A Guest Post

As loyal readers know, Kemp and I are very passionate in our views, and we love it when people become just as passionate in their views and decide to share them with us.

Tonight I am especially pleased and proud to welcome a first time guest poster to our humble blog. Please give a TBWA welcome to my finacee, Gail. Thanks honey, I am honored that you wanted to share in my little hobby.

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“On April Fool’s Day, the biggest joke of all is being played on American families by Big Oil,” said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass. at today's Congressional meeting with the heads of several oil companies.

How true, how true.

The oil companies claim that thier $123 Billion dollar profits are in line with other industries. I don't see that. What I see are small businesses folding because people are radically changing their spending habits. I see larger retail chains with flat and negative growth. The car industry is definitely suffering and will only get worse, if the price of gas continues toward and past $4 a gallon.

This is where I want to sit down and ask the heads of the oil companies, how is it that the price of gas refined a year ago can go up in the blink of an eye, based on the price of a FUTURE barrel of oil...but when that price of the FUTURE barrel of oil comes down, the price of gas that was refined a year ago doesn't?

Does anyone else remember when gas only went up once a week (if that), and it was a penny or two? You can drive by a gas station in the morning on your way to work and on the way home eight to ten hours later, the price has jumped ten cents or more. And this can happen more than once a week.

The next question I'd like to ask them is if they can afford to fill the gas tanks on their cars, and are they changing their purchasing habits, because gas is a much higher portion of their home budgets, like the rest of us?

I think if the oil companies took a miniscule 2.5% out of their gargantuan pockets by lowering prices and profit levels on end use gasoline, now THERE'S an economic stimulus package (that doesn't come out of my own pocket in 2009). Congress and the oil companies need to listen to the people this is affecting most. Not the poor-they probably don't own cars! It certainly isn't the oil company executives. It's us in the middle class. Those of us whose family budgets are in crisis, because we can't decide whether to drive to work or feed our kids...

The Weekly Rewind

Good Day and welcome to our review of the weeks political events that we call The Weekly Rewind.

We await the results of today’s Democratic Primary in South Carolina. There has been a lot of speculation that all of the mudslinging back and forth between Senator Clinton and Senator Obama could in fact help the primary chances of Senator Edwards. I personally do not see much of a fall out effect from the debate and can see Senator Obama winning by a very commanding margin.

Okay, I am going to call the parties ticket for the November general election, Senator Obama for President and Edwards as the Vice-Presidential running mate.

Alright, enough of my own speculation, lets get to the rewind.

Heckle: to leaping onto the wagon when it’s moving at full speed. The Federal Reserve, confronted with a global stock sell-off fanned by increased fears of a recession, cut a key interest rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday. Funny thing is that it didn’t turn the markets around as they are looking for even more cuts.

Heckle: to waiting until it’s too late to take any action. President Bush’s attempt to revive the world’s biggest economy was greeted with heavy skepticism on Tuesday as markets tumbled across the globe. Markets in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney all fell farther in late trading Tuesday than they had all day on Monday. They continued an up and down pace for the week. Watch your 401k!

Applaud: to a little humor on the campaign trail. In this weeks CNN Democratic presidential candidate debate, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was asked about novelist Toni Morrison’s salute to Bill Clinton as “the first black President.” Obama replied: “I would have to investigate more Bill’s dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother.” I’m sure even the audience was glad for a more humerous moment.

Heckle: to not coming out publically with your opinion. In “private,” Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke “has expressed growing pessimism about the economy,” reportedly saying that “the first six months of this year will be “bad.” He also suggested that “there is better than a 50-50 chance for a recession” and believes the ensuing recovery will be “weak.”

Heckle: to holding justice and truth hostage. The House has postponed votes on “criminal contempt citations against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers” in order to foster “bipartisan unity” while working on an economic stimulus package. I’m sorry, is anyone surprised by this?

Heckle: to a statistic that is just plain sad. Many of the poorest people in the United States are still struggling to recover from the effects of a recession that ended six years ago, making them very vulnerable as the country stands on the brink of a new downturn. In 2006, 12.3 percent of Americans were living in poverty, compared with 11.7 percent in 2001, the year of the last recession. In this day and age there is no reason for a increase in the number of our citizens living in poverty.

Applaud: to standing up for what is right. “I am a Republican, and at times I’m embarrassed by the lack of cooperation that this president and his appointees have had with the legislative branch,” said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) in a hearing yesterday. “There is a seething resentment by members of Congress who are Republicans by the fact that this administration has not even cooperated with us.” Now if we can get more house members to stand with Congresswoman Rohrabacher!


Applaud: to keeping up the pressure. Americans United for Change plans to spend $8.5 million in an effort to make sure President Bush’s public approval doesn’t improve as his days in the White House come to an end. The bulk of the money will be spent on advertising that keeps the focus on the Bush administration’s failures. Although I think the administration does a nice job of airing their shortocmings and failures all by themselves!

Applaud: to an ever increasing base. A new Harris Poll finds that Americans are unhappy with the current state of the union, a few days before President Bush gives his own State of the Union address on Monday. Eighty-one percent of Americans believe “the current state of the country is fair or poor” and 66 percent say the Iraq war is “going poorly.” It’s nice to see more and more people coming around to realize the truth surrounding this administration.

Heckle: to once again being perceived as an Ostrich. A group of nearly 200 “climate experts, scientists, and mayors” delivered a “State of Climate” assessment this week , ahead of Bush’s State of the Union speech. In it they stated “[T]oday our nation stands virtually alone in the world community in refusing to accept the need for decisive action,” they report. “We regret to report that the state of the nation’s climate policy is poor.” But what do they know, they are only educated, learned experts ?

Heckle: to the Administration for 79 percent. Which is the percentage of Americans who believe that a recession is likely within the next year, according to a LA Times/Bloomberg poll. Ninety-two percent of people earning more than $100,000 a year “feel safe” financially, “while more than half of those bringing in less than $40,000 a year describe their finances as ’shaky.’” Count me among the 79 percent.

That’s it for now. Back to waiting for primary results.

Be good, stay informed….later.

Sure they will

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said today that the House will vote on legislation that would spend $50 billion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as early as Friday… but with a caveat that would require “President” Bush to start bringing troops home.

Riiiight…

The bill would not only set a requirement to make troop withdrawals begin immediately, it would also ensure that Marines and soldiers spend an amount of time at home equal to their time in combat and would set a goal that combat ends by December 2008… even though “major combat operations” ended a long, long time ago… but let’s not nitpick right now…

The aggressive bill would also require the government to rely on the Army field manual when conducting interrogations… which doesn’t mention waterboarding, anywhere.

Uh-huh… seems to me we’ve heard this before… and absolutely nothing came of it… what makes this any more different?

Sure, a new CNN poll finds that support for the war has plunged to 31% with a staggeringly high 68 % opposing it… but why should we believe that the Democrats have suddenly grown a set and are doing something about it?



I’ll believe it when I see it…

The Weekly Rewind

Well folks, here it is, your heaping helping of a tasty dish we like to call The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to doing only half the job. The Senate Intelligence Committee yesterday voted 13-2 to approve a bill tightening rules on government wiretapping. The legislation would also contains a “highly controversial” grant of legal immunity for telecoms, a provision demanded by the White House. Once again, a voice of common sense, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) said he was not prepared to grant retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies for their participation in the warrantless wiretapping program. “I certainly would not give them immunity retroactively on programs that we don’t know what they are,” he said. Thank you Senator! I, and many other Americans are getting tired of half-assed legislation.

Heckle: A new report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction states that U.S. attempts at political reconciliation, economic growth, and building an effective police force in Iraq “have failed to show significant progress in nearly every one of the nation’s provincial regions and the capital.” And this surprises anyone?

