Executive Privilege? I don't think so!

A federal judge (a federal judge appointed by “President” Bush in 2001 and then appointed to the FISA court by Bush-nominated SCOTUS John Roberts in 2006 no less) has caused shockwaves in DC as he ruled today that former White House COS Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers must comply with Congress’ request.

Score!

What’s even more maddening for the administration is the fact that this judge, in the past, has handed down rulings that have helped cover-up their wrongdoings including, but certainly not limited to; the decision that allowed the administration to refuse to release documents on their illegal wiretapping program… ruled that Dick Cheney did not need to turn over notes and attendees from his energy task force meetings… and ruled against outed CIA agent Valerie Plame. To which I say; Karma, baby!

Let’s review… back in June, after Bolten and Miers refused to comply with congressional investigations into the U.S. Attorneys scandal, the DOJ made the ridiculous claims that “that senior presidential advisers are absolutely immune from congressional subpoenas.”

Judge John Bates disagreed with that, saying “there’s no legal support for that stance” and “aides can be subpoenaed” and therefore, Bolten and Miers must comply with Congress. Judge Bates went on to say; “Harriet Miers is not immune from compelled congressional process; she is legally required to testify pursuant to a duly issued congressional subpoena.”

Score two!

Judge Bates also said that Miers AND Bolten must give Congress all non-privileged documents related to the firings.

Score three!

If AG Mike “Don’t call me an albatross” Mukasey doesn’t enforce both a congressional contempt citation and a validating court decision, then HE should be held in contempt… literally and figuratively.

And House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) didn’t waste any time picking up from Judge Bates’; decision, releasing a statement that says he looks “forward to the White House complying with this ruling and to scheduling future hearings with Ms. Miers and other witnesses who have relied on such claims.”

All of this is fine and good, but now is the time when House Democrats must be aggressive and unfailing. Anything that the Dems can do to throw light on the cockroaches in this administration needs to be done with expedience prior to November… and this should be a central part of their talking points.

The chips are starting to fall…

The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

The weekend is nigh, the weekend is nigh!

• Attributing it to the fact that U.S. troop deaths have declined in Iraq to their lowest level since the war began in 2003, “President” Bush announced this morning that new combat tours in Iraq are going to be reduced from 15 months to 12 months. All fine and good, but unfortunately tours won’t be reduced for currently deployed troops but only troops whose deployments begin Friday or later…
• Exxon Mobil broke its own record for the highest-ever profit by a U.S. company in the second-quarter as their profits rose 14% with “net income in the quarter rose to $11.68 billion, or $2.22 a share, from $10.26 billion, or $1.83 a share, last year.” (and we STILL get screwed at the pump…)
• The special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction released a report today that say the US has “wasted” more than half a billion dollars in Iraq repairing facilities that were damaged by poor security because the Government “did not fully anticipate ... unstable working environment.” (Big surprise… this administration underestimated everything about this war from the start, and it shows)
• Still no word on VP for either side…
• The gop is having one tough year…
• A new campaign ad for Sen. McCain compares Sen. Obama to Brittany Spears and Paris Hilton… wait, what??
• Sen. Clinton has been given a slot at the convention… agreeing to speak the second night of the convention
• Congressional republicans are pressing their Democratic counterparts to vote on lifting the ban on offshore drilling before their summer recess… republicans also want to legalize drilling for oil in the ANWR, allow the processing of oil shale on public lands in the West and use unicorn horn dust to power the world…
• And have we mentioned? That Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) is a friend of Mary Jane? Frank is proposing (with Ron Paul no less) to end federal penalties for Americans carrying fewer than 100 grams of marijuana. The DEA and the White House are against the idea, saying that marijuana is dangerous and has no accepted medical uses… (insert your own munchies joke here…)

Here comes the smack-down

The House Judiciary Committee just voted (along party lines of course), 20-14 to hold Karl Rove in contempt of Congress. The contempt charges stem from Rove’s constant ignoring of subpoenas and his unflinching refusals to testify.

The resolution now heads to the full House, where a straight majority vote will be a necesity in order to formally and officially lock in the contempt citation.

Karma baby!

The Wednesday BushWhacking

The week is halfway done… the presidential race; not so much.

• Happy 43rd Birthday to Medicare…
• Sen. Ted Stevens (r-AK) was indicted yesterday on seven criminal counts. Stevens released a statement that said in part; “I have temporarily relinquished my vice-chairmanship and ranking positions until I am absolved of these charges.” (Um… Ted, I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you…)
• Memo to Sen. McCain; 1980 called… it wants its talking points back
• Breakthrough CNN headline says that McCain and Obama have ties to lobbyists… that’s some nice investigative journalism there Lou, we didn’t know that.
• Backpedaling on his prior plan to veto the bill, “President” Bush signed the housing rescue law that has two primary objectives of offering affordable government-backed mortgages to homeowners at risk of foreclosure, and bolstering mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a temporary rescue plan and, in time, a stricter regulator. (This is good news… hopefully it works and doesn’t get bogged down in red tape)
• Deemed the ‘Sole Survivor policy’, the US Military allows sole surviving siblings to be discharged before the end of their enlistment. But those that got the release found themselves losing benefits they would have otherwise been entitled to like health coverage, access to the GI Bill and, sometimes, being asked to repay some or all of their enlistment bonus. That has now changed after the House passed the Hubbard Act that restores benefits to military sole survivors (It’s mind boggling that the Army would have a policy allowing sole survivors to leave the service but would then turn around and take away their benefits… the House deserves some accolades for passing this bill.)
• You should have known it was only a matter of time before someone started pressuring EPA head Stephen Johnson to resign… well, that time has come as Senate Democrats are calling for him to resign while also asking the DOJ to launch an investigation. Naturally the White House is thumbing its noses at the request with spokesman Tony Fratto claiming that “Boxer has 'no standing' to question Johnson's integrity.” (It’s no secret that the EPA has become politicized under Johnson… the fact that it’s been allowed to go on this long is the sadder part of this story. And seeing as how this administration likes to protect their cronies, expect the White House to start demonizing Senate Democrats very, very soon…)
• And have we mentioned? That Michael Shear & Dan Balz at the Washington Post nailed it? Writing about McCain’s pathetic attempt to smear Obama for not visiting wounded soldiers, the duo write; “For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.” (Thanks guys, too bad the rest of the MSM is ignoring it)

The Tuesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Is it the weekend yet?

• Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was interviewed on NBC yesterday, and while he didn’t say anything that would make anyone with a brain have a knee-jerk reaction to attack them (notice I said ‘with a brain’), but he also didn’t say anything that would make people say; ‘Ah, all is well and I can now turn my bomb shelter into a discothèque…”
• Sen. McCain now supports a 16-month withdrawal timetable for US troops in Iraq but only if military brass said that “conditions on the ground” were safe enough… (so in true republican fashion, he announces his support for something, but puts parameters on it in case he has to backtrack in the future… good to know the man can stick by his guns)
• McCain says not to worry about this health…(Um… yeah, about that Mr. McCain... we are ABSOLUTELY going to worry/think about your health… you’re running for president of the United States, and to NOT consider your health would be a disservice… but don’t worry, we’re going to worry about Sen. Obama’s health as well. Though when McCain says things like this, it makes me think he’s hiding something… but he would never do that, right?)
• The hole that the EPA has dug for itself continues to get deeper and deeper… an EPA email made public yesterday advised employees to not answer questions from journalists, the GAO or even the agency's own inspector general… (the EPA is broken and politicized; plain and simple…and something needs to be done about it ASAP)
• The veepstakes continue…
• After the Bush(whacked) Administration released the record-breaking deficit numbers yesterday, both McCain and Obama slammed “President” Bush and then slammed each other… (Um, who wants to tell McCain that since he plans to continue Bush’s tax cuts and economic style that the deficit would probably go higher and higher if he wins?)
• Senate Democrats are working on a deal to break the stalemate over the Energy Bill… one of which is kowtowing to Bush and the republicans by granting them a vote on offshore drilling. (Why in God’s name are the Dems folding like origami with Bush??? He’s a lame-duck with approval ratings getting closer and closer to Nixonian levels… and yet they continue to kiss his ass… show some God damn gumption for heaven’s sakes…)
• And have we mentioned? That a new study by the Project on National Security Reform reports that the US security system is still broken? It’s true… and not at all surprising. First and foremost in the report is the fact that our agencies STILL have trouble working together … (how could our system be secure? Bush and his cronies have ignored it and concentrated on Iraq…all the while saying that Iraq had to deal with national security. Well, if it had… wouldn’t our nation’s security system be, I don’t know… secure?? Expect to read more about this later today…)

Another miss

So… the latest McCain ad takes shots at Sen. Obama for not visiting troops on his recent Euro Trip.

