The "Bush"-Whacked Administration: Random Political Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon

The Rising. with an end to the war in Iraq nowhere in sight, the percentage of Americans who oppose the war has risen to an alarmingly-high 60%, “the highest number” of opposition since polling on the war commenced shortly after its start in March 2003. (Now, to anyone with a brain, that would signal that changes need to happen… but for members of the Bush Administration and an ever-dropping number of conservatives; this means steady as she goes. All of this begs the question; was their ever a tactical plan of action/success/withdrawal in place??)

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing. Upon hearing that BP is shutting down its Alaska operations (see below for more on that), the Energy Department is (finally!) considering tapping into the nation’s oil reserves. (with all the broken promises and reneging from this administration I’m gonna throw out this caveat; I’ll believe it when I see it…)

The Fallen. The approval numbers for “President” Bush remain in freefall (granted, he has enjoyed a slight up-tick, but not a lot) and now comes word that in the 18 to 24 demographic, 20% approve of his job performance. For those of you unable to do the math (that’s what calculators are for), that translates into a disapproving number of 53%. Can anyone, anyone guess what a major factor of their feelings is??? Noone? The Iraq war… I know, shocking, absolutely shocking…

Breakdown. In case you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard, BP had to shut down its Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska after it was discovered that the pipeling had suffered “severe corrosion and a small spill.” Lovely… this is the same BOP that, back in March, was criticized for “the largest oil spill ever” in the North Slope that was caused by (can anyone guess??) a rupture in one of its corroding Prudhoe pipelines. (Way to stay on top of things guys…keep up the good work. Yes; that was sarcasm)

Drop da Bomb. Ignoring bipartisan objections (I am shocked; shocked to find gambling going on in this establishment) the Bush administration has started to produce new landmines for the first time “in over 10 years. In doing this, they’ve placed the US with some terrific company like Iran, North Korea and Burma; all of whom happen to be countries that are producing landmine weapons that had been banned by an international treaty. (Nice, it’s always a pleasure when we start taking cues from the likes of those countries… nicely done BushWhackers!)

Repeat Offender. It’s happened again! A desktop computer (a desktop? How the hell can someone “lose”a fuc**** desktop comptuer???) that contains sensitive personal data of 38,000+ veterans was “lost” (gotta love the use of that word, don’t ya?) by a Veterans Affairs Department Subcontract. (Uh… yeah… maybe, just maybe, something needs to be done about this so it can be prevented from happening again… and I’m especially concerned that this one was a big, bulky desktop and not a laptop like the first time… anyone else find this disturbing??)

Short skirt, Long Jacket. For fun (and with a tip of the hat to Think Progress for this one) let’s look at the fashion sense of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She’s been named to Vanity Fair’s International Best Dressed List. Granted, I really don’t care about fashion, but putting this in the Random Thoughts allows me to use the term; audacious renegade streak. Yes… that’s how the “magazine” described her style… audacious renegade streak… a prize for anyone that can tell me what the hell that means… and by prize I mean my esteemed thanks.

Get Back. Wondering what former vice presidential candidate and Senator John Edwards has been up to? Well, on Saturday he said the U.S. should “start pulling troops out of Iraq immediately.” He certainly is talking like someone who is eying a race for the presidency, doesn’t he?

Winds of Change. According to a Washington Post/ABC News poll, a plethora of Americans are describing themselves as being anti-incumbent as we approach the November mid-terms, and the poll reflects that. The number of people who approve of the job their representative's are doing is at the lowest point since 1994 with their rep’s backing of the Iraq war a HUGE factor (are you out there Sen. Lieberman?) with performance and actions being a factor as well (can you hear me Rep. McKinney?) (There are winds of change blowing, and not just for republicans and conservatives; but for Liberals and Democrats as well. Stay tuned…)

Promises, promises. A senior Bush aide, who didn’t want to be identified, told Newsweek that “President” Bush will pull U.S. troops out of Iraq if (When? Already there?) the country descends into civil war. (As I said above, with all the broken promises from this administration I’m gonna throw out this caveat; I’ll believe it when I see it…)

Smooth Criminal. The White House will ask Congress to alter the U.S. War Crimes Act in order to eliminate the “threat” of prosecution for “political appointees, CIA officers and former military personnel for humiliating or degrading war prisoners.” (Sigh… once again, this administration is going to try and change the law to fit their own needs… when will it stop??? Make it stop… please…)

Quote of the Week: this week’s quote comes from former Democratic Presidential candidate and retired General Wesley Clark (speaking about Joe Lieberman) “You see, despite what Joe Lieberman believes, invading Iraq and diverting our attention away from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden is not being strong on national security. Blind allegiance to George W. Bush and his failed ‘stay the course’ strategy is not being strong on national security. And no, Senator Lieberman, no matter how you demonize your opponents, there is no ‘antisecurity wing’ of the Democratic Party.”

Here are a few really random thoughts: