CRANKed

New Plan for Stimulus Bill

2009-01-28T23:52:00.004-05:00

Now that the House has passed the crappy tax cut hobbled stimulus bill with no GOP votes, the Senate should pass a different version of the bill replacing the tax cuts with money for mass transit and direct aid to the states. Ideally the direct aid to the states money should be spent on funding higher education. The House can then approve the now improved stimulus bill. Doing this will let the GOP that their little tax cut blackmail game is up.

Paranoia

2009-01-18T14:36:00.004-05:00

Choice. Choice. Freedom of Choice. Choice?

Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness Doctrine. Fairness.

BOOO!

Another Bush Failure

2009-01-18T02:15:00.002-05:00

Despite the Bush farewell tour's attempts to frame the past eight years as one success after another, reality proves otherwise. The latest bit of reality intruding is new is North Korea's claim that it has weaponized plutonium.

Senior North Korean officials say the communist regime has "weaponized" its stockpile of plutonium

Now, the claim is a bit sketchy and may be part of a North Korean ploy to obtain more fuel and food aid, but still it doesn't bode well for George W. Bush's claims of having increased U.S. security or improved global security.

Republican claims of being good for the economy and national security now lie in ruins. Eight years of Republican rule has left the U.S. in bad shape. Unfortunately, we'll be living with Republican appointees for a long time and Republicans in Congress still seem able to blackmail us into dubious policy choices, especially tax cuts.

Yep, Tax Cuts Work

2009-01-09T14:34:00.003-05:00

While the GOP engages in yet another (apparently already successful) tax cut blackmail of legislation, let's remind ourselves what nearly eight years of massive tax cuts have gotten us.

The Labor Department reports

in December [. . .] employers shed another 524,000 jobs, the unemployment rate leapt half a percentage point to 7.2 percent

And it gets worse. Those job losses in October and November of 2008 were even worse than originally thought.

The Labor Department also revised its employment reports from October and November, noting that job losses in those months were worse than first reported. Employers rid themselves of 423,000 jobs in October, not the originally reported 320,000, and 584,000 positions in November, not the 533,000 first reported by the BLS.

And it gets even worse than that.

While the steep jump in unemployment and mounting job losses grabbed the headlines, there was even more troubling news buried deeper down in the report. The BLS said that the average hourly workweek for production and nonsupervisory jobs had shrunk 0.2 percent to 33.3 hours. That marks the lowest that this number has registered since the government started compiling these statistics in 1964.

As the Democratic Congress bends over backwards to satisfy Republican demands for tax cuts let's remind ourselves of how stunningly unsuccessful Republican trumpeted tax cuts have been over the past eight years. Sure people made a lot of money, but nearly all of the money that wasn't hidden away in Swiss or Cayman Island bank accounts or stuffed under some mattress is gone. Oh, and over a million jobs disappeared in two month's time, just for good measure. Somehow, despite the tax cuts to corporations and the super rich, the factories, the call centers, the paper work centers, etc. keep disappearing or being sent off-shore.

Instead of using ineffective tax cuts as stimulus, let's invest in education, let's forgive the billions of dollars in student loans, let's build mass transit, let's restore the safety nets that a generation of "supply side" insanity has shredded, and let's invest in providing health care for every single person in this country, and let's invest in other programs that actually improve not only our individual lives, but our collective lives as well.

We can't afford tax cuts. We can't afford to not invest in our country, our states, our cities, our counties, and our townships. Taxes are the way to pay for that investment. The private sector has shown itself (yet again) incapable of providing any kind of sustainable investment in the public good.

And for those who say the government should not be involved in the kinds of investments, well, remember "We the People of the United States, in Order to [. . .] promote the general Welfare [. . .] do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." Yep, that's a whole lot of "collectivism." Yep, one of the reasons We the People established the current form of government was to promote the general welfare. Taxes spent on education, health care, on infrastructure like mass transit, etc. are one way to promote the general welfare. Tax cuts merely promote narrow individual welfare.

Shoes Are Dangerous

2008-12-15T13:34:00.002-05:00

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!"

Oh that Bush Economy

2008-11-14T00:32:00.003-05:00

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.

Bush and Obama Tour the White House

2008-11-10T15:50:00.004-05:00

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.

Barack and Howard

2008-10-30T14:54:00.003-04:00

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.

Five Minute Hate Republican Style

2008-10-12T16:42:00.002-04:00

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.

Oh that Bush Economy

2008-10-10T00:32:00.002-04:00

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.

Two Minute Hate

2008-10-08T18:30:00.003-04:00

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.

Government in Hiding

2008-09-30T11:09:00.002-04:00

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?

McCain Scuttles Bailout Plan

2008-09-25T23:46:00.002-04:00

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.

Yet More Bush Failure

2008-09-24T22:43:00.003-04:00

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.

Ownership Society?

2008-09-16T19:41:00.002-04:00

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?

Yep, the Surge is Working

2007-12-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

All those American lives and limbs seem to be paying dividends. Iraq is on it's way to peace and democracy. Oh, wait....

Sunni lawmakers walked out of Iraq's parliament Saturday, protesting what they called the house arrest of a prominent Sunni politician.

Well, maybe with the New Year just around the corner we'll see some political progress to justify the lives and limbs sacrificed. Of course, we still have to wait for Halliburton to pour the concrete for the recently relocated goal posts.

The Right to Question

2007-02-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Glen Greenwald has some thoughts for Joe Lieberman and the other snake oil hucksters who claim to know something about anything.

Everywhere Joe Lieberman goes, he should be asked by journalists why anyone should listen to anything he says, or believe anything he says, in light of his history of deceitful statements and tragically wrong assertions, beginning with his 2005 Op-Ed which today he completely repudiates while pretending he never said any of it.

These are people who are completely bereft of judgment and integrity, and their behavior has wreaked incalculable and arguably unprecedented damage on our country. Holding them accountable, and recognizing them for what they are, is critical not only for cleansing our deeply poisoned political system, but also for averting identical, or worse, tragedies in the very near future.

It's not only Lieberman who should be asked why should we trust you. We should ask George Bush, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, and the entire Republican leadership the same question. Every press conference. Every off the record briefing, every exclusive interview should start with the question, "why should I listen to anything you say about anything, or believe anything you say, in light of your history of deceit, wrong assertions, and outright lies?" Oh, and "you've been wrong about so much, why should I believe you are right about this?" The press conference, off the record briefing, exclusive sit down interview, or whatever should not go onto other questions until the above have been answered. If Bush and his gang are unwilling to submit to such questions, then the press briefing, the off the record briefing, the exclusive sit down interview should stop or journalists should refuse to participate. I want George Bush and his gang to stand up before the world, without notes, without teleprompters and take questions from real people. Not people who have been vetted. Not people who feel like their jobs depend on their ability to access to movers and shakers, but real people who deserve an answer to why should we believe anything you say? You're not children. You don't get a free pass to lie because you didn't know any better. Transparency, it's the bedrock of freedom and democracy. If Congress, if people, can't voice their opinions and ask the difficult questions of our elected leaders, then we have neither freedom nor democracy.

Oh, and Joe, if things are improving in Iraq, why has FOX News issued its reporters gas masks? But, of course, before you answer, please explain why I should listen to anything you have to say based on your past history of lying and being wrong.

Fear, Inc. Or, When Cartoons Attack Boston

2007-01-31T22:23:00.000-05:00

After the cartoon induced hysteria in Boston on January 31, 2007, I think a reading of Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 Inaugural Address is in order.

This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.

We, unfortunately have George W. Bush as President.

The Bush Coup

2007-01-29T23:02:00.000-05:00

It must now be apparent to even the most blind among us that George Bush is the biggest threat to the U.S. Constitution, American Democracy, and good government in existence today. The NYT reports,

President Bush has signed a directive that gives the White House much greater control over the rules and policy statements that the government develops to protect public health, safety, the environment, civil rights and privacy.

In an executive order published last week in the Federal Register, Mr. Bush said that each agency must have a regulatory policy office run by a political appointee, to supervise the development of rules and documents providing guidance to regulated industries. The White House will thus have a gatekeeper in each agency to analyze the costs and the benefits of new rules and to make sure the agencies carry out the president’s priorities.

This strengthens the hand of the White House in shaping rules that have, in the past, often been generated by civil servants and scientific experts.

Bush and his gang are longer even concerned with the facade of good government. Every decision will now be openly political. Thus the lack of an updated NIE prior to rolling out the "surge" plan for Iraq. Political ideology will be the litmus against which all decisions will be tested. Strangely enough this comes from a President who claims he doesn't govern by polls. With political operatives in charge any residual lip service to transparency is now gone.

The debacles of Iraq and Katrina, created or exacerbated by unqualified political appointees will become a regular feature of American life. While most sane and rational observers understood that the lessons of Katrina (and school is still very much in session) is that qualified civil servants and professionals are desperately needed in government and that decisions affecting the health and safety of Americans should be non-political, the Bush regime in its hubris has decided to increase the role of political appointees in the day to day running of the government. I suspect that many of the whiz kids sent to Iraq in 2003 will now be in charge of vetting new regulations to ensure the regulations pass ideological muster (or benefit whichever corporation or group of corporations ponies up the biggest bribe).

In the order Bush has banished the use of words like "‘shall,’ ‘must,’ ‘required’ or ‘requirement.’” The thought police are now only an Executive Order away. Ideology now reigns supreme. I, for one, now wonder if Bush will respect the 2008 elections or will he issue an Executive Order nullifying them? Where does George Bush's lust for power end? Or rather, where does the lust for power of Dick Cheney and the rest of the former Nixon staffers end?

Republican Values and Rudy Giuliani

2007-01-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke in New Hampshire and

told state GOP leaders that to take back the state, they must embrace Republican principles and not apologize for them.

Since ol' Rudy is or was for gun control, opposed the Republican position on banning gay marriage, is pro-choice, and opposes or opposed the ban on so called "partial birth abortions," it's not altogether clear that Giuliani understands what Republican principles are. In fact, on December 2, 1999 Rudy told CNN

“I’m pro-choice. I’m pro-gay rights,” Giuliani said. He was then asked whether he supports a ban on what critics call partial-birth abortions. “No, I have not supported that, and I don’t see my position on that changing."

So when Rudy Giuliani talks about embracing Republican principles, I'm at a bit of loss. What does ol' Rudy think Republican principles are? Maybe he means greed, corruption, race baiting, scapegoat politics, hypocrisy, and abuse of power?

The Battle for Baghdad, Iraqis No Shows, Redux

2007-01-25T15:52:00.000-05:00

From the NYT lede on the new American offensive to re-take Baghdad comes this gem of just how ill-thought President Bush's "new" policy is,

Many of the Iraqi Army units who were supposed to help secure Haifa Street in Baghdad on Wednesday did not arrive on time, forcing the Americans to start the job on their own.

The article makes clear that despite all the propaganda the Bush regime and its lackeys push, it is American troops bearing the brunt of re-taking Baghdad.

Many of the Iraqi units that showed up late never seemed to take the task seriously, searching haphazardly, breaking dishes and rifling through personal CD collections in the apartments. Eventually the Americans realized that the Iraqis were searching no more than half of the apartments; at one point the Iraqis completely disappeared, leaving the American unit working with them flabbergasted.

