was fifteen years ago. In his career since then, Roberts has done very little to indicate that he is a hard-line anti-choice activist. In fact, Roberts has done very little to indicate his stance on any of the issues. He has only been a judge since May 2003, so it's hard to pinpoint his stances on abortion and other crucial social issues. This has actually caused worry in some conservative circles. Many in the GOP are wary over Roberts proving to be "another David Souter." Souter, like Roberts, was a new justice with a thin dossier and somewhat ambiguous stances on the issues. The Republicans pushed him through anyways in 1990, hoping that he would prove to be a solid-conservative justice. In fact, Souter proved to be the exact opposite: handing down many liberal rulings on reproductive rights, affirmative action, and homosexuality. So, after the surprise of David Souter, many conservatives may be wary of approving another new justice, with somewhat ambiguous stances, such as Roberts.

This also offers some hope for us principled left-wingers: if David Souter could surprise us, maybe John G. Roberts can too. Maybe he will uphold affirmative action, gay rights, and Roe v. Wade.

We can only hope.

P.S. Although this is important, we have to make sure not to let this nomination distract us from the real controversy: Karl Rove.

In fact, my hunch is that Bush announced his nominee this early precisely in order to distract us from Karl Rove's immoral antics. Don't fall for it. Remember: Karl Rove is a crooked assclown, and should be ridden out of Washington on a rail.

I knew it would come to this...

2005-07-19T13:55:00.000-04:00

Well, in face of mounting evidence against Karl Rove in the CIA-leak controversy, Bush has started doing the inevitable: finding a way to weasel out of justice and keep Karl Rove in his administration.

Remember back in 2004 when Bush promised to fire anyone found involved with the CIA leak? That would mean Bush would have to fire Karl Rove right?

Wrong. Why?

Bush never keeps his promises.

Yesterday, Bush changed his promise from 2004. In a press conference yesterday, he proclaimed "...if someone committed a crime, they will no longer work in my administration,"

This is a direct contradiction to Bush's 2004 promise to fire anyone found to have leaked Plame's name. Why did he change it?

The reason is simple: Karl Rove leaked Plame's name. Keeping his promise would mean that Bush would have to fire Karl Rove; and Rove is a man that Bush can not afford to lose. So he broke his promise.

If there's one thing I have learned about this administration by now it is this: The Bush White House never keeps its promises.

More Supreme Court News

2005-07-18T17:19:00.000-04:00

Well, even Republicans are now calling for Bush to appoint a sensible nominee to the Supreme Court.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) has joined the growing number of conservative voices now calling out for a moderate Supreme Court Justice. However, Specters remarks are particularly significant.

Why? The man is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Specter made his remarks on "Fox News Sunday", calling for a moderate "swing-vote" justice in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor. Specter, surprisingly for a Republican on a Fox News program, actually made some valid, sensible remarks. He spoke in favor of a moderate justice and balance on the Supreme Court. Specter's remarks included a sensible stand on the issue, when he said: Bush "...stands in a position where he has to put a person on not where the president would be beholden to any group, no matter how much they contributed to his election, but something in the national interest..."

Specter went on to call for a nominee that would provide balance in the court, saying "...it's helpful to the country to have somebody who is a swing vote, which maintains the balance."

Surprising, I know. A Republican making sense. A fluke? Perhaps.

But maybe, just maybe, enough flukes like this one might me able to pound a little bit of sense into Bush's dense skull.

We can only hope.

I love when Republicans fight Republicans...

2005-07-16T15:48:00.000-04:00

Well, there has been some tension these past few weeks between several factions of the Republican party over the President's proposed budget, social security reforms, and stem cell research.

This makes me unbelievably happy. Let's examine some quotes from the right wing:

"They're not being honest with the American people."
--Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Oklahoma; referring to the Department of Defense’s shady budget requests.

"Such gimmicks are, at best, false budgeting."
--Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho; criticizing the administrations health and labor appropriations request, which obtains its funds by cutting benefits for the nation's poor.

“What does it do to the culture of life when you let people die because there are medical research tools which could keep them alive?"
--Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pennsylvania retorting to a comment by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas questioning the effects of stem cell research upon the so-called “culture of life.

Those are all I have the energy to post right now. More examples of Republican infighting can be found through a simple glance through the Politics section of CNN or MSNBC.com.

What does the feuding mean for the rest of us? Good stuff.

Why? Because, if the Republicans are kept busy fighting each other, they won’t have the opportunity to do any further damage to this nation by passing any more of their batshit-crazy legislation.

Let’s hope they keep it up.

No surprise at all...

2005-07-13T22:44:00.000-04:00

Well, unless you live in an igloo somewhere, you've probablly heard that the source of the leak has been found: Karl Rove.

Surprised? I'm not. Why? Because the man is Niccolo freakin' Machiavelli.

Only this administration is willing to make a power play as low as endangering the life of an American operative in order to gain petty political revenge against her husband. And Karl Rove is the man that does the dirty work best. Niccolo would be proud.