Heckle: 136: Number of people who were killed by a suicide bomber in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday. Thousands turned out for the return of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. What is is about freedom and democracy that threatens people in the middle east and surrounding areas?

Heckle: Oil prices have soared to “another record high,” hitting $90.07. Can $100 be far away? Who would have ever thought….

Applaud: Our favorite conservative, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) won second place in the annual D.C.’s Funniest Celebrity contest, beating out Wonkette founder Ana Marie Cox and Grover Norquist. Specter joked that Bob Dole once told him, “Arlen, you know [Viagra] costs $10 a pill?” “Bob, how in the hell would I know about that?,” Specter replied. “And then Elizabeth said to him in anger…’Bob, you can afford $40 a year!’” Watch it here. Nice! He’ll be here all week folks, be sure to tip your waiter…..

Heckle: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is still under the microscope from the Kentucky press over his office’s involvement in smearing Graeme Frost. In an editorial entitled “McConnell versus truth,” The Courier-Journal writes, “It’s clear what Mitch McConnell knew and when he knew it. It’s clear he deceived the public.” The Herald-Leader also weighs in. And the Georgetown News-Graphic. What do you expect when you pick the wrong side of an issue and you pick on a kid.

Applaud: to finally getting your head out of your ass. Under pressure to help override President Bush’s veto, at least five of the eight House Democrats who voted initially against expanding a popular children’s health insurance program now say they’ll switch sides.”

Heckle: to 24 percent. What is it? It’s President Bush’s approval rating in a new Reuters/Zogby poll, which sets yet another record low for the President. Can he get to the teens? He has a little over 15 months left to continue his downhill slide.

Heckle: During his townhall meeting in Arkansas yesterday, “not a single questioner criticized” President Bush. With polls showing Bush’s disapproval at record highs (see above), the White House is staging “let-Bush-be-Bush events” in front of “friendly audiences” with “increasing frequency.” Sorry guys, no one is buying it, go peddle your crazy somewhere else….

Applaud: to seeing the writing on the wall. This week, Rep. David Hobson (R-OH) announced that he will retire at the end of his term. Hobson is the 11th Republican House member to announce retirement ahead of the 2008 election.

And Finally- Colbert throws his hat in the ring. On the Daily Show this week, comedian Stephen Colbert “made a surprise appearance” to officially announce he was considering a run for president. About 20 minutes later on his own show, Colbert announced “Yes, I’m doing it!” He then welcomed CBS political analyst Jeff Greenfield to analyze his impact on the race “in the past three minutes. Could he do worse than we currently have? I doubt it…

There you go.

Be good, stay informed…..later

The Weekly Rewind

Good day sports fans. As a Chicago fan when someone is in the playoffs you’ve gotta root for them. This year it’s the Cubs. They are down 2 games in the best of 5 playoffs and tonight they either live to play another day or go down swinging… we will see what happens.

While we are waiting let’s kick back and enjoy what we like to call The Weekly Rewind.

Applaud: 70 percent: Americans who want funding for the war to be reduced. Bush’s approval rating stands at 33 percent. Just 29 percent approve of the job Congress is doing, although the public rates congressional Republicans (29 percent) lower than congressional Democrats (38 percent). Once again we yell and wave our arms, but no one in Washington seems to care.

Heckle: The Anti-Defamation League is calling on Senator McCain to “reconsider and withdraw” his comment over the weekend that the Constitution established America as a “Christian nation.” I’m sorry, I may not agree with the Senator, but I do believe that while not expressly written, that the founding fathers did have in mind a Christian nation at our founding.

Applaud: Congress is pushing legislation to give Inspectors General “greater budgetary independence.” The measure would also make it harder for the administration to fire the the watchdogs. The White House is threatening to veto the bill. Of course they are, why would they want to be held accountable for their actions this late in the game?

Heckle: The State Department launched its own blog last week, called “Dipnote.” People have already complained “that the white print on a black background makes it hard to read” Finally, “unbiased news directly from the federal government, a news source long noted for truthful, unbiased reporting,” the Washington Post’s Al Kamen mockingly writes. Nicely done Al, I couldn’t have said it better.

A sad state of affairs: There were 317,000 applications for unemployment benefits last week, an increase of 16,000 from the previous week, and the biggest jump in four months. Analysts believe the increase could be a further sign that the labor market is slowing under the impact of the worst slump in housing in 16 years. A Heckle to the administration for continually trying to tell us that the economy is great. Any working American can tell you that they are not better off then they were 6 ½ years ago.

Applaud: Bush’s veto of SCHIP has divided conservatives. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) said yesterday, “We’ve got to do what we can to try to override” the veto. “If we’re truly compassionate, it seems to me, we’d want to endorse this program,” added Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT). A big thank you to the Senators for seeing what is painfully obvious to most Americans. Let's spread some of that to you fellow 'compassionate'conservatives.

Heckle: Over and over, President Bush confidently promised to ‘solve problems, not pass them on to future presidents and future generations.’ As the clock runs out on his eight-year presidency, a tall stack of troubles remain and Bush’s words ring hollow. And we were not going to be an ‘occupying army’ in Iraq. Anyone remember that??

Applaud: With bipartisan support, the House is expected today to take up legislation that would make it clear that U.S. laws apply to all armed private contractors hired for overseas missions.” The Bush administration opposes the bill, warning it would have ‘unintended and intolerable consequences’ for national security. Why is it that every time something goes against the administration it will always be bad for National Security? It’s gotten to the point of Chicken Little….

Applaud: Final score: Boxer 3, Inhofe 0. Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) has repeatedly challenged Sen. Barbara Boxer’s (D-CA) authority over the Senate environmental committee. During one hearing, she had to inform him, “You don’t make the rules anymore.” Yesterday, Boxer slammed down Inhofe’s assertion that she couldn’t invite sitting senators to the hearings, pointing out that in Sept. 2006, he invited Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN). “I don’t mind if we have disagreements, but…let’s get the facts right,” she admonished him. You get ‘em Senator!

Applaud: Some business leaders are drifting away from conservatives “because of the war in Iraq, the growing federal debt and a conservative social agenda they don’t share.” Some business people want bolder action on global warming as well, leaving the “core business vote” up for grabs. It’s about time!

And finally, This weeks “Tool of the Week” is the Department of Defense. Why? Well, besides being tool of the Bush Administration they are also busy thinking of ways to screw our troops. How, well consider the 2,600 members of the Minnesota National Guard, who when they came home from Iraq, had been deployed longer than any other ground combat unit. The tour lasted 22 months and had been extended as part of President Bush's surge.1st Lt. Jon Anderson said he never expected to come home to this: A government refusing to pay education benefits he says he should have earned under the GI bill. "It's pretty much a slap in the face," Anderson said. "I think it was a scheme to save money, personally. I think it was a leadership failure by the senior Washington leadership... once again failing the soldiers." Anderson's orders, and the orders of 1,161 other Minnesota guard members, were written for 729 days. Had they been written for 730 days, just one day more, the soldiers would receive those benefits to pay for school. "Which would be allowing the soldiers an extra $500 to $800 a month," Anderson said.

What others say...

Last week the Democrats in Congress folded like origami and approved the White House-backed version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) that gives the Bush(whacked) Administration expansive spying authority to do what they please and ignore the word of the Constitution and the law.

In the days that have followed, a few newspapers across the country have come out in favor of the plan, but they were conservative-minded piles of claptrap like the Chicago Tribune and WSJ, who apparently are readying themselves to kiss new owner Rupert Murdoch’s ass…

But for every one or so that comes down in favor of the bill, four or five come out against it…

USA Today: “A skittish Congress allowed itself to be stampeded last week into granting the president unfettered surveillance power. When it returns to Washington, it should do what it can to make sure that the sun goes down on this flawed measure.”

