Surge: Part Two

I seem to remember people in the Bush(whacked) Administration saying the troop “surge” was a short-term solution.

They lied…

I know, you’ll contain your shock at that statement…

As if we needed more proof that “President” Bush’s escalation is hardly a short-term surge, Hearst Newspapers is reporting today that the White House is quietly implementing a second Iraq troop surge that would “nearly double the number of combat troops in Iraq this year” and would bring the total number of brigades in Iraq to 28 by this winter.

This is not only ominous, it’s troubling… this war is being escalated again, and it looksa as though no one is capable of stopping the Bush/Cheney juggernaut from making the same mistakes the U.S. made in Vietnam…

In the current escalation, Bush ordered five brigades to accompany the 15 already stationed in Iraq.

This “second surge” of troops is being carried out in a shrewd way to avoid any unneccesary publicty by extending tours for brigades already there and by deploying more units, this could boost the number of combat troops to as many as 98,000 (from 52,500).

When you throw in support troops the total number of U.S. troops in Iraq could increase from 162,000 (where it currently stands) to more than 200,000.

Strange isn’t it… that when Bush trumpeted the first escalation back in January he did it with horns a-blazin’ and a nationally televised address.

This time he’s keeping it quiet and under wraps so to avoid the backlash that would almost definitely result in yet another troop esclation in a war that a majority of Americans have already written-off as a failure.

While an Army spokesman denies that there is a second surge, Hearst Newspapers maintains that their story is accurate.

What if Hearst is correct and there is another surge coming, what does it mean?

For one thing it means that the administration has no plans to curtail this war at all.

It also means that the White House doesn’t see the Democratic majority in congress as an obstacle, something that the Dems need to alter very, very quickly.

And where exactly will Bush be getting these troops from anyway?? He’s having a hard time finding troops for the current escalation, where the hell is he going to find more??

In my humble opinion, conservatives will do anything within their power to both escalate and expand this war before January 20, 2009 when the world will once again be a happy place Bush's term is up.

Stay tuned…

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… time for, well… you know. . Relax… and enjoy!

Applaud: to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who told “President” Bush to “calm down” earlier this week after Bush threatened to take his ball and go home crying to momma renewed his threat to veto legislation that would set a time line for withdrawal from Iraq. Said Pelosi: “Calm down with the threats. There is a new Congress in town. We respect your constitutional role; we want you to respect ours. This war must end. The American people have lost faith in the President’s conduct of the war. Let’s see how we can work together. This war is diminishing the strength of our military, not honoring our commitment to our veterans, and not holding the Iraqi government accountable.” (Well said Madam Speaker. Democrats, trying to raise the bar despite Bush setting it so damn low. He acts like a spoiled brat – which he is – and the Dems try to act like adults. This should end well…)

Heckle: to Karl Rove. Usually it would be just on general principles alone, but he’s been working under the radar the last few weeks and is driving a “bold, behind-the-scenes” push to ensure that “President” Bush will achieve at least one crucial policy victory in the last two years of his presidency; immigration reform. Under the plan that began to circulate around Capitol Hill Thursday, undocumented workers could apply for three-year work visas, which would cost $3,500 each time, the undocumented workers would have legal status with the visas, but in order to get a green card, they would have to return to their home country, apply at a U.S. embassy or consulate to re-enter legally and then pay a $10,000 fine… (I am split on the immigration issue, but I can say that these monetary amounts are obscenely high…

Applaud: to the American people. 59% of Americans want their congressional representative to support a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq by August 2008, with a scant 33% percent opposing…(That number is almost as dismal as the incredibly low – and seemingly idiotic – 36% that believe the escalation plan will work…)

Heckle: to even less time at home and a more-strained military. Air Force Gen. Lance Smith said earlier this week that if “President” Bush’s escalation goes beyond this summer, there would be a “high probability” that many Army units would have less than a year at home between combat rotations, further constricting the already limited time to train and the chance to “reconnect with families.” (Once again, the party that supposedly cares about the military shows the exact opposite…

Applaud: to the House of Representatives who unanimously voted to “improve the care of wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan,” by adding caseworkers and counselors to the military’s medical system.(About time…)

Heckle: to spin gone awry. This past Monday, on “Bill Bennett’s Morning in America” radio show, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) claimed that the U.S. “is beginning to succeed” in Iraq and said that “there are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through…today.” This past week has seen two truck bombs go off that killed at least 85 people in Tal Afar, along with a group of gunmen, a group that included Shiite policemen, began going door-to-door and assassinated 70 Sunnis… and did we mention the insurgent attacks on the Green Zone have increased recently, with attacks “on six of the past seven days.” A State Department official then noted, “There are increasing attacks on the [U.S.] embassy.” (But things are getting better…)

