Random Political Thoughts

Want some Random Political Thoughts? Here you go… enjoy;

Walking his own line. You can add yet another former ally turning their back on Dubya. Lame-duck British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced this week that the the U.K. will cut troop levels in Iraq by 1,600 (from 7,100 to 5,500). Naturally, the White House tried to put a positive spin on it with Vice President Dick “Dick” Cheney stating that the move was actually good news and a “sign of progress” in Iraq… (Uh… okay… sure… Tell me Mr. Cheney, what color is the sky in your world?). In more ‘other-nations-are-being-smarter-than-us-and-slowly-withdrawing-troops-from-the-quaqmire-of-Iraq’ news, it’s expected that Denmark will follow Britain’s lead and announce plans to withdraw its 460 troops from Iraq. (Losing them will hurt because… because… yeah, I got nothin’…)

Good luck. A little more than two months after suffering a brain hemorrhage, Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) has left a Washington hospital and has entered a rehabilitation facility. (God speed Senator…)

And for his next failure… “President” Bush wants to reform our nation’s health-care system and is aiming at the reform to be a huge part of his final two years in office. The problem is that nearly half of Americans don't trust Bush to reform the nation's health-care system, at least that’s what a new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris health-care poll found. When respondents were asked how much they trust the president to come up with good policies for improving and reforming the U.S. health-care system, 49% said “not at all” and 16% said “not much”. (When Dubya goes to sleep, does he have nightmares of pollsters?? These are not surprising numbers… yet they do bring a smile to my face…)

Cronyism: Texas Style. Six (long, agonizing, disasterous) years into the presidency of George Bush, his loyal Texan corps, those who accompanied him to Washington from Austin, are still a force to be reckoned with inside the White House and, according to the NY Times (New motto: We suck less than the other NY papers) remains a steady source of comfort for a president that is becoming increasingly isolated.

To the jury-mobile! Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald gave a “detailed and businesslike” summary of the prosecution’s case against Scooter Libby, with Mr. Fitzgerald saying that Libby; “told a dumb lie and got caught.” Then it was Libby’s chief defense lawyer Theodore Wells turn, and he decided to go the “Drama Queen” route and countered with an “intensely emotional defense” complete with sob-ending, (and by sob ending, I don’t mean a sad ending, I mean he actually cried) “He’s been under my protection for the last month. I give him to you. Give him back to me.” After those words, Wells “teared up, sobbed audibly” and sat down. (Sigh… I don’t even know where to begin…)

Unsettling news. The Washington Post (new motto “Not like the NY Times anymore… we’re much worse”) started a reporting series this past Sunday about the “deplorable conditions” at Walter Reed Army Hospital (PART 1, PART 2, PART 3). Now, swift action has been promised, and two Midwest Senators, Barack Obama (D-IL) and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), have also promised swift action. (My question is this; with the conditions as bad as they are at the hospital, it seems as though it’s been like this for a while... how come we’re just finding out about this now? Granted, with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq the hospital is probably over-taxed with patients… but this is supposed to the military’s best hospital. And the way the White House is trying to spin it… something very strange is going on here, but I just can’t quite put my finger on it…)

2008 Presidential Race Update. Barack Obama is in California asking for money from Hollywood heavyweights like Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington & Steven Spielberg (which I guess means that Hillary will have to settle for Spielberg’s non-Union Mexican equivalent… trust me, some people get that…)… Hillary Clinton is hoping to have Bubba take her Senate seat should she win the White House (anything to keep him away from the WH interns)… John McCain is still rolling over to suit whichever group he’s addressing at that moment (he’s this race’s version of Bob Dole… )… Mitt Romney is already starting-up the media war (still won’t help…)… and John Edwards is… keeping strangely and unusually quiet…

I apologize now for putting this image into your head. According to Ariel Sharon’s new biography, “President” Bush once told him that if he (Bush) ever got his hands on Osama bin Laden, he would “screw him in the ass.” (I don’t think anything else needs to be said as that line speaks for itself…)

All I have, take ‘em as you will…