WaPo: “To call this legislation ill-considered is to give it too much credit: It was scarcely considered at all. Instead, it was strong-armed through both chambers by an administration that seized the opportunity to write its warrantless wiretapping program into law — or, more precisely, to write it out from under any real legal restrictions.”

NY Times: “While serving little purpose, the new law has real dangers. It would allow the government to intercept, without a warrant, every communication into or out of any country, including the United States. Instead of explaining all this to American voters — the minimal benefits and the enormous risks — the Democrats have allowed Mr. Bush and his fear-mongering to dominate all discussions on terrorism and national security.”

Boston Globe: “The administration maintains that technological changes have created problems with the 1978 law. But never has Bush demonstrated why the terms of that law, which permitted officials to get warrant approvals up to 72 hours after they started a wiretap, are no longer workable. This and other questions could have been answered if Congress had demanded an open debate on the administration’s bill. Its failure to do so is a shameful abdication of its own responsibility. It’s difficult to maintain a system of checks and balances when one branch simply checks out.”

LA Times: “You know something’s wrong with this Congress when a Democratic champion of privacy rights feels compelled to vote for Republican legislation that compromises those rights. That’s what California Sen. Dianne Feinstein did last week when she joined a stampede to approve a temporary “fix” sought by the Bush administration in a law governing electronic surveillance.”

Why is it that Bush and his White House full of cronies can’t see what the majority of the country sees???

The Weekly Rewind

No witty or snarky opeing line, just getting right to the business at hand….The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to not seeing the forest for all the trees. Fallout from the U.S. attorney scandal is starting to hit the department in federal courtrooms around the country. In a “Who couldn’t see this one coming a mile away” move, defense lawyers are raising questions about the motives of government lawyers who have brought charges against their clients, and are citing the furor over the U.S. attorney dismissals as evidence that their cases may have been infected by politics. And who couldn’t see this one coming? Thats right, the dog and pony show that calls itself the Bush administration.

Heckle: to nothing good can come of this. In Iraq’s Diyala province, U.S. soldiers are willing to risk teaming up with Sunni militias to fight insurgent groups. Ali al-Adeeb, a prominent Shiite lawmaker, said the U.S. is “trusting people who have previously attacked American forces and innocent people. They are trusting people who are loyal to the regime of Saddam Hussein.” Come on what is with the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend' crap? I think George and Dick have been watching to much TV.

Just a damn shame and inexcusable: “The Army has no PTSD center at Walter Reed,” the Washington Post reports in a new expose, and its psychiatric treatment is weak compared with the best PTSD programs the government offers. Instead of receiving focused attention, soldiers with combat-stress disorders are mixed in with psych patients who have issues ranging from schizophrenia to marital strife. As I said, this is inexcusable. Our men and women deserve better than this.

Heckle: to bringing peace and democracy to the new Iraq. Sunni families remaining in Shia neighbourhoods of Baghdad are being forced to flee their homes: A 72-hour deadline announced by militants for them to leave these areas or face death expired yesterday. One aid official said, “Dozens of Sunnis have been assassinated in their homes” since last week’s bombing of the Samara mosque. I wonder if the administration has already hired the architects to design all the hip new Iraq resorts for all the tourists who are just chomping at the bit to visit the new and improved Republic of Iraq?

Heckle: to opening mouth and inserting foot. Several conservative House members who last week “vociferously” (and falsely) attacked Rep. David Obey (D-WI) for weakening earmark disclosure rules have chosen to keep their lists of personal earmarks secret. They include House Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) and Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Dan Burton (R-IN), Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Patrick McHenry (R-NC). Methinks they dost protest too much!

I am not going to applaud or heckle this one. Eight months after President Bush signed a bill authorizing the CIA to resume using ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ on terrorism suspects, the administration has been unable to agree on what constitutes ‘humiliating and degrading treatment‘ of detainees.” Call me old fashioned but if they are terrorists or suspected terrorists I am all for humiliating and degrading treatment in order to obtain information that may prevent innocent death and destruction, that is just a no-brainer for a liberal or conservative.

Heckle: to the never ending legacy of being know as the dumbest administration in history. President Bush issued the third veto of his presidency this past week, killing a bill that would have eased restraints on federally funded embryonic stem cell research — work that supporters say holds promise for fighting disease. The mantra of this administration continues to be “lie, lie and ignore the will of the people”. How about a 'Disabled Million March' on Washington to get someones attention....more than a million will work even better...

Heckle: to 1 in 8. Which is the number of U.S. veterans under the age of 65 who lack even basic health insurance or access to care at Veterans Affairs hospitals. … The ranks of uninsured veterans have increased by 290,000 since 2000. What happened to the battle cry and chest beating of the conservatives being the party that supports our troops? All rhetoric and no backbone….

Heckle: to just plain crap. The recent rise in U.S. troop deaths in Iraq is the ‘wrong metric’ to use” in assessing the effectiveness of escalation, outgoing Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Peter Pace said yesterday. “[I]t’s not about levels of violence. It’s about progress being made, in fact, in the minds of the Iraqi people, so that they have confidence in their government in the way forward.”. Excuse me Mr and Mrs American Citizen, don’t think of it 3,000 + of our sons and daughters dying, think of it as bringing our system of free elections and policital discontent to an area that may or may not want it. Give me a f**king break…

Ok folks, I think I need a shower to cleanse myself of the crap that was thrown around this week.

Be good, stay informed….later.

The Weekly Rewind

Hi folks! We have come to the end of another week, which brings us through the first 5 months of the year. Wow is the year flying by or is it just us here at TBWA? Ok enough small talk, you are here for one thing and one thing only…The Weekly Rewind…so let’s get to it!

Heckle: to a sad reality. 93.5. Is the percentage of Americans who “think U.S. troops would still be in Iraq when U.S. president George W. Bush leaves office.”

Heckle: to opening a blind eye. After announcing new economic sanctions against Sudan’s government, President Bush earlier this week called the bloodshed in Darfur a “genocide.” Last month, Bush’s Sudan ambassador Andrew Natsios resisted that label. The administration’s measures are considered too weak and too unilateral to significantly alter the calculations of the government of Sudan. Gee, we have all heard about this for a few years from the world press and the administration is just now grasping this? You have to wonder who tells George what day of the week it is when he wakes up every morning.

Applaud: to calling out the administration. Activists say President Bush’s Darfur sanctions announced yesterday are “too little, too late.” The sanctions “target three people with suspected links to the violence as well as about 30 companies” in Sudan. “Three people? After four years? And not one of them the real ringleader of the policy to divide and destroy Darfur?” asked John Prendergast of the Enough Project. Hey, isn’t that par for the course with this White House? All talk and little action.

Applaud: to cutting the cultural cord and finally seeing the big picture. Even though major Hispanic groups broke with other civil rights organizations and supported Alberto R. Gonzales’s nomination for attorney general two years ago, those same groups are now calling for his resignation. Janet Murguia, head of the National Council of La Raza, called Gonzales “a follower, not a leader.” Just to clarify, is anyone in this administration really a leader? More like followers and reactionists.

Heckle: to more of the same no matter who it is. After former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist had withdrawn his name from consideration for World Bank president. Former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick was nominated to replace Paul Wolfowitz. Ok, but we all realize no matter who it is, it’s cronyism and more of the same.