And to get that point across the ad shows footage of Obama… visiting troops.

Um… I think you’re doing it wrong.

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

The week begins…

• This headline can be filed under; No shit Sherlock; “Bush's peace dream iffy for '08, Olmert says” (Bush’s attempt to enmsure peace in the Middle East by 2008 was a desperate attempt to not only soothe the harm he did by virtually ignoring the process for five six seven years, but also an attempt to help shape his legacy. Fail)
• A senior Bush(whacked) Administration official said this morning that the deficit for this year is going to set a record high, easily breaking the previous record also held by this administration. Blaming the sagging economy and the stimulus checks which were supposed to help the non-recession but still lagging economy, the deficit is approaching $490 billion… (Chalk the deficit up as another thing the new president – regardless of party – will have to fix. Adding to a list that already includes the US’ standing in the world, the environment, the Constitution, national security and, well, pretty much everything that “President” Bush has ever touched. As Tony Soprano suggested, he’s like a reverse Midas…everything he touches turns to shit…)
• Sen. Obama’s Euro Trip was a resounding success, and the more Sen. McCain and his surrogates criticize it, the more his campaign sounds like a whiny little baby…
• Ben Stein says Sen. McCain’s campaign needs Karl Rove… (Um… didn’t Ben Stein passed his political usefulness a LONG time ago, right around the Watergate era? Why he has suddenly decided to jump back into the political arena is anyone’s guess… but in my eyes, he will always be the teacher in ‘Ferris Bueller’… nothing more, nothing less)
• Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan has made the earth-shattering revelation (it’s earth shattering if you don’t have the use of your own brain) that Fox “News” uses talking points that the White House sends… (Nooooooo. Reallllllyyyy? I never would have guessed… it’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form)
• CNN asks “Did McCain flip on Affirmative Action?” (Well, considering they’re asking it of McCain, I’m going to go out on a limb and say yes…)
• And have we mentioned? That Vice President Dick Cheney has apparently worn out his welcome with a group that supported him at one time? The Disabled Veterans of America revoked their invitation to Cheney to speak at its convention next month because the group feels that Cheney’s security demands were “Draconian and unreasonable” including demanding that the veterans (who are sick and/or disabled) be sequestered for two hours before Cheney’s arrival without the ability to leave or even go to the bathroom and then couldn’t leave the room until after he had finished talking… (Sad and pathetic… but not surprising. Cheney doesn’t care who he inconveniences, as long as HE gets what HE wants…)

The Weekly Rewind

Here it is… this week’s installment of the World Famous, Often imitated never duplicated Weekly Rewind…sit back, open your brain real wide and say; give it to me straight Kemp, I can take it!

My apologies to ‘WKRP in Cincinnati’

Applaud: to the House for acting to secure a lot of the nation’s mortgages while the administration continues to fiddle around the flames. Earlier this week the House approved a government assistance measure that will allow the Treasury Department to protect mortgage companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from collapse and while also providing a plan to help hundreds of thousands of troubled borrowers avoid foreclosure by refinancing their mortgages with more affordable government-insured loans… (Glad to know someone’s got out backs…)

Heckle: to irony so deep that it’s deeper than Bush’s neurosis. In a statement about the new sanctions being levied against Zimbabwe, “President” Bush declared; “no regime should ignore the will of its own people.” (Um… who wants to tell him what Cheney said?)

Applaud: to the capture of Radovan Karadzic on war crime charges. The onetime wartime leader of Bosnian Serbs was arrested earlier this week and is being extradited to The Hague where he will stand trial by the U.N. war crimes tribunal facing 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed in 1992 to 1996. (about friggin’ time…)

Heckle: to lying one’s paints off. Back in January, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson told Congress it was his decision for the EPA to block the California greenhouse emissions waiver. Well… apparently he lied (you’re shocked, I know). Earlier this week, former EPA official Jason Burnett said that Johnson concluded that “California’s request was legally justified — until White House officials ordered him to reverse the decision.” (Once again, the White House thumbs its nose at the environment while also getting involved in things they have no authority to get involved in… 1/20/09 can NOT come soon enough)

Applaud: to being smarter than our elected officials (granted, it’s not that difficult to accomplish). A new poll shows that the American public ain’t buying what “President” Bush and the oil industry are peddling… that new drilling will lower gas prices. 63% of those in the poll say increased drilling is “more likely to enrich oil companies than to lower gas prices.” Another separate Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows that voters trust Democrats more than republicans to deal with energy; 42% to 22%...

Heckle: to news that shouldn’t really surprise us. A new Brennan Center for Justice study finds that “poorly designed ballots continue to plague U.S. elections.” Despite Congress setting aside $3 billion to overhaul voting systems, various problems have continued that have “led thousands of voters to skip over key races or make mistakes that invalidated their votes.” (But of course, why would the administration that got elected in the first place due to ballot problems be interested in solving them?)

Applaud: to a conservative speaking the truth. President George H.W. Bush’s former national security advisor Brent Scowcroft issued a warning to the current president Bush this week when he told him to stop threatening Iran. Scowcroft said that by repeatedly mentioning threats, “we legitimize the use of force…and may tempt the Israelis” to act… (too bad it will fall on deaf ears in the White House and the rest of the conservative Beltway… they’re already started working on their ‘I attacked Iran’ t-shirts…)

Heckle: to more conservative fear-mongering… with a religious slant. Earlier this week Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson criticized the Bush(whacked) Administration’s “moderate tone” toward Iran and its nuclear weapons program, even advocating Israel to look out for the “survival of its nation” and “make some kind of a strike” against Iranian nuclear facilities (Again… this should end well. Let’s remember that we have no proof – NONE WHATSOEVER – that Iran has nuclear facilities… so why are conservatives some hell-bent on attacking? Do they get off on it???)

Applaud: to news that doesn’t surprise me but still brings a smile to my face. As the 2008 campaign continues, it’s becoming more and more clear that “the absence of any “websites on the right devoted to reporting is proving politically costly to republicans.” (well, that’s what you get when your nominee barely knows how to use a computer)

Heckle: to the political equivalent of having a fox guard the hen house. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Minority Leader John Boehner (r-OH) announced joint appointments to a landmark ethics review board earlier this week. The board would allow private citizens to review allegations against members, which is a good thing. The bad thing is that one of the co-chairs is going to be former CIA director Porter Goss… who opposed launching the investigation into the Valerie Plame affair… (Great… groundbreaking ethics determent, but it’s going to be overseen by someone who obviously doesn’t have an ethical bone in his body)

Applaud: to continuing to say things that make you look silly and out-of-touch. We all know that in 2006 Ted Stevens (r-AK) described the internet as “a series of tubes” that “can be filled.” Well, earlier this week he was asked if he stood by that description… he said; “I do,” and then went on to say that he’s “still not sure about the difference between tubes and pipes.” (It’s the tubes and pipes line that makes it art…)

Heckle: to Attorney General Michael Mukasey. Mukasey has let stand some of the most controversial policies that he inherited from his predecessor, Alberto “Albatross” Gonzales. Senate Judiciary Committee member Arlen Specter (r-PA) said Mukasey “hasn’t provided the balance that I had hoped for.” (wow, who would have ever thought Mukasey would have continued on the path of Gonzales? Oh wait, that’s right; anyone who has the power to use their own brains!! Is Specter being naïve or using subterfuge for the White House?)

