The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

Hope you had a nice Independence Day, let’s get it on...

• For reasons passing my understanding, Sen. John Edwards’ haircut story just won’t go away...
• With the commuting of Scooter Libby’s prison term and his refusal to rule out a full pardon still fresh in people’s minds… “President” Bush visited an Army base yesterday and equated the war in Iraq with the US war for Independence… uh, okay… sure...
• The spin is starting to heat up between Senators Obama (D-IL) and Clinton (D-NY). A few days after Clinton unveiled her new slogan (thankfully it doesn’t involve Celine Dion) of “Ready for Change, Ready to Lead,” Obama said in a campaign swing through Iowa that “change can’t be just a slogan.” (This is where the campaign could get interesting… if Obama and Clinton start focusing their spin and rhetoric towards each other, one of the other candidates – Edwards, Richardson, et al – could sneak past them and take the lead. That’s one of many reasons that I think this presidential race is going to be one for the books…)
• Remember the big-ass US Embassy being built in Baghdad? Besides being over budget, there are now worries that it is being constructed in a manor that could best be described as shoddy… add to that the fact that US diplomats are growing “increasingly fearful” over their personal safety and you have the increasing possibility that the embassy may go largely un-inhabited.. but at least it cost a lot of money...
• And have we mentioned? That a new Rasmussen poll shows that George Washington continues to be the nation’s most popular president, with a staggering 94% of Americans viewing him favorably. The highest unfavorable rating for any president? That honorific belongs to Richard Nixon, with 60% of the respondents having an unfavroable opinion of him. But the more enjoyable news is that very, very close on Nixon’s heels for The Most Unpopular President is “President” Bush, with 59% of Americans having an unfavorable opinion of him. One has to think that Bush will eventually overtake Nixon as the most unpopular president… my bet is sometime next year he will jump the 60% threshhold… who’s with me?