The Weekly Rewind

Ok, we are getting ever closer to the mid-term elections...

Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) have both lost thier primary bids. So two huge millstones are thankfully off the DNC's neck. (Although Joe is still spouting about terror and troop withrawl)....

However we are still dealing with high energy prices, continuing crisis in the mid-east, a do-nothing congress and an ineffective administration....

Let's take a look at what has been happening this past week, it's time for The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to demonstrating why he lost. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) once called using national security issues for political purposes “just unacceptable and in my opinion un-American.” Yesterday he said that a timeline for Iraq redeployment (backed by 57 percent of Americans) “will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again.” Let the record show that we won’t miss him.

Heckle: to still not getting it. With less than 100 days until the November elections the Republicans are again demonstrating that they just don’t get it. Demonstrating this is RNC spokeswoman Tracey Schmitt who stated "This election will be less about a political climate that is challenging for both parties, and instead about the actual candidates and how their policies impact voters on the local level". Sorry Tracey but this election is going to be an overwhelming rebuff of the President and the administrations many failed policies, not the local politician.

Applaud: to a repeat that is hard to beat. The President’s approval rating has once again “dropped to 33, matching his low in May,” according to an AP-Ipsos poll. The majority of people who voted for Bush in 2004 (57 percent) disapprove of the job he is doing. It seems that the American public is not going to be swayed by whatever smoke and mirrors the administration tries to throw at us.

Heckle: to what part of this don’t they get. Newsweek is reporting that according to a senior aide, the President will move U.S. troops out of Iraq if the country descends into civil war. Ok, now we have to ask how much more internal struggle and insurgency has to occur before it can officially be labeled a civil war?

Applaud: to 20 percent. That is Bush’s approval rating among Americans age 18 to 24, with 53 percent disapproving. The Iraq war is a major factor with this age group and the economic outlook for these young adults is not far behind.

Heckle: to needing to actually coming up with a plan. Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards said Saturday the “United States should start pulling troops out of Iraq immediately.” Ok,, John, while we agree with you on the surface, we realize that the administration created a huge mess in Iraq and we cannot just up and leave without plunging the country into a situation more dire than before we invaded. We need to get out, but we need to get out smartly.

Heckle: 1,855. That is the number of bodies that showed up at the Baghdad morgue in July. Which is a 16 percent rise from June and a 71 percent increase from January. Ok, tell me again how we are making a difference, things are getting better oh yes and how we should pack up right away and leave?

Applaud: 60. The percentage of Americans opposed to the war in Iraq, the highest number since polling on the subject began with the commencement of the war in March 2003. Also, 57 percent supported a timetable for troop withdrawals from Iraq. Timetable is a step in the right direction. I don’t think that we set the table by actual ‘dates’ but instead by ‘milestones’ or ‘events’ otherwise we are looking at a very long term troop presence which no one, Democrat or Republican wants.

Heckle: to screwing the little guy. If Congress doesn’t act to raise the minimum wage by December 1, it will be the longest stretch without an increase since the minimum wage was enacted in 1938. Just another notch on the screw the average American bedpost that has been this administrations domestic policies.

Heckle: Just what are the oil companies doing with the profits? BP announced that a major section of the Alaska Pipeline had suffered corrosion to the point of a leak 'severe' enough to force the pipeline to be shutdown. This would remove 400,000 barrels of oil per day from the nations supply. As if prices aren't high enough already, be prepared to bend over and grab your ankles at the pump. I would think with billions in profits that inspections and maintenance would be a 'no brainer', but we are talking about corporate responsibility which is about as effective and trustworthy as expecting the same from Washington.

Heckle: to color us surprised on both sides. Defenders of Ann Coulter’s “scholarship” have repeatedly pointed to the hundreds of endnotes contained in her books. MediaMatters examined the endnotes of her most recent title, “Godless,” and found them “rife with distortions and falsehoods.” Just remember it doesn’t matter how blatantly offensive and misleading you are, you can always find lemmings to support your distorted views.

Heckle: to not again. The Department of Transportation announced yesterday a “U.S. government computer loaded with approximately 133,000 drivers’ and pilots’ records - including Social Security numbers - was stolen last month.” Am I the only one seeing a pattern here?

Applaud: to Scotland Yard. A plot to simultaneously blow up as many as 10 U.S.-bound passenger jets with liquid explosives hidden in carry-on luggage was foiled with the arrest of 24 suspects, British and U.S. officials said Thursday. The suspects had planned to blow up the planes using chemicals and detonators disguised as beverages, lotions and electronic devices. Exploding them over heavily populated areas in the US such as Washington DC and New York would have potentially killed hundreds. We applaud the British authorities who were watching the suspects for almost a year gathering evidence before moving in. Just remember, it doesn't matter what party holds the White House, terror knows no politics and can happen at any time.

Heckle: to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Word is that the United Nations is feverishly working on a resolution for a cease-fire between Israel and the Hezbollah faction in Lebanon. Nice idea, but you have to get both sides to agree, that will prove to be more difficult. However even more difficult will be getting all the Hezbollah ’minions’ to abide by a cease fire. These radicals are determined not to stop until Israel no longer exists.

Applaud: to integrity. Reuters has announced that it was withdrawing all the photographs (290) taken by a freelance Lebanese photographer after a review showed that at least two images of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah had been altered. We heartily approve this action as the unquestionable integrity of journalists must remain unsoiled.

That's it for this week. I could go on, but I don't have another 4 hours to type and you, don't have another 4 hours to read, so let's leave it as it is.

Be good, stay informed.... later.