Applaud: to speaking the truth… earlier this week on The Chris Matthews Show, Newsweek columnist Howard Fineman revealed one of the reasons “President” Bush is pushing so hard for a McCain presidency, saying; “There’s also fear. If you’re in this White House, you want another Republican administration to follow. You don’t want a Democratic administration coming in there while the evidence is still fresh, so to speak.” (True that… but if public opinion gets loud enough, not even the presence of another republican in the White House could soften the calls for investigation)

Heckle: to more politicizing the safety of the American worker. Political appointees within the Department of Labor are rushing to “push through” some rules that would make it “tougher to regulate workers” on-the-job exposure to chemicals and toxins… aimed at being a parting gift from this administration… (Once again… screw the American worker and kiss the ass of Industry… I know I’ve already said this once before this week, but 1/20/2009 can NOT come soon enough…)

Applaud: to Rep. George Miller (D-CA) who pledged to introduce counter-legislation to the above bill that would block the effort of the Labor Department to make it more difficult to limit workers’ exposure to chemicals on the job. (Way to go Rep. Miller! Hope you get some more support)

Heckle: to more proof that our current president is just a Frat boy at heart… Unaware that he was being recorded at a private fundraiser last week, Bush joked that “Wall Street got drunk” and then joked about the country’s housing crisis when he said Wall Street now has “a hangover.” (Lovely… what a tool)

Applaud: to the Senate. They planned to begin debating the “Coburn Omnibus,” late last week. The set of bills have large bipartisan support but are being held up because Sen. Tom Coburn’s (r-OK) has objections… never mind that some of the measures in the bills include funding for stroke prevention legislation, lateral sclerosis legislation, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Act, the Emmitt Till Unsolved Crimes Act, and the Mentally Ill Offender Treatment Act… but why would WE want THAT? Coburn is a putz who is running scarred in his district because his act is getting thin… this isn’t going to help and should increase Democrat’s chances of taking the seat…)

Heckle: to seeing the true seat of power in this administration. A new report shows that administration officials originally agreed that greenhouse gases could endanger the public and should be regulated under clean-air laws, but their opinions were shouted down and their course reversed after Vice President Cheney’s office and the Oil Industry voiced their opposition. Naturally, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said the “report is inaccurate to the point of being laughable.” (Uh-huh… cause it would be SOOOOO hard to believe that the office of the Vice President has all the authority in this administration. Hell, haven’t we been saying that since Bush originally got elected??)

Applaud: to McCain strategies that are SO bad they’re not only funny but can only help us in November. The latest? A McCain adviser linking en. Obama to terrorism because his daughters are fans of the keffiyeh-wearing Jonas Brothers… (Seriously? That’s the best this campaign can do now? The friggin’ Jonas Brothers?? Who’s next, Chuck Norris… oh wait)

Heckle: to questionable campaign ad strategies. In what the gop sees as a response to Obama's triumphant speech in Berlin, Germany… they’re running attack ads in Berlin, PA; Berlin, NH; and Berlin,WI... hard to believe they’re behind in the polling, ain’t it?

Applaud: to more McCain nonsense that proves he just doesn’t get it…which as I’ve said often on this blog, can only help us in November. Earlier this week McCain was talking about Afghanistan and in the process refused to call the situation there “precarious and urgent,” (even though it is) but then he admitted that “We have a lot of work to do” before warning of a “very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border.” (Wait, what? I could have SWORN that Pakistan and Iraq have this large country by the name of Iran separating them… oh wait, I was right. Can someone give Mr. McCain some glasses… or at least a Third Grade Geography book??)

Heckle: to speaking out of one’s ass… which given his age is probably muffled by a pair of Depends. Sen. McCain is crediting the sudden drop of oil to Bush’s lifting of a presidential ban on offshore drilling… (Give me a break… though one has to give him props for being able to keep a straight face while saying something so utterly ridiculous…)

Heckle: to more McCain flip-flopping. Going against one of his campaign bases, McCain has decided to chop off 99 years on his popular-only-in-conservative-circles strategy that US “troops might be in Iraq 100 years”… now he’s saying that he'll pull troops out in as little as a year but with NO timetable… (Huh? What the hell is this phobia that republicans have with timetables??)

Heckle: to inane comments that they think are intelligent. Senator Lamar Alexander (r-TN) said earlier this week that the key to lowering gas prices can be summed up in four words; “Find more, use less.” (Yes sirree… that’s some might fine people we’ve elected to run our country with some real smarts…)

Applaud: to finally getting it. Following the recent 15th anniversary of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, 75% of Americans support gays serving openly in the military…

Applaud: to more McCain cluelessness (which I consider an applaud because it can only help us in November). Apparently forgetting that it was him and his gop cronies that challenged Obama to visit Iraq, McCain has been saying all this week that Obama's Iraq trip is “politically motivated.” (do you think they really don’t see this for what it is?? But as I’ve said…when he says things that either show him flip-flopping, changing course, forgetting what he said in the past or simply showing him being rather dense, it’s a good thing for us and Obama… stay tuned)

Applaud:to being coy on her choice for president. Why is this an applaud? Well, read this exchange and tell me I’m wrong…
Wolf Blitzer: “Now, you grew up in the segregated south. You know what racism is in our country. The fact that Barack Obama is now the Democratic presidential nominee, what does that say to you?”
Condi Rice: “I think it's great. And I think it's great for our country. And I do think it says that we've come a long way. But it's interesting that it's from Colin Powell. He knocked down a few barriers of his own. He knocked down the barrier of chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. He knocked down the barrier to the first black secretary of state. Yes, I've knocked down a few too. It just shows that our country has been doing this for a while and it's great that this last barrier perhaps, has also come down.”
Blitzer: “Have you decided who to vote for?”
Rice: “Wolf, yes.”
Blitzer: “Do you want to tell us?”
Rice: “No.”
(Hmmmmmmmmmmm)

And our conservative Tool of the Week…well, it was no contest really, and it should come as no surprise to any of our faithful readers that this week’s TOTW is conservative Radio Host Michael Savage. Earlier this week the schmuck said that autism is a “fraud” and “a racket” where “99% of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” Besides showing the sensitivity of a yak, he also showed a mind-bogglingly lack of education of something that inflicts millions of people across the globe… Applauds within the anointing as at least two radio stations have dropped his show due to his asinine comments. Super Talk Mississippi announced this past week that they were canceling Savage’s show and the Cleveland-area’s WHK AM/1420 broke its contract with the show this week as well, with the station manager, Mark Jaycox, saying something that instantly endears him to my heart; “This guy’s a knucklehead, and I want to get rid of him.” So with that… Savage is our Tool of the Week and Jaycox is our Smack Downer of the week…congratulations guys.

Um... who wants to tell him?

“President” Bush issued a statement today that announced new sanctions against Zimbabwe.

Said Bush; “The regime has also continued its ban against NGO activities that would provide assistance to the suffering and vulnerable people of Zimbabwe. No regime should ignore the will of its own people and calls from the international community without consequences.”

That bang you heard was my head exploding due to the irony of this statement…

The Friday ‘BushWhack’ing

The end of another week… maybe next week I can get back on track.

• A new Fox “News”/Opinion Dynamics Corp poll gives “President” Bush his lowest rating in that poll EVAH… with a paltry 27% approving of his job performance… (sometimes nothing more needs to be said other than; pwned)
• Sen. Obama continues his Euro trip today… and Sen. McCain sounds like a jealous schmuck and calling Obama’s trip a “premature victory lap.” (Um… wasn’t it McCain and his republican buddies who were complaining about Obama’s lack of European travel?)
• Three words to alarm you; Representative. Richard. Simmons.
• Young republicans are worried about McCain’s oldness… well, they don’t come right out and say it, but it’s there if you read between the lines.
• There’s a petition to send former White House Deputy COS Karl Rove to jail over his refusal to heed a subpoena and testify before a House committee… that petition now has over 100,000 signatures. (All fine and good… but who here believes that this administration would listen?)
• A secret Justice Department memo was released yesterday (which I guess makes it no longer ‘secret’). In the memo, the Bush(whacked) Administration tells the CIA that its interrogators working around the globe would not violate U.S. prohibitions against torture unless they “have the specific intent to inflict severe pain or suffering.” (Well… that clears that up then, doesnt it?)
• And have we mentioned? That conservative stalwart Grover Norquist started the Reagan Legacy Project back in 1997 that aimed to get his name on anything in every state in the union? It’s true… and one of those proposals included replacing Alexander Hamilton’s image on the $10 bill with that of Reagan’s. Why am I bringing this up? Because Norquist is at it again… speaking to the Washington Examiner earlier this week, he said that the time is right to push that project again, saying; “It sounds like a good time to re-start the conversation about getting Reagan on the $10 bill. […] I don’t know why the Bush administration has dropped the ball on this.” (Uh… because it’s stupid?)

The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Back from vacation… are YOU ready to get back into it? I’m not… but here goes;

• Sen. Obama continues his overseas tour…
• Screw the PUMA’s; you’re either with us or against us. If you’re against us, you’re in line with Joe Lieberman and John McCain… so you’re our enemy…
• Trying to take some of the wind out of Obama’s sails with his as-of-now successful overseas tour, there’s a sense that Sen. McCain is close to naming his running mate. With a scheduled meeting tomorrow with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the thoughts are he’s zeroing in on him and that the announcement will come this week, so stay tuned. Or not… I could care less who he picks.
• The Bush(whacked) Administration tried to re-define Carbon Dioxide in an attempt to save power plants from emissions regulations… (wow, this administration really does care about the environment, don’t they?)
• Brent Scowcroft, National Security Adviser to President Bush Part 1 said that “President” Bush II needs to stop threatening Iran because; “by mentioning that threat, ‘we legitimize the use of force…and may tempt the Israelis’ to carry out such a mission.” (Wow, a conservative that has use of his brain, who would have thunk it?)
• The New York Post, excuse me, the Rupert Murdoch owned New York Post, published an op-ed by McCain that was previously rejected by the NY Times because it didn’t make sense and didn’t offer anything new. Read it… the Times was right in denying it… we’ve heard this crap from McCain and Bush for a LONG time…
• Fox “News” host Brian Kilmeade; “I think there’s just as many convoy attacks in America as there are in Iraq…” Wait, what???
• And have we mentioned? That the execs at Aflac are smarter than the average company? The insurance giant announced that it will no longer advertise on radio host Michael Savage’s show after he said that autism is “a fraud” where “99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out.” (Savage is an absolute tool who not only has the intelligence of a gnat, but who has also said more derogatory things than Don Imus ever has, and yet he still has his job. Mind-boggling, isn’t it? Though it is good to hear that Super Talk FM in Mississippi has cancelled Savage's show on all of its Mississippi stations because of his inane comments, too bad more aren’t doing the same…)

The Weekly Rewind

You know why you’re here, so let’s just get right to it.

Heckle: to $4.109. That was the average price of a gallon of gasoline earlier this week, setting a new record. According to AAA, gas prices have risen 40 percent in the last year. We just keep getting screwed deeper and deeper, but at least the pace is slowed from a sprint to a stroll……it still hurts like hell.

Applaud: to avoiding a knee jerk reaction. The Congress voted to override President Bush’s veto of a Medicare bill aimed at forestalling an 11 percent cut in payments to doctors taking care of Medicare patients. The House voted 383 to 41 to override the veto, while the Senate voted 70 to 26. We need a long term solution to what will become a bigger problem and we need serious thoughts and discussions NOW.

Heckle: to lives cut down due to misguided thinking. Nine American soldiers died last Sunday , in the worst violence against Americans in Afghanistan in three years. The killings illustrated the growing threat of Taliban militants and their associates, who in recent months have made Afghanistan a far deadlier war zone for American-led forces than Iraq. Which once again points to the fact that our beef is with the Taliban, (which knows no country) and not the country of Iraq who we conveniently invaded. Our focus should not be on Iraq or even Afghanistan, but on the Taliban.

Applaud: to our troops bravery and determination. It was reported that the Taliban insurgents who attacked a remote American-run outpost near the Pakistan border on Sunday outnumbered allied forces almost three to one and some breached the NATO compound in a coordinated assault that took the defenders by surprise. The attackers were eventually “driven back in a pitched four-hour battle.” Once again, our focus should be on fighting the Taliban. Ours troops should be commended for their grit and determination in fighting back this overwhelming force.

Applaud: to waking up. On Wednesday, Pentagon leaders announced that a surge in forces in Afghanistan will occur “sooner rather than later.” The moves are expected to happen within weeks, as officials prepare to lower troop levels in Iraq. And I am sure for our troops already in Afghanistan, this cannot happen soon enough!

Heckle: to the fact we cannot be this blind. In Afghanistan, “the killing of civilians in foreign military airstrikes is shattering Afghans’ support for keeping international troops in their troubled land and driving angry young men into the arms of the Taliban.” A spokesperson for NATO explained, “There is a perception problem.” You think? We seem to have a big problem in this area of the world with people’s perceptions. Could it be that we truly suck in communicating our intentions and our purpose? And maybe the fact that we don’t seem to give a crap about the people who actually live there and are just trying to live their lives and take care of their families? Yeah it’s a possibility. This administration is not known for its communicative skills.

Heckle: to combining the church and state. The Bush administration is seeking to require “all recipients of aid under federal health programs to certify that they will not refuse to hire nurses and other providers who object to abortion and even certain types of birth control.” The proposed rule would force hospitals, clinics and medical schools to sign “written certifications” as a prerequisite to getting federal funds. I’m sorry is the country being run by Americans or by the Vatican?

Heckle: to “remain calm, all is well”, yeah sure it is. Earlier this week, President Bush tried to calm consumers troubled by the economy, but his words had little effect. By the end of the day on Tuesday, the Dow had closed at its lowest level in two years, and the government reported that prices had jumped at their sharpest pace in 27 years. Sorry Mr. Bush, too little, way too late. Remember Kevin Bacon at the parade panic near the end of Animal House?

Heckle: to just plain criminal. According to internal Army documents, “shoddy electrical work” by private contractors at “American military facilities” in Iraq is causing more “deaths and injuries from fires and shocks than the Pentagon has acknowledged.” There were 283 fires between August 2006 through January 2007. What a surprise, the Pentagon not being honest and upfront about something as serious as this. Not only do our troops have to live with the fact that every time they go out on patrol they may not come back. They also have to worry that they may die taking a shower, or sleeping, or just relaxing back at base camp. There is no excuse for this and the companies responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Be good, stay informed….later.

Brief Hiatus

The Daily 'BushWhack'ing will be on hiatus this week as I take a short trip out of town... it will return next Monday.

In the meantime, check back for posts from Scott or a Guest Poster.

Thank you for reading...

Seriously? He said THAT?

Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton was on Fox “News” last Friday and host Alan Colmes asked him about his statements advocating the use of military force against Iran by the Bush(Whacked) Administration.

Bolton denied having made any such statements and said that “the use of force against Iran’s nuclear program is deeply unattractive” and any such statements attributed to him “would not be an accurate reflection of my view.”

Hahahahahahaha… good one John, you— what’s that?

Really, he was being serious?

He actually said on television that the use of force against Iran is deeply unattractive??Give. Me. A. Break.

I know Bolton is a mental furball that tries to cover that up with his mustache… but COME ON!

Let’s review his comments about attacking Iran in the past, shall we?

