The Weekly Rewind

Not a good week as I really had to struggle, and at times reach, to find some ‘applauds,’ but here’s your Weekly Rewind:


Applaud: to retired steel worker Steve Skvara. He asked what could possibly be the most emotional question ever at a presidential debate. Now I can only hope that someone will read Mr. Skvara's question at the next gop debate. After he asked the question and sat down, he received a standing ovation from the crowd and led MSNBC host Chris Matthews to wonder aloud afterward, "if that wasn't a moment that's going to change American political history." Watch it here and tell me if you don’t agree with Chris.. and with me…

Heckle: to the flip-flopping panderer himself, John McCain (r-AZ).Last month, during debate in the Senate, he attacked colleagues who demanded a strategic redeployment out of Iraq by asking them, “The terrorists are in this war to win it. The question is, are we?” Well… it seems as though McCain has answered his own question, and the answer was ‘no.’ During one of his fundraisers earlier this week, McCain conceded that “I’m not positive we can win this fight.” (Wow… I guess watching almost every member of your staff quit and a once-promosing campaign turn so quickly can make even the most optimistic person see the light… now, if only we could get Lieberman to see it…)

Applaud: to not being another British lapdog for Bush. New UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown is pursuing a tougher line with the U.S. than his predecessor ever did, as evidenced when Britain called for the Bush(whacked) Administration to release five British residents held at Guantanamo Bay earlier this week… (way to pave your own way there Mr. Brown. Jolly, good show)

Über-Heckle: to Philadelphia Daily News columnist Stu Byokofsky, who wrote earlier this week; “One month from The Anniversary, I’m thinking another 9/11 would help America.” (What a fucking tool. Regardless of your politics… regardless of what you think of America’s current government… regardless of your thoughts on the war; suggesting that we should be attacked again and that that attack would help us is not only wrong, but proves just how unintelligent you are…you should be ashamed)

Applaud: to finally getting it. Sure, it took them months and months to figure it out, but FEMA has finally done an “about-face” and will immediately stop using, buying and selling disaster-relief trailers because they could be contaminated with formaldehyde.” (Heckuva job FEMA… heckuva job…)

Heckle: to even more waffling. First it was September that the surge could be assessed, but now U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker is saying that there are no “defining moments” in Iraq. Said Crocker; “I don’t think there is a date on the calendar, whether it’s in September or any other time in which you can say, ‘This is the defining moment. It’s all coming together, or it’s all falling apart.’ It’s an enormously complex situation.” (It’s been falling apart for quite some time Ryan, so I don’t think you have to worry about being able to identify that moment… now we’re simply looking for a way out…)

Applaud: to not believing the hype, even when it comes from two of your colleagues. Center for Strategic and International Studies military analyst Anthony Cordesman published a report and alleged that “significant changes [are] taking place” in President Bush’s escalation, potentially ushering in a “sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with” in the future. This was a direct counterpoint to a New York Times editorial by Brookings analysts Michael O’Hanlon and Ken Pollack that said the surge was working and Iraq is getting better. (It should be noted that all three went on the same trip to Iraq… with the same group… and came back with decidedly differing views. Hmmmm, makes you wonder who drank the Kool Aid?)

Heckle: to former NYC Mayor and current gop presisidential candidate Rudy Giuliani. Yesterday he said; “I was at ground zero as often, if not more, than most of the workers. […] I was exposed to exactly the same things they were exposed to. So in that sense, I’m one of them.” (Uh, yeah… not so much there Rudy…)

Applaud: to the head of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association in New York, Battalion Chief John McDonnell, who responded to Giuliani’s ridiculous comments by saying; “I think he’s really grasping and trying to justify his previous attempts to portray himself as the hero of 9/11.” (Well said John… however, I don’t think grasping is a strong enough adjective… and someone really needs to tell him that he ain’t gonna get elected just because he says ‘9/11’ every 2 minutes…)

Heckle: to the Pentagon for losing track of approximately 30% (190,000 AK-47’s and pistols) of the weapons given to Iraqi forces… (essentially meaning that the US is now helping to arm the insurgents) The GAO reported that the way the weapons were distributed “was haphazard and rushed and failed to follow established procedures, particularly from 2004 to 2005, when security training was led by Gen. David H. Petraeus.” (Yeah… great,and guess who’s in charge over there now?)

Applaud: to the House for “declaring a new direction in energy policy.” Last week the House approved $16 billion in taxes on oil companies, which also provided billions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives for “renewable energy and conservation efforts.”

