The Weekly Rewind

Well, well, well… it’s another end of another week and that means one thing…

No, not ‘Numbers’ on CBS tonight…

And no, not Las Vegas on NBC tonight…

No, it’s time for TBWA’s The Rewind, where we look back on the way we was and the week that was in the field of politics… let the good times roll… speaking of roll, can I get a drum roll please.

No… not a turkey drumstick…

No… not a dinner roll… a drum roll… sigh… never mind… let’s just get on with it…

You would think that after the events of the last week or so that there would be more Applauds than heckles… not so. After all, Democrats can illicit heckles from Scott and I (nowhere near as many mind you, but they can), and they won’t technically retake the house until the new year.

Anyway… here we go:

Applaud: to world-class snark. Earlier this week, after Sen. Trent Lott (R-XX) was elected to the minority whip office, Fark put this up on its site to push the story: “Trent Lott selected as Senate Minority Whip, because if there's one thing that Trent Lott likes, it's whipping minorities.” Best. Fark. Headline. Ever.

Heckle: to CNN’s Glenn Beck. Earlier this week on his “show” (and I use that term very loosely), the conservative nimrod (really… is there any other kind?) showed his ignorance when he started his interview with Keith Ellison (D-MN), and the first Muslim member of Congress, by calling him a terrorist, stating: “I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, ‘Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.’” (What. A. Tool.)

Applaud: Heckle you decide as it depends on your view of the two possibilities. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) routed Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) to become the new majority leader in the House earlier this week. (Despite Murtha being heavily favored by new Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Hoyer won in a walk. Pelosi and Hoyer have never seen eye to eye, but this new partnership will force them to. We’ll be watching these developments with great interest…)

Applaud: to 31%, otherwise known as President Bush’s AP-Ipsos approval rating on his handling of the war in Iraq. This marks the “lowest level ever.” (Seriously… this can not come as a surprise to anyone… can it??)

Heckle: to a “last big push” to win the war in Iraq. President Bush told his senior advisers (and considering the age of some of them… that makes the moniker even more apt) that the United States needs to make one more major attempt to finish the war in Iraq. He followed that up by stating that instead of seeing a withdrawal of troops next year, we most likely will see a 20,000 soldier increase. (What the hell is wrong with this man?? Even members of his own party say we need to start withdrawing troops… but he says we have to increase troop size… can this man be more out of touch??)

Applaud: to one of the best responses to why someone would run for President. Former Wisconsin Guv and Health and Human Services Secretary (under Dunbya) Tommy Thompson (R-WI) said earlier this week yesterday that he plans to run for president. When asked why, he responded: “Why not?” (Nice line…even for a republican)

Heckle: to delusional acts of ‘partisanship.’ Earlier this week, “President” Bush renominated six judicial nominees (six controversial judicial nominees by the way) that the Senate had blocked once before for being either unqualified or “too partisan.” Adding to Dubya’s view of partisanship, he also appointed a new chief of family-planning programs that has some strict Christian beliefs that some people don’t feel is in line with what the Department of Health and Human Services stands for. (Nice way to show your new “bipartisanship” there Dubya… ya moron.)

Applaud: to the reporting to prison of convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Despite the protests of prosecutors who wanted him to remain free so he could cooperate in further investigations, he reported to prison earlier this week to start serving his sentence. (Well… might as well use this space to say what EVERYONE else has been saying: ‘Don’t bend over for the soap there Jack.”)

Heckle: it’s not political, but I have to throw a heckle out to Fox Broadcasting, publisher Judith Regan (also owned by Fox) and O.J. Simpson. The program and book you are about to show/release is the single most vile and ignorant thing you have ever done. And when speaking about a network that carried “XX Island” and “Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire”, and whose news division airs Bill “Want to see my microphone” O’Reilly (who says that “Fox Broadcasting has nothing to do with the Fox News Channel.” And if you believe that, than I have a bridge to sell you in Florida, but that’s another post) that’s saying a LOT.

Applaud: to the staff of former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX). Yes, I’m applauding them, stay with me a moment and you’ll understand why. DeLay’s staff, who was to stay on temporarily with his seat’s fill-in until the “official” end of his term, walked out on said fill-in earlier this week. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is now demanding a probe of the aides that walked out on her. This woman is obviously delusional as she was also upset that “President” Bush wasn’t on hand for her swearing in the other day. I’m bummed because, as Wonkette says, without Katherine Harris (R-FL) and Cynthia McKinney (D-XX), we needed a nice crazy-woman in DC.

Heckle: to an atmosphere of fear and hardening sectarianism” that empowers militias, is shaking the people’s confidence in the government and security and is the cause of a mass-exodus out of Iraq. At least that’s what Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. MichaelMaples told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this week, which means that the violence in increasing in “scope, complexity, and lethality.” (Anything that anyone says about Iraq falls onto this administration’s deaf ears (Cheney’s?), so I’ll just ask this: “How much longer Mr. Bush? How much longer?”)

Applaud: to the memory of Milton Friedman.

Heckle: to not doing their job properly or in a timely manner. The House approved a stopgap spending bill (again) this week in order to “keep the federal government running” until at least December 8th. I say “again” because there was another stopgap back in September (which expires today, Friday) that was implemented by Congress because… well, because it “left most of the work on regular spending bills unfinished” when it adjourned in early October so members could campaign for re-election… (Well… that was a beneficial use of their time… much better than doing what they’re paid for and trying to keep the federal government running…)

Applaud: to CNN’s Lou Dobbs… he just seems to be hitting the nail on the head every week in his CNN.com columns… and this week was no exception. Give it a read HERE.

Heckle: to high-priced, high-tech pieces of crap (no this isn’t about Microsoft Vista). The Bush administration’s plan to build the “high-tech” “virtual fence” along the U.S. border is gonna cost a lot more than the $2 billion that the “industry analysts” initially thought (color me NOT surprised) according to a government watchdog group said it could go as high as $30 billion.

Take ‘em as you will…