The Weekly Rewind....

It's Friday and you know what that means...yep it's time for The Weekly Rewind. Our review of news stories and events of the past weeks political and sometimes not so political happenings. I have a feeling that the Heckle's will take the lead once again this week, so let's get started...

Heckle: to same old, same old. This morning the Senate confirmed General Michael Hayden, a four-star general and career Air Force man, to head the CIA. He will take over the agency from Porter Goss, whom the administration has referred to as essentially a transitional director. As head of the NSA from 1999 to 2005, Gen. Hayden has come under fire for Bush’s domestic eavesdropping program. Many in Washington were concerned that he would be tied to tightly to the pentagon to lead the CIA independently. No one connected to the administration does anything ‘independently’, what we are more worried about is what other invasions of our privacy will this ‘spy-master’ now oversee.

Applaud: it couldn’t happen to two more deserving guys. On Thursday, jurors returned guilty verdicts in the trial of former Enron executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffery Skilling. In a statement on the courthouse steps, Lay said that he was "surprised, and it's probably more accurate to say we're shocked." (I find it hard to believe that he is that clueless, although he could be that delusional)

Heckle: to what else can I say but, DUH! In a televised press conference last night Britain's PM Tony Blair and Bush admitted to a number of errors in dealing with Iraq and making statements that have hurt the US image abroad. No f***ing kidding George! It only took poll numbers that are stuck in the basement to get you to eat some humble pie. By the way, it's too little too late. You only have 969 days left in office, do us a favor and take another vacation.

Applaud: to continuing to spout off and dig yourself deeper. In interviews following the verdicts, jurors said that the executives own testimony helped cement their fate. Lay’s demeanor of being frustrated at not being in control of the courtroom, and Skilling’s being able to spend days explaining the most minute financial details of the company were a direct contrast to his claims of not being aware of the illegal business maneuvering done under his watch.

Heckle: to spinning the wheels. Also on Thursday, the Senate passed an Immigration reform measure that they proclaimed would dramatically overhaul the current system. Among other things, the legislation would strengthen border security, establishes a guest worker program, and provide the way for millions of illegals to remain in the country and eventually become citizens. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) called the measure "a bad bill" that "puts more emphasis on amnesty than on border security." This bill is in sharp contrast to the House bill passed in December which emphasized border and workplace enforcement. So what did this really get us? Nothing except the Senate can go home and say that they did something to address the issue, but not really since now the huge differences between the House and Senate versions must be dealt with…..which will take many more months.

Heckle: to more double talk. Despite Condoleezza Rice’s insistence that “No one would like to shut down Guantanamo more than this administration,” Bloomberg reports, “They’re settling in for the long haul at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” Work is almost complete on a new $30 million state-of-the-art detention facility.

Applaud: to doing the right thing. In response to the recent events surrounding Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) , House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca) sent Jefferson a simple letter calling on him to resign his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Members of the CBC were all over Pelosi and were ready to revolt until they emerged from a meeting with her on Wednesday. Ok, Jefferson was caught on video accepting $100,000 in cash from an FBI wired informant. We don't need democratic congressmen acting like republicans and soiling what the party stands for. We stand behind Ms. Pelosi, well done.

Heckle: to the more things change the more they stay the same. Despite Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff’s assertion that the U.S. is “much more prepared as a nation than we have ever been to confront a major hurricane,” problems remain as hurricane season approaches. “Hundreds of thousands of displaced victims from last year’s hurricanes [are] still living in more than 100,000 trailers,” efforts to effectively track supplies are “uncoordinated,” and “FEMA’s hurricane operations plan is unfinished.” Wow Mike, what a surprise! Who are you going to blame this one on?

Heckle: to see, what did we tell you! A new study finds New Orleans “is the U.S. city most likely to be struck by hurricane force winds during the 2006 storm season.” Meanwhile, the Army Corps of Engineers has finished repairing the city’s levees, but experts say New Orleans is “still very much at risk… because the level of protection the corps has reached is still not as strong as the city needs,” not even good enough for a Category 3 storm. No shit, I'm not an engineer but even I could have seen that one coming a mile away.

Heckle: to what in the hell are you people smoking? The winner in last weeks New Orleans mayoral election was....Ray Nagin!? That's right 'Mr. I Made Mistakes' before during and after Hurricane Katrina was re-elected to another term leading the city under the bay. This should be interesting folks, the levees are not as stong as they need to be, the city is far from being rebuilt, hurricane season is less than a week away and Ray Nagin is once again in charge. Maybe Mayor Nagin can hire Michael Brown to be the City Disaster Coordinator.

Ok, it's a holiday weekend and we all want to get outside and enjoy the 3 days. So let's cut this week short. Oh, by the way, I was right. Many more heckles this week. It just reminds you that you are living in George Bush's America.

Be good, stay informed....later.