Applaud: to feeling the heat. The New York Times finds that some conservatives in Congress are “struggl[ing] to appease increasingly restless constituents” over Iraq. “I think this is the most expensive, stupidest thing ever done,” one Republican and former “staunch backer” of President Bush now says. Wow, maybe they are actually starting to listen to the people in their home districts as opposed to the corporate lobbyists. I mean hey come on this is only supposed to be a government "for the people”…

Heckle: to an evil M&A. The Taliban has merged its propaganda and field operations with those of the global al Qaeda network led by Osama bin Laden, enabling the Taliban to develop from a xenophobic, home-grown Islamist movement into a more outward looking force that is helping to advance al Qaeda’s global interests. As if either of these organizations needed help in their recruiting efforts. Am I the only one thinking Axis of Terror? Kind of like Germany and Japan during WWII…..

Heckle: to I see your lips moving but I don’t hear anything. More than a month after the Office of Special Counsel announced it will establish a task force to mount a government-wide investigation of alleged violations of the law that limits political activity in federal agencies, the group’s formation remains in the preliminary stages. Once again, is anyone really surprised?

Heckle: to being clueless. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) blames U.S. troop deaths on Congress’ Iraq debate. “Al-Qaida knows that we’ve got a lot of wimps in Congress,” DeMint said at a luncheon Tuesday. “I believe a lot of the casualties can be laid at the feet of all the talk in Congress about how we’ve got to get out, we’ve got to cut and run.” He later added that while Iraq has “gone badly and it’s a mess, it would have been worse if we hadn’t gone in.” Yes, Senator, it is a mess! And please explain to the vast majority of the nation how it would have been worse had we not gone in? Yet another person in Congress without a clue as to how we were all lied to and manipulated in order for Bush to seek some type of personal vendetta.

Heckle: to making a stupid statement that will hopefully backfire. Conservative columnist Peggy Noonan declares today that President Bush “has torn the conservative coalition asunder,” with consequences “for the American future.” This White House “thinks its base is stupid,” she writes, while “conservative Bush supporters have felt like sufferers of battered wife syndrome.” Ok, I understand all the comments with the exception of comparing party supporters to ‘battered wives’. I can’t believe how ignorant and insensitive she is to women who are victims of this unforgiveable crime…..what a tool.

Well there it is...kind of mixed with Applauds and Heckles. Which if you are a long time reader, for me is unusual.

Be good, stay informed....later.

A White House Intervention

Hmmmm… maybe the dominoes are beginning to fall after all.

Okay… at first “Iraqtember” ® (as I am now dubbing it and calling dibs on) was a true threat by republicans to “President” Bush… then some decided to call it a reach around to give him more time… now, it looks as though Iraqtember is a true threat to Bush’s “strategy” (and I use that term very, very loosely) in Iraq.

In a sign of the ever-growing crevice between the White House and some republicans over the war, a handful of media outlets (NBC News, CNN, WaPo) are reporting that eleven repulican members of Congress, led by Reps. Mark Kirk (IL) and Charlie Dent (PA) had a blunt meeting earlier this week with Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Bush Rice, Defense Secretary Robert “Don’t call me Rummy” Gates, White House political adviser Karl “President” Rove and presidential press secretary Tony “Job” Snow.

The “Iraqi Eleven” ® (as I am now calling them) were: John Boehner (OH), Michael Castle (DE), Dent (PA), Tom Davis (VA), JoAnn Emerson (MO), Jim Gerlach (PA), Kirk (IL), Ray LaHood (IL), Todd Platts (PA), Jim Ramstad (MN) & James Walsh (NY).

The topic of the meeting was Iraq… and the Iraq 11 were NOT happy with the current course or the current “strategy”, with one of the eleven calling the discussion the “most unvarnished conversation they’ve ever had with the president,” while White House mouthpiece NBC’s Tim Russert said that the meeting “may have been a defining pivotal moment” in the Iraq debate.

The highlight, for me anyway because it shows just how far this president has fallen within his own party, was when one of the eleven said that; “the word about the war and its progress cannot come from the White House or even you, Mr. President. There is no longer any credibility.”

Finally!! Someone within the republican party has finally realized that “President” Bush has no credibility left… all it took was over 3,000 lives lost.

Today, Rep Ray LaHood (R-IL) said that Bush was taken aback by the concerns expressed by the congressional delegation, with LaHood saying;

“He listened very carefully. I think he was a little — I don’t know if surprised is the right word, probably maybe sobered. The fact is that, I don’t know if he’s gotten that kind of opinion before in such a frank and no holds barred way but he was very sober about it and he listened very intently.”

LaHood went on to say that the congressional delegation expressed concerns to Bush about the political impact the war is having on their congressional districts… in other words, they’re scared shitless that they’re going to lose re-election when the time comes.

Maybe I’m being naïve, but I truly think that this is the first serious clink in the Bush’s armor… he’s no longer the ‘Teflon President’… his own party is starting to question him, and that is certainly good news and leaves me with an air of cautious optimism… and if these eleven can round up, say, 60 additional disgrunted republican Representatives and a handful of republican Senators, then we can be a little bit more optimisitc and a little less cautious.

Also… I seem to remember from history class and such that near the end of Nixon’s reign of terror that a group of republicans went to the White House to talk to him about Watergate and his plunging approval numbers…

Sound familiar?

It should… it certainly seems that Bush is getting his “Nixonian” moment… and with 28% approval ratings, you have to wonder how much farther can Bush go.

Stay tuned…

The Weekly Rewind

Hello Sports Fans! That is if your favorite sport takes place in the political arena! It’s Spring, the Bulls have advanced in the playoffs, the Kentucky Derby is this afternoon (gotta get there one year), well anyway lets get to this sport of the everyman a little thing we like to call The Weekly Rewind…..

Heckle: My boss is going to pout and stomp his feet until he gets his own way. “President Bush will not sign any war spending bill that penalizes Iraq’s government” for failing to meet the benchmarks that his own administration has set, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last Sunday, a fresh warning to Congress about challenging him. Ohhh I am sure the leadership of the House and Senate are shaking with fear….more likely they are laughing at how rediculous George is being.

Heckle: to the Ghosts of Ousted Dictators. It is said that a member of Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki’s office is reportedly playing a leading role in the arrest and removal of senior Iraqi army and national police officers, some of whom had apparently worked too aggressively to combat violent Shiite militias. Hang one and sure enough there is always another crazy waiting in the wings….

Heckle: I’ll say it again, we have way too many lawyers. The New York City Bar, one of the largest lawyers’ organizations in the country, charges that the Bush administration is trying to evade responsibility for problems at the Guantanamo Bay prison by falsely blaming defense lawyers for the trouble. The association’s criticism comes as the administration is proposing limiting attorneys’ access to detainees. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) introduced a measure Monday to force the Pentagon to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move the trials of Al Qaeda suspects to the United States. Ok, I don’t like the administration, but I have no problem with holding detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Break em, and jail em…

Heckle: Ok, so the number is a little skewed but is anyone at all surprised? The number of terrorist attacks worldwide rose by 20,000 (40 percent) last year, mostly due to greater violence in Iraq. … Iraq alone accounts for nearly two-thirds of all terrorism-related deaths last year. I guess our presence there is truly making a difference! (it’s so hard to express sarcasm in written form…)

Heckle: This thinking would give anyone whiplash. Paul D. Wolfowitz defended himself vigorously on Monday, declaring that it would be ‘unjust and frankly hypocritical’ for the World Bank’s board to find him guilty of ethical lapses. But he also hinted that he would discuss whether to resign as bank president if the board cleared him of misconduct. Ok, he thinks he is innocent of ethical lapses, but he will consider resigning…..my head hurts….