If this represents the best George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the rest of the Republican lackeys can coax out of the Iraqis, then it's going to be a long winter and even longer spring and then the summer with its searing temperatures and then...?

Impeach George Bush Now! Impeach Dick Cheney Now!

Bush Apporval Rating at 28%

2007-01-23T02:51:00.000-05:00

Bushy is doing a heck of a job according to CBS.

On a more serious note, it's a bit disturbing that only 7% of the folks polled thought health care was the country's number one problem and only 8% thought the economy was the country's biggest issue. It appears Uncle Rove's shell game of bloody carnage in Iraq is distracting Americans from the very serious problems the Republicans have ignored (I'm being generous here as the policies enacted by the Republicans have made those problems worse in many cases) over the past six years, namely access to health care and economic growth that is shared by all Americans, just not the corporate fat cats and trust fund babies that are George Bush's base.

Kurds Prepare for Baghdad Deployment

2007-01-13T22:19:00.000-05:00

Hey George, you got anymore gasoline we can throw on this thing?

A Kurdish army brigade in northern Iraq is undergoing intensive urban combat training as it readies for deployment in the latest Baghdad security operation and is expected to take on the capital's Mehdi Army Shiite militia, its commander said Saturday.

NO, no, put away that lighter fluid and get me the GASOLINE! Condi said we need to slash and burn in order for the flower of freedom and democracy to bloom in Iraq.

Bush Turd, Er...I Mean Surge

2007-01-10T23:05:00.000-05:00

The Plan! The Plan!

'Commander in Chief' Needs a Note from Saudi Arabia

2006-12-13T11:32:00.000-05:00

According to numerous news outlets including CNN, the U.S. now needs a note from Saudi Arabia before making any foreign policy decisions. So I'm wondering what George Bush means when he says he's the "decider" and the "commander in chief"? I mean does he have a table in the basement with all kinds of little army men that he's "commander in chief" of or something? As for being the "decider," maybe he means he gets to decide what color socks he's gonna wear?

The Bush Economy

2006-12-01T01:13:00.000-05:00

Is going gang busters. Really it is. So ignore the fact that

the [British] pound rose as high as $1.9696 on the currency exchanges, its highest level against the dollar since 1992

and

The dollar also fell to a 20-month low against the euro.

Which helps explain why the Bush twins are vacationing in Argentina instead of Europe. Just thank your lucky stars that oil isn't priced in Euros yet.

Bush in Translation

2006-11-30T13:32:00.000-05:00

Translating the Bush/Maliki Press Conference from Amman, Jordan.

Bush: We talked today about accelerating authority to the Prime Minister so he can do what the Iraqi people expect him to do, and that is bring security to parts of his country that require firm action.

Translation: We’re working on ways of making Maliki a dictator. Dick Cheney, John Yoo, and Newt Gingrich among others will be consulting.

Maliki: And one -- another time [thing?] I would like to say that Iraq and all the Iraqis in the political process; nobody has the right, outside of Iraq, to interfere in the political or the security situation inside of Iraq.

Translation: American troops should leave Iraq?

Maliki: The national unity government is a government formed of all the entities that participated in it. [. . .] As to the issues that would pertain to violating the law or breaking the law, we would deal with them the same way, because the most important principle is the sovereignty and the power and the establishment of the state that must be borne by the state, but only our partners should participate in that.

Translation: The government is made of those holding legislative or administrative positions within it. If you’re not part of the government, shut the fuck up.

Alternate Translation: Winner takes all.

Bush: Part of the Prime Minister's frustration is, is that he doesn't have the tools necessary to take care of those who break the law.

Translation: I was lying my ass off back in 2004 when I claimed we had trained all those thousands upon thousands of Iraqi army and police. Karl told me to do it.

Bush: The Prime Minister and I agree that the outcome in Iraq will affect the entire region. To stop the extremists from dominating the Middle East, we must stop the extremists from achieving their goal of dominating Iraq. If the extremists succeed in Iraq, they will be emboldened in their efforts to undermine other young democracies in the region, or to overthrow moderate governments, establish new safe havens, and impose their hateful ideology on millions. If the Iraqis succeed in establishing a free nation in the heart of the Middle East, the forces of freedom and moderation across the region will be emboldened, and the cause of peace will have new energy and new allies.

Translation: “forces of freedom and moderation” means those states "supporting" the U.S. and which are willing to invest in the U.S. stock market, continue to purchase U.S. government securities, and buy U.S. dollars. As long as OPEC continues to price oil in U.S. Dollars and not Euros, we’ll be willing to call Saudi Arabia a force of freedom and moderation.

Commentary: Don’t look now George, but the extremists already dominate the Middle East—Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and the Palestinian Authority. Sure, Saudi Arabia could become more extreme, but as it stands it’s pretty extreme right now, I mean women can’t even drive a car there. I mean, they’ve got full scale and pervasive censorship there. I mean Wahhabism/Salafism is a pretty extreme form of Islam. Maybe you should have borrowed Karen Hughes’s “Middle East” cue cards.

Bush: The unity government of Iraq.

Translation: It’s still a unity government even though a thirty seat block of the Parliament is boycotting the government and a large percentage of the Sunni population didn’t participate in the national elections. See, it’s a unity government because its located in Baghdad.

The Bush Disconnect

2006-11-22T06:15:00.000-05:00

So we've heard how George Bush breezed through Vietnam and barely even looked outside the bubble. I mean you can really get a "a real sense of the warmth of the Vietnamese people" from behind the bullet proof glass of a speeding limo? Why it's almost as good as getting a sense of the enormity of a natural disaster from the window of Air Force One while wearing your nifty little "Presidential" jacket.

Now, as if one really needs it, come further proof of the Bush disconnect. The BBC reports, that while in Buenos Aires one of the Bush daughters, Barbara, had her purse stolen. But that's not the really revealing part of the story,

The Bush daughters have been on holiday in the city for the past three weeks.

Yep, the Bush twins are on a three week holiday in Buenos Aires. Heck, it could be an even longer holiday for all we know; it could be that they're on permanent holiday and only have been in Buenos Aires for three weeks.

Now ask yourself, when was the last time the average working American took three weeks of vacation at one time? Let alone in Buenos Aires? Didn't the Bush twins graduate from college a few years back? Shouldn't they have jobs? Unlike most recent college graduates, the Bush twins aren't working to pay off their student loans, which for most of their peers average $19,000. Nor are they struggling to pay for health insurance. Nor are they wondering how they're going to start saving for their retirement or or whether they can take care of their elderly parents. Nor are they in graduate or professional school. Nor are they busy building careers. Nor are they on some sort of public relations tour. Nor are they doing any sort of charity or humanitarian work. Nope, they're on an extended holiday in Buenos Aires. Just another reminder of how far removed George Bush and his family are from the issues facing most Americans.

"May I See Your Papers..."

2006-11-14T11:04:00.000-05:00

Today the Bush Regime announced that all immigrants, I assume this order also includes foreign tourists, are now non-persons,

Immigrants arrested in the United States may be held indefinitely on suspicion of terrorism and may not challenge their imprisonment in civilian courts.

Now, how far can we be from a requirement that all citizens carry papers? Oh, wait, why don't we require all immigrants and tourists to wear some kind of arm band...we could even color code the arm bands based on the threat level each group or individual poses! Better yet, let's set up detention centers at all airports, ports, border crossings, etc. and require that all immigrants and tourists prove they aren't terrorists before we issue the arm bands! Maybe the RIAA will want to get in on this and require a search of all iPods, MP3 players, laptops, and other media devices to verify that no immigrant or tourist has any unauthorized music, video, or other media content stored on any device. We could even ask them to recite from memory any copyrighted text and then sue them for infringement. Why the number of crimes any individual is guilty of under the Bush Regime is endless.*

*Corporate Fat Cats, Conservative Radio and TV hosts, Republican elected officials, Conservative "Intellectuals," and generous contributors to the Republican Party exempted, though Big Brother Cheney may change his mind about you at any time.

The New Efficiency in Iraq

2006-11-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

Proof of new-found cooperation between ordinary Iraqis and the fledgling U.S. puppet government can be found in this little CNN story about how preemptive tattooing can be used to make the coroner's job easier in these trying times. Yep, when you get the soon-to-be corpses giving themselves ID numbers, you know you are on a fast track to democracy!

Don't It Make My Red State Blue...

2006-11-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say that... seemed like the kind of "clever" thing a blogger is supposed to say after a night like last

Bold Predictions

2006-11-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Our exit polls confirm:

--corrupt pedophiles and wife chokers voted out in record numbers
--incompetent losers and sycophants voted in to occupy their seats
--invasion of Iran on hold until further notice
--shredder repairmen working overtime into the morning hours

Secrets

2006-11-04T09:47:00.001-05:00

My favorite twist of logic of the day: Ex-CIA prisoner shouldn't speak to attorney, because.... "he could reveal the agency's closely guarded interrogation techniques."

Ooh! I love logic games. Let's keep going with this one. If we can't let a prisoner of Bush's secret torture prisons speak to his attorney because he will give away the "sensitive secrets" about how we... um, torture. Then:

Journalists shouldn't be allowed to report on the failures of the Iraq War because they will give away the national secrets of our complete and utter incompetence.

Voters shouldn't be allowed to vote because they will undo the national plan to continue to torture in the name of a completely failed policy.

How far can we go? Quick. Only three more shopping days until "national secrets" are redefined as evidence in criminal probes and impeachment proceedings

Pryce Hides from CNN & Record on Iraq

2006-11-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15) tried to distance herself from her support of President Bush's failed foreign policy. When CNN asked her about her leadership role in the House, something she holds up as a reason to re-elect her unrepresentative self, and the Republican policy on Iraq she said

"What's happening in Iraq is not a direct reflection on me."

Sorry Deb, but as a member of the Republican leadership you are responsible for what's happening in Iraq. Why back in September you said Iraq wasn't "broken" and that Iraq's future was bright, but now you're trying to pretend your support for President Bush and his failed policies are some sort of fiction? I mean here are your very words from the September issue of Columbus Monthly,

“I don’t think that Iraq is broken,” Pryce said. “I think that Iraq was broken. I think Iraq is well on its way to healing. We certainly would have liked to see that happen faster, but they are running their own lives now. They have a democracy in place, a constitution, a government, and I think it certainly is much less broken than it was.”

And then just to prove how much you don't really care and how dismissive you are of the people you represent you ran away from questions about your record,

"Thanks, I'm done," Pryce said. She expressed frustration and walked away saying, "Maybe we'll call you later when I'm feeling better."

You know Deb, if you're not willing to answer questions about your record without going back to the office and calling Uncle Rove or whatever Republican PR flack you called before issuing your statement about not being "always happy with what I see" happening in Iraq, then maybe, just maybe you don't deserve to be in Congress? I got some bad news for you sunshine, but you're going to be feeling a lot more frustrated when you wake up on Nov. 8 and find the voters of OH-15 have thrown your sorry ass to the curb.

You claim to be a leader, but at every turn you deny that the actions of the Republican Congress were under your control. Mark Foley, not your problem. The Iraq debacle, not your problem. The decision by someone in Rep. Hunter's office to pull the plug on the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. You know that nifty little office that exposed over billing and shoddy work by companies like Halliburton (funny how it's our money when you're looking to cut taxes, but you refuse to lift a finger to make sure our money is spent correctly). That nifty little office that uncovered the inconvenient little fact that the U.S. military failed to keep track of hundreds of thousands of weapons being handed out in Iraq. Your idea of leadership is a bit funny; you like calling yourself a leader but find it exhausting and frustrating when called upon to take responsibility for the actions you've taken as a leader. I see why you like George Bush so much.

Oh, and for good measure, you might want to take a look at the U.S. Constitution because it does indeed give the 435 members of the House of Representatives and the 100 members of the Senate a role in setting military policy. It's right there in Article One, Section Eight

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

And again

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;

And just to make sure it's clear, it's also right there again a few paragraphs later

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

So, show some leadership in the next few days, because that's all you've got as an elected official, and own up to the things you've done. Flip Flop. Flip. Flip Flop.

Abandoning An American Soldier?

2006-11-01T13:33:00.000-05:00

Andrew Sullivan thinks we're seeing the end of the Republican Daddy Party because George Bush ordered the U.S. Military to effectively give up its search for a missing U.S. solider. He could be right. How are Republicans going to say they're strong on defense and that they and only they can do the right things by the military when Bush is willing to abandon a U.S. solider? Sure the situation is a bit more complex than that, but in George Bush's "either you're with us or against us" world, maybe not?

Andrew doesn't pull any punches in his criticism of Bush and the Republican sock puppets

The U.S. military does not have a tradition of abandoning its own soldiers to foreign militias, or of taking orders from foreign governments. No commander-in-chief who actually walks the walk, rather than swaggering the swagger, would acquiesce to such a thing. [. . .] authorized abandoning him to the enemy? Who is really giving the orders to the U.S. military in Iraq? These are real questions about honor and sacrifice and a war that is now careening out of any control. They are not phony questions drummed up by a partisan media machine to appeal to emotions to maintain power.

And where, by the way, is McCain on this? Silent on Cheney's "no-brainer" on waterboarding. Silent recently on Iraq. But vocal - oh, how vocal - on Kerry. It tells you something about what has happened to him. And to America.

As for the tears Andrew is shedding for McCain, I'm not all that impressed. McCain was and is nothing more than a Republican sock puppet.

TSA Idiocy or Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing

2006-11-01T01:44:00.000-05:00

How safe do you feel?

Screeners at Newark Liberty International Airport failed 20 of 22 security tests conducted by undercover U.S. agents last week, missing an array of concealed bombs and guns at checkpoints throughout the hub's three terminals, federal security officials familiar with the results said.

It gets worse

screeners at Newark missed fake explosive devices that were hidden under bottles of water in carry-on luggage, taped beneath an agent's clothing and concealed under a leg bandage another tester wore.

Additionally, the official said screeners failed to use hand-held metal detector wands when required, missed an explosive device during a pat-down and failed to properly hand-check suspicious carry-on bags. Supervisors also were cited for failing to properly monitor checkpoint screeners, the official said.

"We just totally missed everything," the official said.

So all that taking off of shoes, waiting in endless lines, throwing away of water and other liquids, not being able to bring toothpaste along, and watch lists are just a dumb show or to remind us peons that Big Brother is in charge and ready to keep us in our places. Somehow I think if high ranking government officials, shit any kind of government official or even the occasional member of Congress flew commercial that these sorts of "we just totally missed everything" incidents wouldn't happen.

But hey, at least we're fighting the terrorists over "there" so we don't have to fight them over "here." Well, maybe it's not quite so clear exactly what we're doing over "there."

Sen. Allen's Thugs

2006-11-01T00:17:00.000-05:00

AlterNet has a copy of a CNN video of Sen. George Allen's thugs in action. My favorite line? "Now you're getting personal." Sorry thugs, but politics is personal, just ask Uncle Rove.

Oh, and thugs, remember the first words of the U.S. Constitution are "WE the people. . ." so next time a voter wants to approach a Senator and ask a question you might want to let him or her do so.

Republican Mindset

2006-10-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

At at a campaign stop staffers for Sen. George Allen assault a protester (be sure to watch the video).

a protestor started yelling and asking, "Why did you spit on your first wife?". He wasn't able to get near the senator as he was tackled by three men wearing Allen stickers, presumed to be staffers. He was pushed and manhandled and ended up on the floor, near windows at the Omni.

Instead of letting local security deal with the situation, Allen's staffers turn into vigilantes. Tells you all you need to know about the GOP: violence is the first resort. Allen responded to the local media's question by saying, "stuff like that happens." Senator, what kind of stuff are you referring to? Your staffers manhandling protesters? Or are you referring to the presence of protesters at your events? If the former, well...

Deborah Pryce to the Red Courtesy Phone

2006-10-31T01:32:00.000-05:00

Back in September, Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15) claimed that Iraq isn't "broken." Perhaps, she can explain how this report means that Iraq is "fixed" or at least not "broken"

The British consulate in Basra will evacuate its heavily defended building in the next 24 hours over concerns for the safety of its staff.

Despite a large British military presence at the headquarters in Basra Palace, a private security assessment has advised the consul general and her staff to leave the building after experiencing regular mortar attacks in the last two months.

If Deborah, doesn't want to talk about what the British are doing in Iraq, maybe she'd like to explain how losing track of weapons purchased with U.S. tax payer money isn't an example of Iraq being "broken" (or how if it's "our money" when it comes to cutting taxes for the super wealthy, why isn't it "our money" when it comes to keeping track of how it's spent?).

The U.S. military can't account for hundreds of thousands of weapons purchased to arm some 325,500 Iraqi security forces by December, according to a new report.

Of course, Deborah hasn't been talking about Iraq much on the old campaign trial so maybe she'd like to talk about the minimum wage? Or maybe she'd like to talk about cutting financial aid for college students?

Ye Olde Returns from Rehab

2006-10-27T22:06:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while, but I am back. I know you've heard the rumors, and I just want to say how much all of your support has meant to me during this difficult time. I'm just going to make a couple of brief comments about the "thing" and my "disappearance" and then I will never speak of it again.

You see, I have a problem. I'm, well, addicted ... yes, that is the first step. I used to use the phrase "political junkie" to describe my problem, 'cause it made it sound more respectable and PBS-ish. But Whitewater, the little black dress, even the stealing of the 2000 and 2004 elections, those, it turns out, were just gateway drugs for the 2006 election season. And it is only because of the grace of God (who is also, fortunately, a St. Louis Cardinal fan and working overtime to keep the Buckeyes undefeated and my son's gradepoint average up) that I am still hear to testify.

Suddenly, instead of a "cute" habit of scanning the gossip sheets and insider blogs for the latest beltway dirt, I have reams (no pun intended) of instant message transcripts to read through, 911 recordings from Las Vegas of vicitims of congressional assault, political ads that make the Willie Horton ad look like something Walter Cronkite might have scripted, transcripts of talk show radio interviews that only a madman would believe (and yet which prove to be true every time)... and that was before I discovered the Trackers. Yes, YouTube, I forgive you, because my sponsor says I must, but secretly I pray that you choke on that 6 billion dollars from google. Hours and hours of live campaign trail footage of republican thug candidates spewing the most unbelievable crap. My personal favorite? Michele Bachman telling the mega church that has illegally endorsed her candidacy how "hot" she is (for Jesus). Amen?

But I'm better now. One day at a time. But I'm calling on the entire GOP to give this poor recovering addict a break: for a few weeks, please, no more strangling your mistresses, no more internet sex with underage pages, no more jubilant celebrations of water torture, no more race-baiting ads, no more coverups, no more bribes, no more...

Oh, never mind. I give up. Back to YouTube and Wonkette. If you never hear from me again, pray for my poor lost soul. And make the fuckers pay on election day for what they have done (to me).

Republican Race Baiting?

2006-10-24T17:23:00.000-04:00

The latest Republican National Committee ad in the Tennessee Senate race. Make sure you watch to the end, just when you think it can't get any worse, it does.

The ad reminds viewers, "The Republican National Committee is responsible for the content of this advertisement. Paid for by the Republican National Committee." Klassy with a K. Bob Corker must be in real trouble if the RNC is running this piece. Republicans, just can't win without the racists. If Corker wins, the RNC will have him by the balls and he'll be yet another Republican putting special interests before the public interest.

UPDATE: Talking Points walks you through the racism of the RNC ad. Useful if you don't "get it" upon first watching it.

Bush Economy, Despite the Dow

2006-10-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

Despite the Dow hitting a "record" (though the record doesn't take into account inflation, the Bush economy still ain't doing so well. Ford Motor Company reports it "lost $5.8 billion in the third quarter because of sluggish sales." Deborah Pryce, George Bush, and the rest of the Republican bamboozlers can send out all the flyers, emails, and give all the speeches they want about the thriving economy, but when one of the cornerstones of American industry reports that it lost $5.8 billion in three months, well...you get the picture. And just in case you don't get the picture, the loss "is 20 times greater than the company’s deficit a year earlier and the largest in 14 years."

So Deborah Pryce, keep telling the voters in Ohio that the economy is strong, but they ain't buying it anymore than they bought your attempt to bamboozle them on Social Security. Oh, and Deborah Pryce, good luck finding a job in 2007, maybe the GOP can help find you something on K Street?

Iraqi Civil War Continues, at Least 44 Dead

2006-10-22T21:22:00.000-04:00

ABC News reports,

Militants targeted police recruits and shoppers rounding up last-minute sweets and delicacies Sunday for a feast to mark the end of the Ramadan holy month, the highlight of the Muslim year. At least 44 Iraqis were reported killed across the country.

But don't worry, it's really not a civil war. Good thing people like Deborah Pryce (OH-15) are in Congress to support the President's "Stay the Course" policy or else things in Iraq would be really bad. And it's even more of a good thing that Rick Santorum (R-PA) is in the Senate to vote for torture and suspending habeas corpus or else we'd be fighting "them" over here instead of in Iraq. But, even without Pryce and Santorum working hard to protect George Bush's failed policies, we can all rest easy knowing Jean Schmidt (OH-02) is always willing to stand up on the floor of Congress and attack anyone who dares to question George Bush.

Iraq, Still Not a Civil War

2006-10-20T09:56:00.000-04:00

CNN.com reports from Iraq, which by the way isn't in the throes of a civil war

The Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized total control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by one of the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said.

The British army handed over control of Amarah about two months ago. I guess the Iraqi police weren't quite ready to stand up.

No matter, this is just a comma in the grand scheme of things. And just because the police stations have been destoryed and militia loyal to a non-government force are in charge doesn't mean that there is a civil war. Oh for the days of freshly painted schools....

Cut and Run! Cut and Run!

2006-10-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Cut and Run! Cut and Run! Cut and Run! At least we won't have to worry about turning off the lights when we leave.

Republican Values?

