The Weekly Rewind

Well this has sure been one hell of a week. The Democratic candidates have been going after each other which can only serve to help the Republicans in the general election. The economy is still heading down the crapper. You know the usual stuff. Enough of the stuff you already know painfully well, let’s get to some things that may have been overlooked.

Heckle: to flip flops. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) likes to present himself as the candidate of the ‘Straight Talk Express’ who does not pander to voters or change his positions. But the record shows that McCain has changed his mind on issues such as the Bush tax cuts, immigration, torture and abortion. Sounds like the ‘Striaght Talk Express’ has taken quite a few turns.

Applaud: to delicious irony. Back in 2000, a US Senate candidate said that was “frankly disturbing” that her opponent, Rick Lazio, refused to release his tax returns, this candidate then sent a man dressed as Uncle Sam to protest at Lazio events.. .that candidate’s name was… Hillary Clinton. Sometimes the irony is so thick you need a chainsaw to cut through it…

Heckle: to the sucking sound that is the economic black hole getting larger. College students nationwide will begin to see higher costs for loans this spring, while others will be turned away by banks altogether as the credit crisis roiling the U.S. economy spreads. Over the past decade, student debt levels more than doubled to $19,200. College costs continue spiralling out of control and this is not going to help.

Heckle:to getting caught with your pants down and blaming it on Iran. Vanity Fair writes that the Bush administration’s plan to arm and train Palestinian fighters loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas backfired and led to the Hamas takeover of Gaza. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called the central premise of the article “ludicrous” and said it was necessary to counteract Iranian influence.

Applaud:to speaking the truth. Adopting a message that could help Democrats to portray themselves as protecting the military and national security, Congressional Democrats will argue that getting troops out of Iraq “is the only way to rebuild a spent military.”

Applaud:House Democrats said a civil lawsuit could be filed as early as this month that challenges the Bush administration’s claims of executive privilege in curtailing aides from testifying on Capitol Hill. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is pursing civil litigation because Attorney General Michael Mukasey refuses to enforce contempt citations against two White House aides. You know the administration is going to use this weasel 'executive privilege' any chance they can unless they are stopped now.

Applaud:Voters in two southern Vermont towns passed articles Tuesday calling for the indictment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney for violating the Constitution. More symbolic than substantive, the items sought to have police arrest Bush and Cheney if they ever visit Brattleboro or nearby Marlboro or to extradite them for prosecution elsewhere — if they’re not impeached first. You gotta applaud the gesture...

Heckle:talk about a dilema. If you want to prevent skin cancer, you don’t go to the beach. And if you want to avoid corruption, you don’t go to Vegas, right? Next month, however, Sin City will host Campaigns & Elections magazine’s two-day conference for lobbyists called “All Things Ethical.” Panels include “Using Phones Ethically” and “The Ethics of Deception.” It's like having an AA meeting at a brewery.

Heckle:get your boots on the crap is getting deeper. Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he does not “agree with [the] sentiment that there has been widespread corruption” in the Bush administration, suggesting he wouldn’t support independent investigations into the administration’s activities if elected. Sorry Senator that is the wrong way to try and grab the average American vote.

Applaud: to not letting this be hidden in the corner. Lawyers for Jamie Leigh Jones argued in federal court yesterday that her case should be “tried in court, not settled in private arbitration.” Jones is suing defense contractor KBR over an alleged gang rape she suffered in 2005, but the company insists her contract binds her to settle all claims through arbitration. KBR needs to taken to task over this issue and stop hiding behind some BS clause in their one sided employment agreement.

Applaud: to a new AP Poll, that shows more and more Americans are identifying themselves as Democrats, with a 7% jump since the primary season began… welcome to the club, we’ve got jackets.

Heckle: to being held to account for your actions. James Clark, the chief of staff under former Alaska Gov. Frank H. Murkowski (R), agreed yesterday “to plead guilty to concealing donations made to Mr. Murkowski’s 2006 re-election campaign” by the VECO Corporation, an oil company accused of bribing much of the Alaskan political establishment. Clark arranged for VECO to pay $68,500 without it being publicly disclosed. It's a start....


That's it for this week.

Be good, stay informed.....later.