Monday, December 15, 2008
Shoes Are Dangerous
More proof that shoes are dangerous and should be banned from all public places.
Bush, apparently just as ignorant of Iraqi culture today as he was five years ago, dismissed the incident as "no big thing, sort of a fraternity joke."
Bush went on to say "we used to do that kind of stuff all the time at Yale. Heck, I bet that fellow just had a few too many beers. Did you see how fast I ducked though? You gotta get up pretty early to beat the Georgie. All that cocaine I did hasn't affected my reflexes. And hey did you see how al Maliki swatted at that shoe. I taught him that move last time we played some football at Camp David. Oh and hey, the Cowboys won on Sunday night too!"
More proof that shoes are dangerous and should be banned from all public places.
As Bush finished remarks that hailed the security progress that led to a U.S.-Iraq agreement that sets a three-year timetable for an American withdrawal, an Iraqi television journalist leapt from his seat, pulled off his shoes and threw them at the president. Striking someone with a shoe is a grave insult in Islam.
"This is a goodbye kiss, you dog," the journalist, Muntathar al Zaidi, 29, shouted.
Bush ducked the first shoe. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, standing to Bush's left, tried to swat down the second.
Bush, apparently just as ignorant of Iraqi culture today as he was five years ago, dismissed the incident as "no big thing, sort of a fraternity joke."
Bush went on to say "we used to do that kind of stuff all the time at Yale. Heck, I bet that fellow just had a few too many beers. Did you see how fast I ducked though? You gotta get up pretty early to beat the Georgie. All that cocaine I did hasn't affected my reflexes. And hey did you see how al Maliki swatted at that shoe. I taught him that move last time we played some football at Camp David. Oh and hey, the Cowboys won on Sunday night too!"
Friday, November 14, 2008
Oh that Bush Economy
Today George Bush was in New York talking up the economy and boasting how effective his give away to Wall Street has been. He also said a bunch of bullshit about how it wasn't the lack of regulation, etc. that caused the meltdown and our spiral into depression,
What's that dear reader, you doubt we're spiraling into depression? Today, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports,
Still doubting that George Bush and the Republican Party has driven the US into depression through misrule? New York state is facing
Apparently George Bush doesn't think giving billions to bankers and giving tax cuts to the wealthy isn't a form of government intervention. Unfortunately, there are still enough delusional Republicans in Congress to force their delusions on the rest of us.
Today George Bush was in New York talking up the economy and boasting how effective his give away to Wall Street has been. He also said a bunch of bullshit about how it wasn't the lack of regulation, etc. that caused the meltdown and our spiral into depression,
the greater threat to economic prosperity is not too little government involvement in the market, but too much.And then boy genius tried to say that the Europeans are suffering the same meltdown as we are despite their excessive regulation. Of course, being the complete idiot he is, Bush failed to note that many of those same European banks, governments, etc. had invested heavily in the U.S. mortgage market and CDS market.
What's that dear reader, you doubt we're spiraling into depression? Today, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports,
A $1.6 billion project to build a new international terminal at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport could be suspended within the next few months because the airport has been unable to sell $600 million in municipal bonds, the head of the airport said Thursday. [. . .] He said the airport’s debt rating is solid, at “A+”, which is considered investment grade.Oh, about 300 good-paying construction jobs are at risk. Yep, the credit markets are working just fine and the banks are using all of that tax money George Bush gave them to extend loans and otherwise extend capital. When the busiest airport (that means lots of revenue) can't sell it's bonds, we're in a depression.
Still doubting that George Bush and the Republican Party has driven the US into depression through misrule? New York state is facing
budget deficits of $1.5 billion this year and $12.5 billion next year.Yep, that's a budget deficit of $12.5 billion. And George Bush goes blithely on doing nothing. Oh wait, he's done something, he's given billions to Wall Street bankers and is probably dreaming of tax cuts for the super rich.
Apparently George Bush doesn't think giving billions to bankers and giving tax cuts to the wealthy isn't a form of government intervention. Unfortunately, there are still enough delusional Republicans in Congress to force their delusions on the rest of us.
Labels: bailout, Bush, credit crunch, depression, economic crisis, idiot, Republican, Wall Street
Monday, November 10, 2008
Bush and Obama Tour the White House
Bush and Obama meet at the White House today. Bush is unlikely to be too excited to be showing Obama around. According to an unnamed White House source Bush is dealing with the disappointment pretty well,
Once Bush recovers from his week long bender aides say he'll spend a week or so clearing brush at his play Ranch outside of Wacko, TX and then focus on his plans for his play Presidential Library. Aides say the library may be relocated to an undisclosed location, though they can't be certain since Dick Cheney hasn't let them see any of the files on the library.