2006-10-08T23:25:00.000-04:00

Washingtonpost.com reports on the state of Republican values

A spokeswoman for Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) confirmed yesterday that a former page showed the congressman Internet messages that had made the youth feel uncomfortable with the direction Foley (R-Fla.) was taking their e-mail relationship.

According to the Post, the IMs "were sexually explicit." Apparently some kind of "action" was "taken," though it's not clear what that means.

Again, we have evidence of Mark Foley making Congressional Pages uncomfortable and the Republican leadership doing nothing or looking the other way. Of course, Monday morning will bring more Republican charges that the whole matter is an elaborate conspiracy cooked up by Democratic politicans.

Still Not a Civil War

2006-10-06T19:46:00.000-04:00

The New York Times notes, "About 4,000 Iraqi policemen have been killed and more than 8,000 others wounded in the last two years." Yep, you read that right; 6,000 dead or wounded per year, but it still ain't a civil war. Just like the economy here in the U.S. is going gang busters despite adding only 51,000 jobs in September. I mean, it only took five plus years for the stock market to recover under the economic policies of the Bush regime.

Not a Civil War

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

Or 15 U.S. Troops Killed in Three Days.

Triple bombing in Baghdad. Iraqi Army HQ bombed in Ramadi. But it's not a civil war. "Bodies lay[ing] in the street next to the smoking wreckage of burning cars." But it's not a civil war. Just keep repeating that to yourself over and over and over. Just because the BBC notes that

[g]overnment ministers and other public officials are frequently targeted by gunmen and bomb attacks, and require constant security in an effort to try and guarantee their security

doesn't mean that there is anything like a civil war going on in Iraq.

All this death and destruction because George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the neo-conservative cabal invaded a country that had NOTHING to do with 9/11. All of this death and destruction because George Bush, Dick Cheney, and the neo-conservative cabal reached for the gun and gave into their fears. All of this death and destruction because the media, intellectuals, and the rest of us weren't forceful enough or down right complicit with the fear mongering of the Bush regime. Iraq was not inevitable. Invading Iraq was choice; a result of a policy. A misguided policy, but still a policy. It is our collective shame that we let George Bush invade Iraq. It is our fault that we re-elected George Bush, Dick Cheney, the Rupublican Congress, and the neo-conservative cabal in 2004 despite the clarity that invading Iraq was a mistake from day one. That mistake is paying terrible dividends. Our failure to come to grips with the extent of that mistake is the result of a deep intellectual and moral confusion. We have given into the worst in us instead of the best in us.

Congressional Pages, Foley, & Limbaugh (and Hastert)

2006-10-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

Personal Responsibility. Personal Responsibility, Rush Limbaugh style. Oh and Rush, why would Foley even be able to be "set up" in the first place? But really, it's all about taking personal responsibility isn't it? Unless of course you're a Republican and then its always someone else's fault. Hypocrite.

Update: Hastert was on Rush Limbaugh and pushing the "it's a liberal plot" to destroy America meme. Think Progress has the audio.

CNN Quick Vote--Bush, Iraq, & Frank

2006-09-29T16:28:00.000-04:00

CNN.com Quick Vote

Do you believe President Bush has been frank with the nation about the situation in Iraq?

No, he's been George about it.

S.3930 Terror Bill

2006-09-28T12:29:00.000-04:00

S.3930 must be stopped. It is not enough to speak against it on the floor of the Senate. It is not enough to vote against it on the floor of the Senate. Filibuster is the only honorable action.

Bush, Crazed, & Torture

2006-09-26T13:48:00.000-04:00

One of the early responses to Clinton's take down of Chris Wallace was that the former President had lost it; that he was somehow crazed and that Clinton stepped over some line and became illogical with rage. Somehow those same folks didn't have the same reaction to this Rose Garden performance by the current President. You want crazed? You want illogical? You want over the line? YouTube has George Bush doing his best "I'm crazy" bit. I think I'm going to have even more trouble sleeping at night knowing that George Bush is the "decider."

I know it's too much to ask, but some brave American in the Senate better bring the Senate to a standstill this week if Bush's "get out of jail free" and "let me torture people" bill makes it to the floor. I don't care which Senator or Senators it is, but if there is anyone left in the Senate who actually takes their oath of office seriously, the Senate had better come to a grinding halt. And I don't mean no wishy washy "Secret Sessions," but a full scale stop. Let's have this out in public and find out where our Senators stand on the question of torture. Oh, and it'd be nice if several someones in the House would introduce Articles of Impeachment.

In his conduct of the office of President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath faithfully to execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed

George Bush's "high crimes" are numerous. Everything from directing his appointees and staff to lie to Congress and the American people to conducting an illegal war to ordering the use of torture. Heck, for all we know he's probably taken a few bribes along the way too or at least helped suggest a few charities in need of contributions.

And before we let George Bush off the hook, let's find out exactly what mission was accomplished on his watch. I mean we're extending tours of duty in Iraq yet again and the Taleban are still pretty active, so what mission was accomplished?

Bush Economy Just Purring Along

2006-09-25T13:41:00.000-04:00

So Ford is laying off workers left and right. GM too. Health care is skyrocketing. Interest rates are up too. But don't worry, those billion dollar tax cuts for the super wealthy are making the economy stronger. Oh, and more people are joining the "ownership society" whatever that means (personally I think it means that big corporations own more and more). Sure. Except, the one thing that people own more of in terms of major assets has decreased in value. The New York Times reports

The median price of a previously owned home fell for the first time in 11 years last month, and inventories of unsold homes swelled to levels not seen in more than a decade.

The decline in prices should help all those folks with second and third mortages sleep better at night. Home prices don't look to make a recovery anytime soon. According to the National Association of Realtors,

At the end of August, there were enough unsold, previously owned homes on the market that it would take 7½ months to sell them all at the current sales pace. The association said that was a bigger backlog than at any time since April 1993.

That should help all the folks planning on using the proceeds from selling their home for their retirement fund sleep as well. On the bright side, maybe more people can now afford to buy a house. Oh wait, interest rates are up and real wages are down, so maybe not.

I'm sure the Rubber Stamp Congress will find some tax or another to cut to help the super rich while appearing to help middle and working-class families. Let's see...cut the estate tax...eliminate the capital gains tax...hmmm...I got it...how about if you earn over $1 million a year you pay no taxes...yeah...yeah...'cause you're doing so much already to help the economy you shouldn't have to pay taxes at all....yeah...I mean...all that wealth that trickles down from your spending and investing is driving the economy already....yeah that's the ticket. No wait...how about no taxes for those who earn over a $1 million dollars and who made a major contribution to George Bush's election campaign? Yeah...I like that..... and then we find out who voted for Clinton, Gore, and Kerry and raise their taxes...yeah...that's the ticket.

Bush Economy Just Purring Along

2006-09-25T13:39:00.000-04:00

The median price of a previously owned home fell for the first time in 11 years last month, and inventories of unsold homes swelled to levels not seen in more than a decade.

At the end of August, there were enough unsold, previously owned homes on the market that it would take 7½ months to sell them all at the current sales pace. The association said that was a bigger backlog than at any time since April 1993.

NIE, Iraq Fuels Terrorism

2006-09-25T09:17:00.000-04:00

In typical fashion the White House has responded to a negative report by U.S. intelligence agencies by claiming the leaked portion “is not representative of the complete document.” Ok. Show us the rest of the report and let the American people decide for ourselves. Really. We're approaching an "accountability moment" and voters should have all the facts on the table. After all Mr. President, it's our money and shouldn't we know if it's being spent wisely? Shouldn't we know if our government is doing a good job? After all, we are the deciders.

How Safe Do You Feel?

2006-09-03T20:36:00.000-04:00

Really. How safe do you feel knowing that, as the New York Times reports, the TSA is having trouble bringing explosives detection technology to airports? Specifically,

The agency gave grant money to an equipment maker to find a way to speed up explosives-detection machines that screen baggage and to reduce the frequency of false positives. Though the work was completed successfully a year ago, the agency has not made the necessary software upgrades on the hundreds of machines already in the nation’s airports.

TSA cites "contractual details" as the cause of the delays. That's right, protecting Americans is such a priority that the TSA has taken a year working out "contractual details." The worst part is that delays like this are the foul-ups we know about. One shudders to think what other kinds of delays, miss opportunities, etc. are taking place on Georgie's watch.

George Bush likes to figure himself "in charge" of the federal government. What do you think the chances are of him taking responsibility for delays in improving airport screening? He says he's the CEO president, but it has become abundantly clear that he doesn't know the first thing about making any organization run nor does he care to learn. The TSA and DHS fiascos over improving airport security are emblematic of the failure that is George Bush's Presidency. As you go to the polls this fall, remember that the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress has played a key role in enabling George Bush's failures--his failure to care about effective government, his failure to put policy above politics, his failure to understand the challenges the United States faces, his failure to admit mistakes, his failure to show compassion, his failure to appoint competent people, and his failure to do his duty as required under the United States Constitution.

But it's not a Civil War

2006-08-28T17:25:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS reports

Iraqi troops have fought battles with Shia militiamen in the southern town of Diwaniya.

[. . .]

Government forces had lost control of parts of the city, officials said.

But no matter what, it's not a civil war. I mean governments routinely lose control of cities, right? And violence always flares in response to an improving security situation, right? It's like the law of thermodynamics or something, right?

The Republican Economy

2006-08-28T00:05:00.000-04:00

The following paragraph from the New York Times tells you all you need to know about Republican economic policies

wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of the nation’s gross domestic product since the government began recording the data in 1947, while corporate profits have climbed to their highest share since the 1960’s.

Also, "Total employee compensation" has fallen to levels not seen since 1966. All of this despite double digit gains in worker productivity. While workers are being more productive, the fat cat corporate chiefs are reaping all the benefits. Keep these figures in mind next time you hear some Republican attack dog use the phrase "class warfare."

Betterer and Betterer

2006-08-27T16:39:00.000-04:00

Or the ongoing Iraqi civil war.

The security situation in Baghdad is just looking rosy. Why Baghdad is so safe it makes most U.S. cities look down right dangerous. Except, as CNN reminds us there are the occasional incidents

A bomb planted in a minibus killed five people and wounded 10 when it exploded outside a hotel in a commercial area in the heart of central Baghdad.

Of course, this is nothing really to worry about. I mean it's not like the Palestine Hotel has come under attack before or anything (really the cement truck bombing in 2005 is just the kind of chaos that happens after an invasion and is the kind of messy thing that happens while democracy takes root).

As is so often the case in Iraq these days (or rather years) the bombing of the Palestine Hotel wasn't the only bombing of the day. The same CNN story notes how,

at least two people were killed and 20 others wounded when a car bomb exploded outside Al-Sabah, Iraq's state-owned daily newspaper.

Just so everyone's sure of what happened here, a bomb blows up in front of the Palestine Hotel, which the CNN story fails to mention had been attacked earlier and that the Palestine Hotel was (and perhaps still is) the "home" of many journalists, especially foreign journalists. Next a bomb blows up in front of the state-run newspaer. Hmmm...somehow this strikes me as more than just your run of the mill sectarian violence that CNN claims it to be. This sounds like someone sending a message to someone. It sounds like someone with a plan rather than just random violence. It sounds like the kind of thing that happens in a civil war, where targets are selected for a strategic or tatcial purpose.