Honestly, at this point, nothing this administration does can surprise me. Seriously. I would honestly consider and possibly believe a report on, oh let's say, the donkey-sodomizing fetish shared by Karl Rove and Condoleeza Rice, or the orphan-beating habits of Donald Rumsfield. Seriously, I don't think anything at all is beneath these guys. But I digress.

Now things are going to get really interesting. Bush promised, back in 2004, to fire anyone found complicit with the leak of Plume's name. That means Karl Rove. Of course, we all know that Bush isn't going to fire Rove. So, the only question remaining is this: how much of a shitstorm is the media going to raise (Fox News doesn't qualify as media. It's more of a propaganda department than a news outlet) and how much of a bloody nose will this give the adminstration?

Yep, these next few weeks could be extremely interesting...

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

2005-07-11T18:01:00.000-04:00

Today's Topic: The Department of Homeland Security

I'm a little tired today, and I felt like an easy target, which the Department of Homeland Security definitely is.

Oh boy, it is.

As you may or may not know, the nation's mass transit system is currently on Level Orange High Alert. Homeland Security Secretary raised the alert level to Orange following Friday's terrorist bombing attack upon London's mass transit system.

So what has raising America's alert level accomplished?

Absolutely nothing.

Why? Because the terror alert levels are meaningless for several reasons. First of all, there are no specific guidelines or protocols for what to do during a terror alerts. Citizens are given vague instructions such as "be on increased alert" and security forces are encouraged to be upon "increased vigilance". This sounds a little vague and meaningless, doesn't it? The reason for this vagueness is simple: Over three years after 9/11, the government still has no comprehensive plan for increasing homeland security in the event of a terrorist threat. Despite all the big talk about "increased vigilance", the fact remains that security organizations have no comprehensive protocol for what to do when the Threat Level rises. In a nutshell, they simply have no clue what the much-lauded Terror Alert Code means.

The second reason for the Terror Alert Systems failure is the frequency with which the system is deployed, only for nothing to happen at all. Time and time again, the level has been raised to the Orange "High", and nothing has happened. The result of this is that, now, the vast majority of Americans pay no attention at all to the terror alerts. They are viewed as unreliable and meaningless due to the countless false alarms and vague instructions to citizens. This concept is understandable to any small child who has read the classic fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". If the Department of Homeland Security wants to keep any sort of relevance and credibility, it would do well to use reliable sources and confirm it intelligence before it raises the threat level.

Unfortunately, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has indicated that this will likely never be the case. While making the rounds of the Sunday talk show circuit, Chertoff declared that "I'd love to say we're going to see green in our lifetime...But I can't tell you in the forseeable future we're going to be below yellow."

The alert level has never dipped below yellow, or Elevated, even once since the creation of the terror alert system. This quite simply ridiculous. It is utterly impossible to keep an entire nation at an elevated security level for years at a time. The only realistic result of this is what is happening now: the common people simply drown out the alarmist calls of doom, ignore the Terror Alert System, and go on with their everyday lives.

Thanks to foolish handling, the Department of Homeland Security has effectively destroyed any relevance their Terror Alert System may once have held and made the future more dangerous by ensuring that, if the Alert Level is ever raised due to credible evidence, the warning will be ignored completely by the nation's jaded populace.

In an nutshell, the Terror Alert System has not made the United States any more secure than it was before 9/11. If anything, thanks the stupidity of the Department of Homeland Security, the United States is now an even more dangeorus place than it ever was before.

G-8 Conference: My Amateur Analysis

2005-07-09T18:36:00.000-04:00

Well, the dust has settled over the G-8 conference, revealing a mixed bag of results: some excellent, some glaringly lacking. To simplify matters, I have broken my analysis down into two lists: Good Stuff and Bad Stuff.

Good Stuff

1. Overall African aid and debt releif boosted from $25 billion to $50 billion

2. The EU agreed to boost it's aid to 0.7 percent of its national income by 2015.

3. Leaders endorsed a deal to releive the debt of 18 debtor nations.

Bad Stuff

1. Bush refused to increase the US aid contribution to the proposed 0.7 percent. In fact, at a mere 0.16 percent of our nation income, the United States has the lowest proportional contribution of any of the G-8.

2. Bush also refused to meet guidelines for curbing American greenhouse gas emissions. Apparentlly, Bush still needs to gather more information on the topic. Is anyone else reminded of Nero fiddling while Rome burns?

3. Although the debt of 18 nations was releived, this is not nearly enough. The G-8 will have to cancel the debt of many more nations if it hopes on reaching the UN's 2015 anti-poverty goals.

Overal Summary

Good, but not enough. The G-8 as a whole needs to relieve more debt and commit to larger amounts of aid if it hopes to reach the UN's sweeping anti-poverty goals. The U.S in paritcular needs to step up. We have the most powerful economy in the world are capable of doing the most good, yet we still shouldered the lightest proportional load of economic aid. Additionally, Bush's continued resitance to curbing greenhouse effectivelly negates any positve effects of the anti-poverty efforts. What good is helping the poor and hungry if they'll simply inherit an overheated, polluted world, completely flooded by melted ice caps.