Applaud: to someone finally saying what many of us have been thinking (and saying) for years. In states across the country, local lawyers, politicians, editorial writers, members of Congress and defendants are questioning what they say is a pattern of investigating Democrats. They point to inquiries that drag on for years but end with no charges, an acquittal or convictions for relatively modest infractions. To this I can only say, DUH ! , a perfect example of this is the Lewinsky ‘scandal’. When republicans could not get Bill Clinton on any ‘land deal’ issues they grabed for straws and hounded him over something that was a personal matter that had no bearing on his running of the country….and yet ‘King George’ goes unpunished for killing thousands of US Troops…

Applaud: Scott Bloch has demonstrated a willingness to go after Karl Rove, at least on the small stuff: The Los Angeles Times has learned that Bloch investigated complaints that Rove’s politically related travel had been improperly billed to the government. Bloch’s action resulted in a reimbursement to the Treasury Department for what some described as a “bookkeeping error.” You know had this not been raised no reimbursement would have occurred….how many more things need to be looked into for reimbursement, my fear is way too many with this White House....

Heckle: Heckle to the Deputy chief. Karl (Emperor Palpatine) Rove participated in a hastily called meeting at the White House two months ago to coach a top Justice Department official on what he should say to Congress about the prosecutorial purge. Investigators are suggesting that Rove’s attendance at the meeting shows that he may have been involved in an attempt to mislead Congress. No really, a top administration offical being involved in an effort to mislead Congress or an investigation, say it isn’t so! Once again it’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form.

Heckle: Monkey see, Monkey do….. Michael Elston, the chief of staff to Deputy Attorney General Paul McNulty, made calls to the purged U.S. attorneys telling them to keep quiet about their dismissals. Elston recently told congressional investigators that those calls were placed at McNulty’s direction after he learned the prosecutors might testify before Congress about their dismissals. Do I relly need to say anything…

Heckle: It safe to say these guys don’t have a membership to the Museum of Natural History. At this weeks debate, three Republican presidential candidates — Sen. Sam Brownback, Rep. Tom Tancredo, and Gov. Mike Huckabee — said they do not believe in evolution. So I guess we just magically appeared on the planet…sign them up for Scientology!

Applaud: it’s about time. Lawmakers of both parties are making a new effort to pass a federal shield law to protect reporters from being forced to reveal their sources. Such protection would give government whistle-blowers more reason to reveal corruption when they know that reporters will be shielded in most cases from prosecutors’ efforts to reveal information. This can only be seen as a good thing by all, unless you are trying to mislead Congress….

Applaud: Go get em Henry! U.S. News reports, “One of [Rep. Henry] Waxman’s next objectives will be not only to examine false claims by administration officials to justify invading Iraq but also to expose people and companies that have profited disproportionately from the war”, congressional sources say. Hill Democrats think this line of inquiry will be explosive and will tarnish war proponents. All together now…Halliburton….

Heckle: I want what I want when and how I want it. Congressional leaders met President Bush at the White House this week to open negotiations on new Iraq legislation. Several Republican leaders said Tuesday that they were likely to “support such benchmarks”, and White House aides said Tuesday that Mr. Bush…might back such a measure — “but only if the benchmarks are nonbinding.” What a surprise, rhetoric with no accountability, the battlecry of this president.

Well folks there you have em, the few good and the many laughable, questionable or just plain sad.

Be good, stay informed….later.

Short-stacks: A collection of short posts

King George & Jester Gonzales

After hearing “President” Bush’s news conference this morning and his defending of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales I want to ask him one question…

What color is the sky in your world George?

What the hell have you been watching?

Politicians from both sides of the aisle, along with employees in the White House, have lambasted Gonzales’ testimony last week as “pathetic” and described Gonzales as “going down in flames”.. but then Georgie-boy comes along and feeds us this malarky:

”The Attorney General went up and gave a very candid assessment and answered every question he could possibly answer, honestly answer, in a way that increased my confidence in his ability to do the job. One of the things that it's important for the American people to understand is that the Attorney General has a right to recommend to me to replace U.S. attorneys. U.S. attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. In other words, we have named them and I have the right to replace them with somebody else. And as the investigation, the hearings went forward, it was clear that the Attorney General broke no law. Did no wrongdoing. And some senators didn't like his explanation, but he answered as honestly as he could. This is an honest, honorable man in whom I have confidence.”

I’m sorry… what??

Gonzales answered every question he could possibly answer honestly???

What about the dozen or so questions he didn’t answer?

Rather than do what hundreds of people are calling for you to do to him (here’s a hint Mr. Bush; it rhymes with pire, you reiterate your faith in him and say that the attorney general’s testimony last week “increased my confidence” in him and that he answered every question

One would think that Cronyism has its limits… but juging Bush’s action today, it’s clear that HE doesn’t.

A handful of republicans have called for Gonzales to resign while others have stated they’ve lost confidence in him, but stopped just short of calling for his resignation (which is an idiotic concept since an AG with no votes of confidence is an effective AG, conservative pundits and the editorial board of the National Review want Gonzales to go as do a plurality of Americans.

It’s too bad that Bush can’t see that through his rose-colored glasses.



Crow vs. Rove: The Grudgematch

Singer Sheryl Crow, who is currently amid a cross-country global warming awareness trip, got into a dust-up with Karl “President” Rove over the weekend at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The subject of the dust-up? Global warming.

Crow’s friend, Laurie David, describes the scene:

”We asked Mr. Rove if he would consider taking a fresh look at the science of global warming. Much to our dismay, he immediately got combative. And it went downhill from there. We reminded the senior White House advisor that the US leads the world in global warming pollution and we are doing the least about it. Anger flaring, Mr. Rove immediately regurgitated the official Administration position on global warming which is that the US spends more on researching the causes than any other country. […] In his attempt to dismiss us, Mr. Rove turned to head toward his table, but as soon as he did so, Sheryl reached out to touch his arm. Karl swung around and spat, ‘Don’t touch me.’ Unphased, Sheryl abruptly responded, ‘You can’t speak to us like that, you work for us.’ Karl then quipped, ‘I don’t work for you, I work for the American people.’ To which Sheryl promptly reminded him, ‘We are the American people.’”

Rove’s version has a slightly different view: “She came over to insult me and she succeeded.”

Wow… Mr. Sensitive. Not only is Rove extremely sensitive, he’s apparently also very easily insulted, especially when the topic is global warming policy.

Here’s a nickels worth of advice to Mr. Rove. Get. A. Clue. While you may not agree with someone’s opinions, to express yourself in the manner that is being reported is not only sad and pathetic but spectacularly un-professional (though coming from someone in “The Huggers” inner circle it’s not entirely surprising). And considering the age we live in, where every cell phone has cameras and video cameras installed, it probably won’t be long before video of the encounter hits YouTube for the entire world to see…



RIP Boris Yeltsin

A man who helped lead a watershed moment in Global politics passed away this morning as Boris Yeltsin died at the age of 76.

Mr. Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, a post he held from 1991 to 1999 before being replaced by current President Vladimir Putin.

The Yeltsin era was a dramatic period in Russian history, marked not only by revolutionary political change and the arrival of democracy in Russia, but also with enormous political and social problems, including widespread corruption.

Picking up from Mikail Gorbechov, Yeltsin was a force to be reckoned with in Russian politics as he took his nation by its hands and led them through a new period. He was a politician who refused to backdown from a fight and, as my esteemed colleague Scott said; “ was instrumental in the collapse of the former socialist republic… in fact it was more his doing than (former President Ronald “Not Grecian Formula 45”) Reagan's.” (Rememeber, that’s S-c-o-t-t and not K-e-m-p… though I do agree with him)

Now it’s interesting to see that the freedoms that he fought for are slowly being challenged and, at times, eroded.

Goodbye Mr. Yeltsin…


And finally...

From Daily Kos:

Just bask in this AP story a bit:

"Campaigning in 2000, Texas Gov. George W. Bush would repeatedly raise his right hand as if taking an oath and vow to "restore honor and integrity" to the White House. He pledged to usher in a new era of bipartisanship.... Now, with fewer than two years left of his second term, the Bush administration is embroiled in multiple scandals and ethics investigations. The war in Iraq still rages. Bush's approval ratings are hovering in the mid-30s. And Democratic-Republican relations have seldom been more rancorous."

