Random Political Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon

It’s Wednesday, time for Random Political Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon.

Here we go.

Poll position part 1 – Job approval. President Bush, despite his efforts to alter public opinion on the Iraq War with speeches that highlight the successes of that country have, thus far, failed as a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll shows his approval rating at 39%… (Try not to laugh… try not to laugh… try not to laugh… What’s this? Could this possibly be Karma coming back to bite Bush in the ass??? Hee hee hee hee… sorry, couldn’t stifle the laughter any longer)

Hackett out. Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, a candidate in Ohio's closely watched Senate contest, announced on Tuesday that he was dropping out of the race and retiring from politics due to pressure from Senators Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Harry Reid (D-NV) who asked him to step aside so that Representative Sherrod Brown, a longtime member of Congress, could take on Senator Mike DeWine, the Republican incumbent. It should be known that it was Schumer and Reid who talked Hackett to enter the Senate race last August. (Smooth move there everyone… one question; are you TRYING to make the Democrats look like a party in disarray? Just because the Ohio GOP is in a state of disorder doesn’t mean the Democratic Party has to be as well…get it together)

Annan offers opinion. United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned “President” Bush, during an Oval Office meeting the other day, to not “escalate” tensions over Iran's nuclear ambitions. This was immediately followed by White House press secretary Scott “Where is Ari” McClellan railing against Iran stating “Iran has shown that they can't be trusted with nuclear technology because they have hidden their activities for some two decades. They failed to comply with their international obligations.” (In one ear and out the other… just like a 3-year old)

White Hunter, black heart. Vice President Dick Cheney's sluggish and impenitent response to his accidental shooting of a 78-year-old Texas lawyer is turning the quail-hunting “snafu” into a political liability for the Bush administration, even to the point that some White House officials are pressing him to address the issue publicly, adding that Cheney should have disclosed the shooting Saturday night to avoid even the possibility of a cover-up. (Well, duh! About time the hamsters started to spin the wheel in the GOP’s brains…) Meanwhile…

Get well soon. The fellow hunter who was shot and wounded by Vice President Dick Cheney suffered a minor heart-attack on Tuesday after a piece of birdshot migrated to his heart. The victim, Harry Whittington, 78, remains in stable condition in intensive care and will remain in the hospital for up to seven days. (We at TBWA wish Mr. Whittington a quick and speedy recovery; get well soon Sir, we’re praying for you…)

Chertoff under fire. Besieged Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is facing some tough questions from both Democrat and Republican senators today about how he, and his department, dealt with Hurricane Katrina. This comes on the same day that the ‘official’ release of a House report that accuses Chertoff of gaffes in his response to the storms comes out. (Leaks from the report began surfacing Sunday, and with the official release coming on the same day… things could be getting a little hot in D.C. Two words: ‘Karma, baby!”)

Poll position part 2 - Wiretaps. According to that same CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll released Tuesday, twenty-one percent of the 1,000 adults polled said it was very likely or somewhat likely their conversations had been wiretapped. 52 percent said it was not at all likely. Now, this is troubling because…well, you should know, and if you don’t know why these numbers are troubling then I’m not gonna waste my time trying to explain it to you.

Bush’s host Valentine’s Day party. President Bush and his Stepford wife Laura spent yesterday entertaining friends and associates at a “ritzy” White House formal dinner. Singer Michael Feinstein capped the romantic evening by serenading the crowd, including new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, actor Chuck Norris (yeah, whatever…) Wayne Newton (ewwwww) and Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT). Feinstein (the singer, not the politician) brought a big smile to the first lady's face with a version of Johnny Mercer's "Laura." (Ok, the amount of things wrong with this whole article are too numerous to mention. First; the words ‘ritzy’ and ‘President Bush’ have no business being in the same paragraph together. Second, what the hell is Sen. Lieberman doing there? And Justice Alito, isn't he suppose to act non-partisan? And third… Norris, Newton? Is this a party or a collection of third-tier stars? Sheesh… why them hell am I even writing about this??? I can honestly say I have no freakin’ idea…)

The Force is with them. As they begin to tighten themselves up for the looming mid-term elections, Democrats are hoping that the Force will be with them as they looked to a Jedi film master in their preparations. “Star Wars” filmmaker George Lucas joined House Democratic leaders at a town hall meeting on Capitol Hill Tuesday to roll out an “innovation agenda” that aims to prepare the next generation of technological entrepreneurs. (As big a Star Wars fan that I am, I’m still a little uncomfortable with some of the imagery in this story…)

Asbestos bill on life-support. The Senate decided Tuesday night to all but kill legislation that would have created a $140 billion fund to compensate victims of asbestos poisoning. Bill supporters, including Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Bill Frist (R-TN) fell just short of the 60 votes (final vote was 58 to 41) that were needed in order to waive a budget objection raised about the legislation. Frist changed his vote from yes to no at the last moment so he would (allegedly) have the option of calling for a recount “at some later date.” Stay tuned…

Poll position part 3 - Iran. And the numbers continue to plummet for anything even closely related to the Bush(whacked) Administration…in the same polls mentioned earlier in this post, the responders were asked How confident are you in the Bush administration’s ability to handle the situation in Iran? 28% responded that they are ‘not at all confident.’ Also, when asked How concerned are you that the U.S. will be too quick to use military force in an attempt to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons? (you know, like we did regarding Iraq) An incredible 34% responded that they are ‘very concerned.’

Take them as you will…