• A U.S. military strike on Iran is “really the most prudent thing to do.” Fox “News” May 2008
• He “absolutely” hopes the U.S. will attack Iran in the “next six months.” Again, Fox “News” (sense a theme here do ya?) August 2007

Let’ s not even count the fact that on multiple occasions Bolton has suggested that Israel will attack Iran after the November presidential elections but before the inauguration… an act he said “makes a lot of sense.”

And yet here he is… on Fox “News” (is it any wonder that all of his appearances are on Fox “News” as that seems to be the only news channel to give him air time) saying the exact opposite.

This is a staggeringly new development on the Bush(whacked) Administration’s inanity meter...

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

Monday… already… son of a b…

• We know that last Friday, the Bush(whacked) Administration “rejected its own experts” that global warming does pose a threat to the public and said the government will delay action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions until the next president takes office.” But not all republicans dismiss global warming… California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger believes in it and took a shot at the administration that he says “did not believe in global warming” and says that even if officials had done something last week, he would have viewed it as “bogus” because “you don’t change global warming and you don’t really have an effect by doing something six months before you leave office.” (I knew there was a reason I liked Mr. Schwarzenegger, despite his republican badge… too bad this administration continues to hide their collective heads up their asses in the sand…)
• Carly Fiorina was busy this past weekend… saying that economists agree with Sen. McCain’s plans to balance the budget and that McCain was not in alignment with “President” Bush and his Iraq plans… naturally, both statements are false. A majority of economists were contacted by reporters last week and said they have large reservations about the validity of McCain’s plan. Regarding Iraq, as recently as four months ago McCain avowed that; “No one has supported President Bush on Iraq more than I have.” (And yet Fiorina is saying the exact opposite… it’s no secret that she’s angling for the VP slot, and if her ability to spin and lie in the face of the media and not have the media call her on it is any indication – she’s got the nomination locked down…)
• Odds are VERY good that Sen. Lieberman will not only be kicked out of the Democrat’s caucuses next year, but will also lose his committee-ships… (about time. I understand that the leadership needed to see if Lieberman would right his ship and return to the good side… but it was obvious months ago that he wasn’t going to and this action will be a long time and coming…)
• Sen. Obama penned an op-ed piece in today’s NY Times where he embraced Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki's recent call for an American timetable for troop withdrawal and labeled it “an enormous opportunity.” (too bad this administration thinks they know what’s better for Iraq than, you know, Iraqis… I guess it will be up to – God willing – President Obama next January to do that…)
• Both Obama and McCain are planning to court the Hispanic and African-American votes this week…
• Stocks are up so far today after the government announced plans to shore up banks and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…
• And have we mentioned? That Cynthia “Slappy” McKinney is officially the Green Party candidate for president? It’s true… the former Congresswoman who is best known for slapping a U.S. Capitol Police officer who questioned her after failing to recognize her at a security checkpoint won the nomination this past weekend in Chicago… (sometimes a story is good enough that one doesn’t need to add anything else… this is one of those times)

In Memoriam

Regardless of what you think of his politics and the way he spun the news for this administration, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of former White House press secretary Tony Snow, who lost his battle with cancer early this morning...

Didn’t I already write about this today?

No, it just seems as though I did… but when you’re dealing with Sen. McCain, things likes this seem to come quick and steady.

Which segues nicely into Viagra as a political tidbit…

It all started when one of McCain’s potential VP picks, Carly Fiorina, was spinning for McCain when she said; “I've been hearing a lot about from women: There are many health insurance plans that will cover Viagra but won't cover birth control medication. Those women would like a choice.”

Naturally, as reporters do, someone asked McCain about Ms. Fiorina’s quote and responded; “I certainly don't want to discuss that issue.”

Apparently thinking the same thing I was – aren’t you supposed to be Mr. Straight Talker? – the reporter pressed the question and went further, reminding McCain that he voted against coverage of birth control and asking if that was still his position…

Mr. Straighttalker didn’t like that as there was a pause so long that another ice age would have started were it not for Global Warming.

After the longest pause ever recorded in national politics, McCain answered; “I don't recall that vote right now, but I'll be glad to take a look at it and get back to you.”

The reporter wasn’t buying it and pressed further on by reiterating what Ms. Fiorina had said, that, essentially, it was unfair that health insurance companies cover Viagra but not birth control… the reporter than asked McCain; “Do you have an opinion on that?”

Then came the squirming… you could see in McCain’s eyes that he was hoping a hole would swallow him, or better yet, the reporter…

It wasn’t to be… so after a pause that broke the record for the previously longest pause in national politics, set only seconds earlier, McCain answered with a non-committal, un-informed response; “I don't know enough about it to give you an informed answer…”

Wow…was that a great thing to see…

The vote was a mere five years ago… so if he’s forgotten what his stance was, it points to, as Kos himself says; “age-induced mental deficiencies.”

Perhaps McCain voted against the bill for other, possibly valid, reasons… but the fact that he can’t form an opinion on whether it’s fair or not to cover giving men erections but NOT unwanted pregnancies, is mind-boggling and feeds into another of my thoughts about McCain’s candidacy.


You know I’ve said (more specifically Scott gave me the line and told me to run with it) many, many times this week; “the more often Sen. McCain opens his mouth, the better… as it gives a chance for people to see what he is really all about”… but one also has to see the plethora of mis-cues, gaffes, etc from McCain this week and wonder aloud the same thing I wonder; I don’t think he’s physically or mentally up to the job of being president…

Keep that in mind now, tomorrow, and every day until November 4th…

Does he EVER know what he's talking about?

In what is turning out to be a monthly weekly daily entry in the 2008 presidential race, Sen. McCain has once again shown his perspicacity of saying the wrong thing and/or sticking his foot into his mouth…

Not surprisingly, he’s done it again. This time it involved Sen. Obama, Iran, and Senate voting.

McCain’s campaign released a statement earlier this week that criticized Obama’s positions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and their test firing of missiles.

McCain wrote; “This is the same organization that I voted to condemn as a terrorist organization when an amendment was on the floor of the United States Senate. Senator Obama refused to vote.”

No you didn’t John. While Obama was campaigning in New Hampshire, you were doing the same in New York… so you also missed the vote on the Kyl-Lieberman amendment …

Oops.

Yes, Obama missed that vote, but he did sponsor a March 2007 amendment that would have designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization. Unfortunately, Obama’s legislation never had a vote in the Senate because, naturally, republicans stalled it because only THEY can legislate terrorists.

Granted, the McCain camp admitted the error and tried to divert attention away from yet ANOTHER gaffe by their candidate by expressing McCain’s tough stance against Iran while tying McCain’s commitment to hating Iran with Bush and his (much-ridiculed) “Axis of Evil” mumbo-jumbo.
Has Mark “I can kill a campaign in 2 easy steps” Penn gone to work at the McCain campaign? How else can you explain the flip-flopping, topsy-turvy way they’ve been doing things lately?

Their candidate continues to stick his foot in his mouth and yet they don’t step in and try to alleviate the fallout…

They then try to distance themselves from the ever-unpopular Bush only to, seconds later, embrace Bush and his Bushy ways…

And no strategy is working for them… as evidenced by McCain’s trip to an auto-parts supplier yesterday in a Detroit suburb that has been hit hard by the bad economy.

McCain entered the store while trying to express sympathy for those affected by the state’s economic depression, only to have his message fall flat while it “landed with a thud, as workers sat in stony silence.”

The Good Ship Flip-Flop is reeling… and it’s gonna take a LOT to right it…

The Friday ‘BushWhack’ing

What else needs to be said other than; TGIF!