Hee hee hee hee...

The Weekly Rewind

Ok, it’s that time of the week again. Yep, the time tested, mother approved, patented….ok so it’s not patented….well anyway, it’s time for The Weekly Rewind.

Before we get to this weeks edition regular readers may be asking “Oh my god, it’s Scott! He’s posting again, where has he been?! Well I have had a number of things going on in my life the past 4 to 5 months that have been pretty stressful. I will write about those on my personal blog shortly for anyone who is interested. And while I may not have been writing and posting myself, Kemp and I talk almost daily and I have tried to keep my hands in with thoughts and opinions. To that point I must also say how much I appreciate Kemp having taken over and running everything for the past few months. He understood at the start many of the things I was dealing with and told me to not worry that he would run with things until I was ready to jump back in. He is a good man and a true friend.

Ok, now it’s time to hand out some applauds and heckles, please forgive me if I am a little rusty on the dive back into the fray.

Heckle: Finding someone who will volunteer to be a scapegoat. The White House wants to appoint someone to essentially be a “War Czar”. Good luck with that! I mena, look at the problems this administration is having with it's failing policy in Iraq and they think that someone is going to jumo at the chance to be named as an Assistant to the President, be given the 'power' to make decisions (again it's so hard to express sarcasm in the written form..) and then when things break bad (as if it could get worse) they would be the one that the White House would point to and blame for Georges ineptitude at running a 'war' that has now gone on longer than our countries actual involvement in WWII. Three retired Generals who have reportly been approached have flatly said 'NO'. Hopefully whoever ends up with this job asks for the giant tube of KY to make thier eventual ass reaming a little easier....maybe Scooter Libby wants the job.

Applaud: let’s keep this moving forward. This week the House Judiciary Committee issued a subpoena to none other than Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The subpoena was issued as the committee has grown impatient with the Justice Departments delays in providing information deemed pertinent to the ongoing investigation of the firing of eight U.S. attorneys last year. Those of us who think that Alberto will be totally open and honest with the committee, raise your hands……ok, now for the 70% of you who didn’t raise your hands, lets move on.

Heckle: Happy anniversary, now get out. On the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad and the toppling of Saddam’s statue, up to one million Iraqi Shias summoned by Moqtada al-Sadr “have gathered in the holy city of Najaf for a mass demonstration calling for US-led troops to leave Iraq. If you were looking for a sign, this would appear to be a big one.

Heckle: Straight from the horses mouth. The Washington Post interviews a man who helped sledgehammer Saddam’s statue: “We got rid of a tyrant and tyranny. But we were surprised that after one thief had left, another 40 replaced him. Now, we regret that Saddam Hussein is gone, no matter how much we hated him. I think this guy needs to do the Sunday morning talk show circuit.

Heckle: Say what? In a speech on Wednesday, perpetual Presidential Candidate John McCain (R-AZ) defended the ‘war’ in Iraq and stated that history will side with the President and the conflicts supporters. Nevermind that two-thirds of the country totally disagree with this viewpoint, and I have a feeling that number will grow before this is over. He also stated that the ‘war’ is “necessary and just”. I'm sorry, 'necessary'??

Heckle: Just when you thought the attack on civil liberties had taken a break. National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell has circulated a draft bill that would expand the government’s surveillance powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, liberalizing how that law can be used. The court-approved surveillance could include planting listening devices and hidden cameras, searching luggage and breaking into homes to make copies of computer hard drives. You know those e-mails of recipies from your aunt or the chain e-mails for good luck could actually harbor evil thoughts.

Applaud: We need more of this. Former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca lambastes the Bush administration in his new book. “Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening?” Iacocca writes. “Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. … But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course.’ Ok, where are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and the other new age ‘captains of industy’?

Heckle: more jobs lost. This week the financial services behemouth Citigroup announced it would cut 17,000 jobs and transfer 9,500 jobs to cheaper locations around the world. Now while 17,000 jobs being cut out a total worldwide workforce of 327,000 (operating in over 100 countries) doesn’t seem like much, nearly half (43 percent) of the positions being cut will be right here in the good ole U.S. of A. And if you think about it, the 9,500 transfers can also be counted as job cuts as those jobs will be moved oversees and will result in 9,500 less jobs here in our country. (Next time you hear the administration talk about how many jobs were created, you also need to remember and offset it with how many jobs were lost. But you never hear the administration make that comparison as it wouldn’t look that good now would it?)

Applaud: The continual awakening of the American public. A new Bloomberg/LA Times poll finds that six in 10 Americans expect a recession within a year and disapprove of President George W. Bush’s handling of the economy even though the unemployment rate is at a five-year low.

Applaud: Standing up to the bully. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have rebuffed an invitation to meet at the White House with the President to discuss congressional funding bills for the ‘war’ in Iraq and Afghanistan. Stating that since Bush has set ‘preconditions’ for any discussions (meaning it’s my way or the highway) any meeting would be an exercise in futility. In case you have been living under a rock recently, Congress wants to pass funding bills with timetables for troop withdrawls, while Bush states that any timetable will force him to veto the bills. Each side says they support the troops, but as we have pointed out before they have very different ways of showing support.

Applaud: Just say no to Fox News Channel. Sens. John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are not taking part in the Fox News presidential debate cosponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus. Why participate in an event where you know what the outcome is going to be before it even starts. Fair and Balanced my ass.

Heckle: What a surprise. President Bush has threatened to veto a Senate intelligence bill that’s inudated with provisions that would force the White House and spy agencies to be more responsive to Congress. Wow, what a concept, holding governmental actions to a standard of responsibility!

And finally this week’s Wingnut Tool(s) of the Week. Karl “If I were the King of the Forest” Rove. Who this week, through his attorney, on the topic of deleting e-mails from a Republican-sponsored computer system stated that his understanding “was that those e-mails were being archived” in accordance with the law. Nevermind the fact that these e-mails may be pertinent to the ongoing investigation into the firing of US attorney last year due to questions of administration loyalty. It was also disclosed that the Justice Department (co-tools) took political activism and membership in a conservative law group into account when evaluating our nations federal prosecutors. I guess it’s not enough to do your job and do it well, you gotta suck up and suck hard….

Well that’s it for this week. As I said, it’s my first time back in the saddle in a while, it feel good to be back, but if you will give me a week or two to get back into the swing of things, I am sure I will be back in true form.

Be good, stay informed, later…..

Talk about a long time coming...

Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) have introduced the Fair Elections Now Act, essentially a bi-partisan bill that would bring voluntary public financing to Senate elections with a companion bill expected to be introduced in the House soon by Rep. John Tierney (D-MA).

The issue is relatively easy to understand… a hundred $20 donors can be made insignificant by one maximum contribution of $2,300, a fact that gains even more traction when you hear that a scant few Americans give campaign contributions of $200 or more… meaning that candidates then spend all their time running down the big money and therefore ignore the little people.

The Fair Elections Now Act would create a voluntary public financing system for candidates running for a seat in the U.S. Senate with three flowing parts;

‘Seed Money’, which refers to the amount that candidates can raise (up to $100 per individual/PAC up to a set limit) so they can get their campaign off the ground. If they do that, that leads to…

‘Gather Qualifying Contributions. In order to qualify for public financing, a Senate candidate would have to demonstrate his/her seriousness and base of support by obtaining a set number of $5 contributions from citizens across the state (and it can’t be anymore than $5). Once they get enough, (based on state size), they can then receive…

‘The Benefits’: For agreeing not to accept private funding, a candidate instead receives a large sum of money to run his/her primary campaign, and if he/she is successful, they will also receive a larger sum for the general election. Further enhancing this stage is the fact that the sum is based on the state’s size, if the candidate is facing an opponent that is receiving private money or independent expenditures, and media costs – thus allowing for the possibility that the funding can be as much as tripled to guarantee a level playing field. Also included in the funding formula is a possible adjustment for media markets that would, possibly, allow candidates to receive broadcast vouchers discounting the cost of ads run near the end of primary and general election campaigns.