CNN ought to be ashamed of themselves for implying that the target of the bomb was a Shiite area and not the Palestine Hotel,

the bus was on Saadoun Street, heading toward a Shiite neighborhood, when it blew up outside the Palestine Hotel.

CNN sure is connecting the dots in a very strange manner when it comes to these bombings, doing its very best to put the bombings down as nothing more than two random acts instead of a sign that there maybe a plan behind the violence. Now one may ask why is CNN claiming that the attack on the Palestine Hotel wasn't really an attack on the Palestine Hotel and was really a bomb that missed it real target--a Shiite area? The answer to this query is that random violence isn't a sign of a policy failure. Targeted bombings of journalists, however is a sign that the government in Iraq is powerless, that the Bush policy is a failure (though if someone can acutally point to a "policy" I'd be ever so grateful), and that Iraq is in a state of civil war. Thus, CNN spins the bombing of the Palestine Hotel to make it seem like just another random bombing, and even worse a bombing that missed its real target, in order to obscure the fact that whatever the U.S. and the Iraqi "government" are doing to bring peace and democarcy to Iraq isn't working, hasn't worked for at least two years, and doesn't have much chance of working unless some dramatic policy changes are made.

Nothing but Progress...

2006-08-25T21:48:00.000-04:00

Yep, the security situation in Iraq is improving every day and the Iraqi army and police are really standing up so that American and British forces can stand down. CNN.com is reporting that

Hours after British troops handed over a military base to Iraqi forces, hundreds of Iraqis -- some with their faces covered and wielding guns -- looted it.

No matter how you spin it, this is not a good sign. With reports like this, it's hard not to think that soon helicopters will be landing on the roof of the U.S. embassy in Baghdad to evacuate the staff while the ground floor is being looted.

Big Daddy Cheney, will you tell us the story about the Iraqi roses and kisses again?

Nothing to See Here Folks....

2006-08-24T17:17:00.000-04:00

Move along...Nothing to see here. Today in Baghdad Reuters.com reports

General John Abizaid told reporters: 'I think there has been great progress on the security front in Baghdad recently. We are very optimistic that the situation will stabilize.'

Never mind that five bombs went off in Baghdad killing four people and injuring at least another twenty. And it's not only Baghdad that is seeing improvement in the security sitation.

British troops abandoned their base in Maysan province, which had been under almost nightly attack.

So sure the security situation is improving. Sure. Different general, same lie.

Hmmm......

2006-08-23T09:25:00.000-04:00

Something tells me with Osama bin Laden still running around (not to mention all those corrupt Congressional staffers, lobbyists, and Congresspeople running loose) the FBI has better things to do.

A coalition of 13 conservative groups -- including the Family Research Council and Concerned Women for America -- took out full-page ads in some editions of USA Today earlier this month urging the Justice Department and FBI to investigate whether some of the pay-per-view movies widely available in hotels violate federal and state obscenity laws.

Republican Imagination

2006-08-23T00:51:00.000-04:00

Gas is above $3.00 a gallon in most places. The Republican Rubber Stamp Congress spent the last half of the summer trying to cut taxes on the wealthy yet again. With the mid-term elections approaching and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress returning from its vacation, I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about how America needs to open up more areas for oil exploration. Republicans will explain that it's getting too expensive for the average American to get to work or take their kids to school because of high gas prices and thus we should drill for more oil in more places. We won't hear much about fuel efficiency or energy conservation. CNN.com reminds us that

federal tax credits for hybrid buyers are being phased out on the most popular models.

Under a provision of the tax code, buyers of a Toyota hybrid after Sept. 30 will only qualify for half of the tax credit for which they would have previously qualified.

Tax incentives will also be cut on other hybrids after auto makers sell 60,000 of the vehicles -- a sales threshold Toyota has reached.

The tax credit on Toyota and Lexus hybrids is scheduled to drop to 25 percent in April 2007 and then be eliminated in October 2007.

Now, while the Republican Rubber Stampers in Congress tell us that we need to drill for more oil in order to make life better for the average American, I'm sure they won't be burning the midnight oil figuring out a way to make hybrids more affordable by extending the tax credits (unless there is a way to link tax credits for hybrid cars to repealing the estate tax for the likes of Donald Trump). Of course one way to make hybrids more affordable is for GM, Ford, et al to make more of them, but as we've seen over the year, imagination is just as lacking in the board rooms of Detroit as it is in Washington. I mean who would have thought that gas prices would ever rise?

Just Roaring Along

2006-08-18T13:36:00.000-04:00

The Bush Economic Miracle is continuing to work wonders and improve the live of working Americans. CNN reports

Ford Motor Co. slashed its production plans and announced that 10 North American plants will be shut for extended periods much of the rest of the year as it tries to trim costs and deal with slumping sales of its light trucks.

The automaker said Friday the move will result in a 21 percent drop in production in the fourth quarter compared to a year ago, as it makes 168,000 fewer vehicles.

While the 30,000 or so workers will still get paid, the dip in production will trickle down to suppliers who might not pay their laid off workers. Those laid off workers won't go out and buy things or save money for their retirement or for their kids' college education. We're seeing the Bush Trickle Down Economy at work. Even further down the road, the cut in production means less work at Ford dealerships--fewer oil changes, fewer warranty claims (which on the surface saves money for Ford), fewer tire changes, etc., all of which means Ford dealerships will have to cut back on workers. It won't happen today or tomorrow, but in the years to come all those salespeople, mechanics, administrative people, etc. that work for Ford dealerships will find their jobs a bit more less stable. People who feel their jobs are at risk tend to delay major purchases of the kind that keep factories in the U.S. open. Again the Bush Trickle Down Economy at work.

One thing of note is that the plants being mothballed for the rest of the year produce mostly pickups and SUVs. Ford, GM, George Bush, and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress haven't gotten the message that the high price of oil is killing us. One wonders if Ford had really embrace fuel efficient and alternative fuel vehicles if they would be shutting these plants. What if, instead of burying our heads in the sand, Bush, Cheney, and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress had passed a real energy reform bill? One that encourage Ford, GM, etc. to invest in hybrid technologies, one that encouraged consumers to conserve energy of all kinds, one that was more than a give away to the oil companies? If that had happened maybe, just maybe Ford would have a hybrid Ford Focus out there to go head to head with the Honda Civic Hybrid. Maybe if the Republicans were really interested in helping the American economy instead of lining their own pockets, they would have enacted economic policies that bolster American comparative advantages and encourage the adoption of technologies that make us as a country more competitive.

Just Asking

2006-08-15T11:53:00.000-04:00

Can someone explain to me why I have to take off my shoes if as the AP reports, those X-Ray Machines

are unable to detect explosives, according to a Homeland Security report on aviation screening recently obtained by The Associated Press.

And while you're at it, explain to me why the logistics around screening points still suck?--how about some more tables and somc benches or chairs to sit on so I can put my shoes on like a human being? At least I don't have to worry about the person in front of or behind me spilling their cappuccino on me while we're bent over, balancing our laptops and our briefcases, being jostled, and struggling out of or into our shoes? Five years on and no one at the TSA has noticed that people might need a place to put their shoes back on? Amateurs.

Oh, and dumping all those liquids, some of which may be explosives into common trash bins is a smart idea too. There's nothing like a witch's brew of potentially reactive liquids to make a person feel "safe."

Meanwhile...

2006-08-13T12:35:00.000-04:00

Irqaq continues to burn. The New York Times reports

12 bodies were found in Suwayrah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, at one of a series of metal grates fixed in the river to block debris, Mamoun al-Rubaie of the Kut city morgue said.

All were men between 35 and 45 years old and had been bound, blindfolded and shot in the head or chest, al-Rubaie said. They appeared to have been the victims of sectarian death squads that operate in the religiously mixed communities in the Baghdad area.

Police also found 15 other bullet-riddled bodies of men who had been handcuffed and blindfolded in six neighborhoods throughout the Baghdad area, police Lt. Mohammed Khayoun said.

That anyone listens to anything Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Rumsfeld say about anything is utterly amazing. Look for more "terror" alerts as the November elections approach in order to distract the media and voters from the fact that Bush and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress have botched the "war on terror" to an immense degree.

They've done little of real value to protect us and done little to make al-Qaida's message less appealing to college educated, middle class, family folks across the globe. Al-Qaida's message and earlier iterations of it have been around for several decades, yet it is only now that large numbers of people find it appealing enough to act on and we have yet to even begin to address why. Sending Karen Hughes to the "region" with cue cards isn't an answer. Using the language of the Crusades isn't an answer. Continuing to support repressive and unrepresentative regimes isn't the answer. Using "terror alerts" to win elections isn't the answer. Using Homeland Security funds to win elections isn't the answer. I'm not 100% sure what the answer is, but the above ain't it.

Six Lessons

2006-08-12T12:43:00.000-04:00

John Tirman, executive director of the Center for International Studies at MIT, has a piece titled the "Six Lessons from the London Airline Bombing Plot. The first lesson is that it "was law enforcement. Law enforcement. Not a military invasion of Pakistan, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, or Iraq" that led to the plot being uncovered. He's right, bombing other people really doesn't do much to stop terrorism. In fact, bombing other people and occupying their countries may foster terrorism. Tirman's fifth lesson is something everyone should remember while the Bush regime and the Republican Party engages in its latest round of scare politics.

the plot again reveals how ill-equipped the U.S. Government has been in anticipating plausible attack scenarios and taking steps to prevent them. Liquid bombs were so hard to figure out? Al Qaeda already tried it. DHS has almost completely missed the threat, just as they are missing the vulnerability of cargo holds and God knows what else.

Spending money protecting pop corn factories in the midwest instead of improving port security, really improving airport screening (as opposed to the dumb show we currently have), and focusing on known threats isn't making America any safer.

For all the billions we've spent on the "war on terror" we've done precious little to curb the attraction of al Qaeda style terrorism. Why is it that college educated family men in the UK find al Qaeda's message attractive? Five years on and we really don't have a good answer because we haven't really been trying to find one. Until we do, we'll face more plots.

33%

2006-08-11T22:42:00.000-04:00

33%. That's Georgie's new approval rating. That and the fact that Osama bin Laden is still at large explains the shrill propaganda issuing from the White House, the RNC, and Fox News. When a party and a President spends more time attacking the opposition than in coming up with ideas and putting them into action you know they're in trouble.

Get Yer Red Hot Economy Here!

2006-08-09T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls over a hundred points to close at 11,069.14. Back when Georgie took the oath of office in January, 2001 the Dow closed at 10678.28. Five plus years of Bush and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress cutting taxes, gutting regulations, and otherwise giving handouts to the wealthy and corporate America and the Dow can only manage a 400 point rise? To add to the "good" news, the dollar lost ground to the euro, which will make imports more expensive. Oil rose to $76.35/barrel to round out another day of the Bush Red Hot Economy.