• Proving once again why they have the best political team on TV (SARCASM ALERT!), CNN has a story with the earth-shattering news that both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain are vying for the blue-collar vote… never mind that they’ve both been doing that since each campaign had started, but it’s new news to CNN…
• The fallout from McCain surrogate “Dr. Phil” Gramm’s statement that the American people are “whiners” continues. While McCain himself tries to backpedal from Gramm’s comments, Obama is slamming the McCain campaign, Gramm is trying, and failing spectacularly, to explain himself. (McCain has flip-flopped on this issue so much alone, that I’m surprised he hasn’t hurt himself…)
• German officials have a problem with Obama speaking near the Brandenburg Gate… (time to ask what everyone is thinking but not saying; would they have the same problem if it were McCain? I’m just askin’…)
• McCain’s campaign says the RNC has twice the money as the DNC… um, okay?
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced an article of impeachment against “President” Bush yesterday for “high crimes and misdemeanors” and “deceiving Congress with fabricated threats of Iraq WMDs to fraudulently obtain support for an authorization of the use of military force against Iraq.” (Again it will fall on deaf ears on the Hill, but isn’t it nice that someone is keeping the link of Bush and impeachment alive and well? Perhaps it’s only a matter of time)
• Can anyone explain how Karl Rove can ignore a House Judiciary committee subpoena? And don’t give me ‘executive privilege’ nonsense, it doesn’t pertain here and never has…
• And have we mentioned? That the Bush(whacked) Administration hates the environment? But you knew that already didn’t you? Despite pressure from SCOTUS along with broad agreement among senior federal officials that new regulations of greenhouse gas emissions is appropriate now, the administration decided to NOT take any new steps to regulate emissions before “President” Bush leaves office. Instead, the EPA will announce that it will “seek months of further public comment on the threat posed by global warming” instead… (Great, just what we need; more research and less action. Though that does define this administration to a ‘T’…)

I don't want to say I told you so... BUT

As I sit here wondering how the hell Karl Rove can ignore a subpoena to appear before the House Judiciary Committee so he can discuss how he politicized the Justice Department… something came across my computer that further supports my post from yesterday: “the more often Sen. McCain opens his mouth, the better… as it gives a chance for people to see what he is really all about.”

Today, he showed his folly by responding to a question about Iran… or more specifically, the threat that Iran is towards the US.

McCain constantly spouts off about Iran and how they are “intent on acquiring nuclear weapons” while attacking Sen. Obama and Democrats in general, for supposedly not seeing the real threat posed by a nuclear Iran.

And following Iran’s missile testing earlier this week, McCain was at it again. Though this time, he was challenged on it by ABC’s Charlie Gibson, who interviewed McCain and asked if an Israeli strike against Iran would be “jusified” in light of their missile tests… McCain’s response; “I can’t know whether a strike would be justified because I don’t know the progress or the significance or the nature of the threat. I know the threat is growing because of the continued development of nuclear weapons.

Excuse me??? You say Iran is a threat… and yet you don’t even know what the nature of the threat is and then you try to trot out the ‘development of nuclear weapons’ fear-mongering again? I believe we have hard evidence and data from US intelligence agencies (NIE anyone?) that says they’re no longer developing nuclear weapons…

But since he claims to know what Iran is up to, perhaps the reason he isn’t sure of the nature of the threat is because he hasn’t had time to make it up yet.

Look, we all know that McCain has not done his research on many things… but the region containing Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan is the region that will command the next administration’s attention 99% of the time… and yet, he doesn’t know what their real threat is.

The more often McCain opens his mouth, the better…

The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

The weekend is nigh! The weekend is nigh!

• Congratulations to a successful return to the Senate floor for Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MS)… not only did he make his first appearance since being diagnosed with brain cancer nearly two months ago, he also cast the vote that broke a republican filibuster of a Medicare bill… congratulations Mr. Kennedy, glad you’re back.
• Today is the 83rd anniversary of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial... good to know our nation has come a long way from such an archaic society in which religion would attempt to undermine science in public education... oh wait...
• Upon leaving the G-8 summit, “President” Bush said to the world leaders in attendance; “Goodbye from the world's biggest polluter.” He preceded that by addressing the Italian prime minister as “Amigo.” (are you fucking kidding me?? Once again Bush shows the decorum of a drunken frat boy… his parents must be so proud…)
• Ignoring US calls to stop, Iran is STILL test firing missiles… again, this should end well.
• Reverend Jesse Jackson has apologized to Sen. Obama for comments he made after he thought his mic had been turned off... during a Fox “News” interview (that was his first mistake), he thought his mic had been turned off (his second mistake) and said to another interviewee; “See, Barack's been talking down to black people ... I want to cut his nuts off.” (Third mistake… regardless of what you think about Mr. Jackson, those comments ARE crude and hurtful and his apology is, I would imagine, only the beginning…)
• Sen. McCain’s camp is trying to highlight differences between McCain and “President” Bush… (good luck with that. It should take all of 1 minute to gather up all those examples…)
• Clinton donors are slow to show support Sen. Obama. (part of that blame lies with Ms Clinton herself. She has not been visible enough to help her supporters accept the fact that Mr. Obama is the nominee. For her staunch supporters to change their preference, she needs to make a few more public appearances touting him as the one choice in November…)
• And have we mentioned? That running for president has been a hamper to Obama and McCain’s day job? Granted, more so McCain than Obama… but USA Today shows that the candidates’ Senate votes are falling by the wayside as they campaign for president. While Obama returned to Capitol Hill yesterday for the Medicare vote (it was the 12th day this year that he has showed up), McCain’s “even worse attendance record” showed that the last time he voted was on April 8th… way to go there guys. I understand running for president is time consuming, but you were already elected to the Senate and missing important votes is NOT fair to your constituents)

I was right, he IS senile

Before you flame me a new one, allow me to explain why I think he’s senile… I mean, how else could you explain Sen. McCain touching the third rail and letting his tongue slip again; “Americans have got to understand that we are paying present-day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers in America today. And that's a disgrace. It's an absolute disgrace, and it's got to be fixed.”

So in other words Mr. McCain, you’re saying that the way social security has worked since the 1930’s is a disgrace…

Shame on you. Social Security is arguably the most successful program ever delivered by the federal government and has run exactly the way it was designed and has done so for over fifty years.

But it’s a disgrace…

If McCain isn’t senile, then he needs to stop talking as it seems every time he opens his mouth these days he seems to be expressing either ignorance of something (economics or gas prices) or anger (towards a veteran who questioned his allegiance to veterans)

disdain (or an impatient combination, as when he got lippy with questioners who discovered he didn't know the price of gas).

And it should prove interesting to see how McCain's abhorrence of Social Security--and his plan to "fix" it (or eliminate it?)--plays with one of the few demographics he dominates: senior citizens, most of whose lives are undoubtedly eased by this absolutely disgraceful program.

Like McCain, “President” Bush wanted to “fix” social security, and by “fix” I mean “allow Wall Street to loot” way back after the 2004 election.

Come to think of it, his attempt of fixing social security was where his downfall started… his hubris was thrown into glaring relief by his statement that the '04 election proved he had a bunch of “political capital” and that he was going to spend it to advance his agenda with the first thing he tried to spend it on being Social Security.

Fail.

Epic fail.

Social Security isn’t a get something for free program… the retirees receiving the benefits now paid into the trust fund by working themselves… it’s not that hard of a concept to grasp.

Think more about what he said; essentially he said that the retirees of old were funded by the current set of retirees but now it's a disgrace that the current set is getting the benefit that they helped fund.

This isn't a fucking pyramid scheme Mr. McCain.

By his logic (a term I use loosely) the fact that the money HE pays for insurance is used to pay other people’s covered expenses is also a disgrace…

The money HE pays in taxes (assuming he and his wife do) which is then used to pay for infrastructure work in places that he will most likely never visit is a disgrace…

The fact that the money HE puts into a savings account is then used to give loans to other people is a disgrace…

Because in my mind, Social Security is similar to those three things.

The more often McCain opens his mouth, the better as it gives a chance for people to see what he is really all about… if I were at the DNC, I would be on the phone to every single AARP member I had in my rolodex and inform them of what he said while waiting for the chips to fall.

