It’s been one of those weeks, one where it was mighty hard to find anything to Applaud in the world of politics. Irregardless of that… sit back, open your brain and enjoy this week’s Weekly Rewind… right… now!
I said NOW!
Now??
How about… now!?
Please blogger, how abouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut… NOW! Awright it finally worked…
Applaud: to the findings of the NIE that stated that Iran stopped its nuclear program back in 2003.
Heckle: to the spewing rhetoric coming from every conservative, and a few Liberals, about how the NIE changes nothing, how it’s a ruse to allow Iran to continue its program and part of a clever Iranian deception campaign and how it’s a ploy to undermine the administration (please, they don’t need any help with that)
Applaud: to a group of senators showing some backbone to “President” Bush. A few weeks ago Bush announced an “enduring” occupation of Iraq that was to be implemented without the approval of Congress. But a group of senators are saying ‘not so fast there Georgie-boy’ as earlier this week Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) sent a letter to Bush about committing the U.S. to a long-term presence without congressional consent… (It’s on…)
Heckle: to Sen. Arlen Specter (r-PA). The same week that he took offense at being described as a “puppet” of President Bush by Harry Reid (D-NV), he objected to “contempt resolutions against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential political guru Karl Rove for failing to respond to subpoenas” regarding the U.S. attorney scandal… meaning the vote has now been postponed so Specter could “revise the draft resoltions.” (Yeah, no puppeteering going on there at all, no sirree…nope, Specter worked under his own accord I’m sure. It’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form…)
Applaud: The House approved the Energy Independence and Security Act today, 235-181. The bill would raise CAFÉ levels for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, would require utilities to generate 15% of their energy from renewable sources and would greatly increase funding for biofuels. Naturally, the White House is threatening to veto the bill… (And once again the claims that this administration cares about people are disprove… but why should that surprise anyone?)
Heckle: to Bush’s abstinence-only policies at work, or lack thereof. A new government report shows that the teen birth rate in the U.S has risen for the first time in 14 years, jumping 3% from 2005 to 2006… it had been dropping since 1991. (So all that money that Bush and his party have thrown at programs that stress abstinence have done less than a condom bought at a bowling alley…)
Applaud: to the Senate and House intelligence committees. Earlier this week they sent a “sharp rebuke to White House counterterrorism policy” when they announced that “all American interrogators (nned) to abide by the Army Field Manual, which prohibits coercive methods.” Essentially it means that they’ve outlawed the techniques used by the CIA… though knowing the CIA, they’ll get around it…
Heckle: to not knowing when to shut-up. A few Senate republicans are thinking about calling for a congressional commission to investigate the conclusions of the new NIE on Iran as well as the specific intelligence that was in it… (Those wacky conservatives, they just want their new war, don’t they? Can’t leave well-enough alone can they?)
Applaud: to an unknown gop aide who said this earlier this week; “(they’re) not only the kings of pork, they’re outright hogs.” The aide was speaking about Sens. Tad Cochran (r-MS) and Ted Stevens (r-AK), who have “collected more money in earmarks than any other members of Congress.” (Precisely why Stevens is being investigated by the FBI… some people never learn…)
Heckle: to losing a LOT. A Pentagon Inspector General report shows that more than $1 billion in military equipment has gone missing in Iraq. The report details a “massive failure in government procurement” and mentioned that most of the missing equipment is military equipment and services that were provided to the Iraqi security forces. Among the missing, 12,712 out of 13,508 weapons that includes pistols, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and machine guns… (this is not the first time this has happened in Iraq, and many times the missing equipment isn’t found until it is used against our military. Something, anything, needs to be done to ensure this doesn’t happen again…)
Applaud: to Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE). He assailed “President” Bush’s claim of not having previously learned of the NIE’s findings earlier this week by saying it’s “unbelievable”, adding; “If that’s true, he has the most incompetent staff in modern American history, and he’s one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history.”
