Random Political Thoughts for a Wednesday Afternoon

Droning on and on. “President” Bush plans to launch another PR offensive aimed at strengthening support for the Iraq war, with more of an emphasis on the high stakes and changing nature of the battle and less emphahis on progress being made (or not being made if you want to be technical). The push will start with a speech at the annual American Legion convention in Utah and will continue-on through the 9/11 anniversary. (Great… just what our nation needs, more spin. How about giving a straight answer once Mr. Bush… or is that beyond your scope?)

Out-sourcing? Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard “Dick” Armitage has acknowledged that he was the primary source (read: fall guy) for Robert Novak and Bob Woodward on Valerie Plame’s identity as a CIA officer. (Whatever… I don’t buy that it was Armitage, but this is a nice way for the republicans to defer attention and blame towards Cheney or Rove… masterfully done there guys…)

Not a surprise. How many of you saw “President” Bush visit to Biloxi, MS, earlier this week? Would it surprise you in the least to know that this “event” was “carefully scripted by the White House” as to leave little, if any at all, possibility of the president meeting-up with anger and frustration over the admisistration’s reconstruction efforts. (This doesn’t surprise me at all, as the administration has done this many, many times, before. What I would liked to have seen is Bush getting accosted by a group of residents at the spur of the moment and then see how Bush would have responded. Personally, I think the term ‘train wreck’ would have been an apt description of that event)

Delusions of grandeur. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld gave a speech earlier this week in which he alluded that the Iraq war, and all other wars, are “a series of catastrophes that results in victory.,” He then demanded that Americans give unwavering support for the war, drew parallels of nations’ attempts to appease Adolf Hitler before World War II when speaking about the dangers of Iran, and blamed the media for spreading “myths and distortions…” (Uh… okay… I think it’s safe to say that Rumsfeld is losing his mind… or, at the least, losing his grip on reality…)

The chasm widens. New Census figures show that the gap between rich Americans and poor Americans is widening. An article in the ,” the New York Times suggests that policies that give strong support for public education, progressive income tax, a higher minimum wage and affordable health care are “what have been missing” from past policies. (Wow, when the New York Times can see what’s wrong with this country and politicians can’t, then there is something seriously wrong here…)

Not a surprise, part 2. It’s almost been a year since Michael “Brownie” Brown fled FEMA and drasmatic changes and additions were promised, and yet FEMA is still trying to fill some of the vacancies in order to be better prepared for the next disaster. FEMA Director R. David Paulison (who I don’t believe has ever led any type of horse-racing association, said that hiring new employees has “been a slower process than I thought.” (Looks as though we’re still in good hands everyone; so we can rest assured… it’s so hard to express sarcasm in written form…)

Hellooooo Fascism. The gop has a new buzzword in use to describe… well, anything they don’t like. Dubya used it to re-define the global war on terror (it’s now called a “war against Islamic fascism,”) and has thrown out “Islamic fascists” as well. Also, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow has been using the word in various White House briefings, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) drew parallels between World War II and the current war against “Islamic fascism,” (he stated that both required fighting a common foe in multiple countries) and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld accused critics of the administration's Iraq and anti-terrorism policies of trying to appease “a new type of fascism.” (That’s just great, isn’t it? I’d like to ask all of them if they even know the proper definition of fascism… cause odds are, they don’t. It’s another example of this administration’s ineptitude…)

Gratuitous Op-Ed Plug of the Week. Derrick Jackson of the Boston Globe.

The saga continues. Katherine Harris (R-FL) is falling farther and farther behind her opponent, Bill Nelson (D-FL) with a margin of 63% to 20%… insert your own snarky comment now…

Take ‘em as you will…