Heckle: to the Wall Street Journal. Apparently they’re getting ready for their new owner Rupert Murdoch. Despite at least nine other major newspapers coming out against the new law, (who called it things like “unnecessary” and “dangerous.” WaPo wrote that Congress was “stampeded into another compromise of Americans’ rights.”) the WSJ has come out and is praising the administration’s new FISA law, writing earlier this week; Opposition from the Democratic left to this intelligence program isn’t merely part of the partisan blood feud against a weak President near the end of his term. It is part of a far larger ideological campaign to erode Presidential war powers. Goaded by the ACLU and much of the press corps, many Democrats want to use the courts and lawsuits to restrict Mr. Bush and future Presidents in their ability to gather intelligence in the war on terror.” (Sigh… nothing like eliminating the Constitution to get conservatives raring to go. How about an actual example of this having worked and stopping an actual attempt – and I don’t mean a group of men who couldn’t screw in a light bulb let alone carry out an act of terrorism – I want to see an actual example…)

Half-hearted Applaud: to the four republican presidential candidates who have now agreed to participate in the CNN/YouTube debate. Mark my words – after the debate, regardless of their performance, each one who participates will try to discredit it… it’s the republican thing to do…

Heckle: to even more vacation time… oops, sorry, I meant “recess” time. “President” Bush is flying to Kennebunkport for the weekend before going down to his Crawford ranch for what the White House says is not a “vacation,” but rather a “recess.” (Figures Bush would want to call it a recess… he at times has the mind of a grade schooler... I’m sorry, that was mean and insulting to grade schoolers everywhere… )

Applaud: to websites that help to show just how myopic “President” Bush can be at times. Someone has taken the time to choose the Top 50 religious “Insights” by Bush… and some of them truly make you wonder what the hell 50,000,000+ people were thinking… some of the best; “I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah.”, “God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did.”, “It's also important for people to know we never seek to impose our culture or our form of government. We just want to live under those universal values, God-given values.” (Yeah… I’m not gonna say a word… I’m just gonna smile and leave it alone…)

Heckle: to administration arm-twisting. During last week’s debate over FISA, Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence, told congressional leaders that he was getting intense pressure from “the other side” even though he had doubts about the bill. (Nice… nothing is above or below this administration. They’ll do whatever they have to do to get what they want…) It should also be mentioned that his change of heart on the bill left some members suggesting that he “had become a puppet for the White House.” (Well duhhhhh. Did it really take some people that long to figure that out??)

Applaud: to, as Joshua Holland wrote, an “impressive display of Iraqi solidarity.” A recent poll of all Iraqi ethnic and sectarian groups shows that they all overwhelmingly opposethe proposed oil laws that Washington and Big Oil are pushing for their country.

Heckle: to even more warmongering. Political website McClatchy is reporting that Vice President Dick “President” Cheney has “proposed launching airstrikes” at training camps in Iraq that are suspectedly being run by the Quds force, which is, according to the site, a special unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. (I don’t even know what to say anymore…)

Heckle: to seemingly lying out of one’s ass. During Bush’s press conference yesterday morning (his last one before going to “recess”), WaPo’s Peter Baker asked him if he “had read” a report by the International Committee of the Red Cross that “has found an interrogation program in CIA detention facilities, [that] used interrogation techniques that were ‘tantamount to torture.’” Bush’s response? “Haven’t seen it; we don’t torture.” (Well, thanks for clearing that up…)

Heckle: to father-son issues; presidential style. The New York Times reported this week that President Bush’s unpopularity is taking a toll on his father and that it “wears on his heart…and his soul” according to longtime aide Ron Kaufman. Read the article, it’s an incredibly insightful peace that at times shows just how much of a putz Dubya can be… and how much Bush Sr. wanted Jeb to be the the successful politician…

Heckle: to Cindy Sheehan. I don’t see how running against Nancy Pelosi is going to accomplish anything you want accomplished Ms. Sheehan… once again, you’re taking the wrong path to achieve something. And we’re still not entirely sure what it is that you are trying to achieve…

Heckle: to the continued jockeying for position in the presidential primaries. Yes, Iowa and New Hampshire’s time has passed to lead the nation in that regard… yes, at times the two states, more so New Hampshire, are so arrogant about their primary that it makes others cringe… but to have a primary the year BEFORE the election is not only inane… it’s completely unneccsarry. I can solve the dilemma in two words: National. Primary.

Whew... that's all I have this week. Take ‘em as you will...