Bush and Obama meet at the White House today. Bush is unlikely to be too excited to be showing Obama around. According to an unnamed White House source Bush is dealing with the disappointment pretty well,
“He has a way of coming to grips with things and moving on.”Yeah, like a bottle of Jack, an eight ball of coke, and couple of hookers. Aides say Mrs. Bush plans to visit with her daughters.
Once Bush recovers from his week long bender aides say he'll spend a week or so clearing brush at his play Ranch outside of Wacko, TX and then focus on his plans for his play Presidential Library. Aides say the library may be relocated to an undisclosed location, though they can't be certain since Dick Cheney hasn't let them see any of the files on the library.
Labels: Bush, Dick Cheney, lies, Obama, transition
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Barack and Howard
Well, with less than a week to go before that great accountability moment otherwise know as the election, it appears Howard Dean and Barack Obama have done it. What's it, you ask? And how did they do it?
It is forcing the Republicans to reveal their true selves. To force Republicans to say all the crazy, racist, sexists, xenophobic, and otherwise bigoted and prejudiced things that they say in private or say to themselves late a night. Just as Bill Clinton's run in 1992 forced the Republicans to reveal themselves in all their ugliness at the 1992 Republican National Convention, so did Dean and Obama's strategies force Republicans in 2008 to reveal their true selves. Together Dean and Obama gave truth to the lie of "compassionate conservativism."
Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy started the ball rolling. Dean's strategy of building grassroots organizations in every state, of raising money, and funding candidates in every state was key to what looks like a win for Barack Obama. The first sign that Dean's strategy was working was George Allen's Macca moment. Allen was so pressured by Webb and by the the Dean strategy that Allen felt compelled to pander to the racist base of the Republican Party.
In the past two months we've seen an increasingly desperate and shrill John McCain and Republican Party resort to racist, sexist, xenophobic, and bigoted attacks in a futile attempt to turn back Obama. Obama pushed McCain and his Republican Party not merely by raising a lot of money, but by using that money to open field offices all across the country, especially in places the Republican Party thought was safe. Moreover, Obama spent money in safe areas--those areas he or other Democrats were sure to win--in order to shore up his base and to build morale. By forcing the Republicans to play defense, Obama and Dean forced the Republicans to go to the mattresses, to resort to desperate measures, and to return to their old race-baiting, xenophobic, and hateful rhetoric. It's who and what the modern Republican Party really is and like in 1992, American voters are rejecting the hate, the prejudice, the racism, and the whole lot of it.
Well, with less than a week to go before that great accountability moment otherwise know as the election, it appears Howard Dean and Barack Obama have done it. What's it, you ask? And how did they do it?
It is forcing the Republicans to reveal their true selves. To force Republicans to say all the crazy, racist, sexists, xenophobic, and otherwise bigoted and prejudiced things that they say in private or say to themselves late a night. Just as Bill Clinton's run in 1992 forced the Republicans to reveal themselves in all their ugliness at the 1992 Republican National Convention, so did Dean and Obama's strategies force Republicans in 2008 to reveal their true selves. Together Dean and Obama gave truth to the lie of "compassionate conservativism."
Howard Dean's 50-State Strategy started the ball rolling. Dean's strategy of building grassroots organizations in every state, of raising money, and funding candidates in every state was key to what looks like a win for Barack Obama. The first sign that Dean's strategy was working was George Allen's Macca moment. Allen was so pressured by Webb and by the the Dean strategy that Allen felt compelled to pander to the racist base of the Republican Party.
In the past two months we've seen an increasingly desperate and shrill John McCain and Republican Party resort to racist, sexist, xenophobic, and bigoted attacks in a futile attempt to turn back Obama. Obama pushed McCain and his Republican Party not merely by raising a lot of money, but by using that money to open field offices all across the country, especially in places the Republican Party thought was safe. Moreover, Obama spent money in safe areas--those areas he or other Democrats were sure to win--in order to shore up his base and to build morale. By forcing the Republicans to play defense, Obama and Dean forced the Republicans to go to the mattresses, to resort to desperate measures, and to return to their old race-baiting, xenophobic, and hateful rhetoric. It's who and what the modern Republican Party really is and like in 1992, American voters are rejecting the hate, the prejudice, the racism, and the whole lot of it.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Five Minute Hate Republican Style
Are these the "occasional nuts" attending McCain/Palin events? It seems the large bulk of the attendees are spewing hate.