Alarmist? Maybe a little. However, even if the real effects of global warming aren't that drastic, my point still stands. Bush's refusal to accept decent enviromental guidelines is a symptom of his administrations irresponsibility and inability to excersice any sort of long-range planning. Any foregin observer is probablly left with the impression that Bush is too obsessed with "saving" the world from the immediate dangers of terrorism to see the long-term effects of his irresponsibilty upon the future survival of man.

The man simply lacks any balance or ability to forsee the effects of events more distant than next election year. It doesn't help that he's too simple to see any sort of nuances. The world's not black and white. However, Dubya, and virtually every individual involved with the administration of this nation, is either too foolish to see that or too spineless to speak out.

Bravo! Now do more!

2005-07-08T03:40:00.000-04:00

Well, the G-8 just officially unveiled its $50 billion aid package for Africa. Good job guys, but don't start patting yourselves on the back just yet. You still have a lot more work to do. You're off to a good start, but Africa and the entire Third World still needs a lot of help.

Where to start? How about debt releif. The $55 billion debt relif unveiled in June was a good start, but you can do more. Sub-Saharan Africa alone has over $68 billion in debt to foreign creditiors. Add that to debt problem in the rest of Africa and Asia and, even after the relief package, you still have a financial crisis of epic proportions.

So don't get comfortable just yet G-8. You guys represnt the most poweful nations in the world. You're easily capable of increasing aid to twice that amount without you economies experiencing so much as a hiccup. Don't forget the UN's 2015 anti-poverty goals. Without your support, in greater amounts, those goals are almost certainly impossible to meet.

So step it up guys. Good job, but step it up.

Rick Santorum: Our Worst Senator

2005-07-07T16:40:00.000-04:00

I've decided to try something new today. Today, I am going to write and in-depth profile of one of our legislators: Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.

"Why Rick Santorum?", you may ask.

I'll tell you why. Today I am focusing on Rick Santorum because I beleive he is, in all likelihood, the worst Senator on Capital Hill.

I am going to present my case through a series of quotes uttered by Mr. Santorum. Quotes that that I have researched extensively on Google and selected specifically to make Mr. Santorum look like a sexist, homophobic moron.

Which he is. Enjoy the quotes!

This quote is old and waaayy over-quoted, but it's an excellent indicator of the kind of man Rick is:

"Every society in the history of man has upheld the institution of marriage as a bond between a man and a woman. Why? Because society is based on one thing: that society is based on the future of the society. And that's what? Children. Monogamous relationships. In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be." - Interview, April 23, 2003

My retort: What the fuck, Rick? I don't even want to respond to this one.

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything," -Interview, April 21, 2003

My Retort: First of all, adultery is legal, you retard. Second of all, you're a douchebag. Third of all, stay out of the bedroom.

"From Catholic Online, concerning liberals effect on Catholic Priests morality: "It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior[pedophilia], since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning "private" moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."

My retort: Wow. Apparentlly the liberal media cause Catholic priests to become pedophiles.

An amazing leap of logic from an amazing man.

That's all the quotes I can stomach for now.

Today's Lesson: Keep politics out of the bedroom. Pay attention to healthcare reform or education. But for god's sake, lay off the gays already.

Bye Bye Accountability...

2005-07-06T20:02:00.000-04:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/07/06/reporters.contempt/index.html
They did it. They convicted her.

I can't say I'm surprised. This is just another symptom of the slow, painful demise of real, principled journalism.

It's fitting that Mark Felt has finally revealed his identity as Deep Throat at this time in our nation's history. I had hoped that he would serve as a reminder to the judge of the benefits of investigative journalism and the moral rightness of the journalistic code of honor that Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward adhered to in protecting the identiy of Mr. Felt for over thirty years. The same code of honor that Judith Miller was following by protecting her source. The same code of honor that is earning her jail time.

Now tenth grade Civics class wasn't that long ago for me, so I remember a few things. One of the things I remember is the role of the media in American democracy. In an ideal world, the media would serve and another sourt of "check and balance", working as a sort of moral watchdog by checking government corruption and wrongdoing through principled, investigative reporting. Carl Bernstien and Bob Woodward adhered to this ideal when they revealed the prevalent criminality of the Watergate-era Nixon Administration.

Sadly, thanks to this ruling, this would not have been possible today. If Watergate happened right now, chances are the Nixon would have gotten off scotch-free. Why? Because, thanks to this ruling, Mark Felt would not have been able to blow the whistle on Nixon without putting his career in dire danger.

Without the guaranteed protection of anonymity, would-be whistle blowers will be increasingly reluctant to risk their careers and security to do the right thing.

In a nutshell, by handing down this ruling, our honorable judge has handed George W. Bush and corrupt politicians everywhere a Get Out of Jail Free card.

Bye bye, accountability.
Adios, principled journalism.
Helloooooo, Fox News.

-Martin