Heckle: to someone not doing their homework. During a speech earlier this week to announcing a plan “to ease the mortgage crisis for consumers, “President” Bush gave out the wrong number for the new “Hope Now Hotline.” This I can’t blame on Bush but rather his communications staff who should have verified the information before the speech was okayed… btw, the correct “Hope Now Hotline” number is 1-888-995-HOPE.
Applaud: to the Government watchdog CREW for not being afraid to kick-up a hornets nest and for letting the public know what’s going on behind the scenes in Washington. They released a report earlier this week that details “massive failures and billions wasted at the Department of Homeland Security.” A few highlights: $24 billion has been spent, and at least $178 million wasted, on the failed Coast Guard Deepwater program. Over $600 million has been allocated for radiation border scanners that don’t work and a projected $2 billion loss on the SBInet “virtual fence” border program…. (And this is the department created to keep our nation safe… do YOU feel safer??)
Heckle: to the CIA for destroying tapes of “harsh interrogations.” While the agency was “in the midst of congressional and legal scrutiny” over its secret detention program in 2005, the agency “destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation” of two suspected Al Qaeda operatives out of concern that they could “could expose agency officials to greater risk of legal jeopardy.” (Um… okay, apparently they’re following the same logic as Bush and his administration; namely flawed logic. I don’t want to say anything more about the agency; lest I be hauled away in a white windowless van…). Though the news did lead to a nice…
Applaud: to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) for calling on Attorney General Mike Mukasey to investigate CIA officials that destroyed the above mentioned videotapes. (You go Dick!)
Applaud: to military families that have seen this administration for what it is. According to a new Bloomberg/LA Times poll, 37% of military-family members “approve of the job Bush is doing as president. Add to that that a paltry 36% of active-duty military, veterans, and their families believe “it was worth going to war in Iraq.” That number was 64% in 2004. To read more, visit our newest blogroll link; VetVoice, who as a LOT more…
Heckle: to incessant whining. Former Bush counselor Dan Bartlett, in an interview with the Texas Monthly, that the White House press corps is too “critical” of Bush, saying; “I think White House correspondents have been tagged, unfairly, with not being tough enough on the administration and President Bush in the run-up to the war. If you go back and look, they asked all the right questions. The problem is, they’re acting now like they have to be five times more critical, and I think they’ve gone overboard.” (It’s either that or it could be the President’s complete disregard of the people… the Constitution… the law… take your pick…)
Applaud: to knowing that the instability of Mount Rushmore won’t permit any more carvings. Why are we applauding that? Because a former republican congressman from New York wants Ronald Reagan carved into Mount Rushmore… (I just threw up in my mouth a little) Fred Eckert has been busy trying to create an image of what the landmark would look like if Reagan’s face were carved into it. And now you can see the result online at… at… at…. I’m sorry, I can’t link to the site, I just can’t… my ethics won’t allow it. Just be thankful that Mount Rushmore can’t have any more carvings on it, otherwise we’d be screwed…
Heckle: to seemingly making it up as you go. The Defense Department, along with top military officials that includes Gen. Petraeus, are looking to show progress in Iraq by citing the numbers of Iraqi Security Force units that are deemed “independent.” All fine and good, but a report by the GAO says that it’s “unclear” how the Pentagon and its officials have reached those conclusions… (Um, my guess is a Magic 8 Ball…)
Applaud: to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – been a long time since I’ve been able to applaud her – for forging ahead with a $21 billion tax package that includes repealing of tax breaks for major oil companies. Heckle within to Bush who has, naturally, promised to breakout his veto crayon again. (Again, some signs of balls from the Democrats in Congress… let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come)
Heckle: to Fox “News”. Monday afternoon, the Bush(whacked) administration released a new NIE report that revealed Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Naturally, and rightfully so, the story was featured prominently that night on all three network newscasts… and ignored by Fox “News”, with 3 out of 4 Fox primetime shows ignoring the report… (This doesn’t surprise me. With all media undermining everyone else, Fox “News” is one of the worst offenders and heaven forbid they report on something that goes against their let’s-start-a-war-with-Iran-conservative-drumbeating…)