Like in Iraq, Bush and the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress have no vision when it comes to the economy. Tax cuts and more tax cuts (roughly $860 billion in cuts) haven't done a whole lot for the stock market or wages. People who work for a living and small businesses aren't reaping the benefits of the Republican give aways. According to the Dept. of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis in the second quarter of 2006,

Business investment in equipment and software turned down [. . .] Exports decelerated [. . .] Inflation [. . .] increased 4.0 percent in the second quarter.

Not exactly great news and helps explain why the stock markets are tumbling. That 4.0% rise in the inflation rate means that fact that

Real disposable personal income, the amount of personal income available for spending or saving, increased 0.4 percent in June [2006]

is relatively meaningless. So get yer red hot Bush economy right here!

Oh the Irony

2006-07-22T00:45:00.000-04:00

And people say Irony is dead?

Tony Snow was on some morning show Friday, July 21, 2006 defending the Bush efforts to find a peaceful solution to the latest Israel/Hezbollah/Hamas dust up. Tony claims George & the Gang are working hard on finding some kind of diplomatic solution, really they are. Think Progress has the details,

TONY SNOW: The critics got it wrong. The United States has been very actively engaged on the diplomatic front ever since the beginning of this. Secretary Rice has spoken repeatedly with leaders throughout the region. The President has been picking leaders and speaking with leaders who are not only in the neighborhood, but in the position to provide leverage and influence over the governments who are chiefly responsible for supporting Hezbollah, that would be Iran and Syria. He’s spoken with the King of Saudi Arabia, he’s spoken with the King of Jordan, he’s spoken with the President of Egypt, he’s spoken with the prime minister of Turkey. Every day the departments of state and defense are on the phone with colleagues throughout the region, every day the national security advisor.

So what I’m saying here is that people are talking about too little too late in diplomacy, they may not be keeping the scorecard. But the fact is, nobody has been more diplomatically active than we have.

Of course, when Condi Rice visits the area she won't be going to Cairo or Amman or any other Arab capital. And here's where the Irony kicks in, the NYT reports,

[t]he Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

So which is it Tony? Are George & the Gang working hard to find a diplomatic solution or are they pouring gasoline on the situation?

Are We There Yet?

2006-07-21T16:14:00.000-04:00

The most senior British military commander in Afghanistan today described the situation in the country as "close to anarchy."

Just asking. Cause we've been turning so many corners that I'm starting to get a bit dizzy.

A coordinated attack Monday in Mahmoudiya south of Baghdad killed at least 40 people and wounded dozens, and small-arms fire killed a U.S. soldier in the capital.

The incidents took place as Sunni-Shiite sectarian violence festers in and near Baghdad.

And I think I have to pee.

More than 14,000 civilians have been killed in Iraq in the first half of this year, an ominous figure reflecting the fact that "killings, kidnappings and torture remain widespread" in the war-torn country, a United Nations report says.

Killings of civilians are on "an upward trend," with more than 5,800 deaths and more than 5,700 injuries reported in May and June alone, it says.

So, I'm just wondering, are we there yet? Or did Big Daddy Cheney load us into the car with no firm idea where he was going, no map, and a stack of 8-tracks from the 70s?

Character and the Bush Regime

2006-06-30T12:17:00.000-04:00

Look, another corrupt Republican. Ap/Yahoo! News reports "Bernard Kerik pleaded guilty Friday to charges of accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts while he was a top city official." Remember, this is the guy George Bush thought would make a great head of DHS. Tells you something about George Bush, doesn't it?

Last Throes?

2006-06-23T08:55:00.000-04:00

No matter how Cheney and Bush try spin "last throes," the news out of Iraq this morning looks nothing like an insurgency in its last throes. The New York Times reports

insurgents set up roadblocks in central Baghdad and opened fire on U.S. and Iraqi troops just north of the heavily fortified Green Zone.

The insurgents "were armed with rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades and rifles." At least they don't have armored vehicles yet. Keep in mind this attack comes ten days after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki initiated a large scale security effort in Baghdad. It sure doesn't look like the Iraqi "government" is in control of much outside of the Green Zone. If that is the case, look for Bush to move the goal post yet again and announce that U.S. troops will leave Iraq once the Iraqi army and security forces are able to secure the Green Zone. It's clear the new "government" has very little efficacy and as a result large numbers of Iraqis remain committed to violence rather than politics as a means of obtaining power.

Other than staying the course, that is doing the same thing we're doing now with little results, George Bush and his Rubber Stamp Congress haven't offered up a policy that has any chance of changing the situation in Iraq. Hawks of the sort that Bush brought into office like to say that sanctions aren't very effective in dealing with regimes like Saddam Hussein's; what we're seeing in Iraq is the very real limits of military force in solving problems.

Get Your Red Hot Economy Here!

2006-06-13T20:52:00.000-04:00

George Bush visits Iraq. The Dow Jone tumbles some more, closing at "10,706.14." As we inch ever closer to the five and half year mark of George Bush's rule it appears that the Dow might be dangerously close to the 10678.28 that is was on the Friday before he took office. Funny how all those people telling us how rosy the economy is never really focus on how the Dow is flat over the past five years. I'm sure if the Dow was surging, FOXNews would be crowing about it.

One has to wonder, what all those really rich people who got all those tax cuts did with all that money.

Red Hot Bush Economy! Get Your Red Hot Bush Economy Here!

2006-06-13T00:30:00.000-04:00

On Friday, January 19, 2001 the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 10678.28, having gained 93.94 points, mostly due to IBM's 75 plus point rise. On June 12, 2006 the Dow Jones Industrial Average was a whopping 10,792.58. Five years of Republican leadership and the Dow nets a whole 114.3 points or so? I sure am glad we didn't decide to invest those Social Security funds in the stock market.

More severed heads found in Iraq

2006-06-06T12:46:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS reports that Iraq "[has] taken great strides on the march to victory" in recent days.

Police in Iraq have found nine severed heads, wrapped in plastic bags and left in a fruit box by the side of a road.

The heads were found near Baquba, north of Baghdad, where police made a similar discovery three days ago.

Never mind that key posts in the new "government" remain unfilled. Never mind that 50 people were kidnapped by men dressed as police officers this week. Never mind that the "health ministry says the bodies of 6,000 people have been brought into Baghdad's main mortuary this year." Never mind that this figure is only for the main mortuary in Baghdad and thus doesn't include cities like Baquba where police have been finding bodies and heads left and right. Never mind all that because George Bush is sure that Iraq is taking "great strides" and that "victory" is just around the corner (hopefully in time for the 2006 mid-term elections). Gotta love the strong leadership Georgie & Co. have provided over the past six years or so. Nothing like vision and bold action (though perhaps a little more planning and little less hubris would have been nice).

The Bush Economy

2006-06-06T02:07:00.000-04:00

Just keep telling yourself that the economy is "robust" or "strong" or "red hot" or whatever everytime the Dow drops 199.15 points or 1.77% like it did on June 5, 2006. I'm glad I'm not part of the ownership society. Oh wait, my "retirement" fund at work is socked away in the stock market, shit. In that case, I hope Uncle Karl and Bid Daddy Cheney are thinking up a way to silence Fed Chairman Bernanke or at least get him to start reading from the script.

Once people really start realizing that they're paying "78 cents a gallon more" for gas than they did last year, the economy will really heat up. It took real leadership to push through all those tax cuts to help small businesses buy gas guzzling SUVs instead of promoting the use of hybrids or investing in alternative fuels. There's nothing like good leadership with vision and all that stuff. But hey, how many countries can say their Dear Leader looks so butch in a flight suit?

Party of Ideas?

2006-05-24T19:09:00.000-04:00

McCain has a plan! Unveils it at fat wallet get together.

"One of the things I would do if I were President would be to sit the Shiites and the Sunnis down and say, ‘Stop the bullshit," said Mr. McCain

Wow! Next thing you know the Republicans will be responding to record deficits with $70 billion in tax cuts for billionaires. And political pundits say the Democratic Party is bankrupt of ideas?

More Evidence of Georgie's Bumbling-Iraqi Police Training or "We Don't Need no Stinkn' Badges"

2006-05-20T13:14:00.000-04:00

The lead paragraph from a New York Times article on Iraqi's "dysfunctional" police says it all. It lays out the initial state of affairs right after the invasion including the critical project of rebuilding the police forces,

the Pentagon began its effort to rebuild the Iraqi police with a mere dozen advisers. Overmatched from the start, one was sent to train a 4,000-officer unit to guard power plants and other utilities. A second to advise 500 commanders in Baghdad. Another to organize a border patrol for the entire country.

Yep, you read that correctly, "a dozen advisers" for a country that Rumsfeld et al kept reminding us when they couldn't find WMDs is the size of California. A dozen advisers for a country the size of California. Is it any surprise that chaos rules in Iraq? Keep in mind that in Kosovo, the UN sent 4,800 police and trainers. Keep in mind that the UN trained the new police recruits for six months, not ten weeks as in Iraq.

The NYT goes on to detail how,

Before the war, the Bush administration dismissed as unnecessary a plan backed by the Justice Department to rebuild the police force by deploying thousands of American civilian trainers.

And then when the chaos, that Rumsfeld dismissed as just the messy bits of democracy taking hold, broke out and

when the majority of Iraqi police officers abandoned their posts, a second proposal by a Justice Department team calling for 6,600 police trainers was reduced to 1,500, and then never carried out. During the first eight months of the occupation — as crime soared and the insurgency took hold — the United States deployed 50 police advisers in Iraq.

Against the objections of Colin L. Powell, then the secretary of state, the long-range plan was eventually reduced to 500 trainers. The result was a police captain from North Carolina having 40 Americans to train 20,000 Iraqi police across four provinces in southern Iraq.

Sure the Iraqi police were untrained, corrupt, and underpaid, but that doesn't excuse our lack of planning, our lack of judgment, the lack of oversight, and our own incompetence when it came to retraining them.

During the first two years of the war, three different government groups developed three different plans to train Iraq's police, all without knowing of the existence of the other.

A lack of planning; a lack of judgment prevailed on everything related to Iraq. The Bush White House failed to plan for the consequences of invading Iraq and then failed to respond to events on the ground. This is nothing short of a failure of leadership. Surprisingly Rumsfeld still has a job. Surprisingly George Bush still has a job.

Revelations of the sort found in this NYT article as well as others shows why the Republicans are banging the drum that if the Democrats win control of Congress in the November mid-term elections there will be investigations and perhaps even an impeachment of President Bush. The Bush folks so mishandled everything related to 9/11 that they fear a Congress willing to ask questions. The Republicans in Congress that enabled Bush's crimes fear that people will start asking "how did this happen?" and hold those very same Republican enablers responsible. They have much to fear.

Quick Someone Call FOXNews!

2006-05-17T15:55:00.000-04:00

The Labor Department announced that the Consumer Price Index "rose 0.6 percent" in April, 2006. As a result the stock market fell nearly 200 points.

Someone better call the folks over at FOXNews and let them know that Labor Department is "some puny, little traitor" that wants to "take down our market, take down our country." I mean how dare it publish bad news? Doesn't the Labor Department know that publishing bad economic news is unpatriotic? I think the Labor Department could use a few more political appointees.

