Friday, May 25, 2007

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… Memorial Day is coming… three-day weekend… the non-official start of Summer… time to go play outside… but not before you check out this week’s Rewind:

Applaud: to record lows. According to a new American Research Group poll. “President” Bush’s approval rating sits at 31%, a record low in this poll. And to make it better, his approval is 33% in a new Rasmussen poll, which is another record low… (I was always taught to not kick a man when he’s down… so I’ll save the snark for later)

Heckle: to the fact that 72% of Americans think that things in the U.S. are “seriously off on the wrong track,” which is the highest number since the Times/CBS News poll began asking the question in 1983. (While it’s good to see that 72% of Americans see this administration’s work for what it is, it’s still extremely dissapointing to see that. Things need to be changed… and quick…)

Applaud: to going against your party because you know it’s the right thing to do. Governors Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) and Jodi Rell (R-CT) wrote an Op-Ed piece that said it “borders on malfeasance” (because the EPA has refused to sign off on their states plans to enact tailpipe emissions standards) for the Bush administration to block the efforts of their respective states to reduce global warming pollution. (More proof that not all republicans/conservatives are lemmings when it comes to Global Warming. Nice job guys…)

Heckle: to this disturbing and troubling bit of news. The system for delivering badly needed gear to Marines in Iraq has failed to meet over 90% of the “urgent requests for equipment from troops in the field.” Among the items held up were insignificant little things such as “mine resistant vehicles and a hand-held laser system.” (This… this is unacceptable. Our troops are the ones risking their lives for an unjust war…the least… the ABSOLUTE LEAST… we can do is to make sure they have the proper equipment and, when it’s needed STAT... to get it to them STAT…no fucking excuses allowed… NONE!)

Applaud: to political watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. They’re suing the White House and allege that the administration “refuses to comply” with a public records request related to the more than 5 million missing e-mails from administration officials. (Niiiiiiice… about time someone calls this administration to the floor for doing things their way and not caring about ‘silly little things’ like, the law… the Constitution… habeas corpus. Keep pounding them!)

Heckle: to 19. (No… not the song by Paul Hardcastle) but 19 as in the number of times “President” Bush referenced al Qaeda during his hour-long press conference Thursday. From Think Progress;
“There was no evidence that Osama bin Laden was responsible” for the bird droppings that landed on Bush, but “just about everything else that came up during the hour-long news conference was traced to bin Laden’s terrorist network.”
(The fact that this administration is STILL trying to tie the war in Iraq to al Qaeda and 9/11 is preposterous. Does anyone still buy that argument? And if so I’d like to meet them so I can hit them upside the head with a reality stick.. and by that I mean a 2 X 4)

Applaud: to Senators Harry Reid (D-NV), Carl Levin (D-MI), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and Joe Biden (D-DE). They decided that they wanted their own questions about Iran answered so they wrote a letter to “President” Bush;
“Congress needs to have greater confidence that the Administration is not mismanaging Iran policy as it has mismanaged its Iraq policy.”
(Speaks for itself… doesn’t it?)

Heckle: to wasting time. Rather than implement anything the Iraq Study Group orignally suggested, the White House did what it always does… did it their way. Now, after countless lives lost, a strategy that has no strategy to it, the the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group are getting a second look from the White House as they attempt to find any sort of solutions to salvage the situation in Iraq. (Brilliant… think of everything – including lives – if even a few of these recommendations were made. Although, it probably took that long for the pretty pictures to reach Bush’s brain…)

Applaud: to Fox “News.” (Yes… you read that right… now before you kick me out of the Liberal Bloggers Society, hear me out) According to a new Fox “News” poll, the largest issue that people will take into account in their choice for President in 2008 will be…drumroll please… the war/situation in Iraq. (This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.. nor should the fact that Bush’s approval rating stands at 34% in the poll… what should surprise is that Fox “News” reported it and didn’t run it through their conservative filter)

Heckle: to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Usully we can just say on general principles alone… but we have to throw out a technical this week. The putz is, once again, talking about the possibility of switching parties because, as he said, “I feel so separated.” (I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again… thank your lucky stars we didn’t get him as a VP. Oh, and here's a private shout-out to the Senator...'Leave! We don't want you, and it's not like you've been a big help to us anyway)

Applaud: to former VP and our true President?, Al Gore. I know I mentioned it already once this past week, but it’s such a kicker quote, I have to give it a mention in the Rewind. After Tony “Job” Snow said of Al Gore’s new book: “I don’t know if they’re going to do a reprinting of the book to try to get the facts straight. The fact-checkers may have to take a look at it.” Gore responded on a blogger conference call with: “This book, unlike the President’s State of the Union Address, has been fact-checked.” (I love it… I absolutely love it… Pundit/blogger Taylor Marsh has full audio of the call if you want to hear it)

Heckle: to just not getting it. During Thursday’s press conference, a White House correspondent asked “President” Bush, point blank, why the American people should trust him in light of the major mistakes he has made since first invading Iraq;
REPORTER:“The majority in the public, a growing number of Republicans, appear not to trust you any longer to be able to carry out this policy successfully. Can you explain why you believe you’re still a credible messenger on the war?” BUSH: “I’m credible because I read the intelligence, David.”
Hmmmm… on Friday, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence released pre-war intelligence that, in early 2003, warned the Bush administration that invading Iraq could create massive internal strife, giving extremist groups like al Qaeda new opportunities to expand their influence… (But he reads the intelligence… he doesn’t understand it, but he reads it. And his lips barely move… this is just further proof that the man just doesn’t have a clue)

Applaud: to the House for doing what we elect them to do…pass bills & legislation. This past week they passed, among other things, ethics legislation “that would penalize lawmakers who receive a wide range of favors from special interests” and, among other things, “require lobbyists to disclose the campaign contributions they collect and deliver to lawmakers.” They also approved legislation that would upgrade and expand the nation’s network of health care and benefit outreach centers for military veterans, which is one of seven veteran-related bills that the House approved this past week to provide millions more dollars in benefits. They also passed legislation that would “curb President Bush’s power to appoint prosecutors indefinitely,” and would place a 120 term limit on interim U.S. attorneys. (While they may have failed with a proper Iraq funding bill that should have included withdrawal timelines, this is a good week’s work. Especially considering last years ‘do-nothing’ Congress. Let’s just hope they keep this pace up…)

Heckle:

Applaud: to Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, who said Friday that former White House aide “Scooter” Libby betrayed the public’s trust and deserves to spend 2 1/2 to 3 years in prison for obstructing the CIA leak investigation. (He probably won’t get it… but it’s refreshing to see somone speak honestly for once…)

Heckle:

Applaud: to Center for American Progress Senior Fellow, and former Reagan Pentagon official, Lawrence Korb. He wrote an Op-Ed piece in Friday’s Philadelphia Inquirer that the commanding general in Iraq, General David Petraeus, cannot be trusted to deliver an unbiased report. (I think most people already knew that… but for it to come from a republican is always a shot at this administration… which I enjoy a lot…)

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