Applaud: to yet another resignation within the Bush(whacked) Administration. This time it’s State Department IG Howard Krongard, who has been under scrutiny, for a long time really, over his handling, or lack thereof, of investigations into State Department contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan… (at this rate, the head at State is going to be intern Lisa… then again, maybe not…)
Heckle: to something we all knew… like every other department that doesn’t have anything to do with Iraq, the FDA is grossly underfunded and understaffed and, in essence, putting U.S. consumers at risk in terms of food and drug safety… (Granted, this isn’t new, the CPSC is in the same boat. The only difference is that the head of the FDA wants more money and the head of the CPSC doesn’t. What more can be said, we still have a little over a year left of this administration…)
This week’s conservative tool of the week is a 2=fer. The first one is none other than the man himself, Vice President Dick “President” Cheney. Earlier this week the heart-pounding veep gave an interview with Politico in which he said that he is “confident” Iraq will eventually be in a “good” enough place that the administration will be able to look back and say, “That was the right decision. It was a sound decision going into Iraq.” When will that time be you ask, well, according to Cheney it will be January 2009… coincidentally enough the month that this administration leaves office. (Uh-huh…/i>) Cheney went on to say that by the middle of January 2009, it will be clear that “we have in fact achieved our objective in terms of having a self-governing Iraq that’s capable for the most part of defending themselves, a democracy in the heart of the Middle East, a nation that will be a positive force in influencing the world around it in the future.” (Um… okay. Granted, time will tell and I suppose anything is possible… but from what I’ve seen and heard from others outside the MSM, a year is nowhere near enough time for all of these things to happen, so stay tuned…)
The second conservative tool of the week is former Arkansas governor and current gop presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. First it was revealed this week that he pushed for the release of a convicted rapist, Wayne Dumond, even though he was warned that the convict would strike again… which he did shortly after being released. Add to that the fact that he didn’t know one damn thing about the NIE. Do we really want another brain-challenged president in the White House? Have we learned nothing from the current commander-in-chief???
I said NOW!
Now??
How about… now!?
Please blogger, how abouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut… NOW! Awright it finally worked…
Applaud: to the findings of the NIE that stated that Iran stopped its nuclear program back in 2003.
Heckle: to the spewing rhetoric coming from every conservative, and a few Liberals, about how the NIE changes nothing, how it’s a ruse to allow Iran to continue its program and part of a clever Iranian deception campaign and how it’s a ploy to undermine the administration (please, they don’t need any help with that)
Applaud: to a group of senators showing some backbone to “President” Bush. A few weeks ago Bush announced an “enduring” occupation of Iraq that was to be implemented without the approval of Congress. But a group of senators are saying ‘not so fast there Georgie-boy’ as earlier this week Sens. Jim Webb (D-VA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Carl Levin (D-MI) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) sent a letter to Bush about committing the U.S. to a long-term presence without congressional consent… (It’s on…)
Heckle: to Sen. Arlen Specter (r-PA). The same week that he took offense at being described as a “puppet” of President Bush by Harry Reid (D-NV), he objected to “contempt resolutions against White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential political guru Karl Rove for failing to respond to subpoenas” regarding the U.S. attorney scandal… meaning the vote has now been postponed so Specter could “revise the draft resoltions.” (Yeah, no puppeteering going on there at all, no sirree…nope, Specter worked under his own accord I’m sure. It’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form…)
Applaud: The House approved the Energy Independence and Security Act today, 235-181. The bill would raise CAFÉ levels for cars and light trucks to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, would require utilities to generate 15% of their energy from renewable sources and would greatly increase funding for biofuels. Naturally, the White House is threatening to veto the bill… (And once again the claims that this administration cares about people are disprove… but why should that surprise anyone?)
