The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Wednesday, we all know what that means…

• Like Congress, Senators Obama and Clinton are taking on Big Oil… though I’m sure it isn’t pandering at all, no sirree, not at all. I would only consider it pandering if the third candidate, McCain, got involv– there we go…
• Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is going to Capitol Hill today to give members of Congress' Joint Economic Committee an update on the country's economic situation at the same time he is under immense political and public pressure to provide relief and help turn around a faltering economy… (But… but the economy is only in a ‘slow-down’ and will bounce back when we get our economic stimulus checks, right? Right? Why isn’t anyone answering me… oh, I’m dreaming, that’s why…)
• A handful of Representatives urged “President” Bush to not attend the Olympic games in China as a sign of protest on China’s human rights record… (why is it when I hear the words ‘President Bush’ and ‘human rights’ in the same sentence, a chill runs down my spine?)
• Seeing as how the last security update on Iraq showed that the surge wasn’t working and the Iraqi government also was not working, the latest security assessment of the situation in Iraq, delivered yesterday, is going to be kept secret…
• NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said yesterday that NATO leaders are likely to approve an increase in troop deployments to Afghanistan in order to clean up Bush’s mess stabilize the country. The move comes as some NATO alliances (the US and Great Britain) are worried that not all countries are sharing the troop burden… (which likely wouldn’t have been needed in the first place had Bush not moved our concentration from there to Iraq, but that’s just my opinion…)
• A March 14, 2003 Pentagon memo (since rescinded – wink, wink) that approved the use of harsh interrogation techniques against terror suspects said that Bush's wartime authority trumps any international ban on torture… (yes, the wartime authority of the leader of one, singular nation supersedes the authority of the international community; that seems fair. It’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form
• Chelsea Clinton is still pissed about getting questions regarding Monica Lewinsky. While I understand here POV, she should also understand that they play with live ammo on the campaign trail and anything, anything, is fair game. Just ask Gary Hart…
• And have we mentioned? That the battle over the US border war is on? After hearing that the Department of Homeland Security will bypass environmental and land-management laws to erect the border fence, the Sierra Club is now involved, so DHS head Michael Chertoff should just pack up his stuff and go home, it’s over. (yes, I am being over simplistic – just in case any republicans are reading – but as anyone who has seen something planned in their community be derailed by an environmental group can attest, this could get interesting) The Sierra Club says the fence “threatens the livelihoods and ecology of the entire U.S.-Mexico border region” but Chertoff says Congress gave him the authority to bypass laws (brilliant move Congress, btw) and that’s that. What makes this story even more deliciously ironic is, back in October while arguing for approval of the fence, Chertoff said; “Illegal migrants really degrade the environment”… (Ow! Irony overload) Stay tuned.

All for now…