The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

It’s the middle of the week; run!

• Iraq wants a timetable for US troops to leave… (how dare they think they know what’s better for their own nation… we know what’s best for them, and what’s best is for our troops to stay in Iraq as long as WE want them to; Iraq’s preferences be damned. So that’s what it feels like to talk like a republican… now I need a shower)
• Iran feels threatened so they test-fire nine missiles… this should end well
• Sen. McCain is dismissing a timetable for leaving Iraq… even though Iraq’s government wants it… but what do they know, right?
• Sen. Obama’s campaign is releasing a new ad that targets McCain’s proposed energy policies while tieing McCain in with Bush. The ad states; “McCain and Bush support a drilling plan that won’t produce a drop of oil for seven years. […] McCain will give more tax breaks to big oil. […] He’s voted with Bush 95 percent of the time. Barack Obama will make energy independence an urgent priority.” (Game on)
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is calling on “President” Bush to release some of the US’ petroleum reserves, an action that Bush has refused to do in the past. (While not a cure-all, it’s a good temporary, short-term solution that would go a long way in helping ease gas prices in the country. While tapping into the reserves isn’t normally done in order to regulate prices, opening them has caused crude prices to drop in the past… so explain to me why it’s not an option?)
• Former Clinton strategist Mark Penn is teaming up with former Bush strategist Karen Hughes (ewwwwww) and together they will create a “bipartisan consulting organization” that will advise corporations that are in crisis. (Wait, what? Due to Penn’s tunnel vision, he’s the primary reason Sen. Clinton’s campaign crashed and burned… and Hughes failed at everything she did in the Bush White House… I can sum up the results of this partnership in two words; Epic Fail.
• CNN headline: “McCain looking to fix mojo problems” eeeeewwwwwwwwwww. Oh wait, they mean political mojo don’t they? Thank God…
• Mitt Romney is being tightlipped about what role the president will have at the republican convention… and you’re asking Romney this question becauuuuuuuuuuse???
• And have we mentioned? That Vice President Dick Cheney hates the environment? But you knew that already, didn’t you? A former EPA official says that Cheney pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change because he was worried that the testimony by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases. Last October, CDC Director Julie Gerberding testified about climate change. It was later discovered that six pages were cut from her testimony and the White House maintained that the changes were made because of reservations raised by White House advisers about the accuracy of the science. But now the truth (which is easy to believe because it’s Cheney we’re talking about here) has come out as Jason Burnett, a lifetime Democrat and a former senior adviser on climate change to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, says that Cheney and his office was deeply involved in getting nearly half of the CDC's original draft testimony removed… (why the hell is this allowed to happen? For a party that spouts off about government being too involved in things, this administration certainly likes being involved in everything, don’t they?)

The Tuesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Another day, another edition of the ‘Daily’

• Not long after he promised to balance the budget, Sen. McCain avows that spending is out of control… (well duhhhh. And whom do we have to thank for that Mr. McCain? You’re ‘good friend’ the president, whose policies you want to maintain… the fact you, and your backers, don’t see that is what makes you the wrong candidate…)
• It’s STILL the economy stupid… and both candidates realize that. Though Obama sees it more so than McCain, though that could be McCain’s eyes…
• The Senate begins debate today on the bill that would give telecommunication companies immunity for participating in the Bush(whacked) Administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. While there is small but vocal strong bipartisan opposition, a final vote is planned for Wednesday and is expected to pass… (of course it will. Why should the Senate show any balls towards a lame-duck president… I just don’t get it…)
• CNN continues to claim they have the “best political team on TV”, and it’s no wonder when you have commentaries such as “Candidates wise to court Hispanic vote” (It’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form)
• 500 tons of low-grade uranium were shipped out of Iraq recently… count down to conservatives claiming this proves Saddam had WMD’s in five, four, three…
• Two respected former secretaries of state, James Baker III and Warren Christopher, say the next time a US president goes to war; Congress should be required to say whether it agrees. The duo, co-chairmen of a bipartisan study group, are proposing legislation that would require just that; the president has to consult lawmakers before initiating any combat that would last longer than a week, then giving Congress 30 days to approve or deny the action. (good idea, but considering how gutless Congress is with this lame-duck of a president, I’m not optimistic that it will pass… are you?)
• And have we mentioned? That Sen. McCain is senile? How else could you explain his ludicrous claim that his administration would pay off the enormous deficit with “savings from victory in the Iraq and Afghanistan operations.” (first of all, victory in Afghanistan is NOT certain, as the recent upswing in violence is indicative of. Second, what exactly is victory in Iraq? Third, how exactly would victories in either or both nations pay off the national debt? I want to know how… well Mr. McCain; we’re waiting…)

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

Another week has begun… let’s get busy.

• Sen. McCain’s campaign is accusing Sen. Obama of flip-flopping on Iraq… (Um… I think McCain has had another senior moment…)
• “President” Bush is lowering expectations for the upcoming G-8 Summit… (nothing says low expectations quite like George W. Bush, so it should be an easy task for him… though it’s likely it will push the US and word economy farther down the toilet…)
• The House and Senate go back to work this week to try and get something done before summer recess. I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you…
• HT to ThinkProgress;

  In a 1998 interview, Osama bin Laden — the terrorist organizer of 9/11 who still roams free — listed as one of his many grievances against the U.S. that Americans “have stolen $36 trillion from Muslims” by purchasing oil from Persian Gulf countries at low prices. The real price of a barrel of oil should be $144, bin Laden demanded. […] Ten years ago today, the price of a barrel of oil was just $11. Heading into this holiday weekend, the price of a barrel of oil rested at $144 — a thirteen-fold increase. […] One month after 9/11, the New York Times wrote of possible “nightmare” scenarios that would deliver bin Laden’s goal. Neela Banerjee warned that among the “misguided decisions” that would put oil supplies at risk would be “that the United States attacks Iraq.” The Times included this quote in its story: “If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he’d turn off the tap,” said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. “He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel” — about six times what it sells for now.” ,[…] Bin Laden didn’t have to become king of Saudi Arabia to achieve his goal; in fact, Bush’s policies delivered it for him. The Bush administration’s catastrophic decision to invade Iraq, sink the nation into debt to pay for that war, and consequently, weaken the dollar have all caused oil prices to soar astronomically.

  Way to go Bush(whacked Administration… heckuva job.
• And have we mentioned? That republicans hope “President” Bush attends a convention this summer… as long as it’s not theirs? Dana Rohrabacher (r-CA) told the NY Times; “ don't think there are a lot of people who want to see him at the convention.” (Ouch… when the party you are allegedly the leader of doesn’t want you around, you know you suck… epically… if I continue to laugh this hard, I’m gonna hurt something…)

The Weekly Rewind

Does it really need an introduction? I didn't think so...

Applaud: to former Senator Jesse Helms, who died July 4th at the age of 86… yes, he was a republican that makes Karl Rove look like Al Gore, but he did serve the Senate for eons, and for that we applaud the man, but not his ideals or isms…

Heckle: to ignoring the facts. A former CIA agent maintains that CIA officials “ignored evidence” that showed Iran had suspended their work on a nuclear bomb. The agent was fired in 2004 and filed a motion on Friday, June 27th requesting the government declassify legal documents that describe what he says was a “deliberate suppression of findings on Iran that were contrary to agency views at the time.” (Regardless of what’s discovered, the administration wants to attack Iran and will not let anything stand in their way… facts and evidence be damned…)

Applaud: to saying what everyone, except those that work in the White House, already knows. Joint Chiefs Chairman Mike Mullen, responding to the news that June 2008 was the deadliest month of the Afghanistan war and the second straight month that the number of troops killed there surpassed that of Iraq, said he cannot send more troops to Afghanistan until there are further troop reductions in Iraq. (Mullen “resignation” announcement in five, four, three…). Double Applaud to Mr. Mullen for saying something else that everyone outside the White House knows; that an Israeli air strike against Iran would make the Middle East more unstable and would open up a “third front” that would be “extremely stressful for us.” (Why the HELL is no one listening to this man?? He’s the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs for crissakes, shouldn’t we be listening to every word he says???)