That Bush Economy

2006-05-05T10:20:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week the DowJones reached a new six year high, so that means the economy is doing just fine, right? Well, CNN reports

Payroll growth last month was the weakest since shortly after last summer's hurricanes, the government said Friday [. . .].

Employers added 138,000 jobs in April.

Though, there does seem to be some concern that if job growth were to be as robust as George Bush says it is, that would mean the Fed would have to raise rates to contain the economy. Can't have people getting jobs, can we? I mean the average hourly wage increased a whole nine cents! Nine cents, can you imagine it? Why that's almost a whole extra $4 a week!!! We better raise the interest rates so folks will spend those four bucks on credit card payments instead of food, or gas, or....

More Signs of Progress in Iraq!

2006-04-30T14:43:00.000-04:00

On April 29, 2006, President Bush said in his weekly Radio Address that

the enemies of freedom have suffered a real blow in recent days, and we have taken great strides on the march to victory. Iraq's leaders now have laid the foundations for a democratic government of, by, and for the Iraqi people.

I've got news for you Mr. Bush, forming a "government" in the Green Zone doesn't do much. In fact, it's going to take more than press releases and happy talk to make Iraq a democracy. Do we expect immediate results, no. But backroom deals aren't going to do much good while a large number of Iraqis feel shut out of the political system and thus resort to guns. You can talk about progress all day long, but CNN.com reports signs of that progress,

12 bodies, all shot in the head and bearing signs of torture, were found in Baghdad.

That's not a very good sign for your policies Mr. Bush. Your own State Department reports that attacks against civilians "doubled in 2005." That's not sign of progress or desperation. What it is a sign of is your failure, your incompetence, and the failure of Iraqi politicans to offer their fellow Iraqis any reason to put down their guns and join the political process. Your administration looked the other way while American contractors bribed and embezzled their way through Iraq. Your administration looked the other way while Iraqi politicians accepted bribes and embezzled funds. Your administration tried to impose cronies with little political support in Iraq and now we and the Iraqi public are bearing the fruit of your policies so stop telling us about progress.

It Was Nice While it Lasted

2006-04-29T03:07:00.000-04:00

Goodbye Fourth Amendment

The FBI secretly sought information last year on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents from their banks and credit card, telephone and Internet companies without a court's approval, the Justice Department said Friday.

It was a quaint Amendment but really not worth all the trouble.

Hitting the Bottle?

2006-04-28T17:18:00.000-04:00

Yet another sign that George Bush may be drinking or smoking or snorting again,

"My attitude is that the oil companies need to be mindful that the American people expect them to reinvest their cash flows in such a way that it enhances our energy security."

If George Bush thinks the oil companies are going to do anything to reduce record prices on their own, he must be on drugs, the booze, or who knows what else. Of course, this is all just speculation on my part, but it does make me feel better that the President of the United States is only saying stupid shit because he's out of it instead of because he's that fucking stupid or thinks that the American public is that stupid.

Same Old Cycle of Violence

2006-04-23T05:40:00.000-04:00

New PM, same old cycle of violence in Iraq. Reuters.co.uk reports,

Iraqi police found the bodies of six young men, bound and with bullet holes in their heads, on Sunday in Baghdad's violent Sunni district of Adhamiya, where sectarian tensions sparked fierce gun battles last week.

And CNN is reporting

Six Iraqi civilians were killed and two wounded early Sunday when a Katyusha rocket landed at the entrance to Iraq's Defense Ministry, located inside the heavily fortified Green Zone, police said.

Oh, and

Five U.S. soldiers were killed south of Baghdad on Saturday, the U.S. military said.

And,

five bodies were found in Baghdad on Saturday, their hands tied behind their backs, shot in their heads. The bodies of a woman and two men were found in southern Baghdad, and the others were found in a western Baghdad neighborhood.

President Bush on hearing the news of the new PM had this to say,

This historic achievement by determined Iraqis will make America more secure.

Same old tired spin. I guess George missed all the other news coming of Iraq, but that's bound to happen if you're not reading the liberal press that only focuses on the bad news. Never mind that there's clear evidence of death squads operating with impunity in and around Baghdad, we need to focus on the positive. After all, focusing on the negative will mean we've lost and then the death squads might be operating with impunity in American cities.

I'm sure most Iraqis would settle for just making Iraq more secure. I'm also almost sure that when Bush says "make America more secure" he really means that if the Iraqi government takes shape in the next six months or so it will help make the re-election of the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress more of a sure thing. Otherwise, George Bush might have to take some drastic measures to ensure that he's not impeached and convicted by Congress.

Those Were the Days!

2006-04-22T03:41:00.000-04:00

Remember when gas was $2.00/gallon? Remember all the fuss that Republicans like Dennis Hastert raised back in the summer of 2000? Remember President Clinton claiming it was the result of price gouging on the part of the oil companies? Remember how the oil companies blamed the spike in prices on the switch to ethanol blends? From the CNN Archives comes a little reminder of the good ol' days of June 2000,

Expressing concern that higher gas prices could keep the U.S. economy from running smoothly, Clinton suggested that crude oil prices ideally should be 'somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 to $25 a barrel.'

That price range, Clinton said, gives oil companies 'the revenue they need ... and it doesn't bankrupt people who have to have fuel in substantial quantities.'

In recent weeks, U.S. crude oil prices have edged above $32 a barrel.

That's right, gas used to cost $2.00/gallon and a barrel of oil a mere $32/barrel. Since George Bush and his oil man VP Dick Cheney have been in power a barrel of oil has doubled in price. That's right doubled. Of course in the nearly six years they've been in power the dynamic duo has done very little to improve the fuel economy of the cars and trucks sold by the major auto makers, to encourage conservation, or to encourage the development of renewal sources of energy. It's even unlikely that Bush ever even called up his pals in Saudi Arabia and asked them to do something about increasing the supply of oil--it's just like flicking a switch. The dynamic duo has, on the other hand, pushed for handouts for oil companies. Funny that.

Funny too how despite all those handouts and nearly six years of practice the oil companies still haven't figured out how to switch over to ethanol blends without causing price spikes resulting in higher profits. Seems no one, despite the millions of dollars in salary, has thought to produce ethanol blends year round. Funny that.

Of course back in the summer of 2000, Dennis Hastert blamed Clinton for the $2.00/gallon gas.

Hastert said the White House has failed to protect consumers.

"If we don't have an energy policy in this country and we rely too much on foreign energy, and we let OPEC dictate what the price of oil is in this country, our consumers suffer," Hastert said. "So I would think we need to have a better and stronger energy policy in this country."

Of course, it only took Hastert and his Rubber Stamp Congress four years or so to pass ~~an energy policy~~ a give away to the oil companies. I'm waiting for Hastert to blame Bush and Cheney for $3.00/gallon gas. It might be a long wait, but it might happen because back in the summer of 2000 he was very concerned that consumers were "paying more dollars to take their kids to daycare, to go to work, to take their family on vacation." And that was when gas was only $2.00/gallon. Shit he must be spitting mad now. Maybe if gas hits $3.50/gallon or maybe when it hits $4.00/gallon, Dennis boy will blame Bush and Cheney. Of course, before he blames Bush and Cheney, he'll push for the repeal of the gas tax because the solution to every problem is a tax cut. And don't be surprised if that tax cut bill includes another give away to the oil companies. Maybe some language about how oil companies don't have to pay taxes at all?

$100 Oil?

2006-04-21T20:44:00.000-04:00

With oil trading at $75.17 per barrel I sure am glad our wise leaders have seen fit to enact an energy policy heavy on renewables, conservation, and the like. Ohhh...wait...sorry, I must have been dozing.

How Low Can He Go?

2006-04-20T15:54:00.000-04:00

Even FOXNews finds George Bush's overall approval rate at a low "33 %." That's down from an approval rating of 47% last year. Bush's approval ratings have been on a steady decline, dropping from 39% a month ago. Even more notably, "66 percent" of Republicans approve of the job George Bush is doing, which is itself a twenty point drop since last year. While a twenty point drop is encouraging, it still baffles the mind of this crank how 66% of any group can approve of the job George Bush is doing as President.

The really scary thing about these low poll numbers is, given Bush's history, what hair-brained scheme will Rove cook up to distract the American public from the disaster that is Bush's presidency. Are the DHS raids on illegal immigrants just the first step in strict enforcement of the "law" as a means of looking like George Bush is actually doing something other than giving tax breaks to the Donald Trumps and Ken Lays of America? Are we going to see Bush resort to raids to enforce copyright laws? Raids to recover government documents that have been retroactively stamped "Top Secret?" Or is the U.S. just going to start bombing Iran? One has to wonder, to what depths will George Bush sink?

Bush Code

2006-04-18T14:26:00.000-04:00

Josh Marshall over at TPM has the following quote from Bush (though he doesn't provide a link), "Pres. Bush: 'I'm the decider, and I decide what's best.'"

Is this code for "I'm the dictator?" One really has to wonder given Bush's history of similar comments and his refusal to abide by the Constitution. You know the Constitution, the document that holds that all political power emanates from the people, the document that limits executive power, legislative power, and even judicial power? I know words like "ordain and establish" might be a bit tough to understand, but what they mean is that it is the People who have the power. These words mean that the government exists because the people want it to exist. These words mean that you, Mr. President, serve at our pleasure.

When George Bush says he's the "decider" or that he doesn't pay attention to polls, or that things would be easier if he were the dictator, it illustrates his complete and utter ignorance of the Constitution and the ideas behind it. The People in 1789 decided that the Constitution might be misunderstood and so attached the Bill of Rights to the Constitution

in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, [. . .] further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added.

One of the key words here is "restrictive." As in restricting the power of the government, including the President's power. The People made no exception in these "declaratory and restrictive clauses" for times of war. These clauses fly in the face of your fancy pants legal theory of the unitary executive. These "restrictive clauses" are in effect at all times and no judge, no President, no one but the People has the power to set them aside for any reason. They restrict your power, Mr. Bush, to be the "decider." And just to be sure the people in 1789 declared in Amendment Ten that

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Got that? "[T]o the people," Mr. Bush. The people in 1789 knew the dangers of an executive, a judge, a Congress that would want to overreach and declare himself or itself "the decider" and thus the people declared that they and they alone will be "the decider." The people in 1789 declared that they have rights not enumerated in the Constitution. They declared that they decide what rights and powers they have, not some self-appointed "decider."

Mr. President, we the people, decide what rights and freedoms we will hold. We decide what rights and freedoms we will temporarily cede to the government, not you, not some shift supervisor at DHS or the CIA or the NSA. You may "decide" to your heart's content, but we decide if you have the right to sit in the Oval Office. Keep that in mind as you wander through your days ignoring the will of the people. Get off your power trip and remember you have the power to "decide" only because we allow you to have it. We, the people, gave you that power and we can take it away. Ignore us at your peril. We, the People, will not sit idly by as you raze the Constitution.

Yet More Progress in Iraq

2006-04-17T22:36:00.000-04:00

On Monday, April 17 U.S. Marines came under attack in Ramadi. CNN reports

A coordinated attack from three directions on the governor's compound in Ramadi Monday left an unknown number of insurgents dead after an hourlong fight with U.S. Marines.