The people McCain attracts to his rallies are scary. I can only imagine the emails, direct mail, and phone calls they receive from McCain and Republican connected groups planting such hateful ideas in voters' minds.
I will at least give McCain credit for keeping this kind of hate under cover until after the Republican Convention. As it is now, the mainstream media can "ignore" these "occasional nuts" when they're on a sidewalk in Ohio, Iowa, etc. but couldn't ignore it if the same "occasional nuts" were chanting their hate at the convention.
It's clear McCain and Republicans have no interest in bringing this country together. Their mission is to poison the well, to sow division, and be disruptive for the next eight years.
Are these the "occasional nuts" attending McCain/Palin events? It seems the large bulk of the attendees are spewing hate.
The people McCain attracts to his rallies are scary. I can only imagine the emails, direct mail, and phone calls they receive from McCain and Republican connected groups planting such hateful ideas in voters' minds.
I will at least give McCain credit for keeping this kind of hate under cover until after the Republican Convention. As it is now, the mainstream media can "ignore" these "occasional nuts" when they're on a sidewalk in Ohio, Iowa, etc. but couldn't ignore it if the same "occasional nuts" were chanting their hate at the convention.
It's clear McCain and Republicans have no interest in bringing this country together. Their mission is to poison the well, to sow division, and be disruptive for the next eight years.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Oh that Bush Economy
Tell me again about how Republicans are good for the economy. Tell me again how massive tax cuts for the richest of the rich leads to economic growth. Tell me again how having a "CEO" president would be good for the economy.
I sure am glad we didn't privatize Social Security like George Bush and the other idiots in the Republican Party wanted us to a few years back.
Oh, and remember the budget surplus we had at the end of eight years with a Democratic President? Remember that? Remember how Bush and Cheney talked up a recession in order to push through massive tax cuts? Well, Bush and Cheney sure got their recession. And despite the Republicans' ability to blackmail tax cuts out of Nancy Pelosi, tax cuts ain't the answer. If tax cuts worked, we wouldn't have a huge budget deficit and a stock market shedding almost 40% of its value in a year.
Tell me again about how Republicans are good for the economy. Tell me again how massive tax cuts for the richest of the rich leads to economic growth. Tell me again how having a "CEO" president would be good for the economy.
Over the last seven sessions, the Dow has lost 2,271 points, or 20.1%. Since hitting an all-time high of 14,164.53 one year ago today, the Dow has lost 39.4%.Yep, a 20% lost in a week of trading. As of the close of trading on October 9, 2009 the DJIA stood at 8,579.19. If things keep going the way they've been, we just might see a 50% drop in the DJIA in little more than a year. Yep, those massive tax cuts to the richest of rich sure are working.
I sure am glad we didn't privatize Social Security like George Bush and the other idiots in the Republican Party wanted us to a few years back.
Oh, and remember the budget surplus we had at the end of eight years with a Democratic President? Remember that? Remember how Bush and Cheney talked up a recession in order to push through massive tax cuts? Well, Bush and Cheney sure got their recession. And despite the Republicans' ability to blackmail tax cuts out of Nancy Pelosi, tax cuts ain't the answer. If tax cuts worked, we wouldn't have a huge budget deficit and a stock market shedding almost 40% of its value in a year.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Two Minute Hate
All week the McCain and Palin campaign have been turning up the hate machine. According to Dana Milbank the hate isn't just directed at Obama, but all all liberals--reporters, intellectuals, and anyone who dares to disagree with McCain, Palin, and Bush (unless of course it's McCain and Palin doing the disagreeing). Instead of debating or discussing the issues, Palin and McCain have taken to demonizing Obama and anyone who supports his candidacy.
Oh, wait, sorry that's an excerpt from Orwell's 1984 not news report from a Palin campaign stop. Sorry about that.
All week the McCain and Palin campaign have been turning up the hate machine. According to Dana Milbank the hate isn't just directed at Obama, but all all liberals--reporters, intellectuals, and anyone who dares to disagree with McCain, Palin, and Bush (unless of course it's McCain and Palin doing the disagreeing). Instead of debating or discussing the issues, Palin and McCain have taken to demonizing Obama and anyone who supports his candidacy.