Kemp, what are the benefits of this system?

I’m glad you asked. Primarily, it boosts grassroots organizing at early stages, and then, with the fundraising load taken off their backs, it allows the candidates to spend time with the electorate… more so than they do now. Furthermore, once elected, the politicians will no longer have to rely on large donor support to win re-elections but instead on the average citizen, thus dramatically altering the dynamics on a wide range of policy issues.

Good thing… right? I think so…

If you want to help ‘level the playing field’ a bit, there are things you can do…

1. Show your support for Clean Elections by becoming a citizen co-sponsor by clicking on the link.

2. Make a donation today to support to bring Fair Elections to the U.S. Senate.

And finally…

3. Tell your friends and family to support Fair Elections today.

Stay tuned… this could get interesting…

The Weekly Rewind

It’s (finally!) the end to a very busy week. Hopefully next week will slow-down a bit. Anyhow, even though we weren’t able to post much this week, we still have this weeks Weekly Rewind, enjoy:

Applaud: to the American public. An overwhelming number of polled Americans, 67% to be precise, don’t want “President” Bush to pardon Scooter Libby. 67… as opposed to the 21% who are absolute morons believe he should (It’s things like this that give me some hope for the common sense of America coming back… )

Heckle: to CNN’s Glenn Beck. Speaking of Hillary Clinton (D-NY), the conservative schmuck commentator said that she is the; “stereotypical bitch”… (People in glass houses Glenn… people in glass houses)

Applaud: to the American public… again… 85% of Americans think that global warming is an important or critical threat and that something needs to be done sooner rather than later, which falls in line with a new poll that finds widespread agreement in 17 countries across the world that say climate change is a pressing problem… now, if only we could get conservatives to see the damn writing on the wall, maybe something could actually get done…

Heckle: to being involved more than they’re letting on. Emails have been leaked that point towards Karl Rove and Alberto Gonzales being involved in discussions of a radical shake-up of U.S. Attorneys around the country… this comes amid a growing call for Gonzales’ resignation, Gonzales’ COS, Kyle Sampson, resigning earlier this week… and now, one of the purged attorneys, John McKay, believes a a special prosecutor should be appointed to investigate the entire matter… (this whole thing is funny to me, from the gop trying to claim Clinton did it when he clearly did not, members of the gop asking for the AG to resign, the use of “hazy memories” coming from the White House, the Justice Department saying they would have kept the attorneys on staff… it’s pathetic. But like the Libby trial, it’s a perfect example of the way this administration works. January 20, 2009 can NOT come fast enough…)

Applaud: to republican number 1… no, wait… number 2… no, wait… number 3. Three republicans, Sen. John Sununu (R-NH), Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) & Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA), have now joined the chorus of Democrats calling for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales… it’s only a matter of time…

Heckle: to the Senate rejection of a Democratic-led resolution aimed at withdrawing most American combat troops from Iraq in 2008 even though a similar measure advanced in the House. An applaud within a heckle to the Senate Democratic leaders who have vowed to keep challenging “President” Bush’s strategy (or lack thereof) in Iraq. (This is insane… this wasn’t going to ‘cut and run’ as the gop so inanely puts it… this was a gradual withdrawal of troops over time… and now even that’s been destroyed. What’s it gonna take for these people to see that Iraq is unwinable??

Applaud: to Senators John Warner (R-VA) and Ben Nelson (D-NE). They’re drafting a joint resolution on Iraq that would consider a “phased redeployment” of U.S. troops. The resolution is contingent on the White House proving that the current escalation strategy has worked… and they’re giving them until September to prove it… (Interesting strategy… this could very well be the only thing that works with the cockiness that this administration has shown throughout its time in office. The only problem though, is I have to believe that this resolution will become as toothless and useless as every other resolution that’s been designed to help the U.S. eventually get out of Iraq… and for that I blame not only republicans, but the Blue Dogs, who seem to have it in their mind that the War in Iraq is a good thing… stay tuned for this one…)

Heckle: to idiotic veto threats with inane reasoning over a bill that is, quite frankly, too damn important to be held up . “President” Bush is threatening to veto a bill that would implement “many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission.” Why the veto threat? Because of a provision that would “expand the labor rights of 45,000 airport screeners.” Ignoring the fact that the Senate voted 60-38 to approve legislation that saw ten republicans cross party lines, Bush’s threaten of a veto is not only idiotic, but sophomoric and troubling, certainly more troubling than presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) skipping the vote so he could fundraise in California, but troubling all the same. This bill would make the country safer… isn’t that what republicans are supposed to be better at than Democrats???

Applaud: to allowing the public to see what is going on… with broad bipartisan support, the House passed three bills that are going to “roll back administration efforts to shield its workings” from the American public as the measures will “streamline access to records in presidential libraries, expand safeguards for government whistle-blowers, and strengthen the Freedom of Information Act,” (The going-ons in the federal government are our business and we should be allowed to see what’s going on… about time someone noticed that this administration was doing its hardest to shield itself…)

Heckle: to the government flipping-off the city of New Orleans… again. The Army Corps of Engineers, who were hurrying to meet Bush’s promise to protect New Orleans by the start of the 2006 hurricane season, “installed defective flood-control pumps” last year even though they were warned by one of their own experts who said the “equipment would fail during a storm.” (I don’t even know where to begin…)

Applaud: to someone hopefully clearing things up a little. Outed CIA agent Valerie Plame is on Capitol Hill today giving her side of the leak story… all I’ll say is; let the chips fall where they may, but when she says and does things like accusing the White House and State Department of "carelessly and recklessly" destroying her cover for political purpose… people are gonna listen…

Heckle: to Haliburton moving their base of operations to Dubai. Senate Commerce Committee member Byron Dorgan (D-ND) asked earlier this week; “I want to know, is Halliburton trying to run away from bad publicity on their contracts? Are they trying to run away from the obligation to pay U.S. taxes? Or are they trying to set up a corporate presence in Dubai so that they can avoid the restrictions that currently exist on doing business with prohibited countries like Iran?” (Uh… let’s see…I think I can succinctly answer this question; yes)

Applaud: to doing things by the letter of the law. Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald was asked to appear on Capitol Hill to give testimony about the Plame-outing, but he said he did “not believe it would be appropriate for me to offer opinions…about the ultimate responsibility of senior White House officials for the disclosure of Ms. Wilson’s identity.” (very classy Fitz, very classy indeed. Question; could anyone have seen Ken Starr doing that? I didn’t think so…)

Heckle: to Fox “News”. Just on general principles alone…

Applaud: to picking up the slack for a temporarily sidelined colleague. A handful of Democratic senators have been holding fundraisers for Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) as he convalesces from a December brain hemorrhage.

Heckle: to the White House for just not getting it… and for being dumb enough to NOT cover their tracks regarding PlameGate. The Director of the Office of Security at the White House, Dr. James Knodell, told a Capitol Hill committee that the White House never ordered a probe, report, or imposed sanctions as a result of the outing of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame. (Talk about ego… Every politician knows to cover their tracks if they do something wrong– unless you’re so goddamned smug and egotistical that you don’t think you’ll ever get caught. All I can think of to say is this warning; karma’s a bitch boys, you better watch out)

And finally… what have the 2008 Presidential nominees been up to this week? Clinton has found a new strategy regarding Iraq, including keeping some troops stationed there… Richardson is pondering legalizing medicinal marijuana… Edwards is calling for the creation of a new cabinet position aimed at fighting poverty… Obama is vowing to not get personal in the campaign… On the gop side, McCain has stuck his foot in his mouth again, but quickly apologized… Romney has publicly condemned the comments about homosexuals made by JCOS Chairman Pace, but remained silent when Ann Coulter called Edwards a “faggot”, interesting isn’t it… Brownback agreed with Pace…Giuliani’s lobbying firm has ties with Hugo Chavez…

Take ‘em as you will...