The Marines received fire from the nearby Fatemat Mosque and returned fire in order to repeal the attack. This last bit will be sure to be a PR victory for the Marines. No matter that the Marines were responding to fire coming from the mosque, the situation will be spun by the insurgents to make it seem that U.S. Marines opened fire on a mosque. It's your typical no win situtation that has characterized the whole Iraqi invasion.

Meanwhile in Baghdad, the NYT reports,

American and Iraqi troops sealed off one of Baghdad's most prominent Sunni Arab neighborhoods today after overnight gun battles raged through the streets.

It's unclear what sparked the violence in Adhamiya, but it's a bad sign that the area is again a hotspot.

Oh, and there still isn't any progress on the political front, so we can expect more violence as the Iraqi civil war continues. Everyday that the politicans can't agree on a PM is another day that Iraq moves further from the hope of ending the civil war.

Hey, pissstttt.....

2006-04-11T23:11:00.000-04:00

you're the president, you can get on national tv anytime you like to explain things if you think people are confused .

"it was important for people to get a better sense for why I was saying what I was saying in my speeches."

But hey, those press conferences and talks from the oval office are usually scheduled late and run past your bed time, so I can understand why you chose to whisper into the ears of willing reporters in order to set the American people straight on Joe Wilson. I mean who are people going to trust more, President George W. Bush or some reporter from the New York Times relying on unnamed White House officials, oh...right...sorry I asked.

French Labor Law a No Go

2006-04-10T15:58:00.000-04:00

Democracy in action

French President Jacques Chirac announced today that a contested labor law would be taken off the books, handing a victory to student groups and labor unions who have demonstrated in the millions in recent weeks to have the measure scrapped.

Sure it took street protests, but the French government did respond to its citizen's wishes. Would it have been better for a more sedate process to have taken place? Sure, but the French government was at the end of the day responsive.

The U.S. is facing similar protets (minus the property damage) over immigration reform, and one can only hope that the Congress and the President will remember the "WE the People" part of the Constitution and bow to the will of the people and not to the special interests and the lobbyists. Perhaps the only way to get the Republicans to listen is to put millions of people on the street saying no to war, no to hate, and yes to legalizing immigrants. Of course, the track record of putting millions on the street saying no to war and influencing king George and the Rubber Stamp Congress isn't that hot, but one can hope.

10 to 12 million more workers paying Social Security taxes will go a long way to keeping Social Security up and running. And just think, with all that extra revenue we might be able to fund things like schools, health insurance for all, and a whole host of things the Republicans don't really care about.

Oops, We Did it Again

2006-04-01T17:04:00.000-05:00

Condi had a moment of what looked like half-honesty when she admitted that the U.S. has made "thousands" of errors in their holy war on Iraq. Turns out, however, that was just another error. Why do the administration's critics keep taking its errors literally, instead of "figurtatively," as they are (we now learn) intended.

Nothing to See Here Folks

2006-03-27T11:41:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS reports,

At least 40 people have been killed by a suicide bomb inside a military base housing US and Iraqi forces near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Details are a bit iffy, but it appears the dead are recruits who were in line for some reason or another. Sure looks like progress to me.

In an attempt to be fair and balanced, I did take a moment to visit the U.S. Embassy's site. The latest press release is from March 19, 2006. The topic, Georgie's remarks upon returning to the White House. Must be a slow news day in Iraq.

Last Throes

2006-03-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

Despite all the happy talk coming out of the White House, the news from Iraq continues to be grim. The New York Times reports,

The bodies of 30 beheaded men were found on a main highway near Baquba this evening, providing more evidence that the death squads in Iraq are becoming out of control. [. . .] Iraqi army troops were waiting tonight for American support before venturing into the insurgent-infested area to retrieve them.

"It's too dangerous for us to go in there alone," an Iraqi Army commander, Tassin Tawfik, said.

Earlier in the day, the corpses of 10 other men, all bound, blindfolded and shot, were discovered in Baghdad.

Two things are apparent. One, the violence continues and the Iraqi government is unable to do anything about it. Despite claims that things are moving forward politically, these killings make it clear that many people in Iraq have no faith in elections, political negations, or diplomacy. Second, the Iraqi Army, not withstanding the photo-op otherwise known as operation "Swammer," is incapable of operating on its own. One has to ask, if the Iraqi Army can't venture into Baquba, who is in charge there? The bodies were

heaped in a pile next to a highway that links Baghdad to Baquba.

That doesn't sound like a very remote area and the fact that the Iraqi Army is afraid to drive on the highway linking two major cities is troubling at best.

The almost daily reports of large groups of beheaded and shot bodies being dumped along with the Iraqi Army's admission that there are areas "too dangerous" to go into give lie to the White House's happy talk on Iraq. Next time you hear someone like Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice say

"I think it's entirely probable that we will see a significant drawdown of American forces over the next year,"

remember it's nothing but wishful thinking. We've been hearing the same pie in the sky talk for going on two years. There are few signs that the Iraqi Army will be able to operate effectively by December. There are few if any signs that there is a "political" solution on the horizon. If American troops do leave, we should be prepared for lots of blood.

Invading Iraq was a mistake. Failing to build a real international coalition was a mistake. Failing to provide meaningful security during and immediately after the invasion was a mistake. All were mistakes of policy, not competence. Iraq has become our albatross.

Smells Like Victory.

2006-03-24T12:36:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS reports

Five Iraqis have been killed and 17 injured by a bomb planted outside a Sunni mosque in the town of Khalis, 60km (40 miles) north-east of Baghdad.

[. . .]

Police also discovered the bodies of seven men in the city's east. They had been handcuffed and shot in the head.

Meanwhile the "new" Iraqi "government" is still MIA. It seems there is no agreement on who should be the Prime Minister. But don't worry, they'll work it out soon and freedom will be on the march once again.

So remember, despite continued violence and a political deadlock, we're making progress in Iraq.

Oh, and Operation Swarmer ended, "without any casualties and all of the tactical objectives met." And USAID along with its partners have completed the distribution of "1,000 water storage tanks [. . .] and a six-month supply of water purification tablets" in Al Anbar province (see page seven). No word on what happens when the "six-month supply" runs out. Don't say we don't focus on the good news out of Iraq!

More Progress in Iraq

2006-03-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

Just doing my bit to remind everyone how swell things are going in Iraq. ABC News/AP reports:

At least 56 Iraqis died Thursday in violence, including a car bombing that killed 25 people in the third major attack on a police lockup in three days.

A suicide car bomber detonated his explosives at the entrance to the Interior Ministry Major Crimes unit in Baghdad's central Karradah district, killing 10 civilians and 15 policemen employed there, authorities said.

[. . .]

Insurgents engineered a successful jailbreak that released more than 30 prisoners north of Baghdad on Tuesday.

[. . .]

A mortar round fell on a Baghdad house, wounding three civilians, said police Lt. Ziad Hassan. Another civilian was seriously wounded by an Iraqi army patrol that was shooting in the air to clear traffic in a western neighborhood, police said.

[. . .]

Fourteen more bodies were found in an ongoing series of shadowy sectarian killings

When a CRANKed reporter asked a Pentagon spokesperson about these incidents of "progress" he swore he could hear what sounded like Uncle Rummy's voice bellowing, "Democracy is messy!" from some backroom.

There are unconfirmed reports that someone, somewhere in Iraq was able to go about his business without worry of a car bomb, kidnapping, U.S. military strike, IED, or just getting caught in the cross fire. Because we're dedicated to telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth, we at CRANKed will be following up on this report.

BREAKING There is also news that a school has just been painted!!!!! No word on whether or not the school has electricity on a regular basis or clean running water, but it has been painted!

This is a Test, This is Only a Test...

2006-03-18T09:21:00.000-05:00

On the third anniversary of W's war on reason, international law, and human rights, we here at CRANKed HQ are conducting a test of our rights to free speech.

In Denmark, Jyllands-Posten conducted a related test to find out if their rights to free expression were being curtailed by threats of violence from Islamic fundamentalism. We saw how well that test went, so we decided it's time to test the system at home--and with our own homegrown fundamentalists.

We encourage every media outlet, especially those that actuallly have audiences (must be nice for you!), to conduct similar tests of their own on this anniversary. And if you have no outrageously honest opinions of your own--if in fact you have "self-censored" yourself to the point where correcting a comma-splice on a Whitehouse press release is as much independent thinking as you can handle--feel free to copy our test and spread it as far and wide as you want.

This is only a test.

TEST 1. We love terrorists. We think they are cute. If there were stuffed dolls of terrorists we would give them to our kids to sleep with.

TEST 2. Iran should have lots and lots of nuclear weapons. All the religious states are wearing them this year: it is soooo fashionable. Just look at us!

TEST 3. Our personal relationship with Jesus got a little too... well, personal last night. Ouch.

TEST 4. We like to think happy thoughts about a world without W and Dick. A hunting trip gone terribly wrong. A one-two punch of congenital heart failure and pretzel malfunction. That kind of thing.

TEST 5. We don't love our country any more. In fact, we are not even so sure we like it all that much. We are just staying together for the sake of the kids

This concludes our test of the emergency freespeech system. If this has been an actual emergency.... {crackle} {sssss} {....}

GOP: The Hypocrisy Party

2006-03-16T15:59:00.000-05:00

Republicans are for states' rights, except for when they're not. The Los Angeles Times notes

On a party-line vote, a Senate committee approved a bill that would preempt state laws that require insurance policies to cover specific services, such as maternity care and supplies for diabetics.

It's just like how Republicans are for law and order, ethics, character, doing the right thing, honor, personal responsibilty, etc. except for when they're not. Or how they're for holding the president accountable and maintain that the president isn't above the law, except for when they're not. Or how they're for lobbying reform, except for when they're not. Or fiscal restraint, except for when they're not.

See here's the deal, states have the right to discriminate, or not fund education, or to pass laws outlawing abortion or any other law that goes along with the moral outrage du jour of the likes of James Dobson, but states don't have the right to do anything else, especially if doing so might hold multi-national corporations accountable. So much for being the "culture of life" party, because this vote will result in lots of early deaths and lots of suffering. And so much for the hollow talking point about how the free market doesn't "ration" health care. Only the morally bankrupt Republican Party would claim that cutting health care coverage is central to acutally improving it.

Maybe all those flip-flop chants and signs at the 2004 Republican National Convention were really a party slogan? Now, repeat after me "Culture of Life! Culture of Life! Culture of Life!"*

*Unless providing things that make life possible, like maternity care, diabetic supplies, mammograms, vaccinations, etc. would cost our ~~friends~~ sugar daddies in the insurance industry a few extra pennies.

Happy March 15

2006-03-15T15:15:00.000-05:00

JULIUS CAESAR, act 1. scene 2

Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.

Caesar. He is a dreamer; let us leave him. (exit all except Brutus and Cassius)
.....

Bru. What means this shouting? I do fear, the people
choose Caesar for their king.

Cas. --Ay, do you fear it?
Then must I think you would not have it so.