In its second minute the Hate rose to a frenzy. People were leaping up and down in their places and shouting at the tops of their voices in an effort to drown the maddening bleating voice that came from the screen. The little sandy-haired woman had turned bright pink, and her mouth was opening and shutting like that of a landed fish. Even O'Brien's heavy face was flushed. He was sitting very straight in his chair, his powerful chest swelling and quivering as though he were standing up to the assault of a wave. The dark-haired girl behind Winston had begun crying out ‘Swine! Swine! Swine!’ and suddenly she picked up a heavy Newspeak dictionary and flung it at the screen. It struck Goldstein's nose and bounced off; the voice continued inexorably. In a lucid moment Winston found that he was shouting with the others and kicking his heel violently against the rung of his chair. The horrible thing about the Two Minutes Hate was not that one was obliged to act a part, but, on the contrary, that it was impossible to avoid joining in. Within thirty seconds any pretence was always unnecessary. A hideous ecstasy of fear and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a sledge-hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an electric current, turning one even against one's will into a grimacing, screaming lunatic. And yet the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected emotion which could be switched from one object to another like the flame of a blowlamp. [. . .].WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
Oh, wait, sorry that's an excerpt from Orwell's 1984 not news report from a Palin campaign stop. Sorry about that.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Government in Hiding
Apparently the House of Representatives and perhaps other parts of the federal government have gone into hiding. This morning I tried writing my elected House of Representatives member and received the following
What? Did we forgot to pay the bill? Did China cut us off? Or maybe someone decided that they couldn't care less what the citizens of this country think? I wonder if the lobbyists and the likes of Rush Limbaugh are having troubling contacting the members of the House of Representatives?
Apparently the House of Representatives and perhaps other parts of the federal government have gone into hiding. This morning I tried writing my elected House of Representatives member and received the following
Messaging Service Unavailable
The House of Representatives is currently experiencing an extraordinarily high amount of email traffic. The Write Your Representative function is therefore intermittantly available. While we realize communicating to your Members of Congress is critical, we suggest attempting to do so at a later time, when demand is not so high. System engineers are working to resolve this issue and we appreciate your patience.
What? Did we forgot to pay the bill? Did China cut us off? Or maybe someone decided that they couldn't care less what the citizens of this country think? I wonder if the lobbyists and the likes of Rush Limbaugh are having troubling contacting the members of the House of Representatives?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
McCain Scuttles Bailout Plan
According to McClatchy and just about everyone else, John McCain and his merry band of Retuhgicans scuttled the $700 billion Wall Street giveaway or economic recovery plan or whatever the hell it is.
According to McClatchy and just about everyone else, John McCain and his merry band of Retuhgicans scuttled the $700 billion Wall Street giveaway or economic recovery plan or whatever the hell it is.
Republicans, in contrast, said there reservations on the bailout plan were principled.Republicans have principles? Really.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Yet More Bush Failure
Don't look now, but while the American economy is cratering under eight years of Republican misrule, one of Bush's "signature" foreign policy achievements is falling by the wayside. Today
Oh and the same McClatchy story notes that
Don't look now, but while the American economy is cratering under eight years of Republican misrule, one of Bush's "signature" foreign policy achievements is falling by the wayside. Today
North Korea told the IAEA that the U.N. agency's inspectors "will have no further access to the reprocessing plant"that the North Koreans used to process spent nuclear fuel into plutonium, which is the stuff the North Koreans used and can use to make nuclear weapons.
Oh and the same McClatchy story notes that
Russia this week pulled out of a six-nation meeting scheduled for Thursday to discuss further sanctions against Iran, freezing for the time being a 3 1/2-year old diplomatic campaign to persuade Tehran to abandon uranium enrichment.Yep. George Bush is doing a bang up job keeping us safe. But, don't worry, I heard there are some good college football games on TV this weekend and that NASCAR thing is starting to look interesting. Oh, and don't forget to go out and shop this weekend, the country needs you to do your duty. And make sure you drive a bunch too since your state probably needs the gas tax money. Don't worry, put it all on the credit card and then ask George Bush to bail you out the next time he invites you down to his ranch to clear some brush. Or maybe you can ask Uncle Dick for the cash the next time you two go quail hunting.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Ownership Society?
With tomorrow's news today, the NYT is reporting that the Fed (that's you and me) is loaning AIG $85 billion and acquiring an 80% share of the insurance giant. I wonder if this is what Bush and the Republicans meant when they said they wanted to create an "ownership society?"
On a related note, if I switch my insurance over to AIG, do I get an owner's discount?
With tomorrow's news today, the NYT is reporting that the Fed (that's you and me) is loaning AIG $85 billion and acquiring an 80% share of the insurance giant. I wonder if this is what Bush and the Republicans meant when they said they wanted to create an "ownership society?"
On a related note, if I switch my insurance over to AIG, do I get an owner's discount?