Heckle: to Bush’s abstinence-only policies at work, or lack thereof. A new government report shows that the teen birth rate in the U.S has risen for the first time in 14 years, jumping 3% from 2005 to 2006… it had been dropping since 1991. (So all that money that Bush and his party have thrown at programs that stress abstinence have done less than a condom bought at a bowling alley…)
Applaud: to the Senate and House intelligence committees. Earlier this week they sent a “sharp rebuke to White House counterterrorism policy” when they announced that “all American interrogators (nned) to abide by the Army Field Manual, which prohibits coercive methods.” Essentially it means that they’ve outlawed the techniques used by the CIA… though knowing the CIA, they’ll get around it…
Heckle: to not knowing when to shut-up. A few Senate republicans are thinking about calling for a congressional commission to investigate the conclusions of the new NIE on Iran as well as the specific intelligence that was in it… (Those wacky conservatives, they just want their new war, don’t they? Can’t leave well-enough alone can they?)
Applaud: to an unknown gop aide who said this earlier this week; “(they’re) not only the kings of pork, they’re outright hogs.” The aide was speaking about Sens. Tad Cochran (r-MS) and Ted Stevens (r-AK), who have “collected more money in earmarks than any other members of Congress.” (Precisely why Stevens is being investigated by the FBI… some people never learn…)
Heckle: to losing a LOT. A Pentagon Inspector General report shows that more than $1 billion in military equipment has gone missing in Iraq. The report details a “massive failure in government procurement” and mentioned that most of the missing equipment is military equipment and services that were provided to the Iraqi security forces. Among the missing, 12,712 out of 13,508 weapons that includes pistols, assault rifles, rocket propelled grenade launchers and machine guns… (this is not the first time this has happened in Iraq, and many times the missing equipment isn’t found until it is used against our military. Something, anything, needs to be done to ensure this doesn’t happen again…)
Applaud: to Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE). He assailed “President” Bush’s claim of not having previously learned of the NIE’s findings earlier this week by saying it’s “unbelievable”, adding; “If that’s true, he has the most incompetent staff in modern American history, and he’s one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history.”
Heckle: to someone not doing their homework. During a speech earlier this week to announcing a plan “to ease the mortgage crisis for consumers, “President” Bush gave out the wrong number for the new “Hope Now Hotline.” This I can’t blame on Bush but rather his communications staff who should have verified the information before the speech was okayed… btw, the correct “Hope Now Hotline” number is 1-888-995-HOPE.
Applaud: to the Government watchdog CREW for not being afraid to kick-up a hornets nest and for letting the public know what’s going on behind the scenes in Washington. They released a report earlier this week that details “massive failures and billions wasted at the Department of Homeland Security.” A few highlights: $24 billion has been spent, and at least $178 million wasted, on the failed Coast Guard Deepwater program. Over $600 million has been allocated for radiation border scanners that don’t work and a projected $2 billion loss on the SBInet “virtual fence” border program…. (And this is the department created to keep our nation safe… do YOU feel safer??)
Heckle: to the CIA for destroying tapes of “harsh interrogations.” While the agency was “in the midst of congressional and legal scrutiny” over its secret detention program in 2005, the agency “destroyed at least two videotapes documenting the interrogation” of two suspected Al Qaeda operatives out of concern that they could “could expose agency officials to greater risk of legal jeopardy.” (Um… okay, apparently they’re following the same logic as Bush and his administration; namely flawed logic. I don’t want to say anything more about the agency; lest I be hauled away in a white windowless van…). Though the news did lead to a nice…
Applaud: to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) for calling on Attorney General Mike Mukasey to investigate CIA officials that destroyed the above mentioned videotapes. (You go Dick!)