Heckle: to an un-Godly upswing in violence where the true war on terror was taking place before it was forgotten by this administration. For the second straight month, militants in Afghanistan killed more U.S. and NATO troops than in Iraq. The uptick underscores the growing strength of the Taliban who the Pentagon forecasted as maintaining or increasing its pace of attacks… (I don’t know what else can be said about Afghanistan… it only falls on deaf ears)

Applaud: to new polling results that show Sen. Joe Lieberman (I r – CT) has dropped below 50% approval ratings for the first time in 14 years… (guess that’s what happens when a Democrat runs as an Independent and wins re-election because of republicans who then endorses a republican for president… pwned!)
Heckle:

Applaud: to trouble in White House paradise. We all know the administration took North Korea off the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism this week after the country declared its nuclear program to the outside world… word is, Vice President Dick Cheney wasn’t happy about the decision and even tried to block the deal… (Wow… Bush did something that Cheney didn’t support? Quick, someone look outside to see if there are pigs flying. I would call Hell to see if its frozen over, but am afraid Cheney might answer the phone)

Heckle: to THIS STORY in the Daily Mail titled; “How war hero John McCain betrayed the Vietnamese peasant who saved his life.” (If true, it says a LOT about McCain’s character… or lack thereof)

Applaud: to empty threats that might actually HELP Sen. Obama. Stephen Baldwin (the Baldwin brother whose recent credits include Celebrity Apprentice and… well, that’s it really) told Fox “News” that he'll leave the country if Obama wins… thank God, otherwise we might be forced with BioDome 2…

Heckle: to abject stupidity. Back in 2004 republicans were asking, nay, demanding full disclosure about Teresa Heinz Kerry's wealth… now, in 2008, republicans are whining because Liberal websites are pointing out that Cindy McCain hasn't given full disclosure about her wealth and has no plans to… (Stupid is as stupid does… how these people can walk upright without falling over all the time is beyond me…)

Applaud: to Rush Limbaugh (I know, I know – bear with me for a moment, the pay off is worth saying his name… though I do feel like I need a shower…). In an interview scheduled to run this Sunday, Limbaugh says of Bill “Want to look at my microphone” O'Reilly; “Somebody's got to say it, the man is Ted Baxter.” (Ouch… for those of you too young to know the reference, click HERE)

Heckle: to inane claims that have already been disproven and yet still percolate amid conservative pundits. Once and for all; China is NOT, repeat NOT drilling for oil off the Florida coast… yes, a Chinese-owned oil company has an agreement with Cuba for an onshore site, ONSHORE as in NOT OFFSHORE, and no actual drilling has taken place… so for all the conservative schmucks out there, drop it – it just makes you look like jackasses… on second thought, keep at it, it can only help us in the long run

Applaud: to the Washington Post (I know, I’m as shocked as you are) for reporting on a story that no one is listening to. They report that “more than 900 cases alleging that government contractors and drugmakers have defrauded taxpayers out of billions of dollars” aren’t being pursued because they’re too busy rotting away in a decade-long backlog (yes, Pres. Clinton then merits some of the blame) because the Justice Department can’t keep pace with the upswing of charges brought on by whistle-blowers. (I don’t suppose the DOJ has ever considered; I don’t know… hiring a few more people to help with the backlash? Or would that be too logical?)

Heckle: to Southern Baptist scholar Bruce Ware, who apparently still lives in the 1950’s. He says that one reason men abuse their wives is because women rebel against their husband’s God-given authority: “And husbands on their parts, because they’re sinners, now respond to that threat to their authority either by being abusive, which is of course one of the ways men can respond when their authority is challenged - -or, more commonly, to become passive, acquiescent, and simply not asserting the leadership they ought to as men in their homes and in churches.” (I’d like to amend my statement about him living in the 1950’s… apparently he still lives in cavemen times and acts as such… what a fucking tool)

Applaud: to Sen. Ted Kennedy and his plans to try again on another attempt to provide universal healthcare, with people saying that he “intends to work vigorously to build bipartisan support for a major healthcare initiative when he returns to Washington in the fall.” (Nicely done sir… conservative blowhards bringing up his recent medical treatments as reasons to oppose national healthcare in five, four, three…)

Heckle: to the news that the Pentagon is refusing orders from the EPA to clean-up military bases where chemicals that had been dumped are posing “imminent and substantial” danger to public health and the environment… (way to support the military there guys… idiots…)

Applaud: to the Office of Special Counsel. Granted, they were spurred into action because of a report last week by the Justice Department’s inspector general, but they’re opening a “new examination into political hiring practices” at the department and the OSC will work to “determine whether disciplinary action is warranted” for “those who considered political affiliation in making decisions” and “those who let them do that.” (This should be entertaining… stay tuned)

Heckle: to brainless polls that have absolutely no bearing on anything… An AP/Yahoo poll shows that voters would rather barbecue with Sen. Obama than with Sen. McCain… (Great, now that we’ve finally put that pressing issue to rest, we can focus on the smaller things like FISA, the economy and the Iraq war…)

Applaud: to federal judge Vaughn Walker, for ruling earlier this week that FISA was the “exclusive” means for “President” Bush to eavesdrop on Americans” while also rejecting the government’s claims that the president’s constitutional authority as commander in chief trumped that law…. (smackdown…. Too bad the administration will ignore the rule of law, as they’ve been doing for the last eight years…)

Heckle: to the White House for, again, trying to intervene in EPA business… specifically the agency’s attempt to publish a document that could become the “legal roadmap for regulating greenhouse-gas emissions in the U.S.” The White House wants the report to show that the Clean Air Act “is flawed” and that regulations should be developed under new legislation rather than show what it really showed; outlines on how the government can regulate emissions under the Clean Air Act. (this Administration has never tried to hide its disdain for the environment, and this is just another salvo in these attacks. Eventually the EPA is going to have to grow a pair and tell the administration to STFU… but I wouldn’t hold my breath)

Applaud: to all the players in the presidential race… Obama, McCain and the Bush(whacked) Administration. Since it’s a different world that previous presidential transitions, the administration and the campaigns are setting off on what is being called an “unprecedented attempt” of unity aimed at preventing the transfer of power in January from disrupting defense and counterterrorism efforts. Part of that plan is having the Obama and McCain campaigns compiling lists of potential nominees for counterterrorism positions so they “can be vetted and confirmed as quickly as possible.” (brilliant idea… absolutely brilliant… let’s hope it works)

Applaud: to a good point from someone I can’t stand. Sen. Lieberman spoke on CBS news last Sunday and made an excellent point (must be his Democratic tendencies peeking out from his republican wolf-skin) when he said; “Our enemies will test the new president early. […] Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.” (all good and valid points, which make the applaud directly above even more vital. But this time, let’s hope Joe is wrong… since becoming a de facto republican, he has plenty of experience in that department…)

Heckle: to the Bush(whacked) Administration for awarding a no-bid contract to an oil consulting firm that will encourage Iraq to offer no-bid contracts to American oil companies…

Applaud: to the falling of another White House domino… it was announced earlier this week that Deputy COS Joe Hagin will resign his job at the end of the month to “take a private sector job.” (somewhat refreshing as he didn’t give the routine reason of ‘more time with the family’…)

Heckle: to news that is sad but not entirely surprising. The Army released a study last Sunday that found [in early 2003] that U.S.-based commanders prematurely believed their goals in Iraq had been reached and did not send enough troops to handle the occupation”… a view that was reinforced by “President” Bush’s May 1, 2003 declaration of “Mission Accomplished.” (Who was behind strategy during the war’s build-up?? How one of the mightiest militaries in the world could so grossly underestimate a war is mind-boggling and downright scary…)