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… Weekly Rewind time… enjoy:

Applaud: to finally getting together a united front and coming up with a plan for Iraq… Naturally, “President” Bush is swearing a veto... putz…

Heckle: to there not being a back-up plan in Iraq. According to a group of governors who met last week with Joint Chiefs chairman Peter Pace. Gov. Phil Bredesen (D-TN) recalled Pace telling the group; “Plan B was to make Plan A work,” (Come on now, there’s always a “Plan B”, even in bad movies there’s a Plan B… you wanna tell me that this idiotic administration doesn’t have a Plan B??? Somehow though, I am not surprised…)

Applaud: to the Senate Judiciary Committee for voting to authorize subpoenas for Justice officials that are involved in the ever-growing case of purging U.S. Attorneys. During the last few days, this story has gone round the bend. First, in a USA Today op-ed, Attorney General Gonzales called the scandal “an overblown personnel matter,” but the excuses given by the Justice Dept. for the firings were incredibly strained so people started looking deeper into the firings, then, one after another of the purged prosecutors came forward with information that they were forced out, with one example being Thomas DiBiagio, who said earlier this week that he was “forced out in early 2005 because of political pressure stemming from public corruption investigations involving associates” of Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich (R-MD). Oh… and now, under some intense scrutiny from the Senate Judiciary Committee, Gonzalez has changed his mind about the process of how federal attorney’s can be replaced…

Heckle: to the shabby way our disabled veterans are being treated. According to an article in the Honolulu Advertiser, more than a quarter of military veterans with a disability case before the Department of Veterans Affairs are waiting six months or longer for a decision – thus putting a huge financial burden on them and their families. The story continues to report that as of March 3, the Department had close to 401,000 pending cases – and approximately 115,000 have been “languishing for six months or more.” (This is uncalled for in every damn sense of the word. They’ve made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, and they can’t even get what they deserve… something needs to be done, and if you want to help – go to vawatchdog.org and see how you can help…)

Applaud: to going against the grain of your party and stepping up for what is right. Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC) is saying that he will support the plan proposed by Democrats earlier this week that will lay-out a specific timeline to withdraw U.S. troops, praising the benchmarks in the plan and the inclusion of an actual date to begin withdrawing US troops, saying; “Conceptually I like what’s been proposed…I think this is on the right track.” (Excellent, I always like seeing a republican use their own mind and make a decision that is the right thing to do.. and keep an eye on some other republican reps as a new poll indicated that a good portion of Americans in conservative-leaning – and competitive in 2008 – House districts also approve of setting a date to withdraw troops from Iraq… it’s things like this that give me hope…)

Heckle: to Newt Gingrich. Usually, I could just say heckle to Newt Gingrich and be done with it… but this week we actually have something to heckle him about. Turns out that while he was leading the impeachment of President Clinton for getting his cigar smoked, he was having an affair… (Uh… “Hello kettle, this is the pot – you’re black.”). Then, in the interview where he acknowledged this, he had the audacity to say that he shouldn’t be considered a hypocrite… (No problem there Newt, I don’t think anyone considers you a hypocrite, I think they consider you something far, far worse… Mo. Ron.)

Applaud: to even more going against the grain of your party and stepping up for what is right. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) gave some “scathing criticism” of Attorney General Alberto “Torture is my Life” Gonzales, saying; “One day there will be a new attorney general, maybe sooner rather than later…” (I’m gonna say ‘ouch’ for Al there… and a hearty ‘job well done’ for Sen. Specter, thanks Senator…)

Heckle: to speaking out of one’s ass… On the same day that Iraq saw suicide bombers and gunmen kill at least 130 people in one of the deadliest days of the four-year war, Bush had the balls to say; “It’s too early to judge the success of this operation, yet even at this early hour, there are some encouraging signs.” (Is it possible that his handlers aren’t telling him what is actually happening in Iraq? How else can you explain a President being this out of touch? It boggles the mind…)

Applaud: to 30%… which is “President” Bush’s job approval in the latest Zogby poll. Once again, he’s hit the “all-time low-water mark” of his presidency… and it doesn’t look to get any better any time soon… (How exactly does one write a stifled laugh???)

Heckle: to government-sponsored censorship. Internal memos from the Bush(whacked) Administration’s Federal Fish and Wildlife Service suggest that government biologists and other employees traveling in countries around the Arctic not discuss climate change, polar bears or sea ice “if they are not designated to do so.” (Uh guys… I think the cat is out of the bag on this whole global warming thing… give it up…)

Applaud: to a cold front in Latin America. “President” Bush better pack a warm coat as he will be getting a very chilly reception this weekend in South America. He’s starting a weeklong tour of Latin America and yesterday police clashed with protesters in Brazil and across the region. What’s even better is that a group of Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to “eliminate bad spirits” after his visit… (Ya know, sometimes the snark just writes itself…)

Heckle: to Ann Coulter… do I really need to give a reason?

Applaud: to a jury finding I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby guilty. Do I really need to expound any more on this subject? I didn’t think so…

Heckle: to polling that would seem to back-up what I’ve been saying about how much Bush and his cronies have eroded America’s reputation and clout. 51% of people in the world believe the U.S. has a “mainly negative” influence in the world… we ranked third behind Israel and Iran, and followed, in fifth place, by North Korea… I don’t think anything more needs to be said…

Applaud? Heckle? You decide: Jacob Weisberg and The Four Unspeakable Truths about Iraq…

Heckle: to this disturbing and startling fact and trend. According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, a nonpartisan organization, middle-class Americans are increasingly unable to afford health insurance with more than 1/3 of the uninsured, 17 million of nearly 47 million, have family incomes of $40,000 or more while more than two-thirds of the uninsured are in households with at least one full-time worker. (But the economy is strong…)

Applaud: to former Presidents who knew how to do the job… one more so than the other… The United Negro College Fund (UNCF) is going to present its highest honor, the Frederick D. Patterson Award, to former Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton for their philanthropic efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Way to go guys… too bad our current President didn’t take lessons from you two… and you have no idea how much it pains me to say that about Bush, Sr… I think I just lost some Liberal-points on that…

Heckle: to Fox News chief Roger Ailes for this comment: “… and it is true that Barack Obama is on the move. I don't know if it's true that President Bush called Musharraf and said, 'Why can't we catch this guy?’” (Fox “News” More of a tool than “President” Bush… and that’s saying a LOT)

Applaud: Hmmmmmmmm, Cheney stepping down next week ?

And finally… a rundown of what happened this past week to some of the 2008 Presidential race imposters candidates… Kucinich must repay the government $135,518 in public matching funds from his ’04 race … Edwards kept a pretty low profile… Richardson did the same... Clinton put a call out for a G.I. Bill of Rights… Obama paid some really old parking tickets… and all the Dem hopefuls opened their wallets to South Carolina’s state Democratic party in order to raise money for their, now earlier, primary in January 2008. And on the right side of the country; Hagel could join the race this Monday…or not… McCain praised potential rival Hagel and current-rival Giuliani… Giuliani’s heroic image could be outed by The International Association of Fire Fighters union, but he still leads his opponents in many polls… Huckabee could be the dark horse of the group… and is Gingrich a hypocrite?

Take ‘em as you will…