Applaud: to military families that have seen this administration for what it is. According to a new Bloomberg/LA Times poll, 37% of military-family members “approve of the job Bush is doing as president. Add to that that a paltry 36% of active-duty military, veterans, and their families believe “it was worth going to war in Iraq.” That number was 64% in 2004. To read more, visit our newest blogroll link; VetVoice, who as a LOT more…
Heckle: to incessant whining. Former Bush counselor Dan Bartlett, in an interview with the Texas Monthly, that the White House press corps is too “critical” of Bush, saying; “I think White House correspondents have been tagged, unfairly, with not being tough enough on the administration and President Bush in the run-up to the war. If you go back and look, they asked all the right questions. The problem is, they’re acting now like they have to be five times more critical, and I think they’ve gone overboard.” (It’s either that or it could be the President’s complete disregard of the people… the Constitution… the law… take your pick…)
Applaud: to knowing that the instability of Mount Rushmore won’t permit any more carvings. Why are we applauding that? Because a former republican congressman from New York wants Ronald Reagan carved into Mount Rushmore… (I just threw up in my mouth a little) Fred Eckert has been busy trying to create an image of what the landmark would look like if Reagan’s face were carved into it. And now you can see the result online at… at… at…. I’m sorry, I can’t link to the site, I just can’t… my ethics won’t allow it. Just be thankful that Mount Rushmore can’t have any more carvings on it, otherwise we’d be screwed…
Heckle: to seemingly making it up as you go. The Defense Department, along with top military officials that includes Gen. Petraeus, are looking to show progress in Iraq by citing the numbers of Iraqi Security Force units that are deemed “independent.” All fine and good, but a report by the GAO says that it’s “unclear” how the Pentagon and its officials have reached those conclusions… (Um, my guess is a Magic 8 Ball…)
Applaud: to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – been a long time since I’ve been able to applaud her – for forging ahead with a $21 billion tax package that includes repealing of tax breaks for major oil companies. Heckle within to Bush who has, naturally, promised to breakout his veto crayon again. (Again, some signs of balls from the Democrats in Congress… let’s hope it’s a sign of things to come)
Heckle: to Fox “News”. Monday afternoon, the Bush(whacked) administration released a new NIE report that revealed Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003. Naturally, and rightfully so, the story was featured prominently that night on all three network newscasts… and ignored by Fox “News”, with 3 out of 4 Fox primetime shows ignoring the report… (This doesn’t surprise me. With all media undermining everyone else, Fox “News” is one of the worst offenders and heaven forbid they report on something that goes against their let’s-start-a-war-with-Iran-conservative-drumbeating…)
Applaud: to yet another resignation within the Bush(whacked) Administration. This time it’s State Department IG Howard Krongard, who has been under scrutiny, for a long time really, over his handling, or lack thereof, of investigations into State Department contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan… (at this rate, the head at State is going to be intern Lisa… then again, maybe not…)
Heckle: to something we all knew… like every other department that doesn’t have anything to do with Iraq, the FDA is grossly underfunded and understaffed and, in essence, putting U.S. consumers at risk in terms of food and drug safety… (Granted, this isn’t new, the CPSC is in the same boat. The only difference is that the head of the FDA wants more money and the head of the CPSC doesn’t. What more can be said, we still have a little over a year left of this administration…)
This week’s conservative tool of the week is a 2=fer. The first one is none other than the man himself, Vice President Dick “President” Cheney. Earlier this week the heart-pounding veep gave an interview with Politico in which he said that he is “confident” Iraq will eventually be in a “good” enough place that the administration will be able to look back and say, “That was the right decision. It was a sound decision going into Iraq.” When will that time be you ask, well, according to Cheney it will be January 2009… coincidentally enough the month that this administration leaves office. (Uh-huh…/i>) Cheney went on to say that by the middle of January 2009, it will be clear that “we have in fact achieved our objective in terms of having a self-governing Iraq that’s capable for the most part of defending themselves, a democracy in the heart of the Middle East, a nation that will be a positive force in influencing the world around it in the future.” (Um… okay. Granted, time will tell and I suppose anything is possible… but from what I’ve seen and heard from others outside the MSM, a year is nowhere near enough time for all of these things to happen, so stay tuned…)
The second conservative tool of the week is former Arkansas governor and current gop presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. First it was revealed this week that he pushed for the release of a convicted rapist, Wayne Dumond, even though he was warned that the convict would strike again… which he did shortly after being released. Add to that the fact that he didn’t know one damn thing about the NIE. Do we really want another brain-challenged president in the White House? Have we learned nothing from the current commander-in-chief???
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1 comment:
And what do you think of Obadiah Shoher's arguments against the peace process ( samsonblinded.org/blog/we-need-a-respite-from-peace.htm )?
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