Applaud: to telling it like it is. Retired General Barry McCaffrey wrote in an assessment on the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders that the Iraqi population “is in despair,” while life in many of the urban areas is “desperate.” (But according to McCain, Iraq is getting better…)

Heckle: to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It was revealed this past week that they are maneuvering to fundamentally weaken the Endangered Species Act. The proposed changes include limiting the number of species that can be protected (Stupid Idea #1), it would “curtail preserved acres of wildlife habitat (Stupid Idea #2), and would “dilute legal barriers that protect habitat from sprawl, logging or mining.” (Stupid Idea #3) Add to that the fact that Interior Department inspector general is now reporting that a senior Bush political appointee, Julie MacDonald, repeatedly altered scientific field reports “to minimize protections for imperiled species.” (Well… at least we know now that this administration will never use the motto; ‘Friend of the Environment.’ Thankfully though, when word of these actions and plans leaked, it lead to an:)

Applaud: to a gaggle of Senators who vowed, after environmental groups leaked the Interior Department’s secret plan to “gut” the Endangered Species Act, to block the proposed changes through appropriations legislation.

Heckle: to this news: a pair of aircraft carriers, backed by warplanes, took up position off the coast of Iran, bringing together two strike groups of U.S. warships and more than 100 U.S. warplanes in order to conduct simulated air warfare in the crowded Gulf shipping lanes. This is the largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq… (Wait… what? Oh shit…)

Applaud: to refusing to be thrown under the bus. Sensing that he was about to go the way of Scooter Libby, former Chief of Staff for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is apparently refusing to play the pats and, while in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday offered testimony that did not disappoint, telling the committee that AG Gonzales and Harriet Miers approved the firings of eight federal prosecutors. Said Sampson; “I and others made staff recommendations but they were approved and signed off on by the principals.” (The “principles” would be Gonzales and Miers, btw) When asked a question by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Sampson rejected Gonzales’ theory that the dismissals were ordered by young or inexperienced Justice Department officials, saying; “The decision makers in this case were the attorney general and the counsel to the president.” (In other words, Alberto Gonzales is a big ol' liar… granted, that’s not really news to most of us, but it’s still enjoyable to read in print, isn’t it… and also makes one ask just how long Bush can keep this albatross around his neck…()

Heckle: to cockfighting (no smart-ass comments Scott…), or rather to a unfathomable attempt to keep it legal. Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is holding up a very popular and very bipartisan bill that would crack down on cockfighting… a bill that was expected to pass easily in the Senate yesterday. House bill co-sponsor Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said that Coburn’s hold “testifies to the powers of these shadowy forces” that allow this “illegal and barbaric” concept continue. (This one just boggles the mind. Maybe Sen. Coburn has another type of cockfighting in mind and NOT the ones with chickens. Sorry, couldn’t resist)

Applaud: to columnist Bob Novak (wait – did I just write that??). He wrote this past week that “With nearly two years remaining in his presidency, George W. Bush is alone. In half a century, I have not seen a president so isolated from his own party in Congress. The saving grace that some Republicans find in the dispute over U.S. attorneys is that, at least temporarily, it draws attention away from debate over an unpopular war.” (I’m not sure how to feel right now… am I smug in my opinion that Bush is losing his grip on his own party or scared that I agree with Bob Novak?? Help me please…)

Heckle: to losing more allies. Remember how I wrote that King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia had canceled a dinner with the White House? Well, it might have something to do with King Abdullah’s recent declaration that the U.S. is “illegitimately” occupying Iraq… which left the White House, a tad “surprised.” White House spokesman Dana Perino responded that “it is not accurate to say that the United States is occupying Iraq.” (What would you call it then Dana?)

Applaud: to, once again, the American people. 48% of Americans believe that the fired U.S. attorneys were fired because they “refused to be pressured by politics”… with a scant 22% believe that the Bush administration dismissed them “for proper reasons.” To add to your enjoyment, 55% of those polled also believe Bush is refusing to allow top aide Karl “President” Rove and other White House aides to testify under oath “because he’s trying to cover up the reasons for the firings” and not, as he repeatedly has said, because he “wants to preserve the Constitution’s separation of powers…” (Game over man… game over…)

Heckle: to the question of whether the Justice Department and the White House worked together to mislead Congress in AttorneyGate. (I vote ‘yes’)

Applaud: to not buying it. House Minority Leader John Boehner was booed earlier this week by members attending the AFL-CIO’s Building & Construction Trades Department’s legislative forum for saying the United States needs to fight the war in Iraq or face terror attacks at home. “Who doesn’t believe that if we just pull out of Iraq and come home that the terrorists won’t follow us here and we’ll be fighting them on the streets of America?” (Well… apparently most in the crowd don’t believe that ridiculous reason Mr. Boner… get a clue)

This week’s Wing-Nut Tool of the Week is: Rush Limbaugh. Essentially, Limbaugh said this week that Bush shouldn’t fire Gonzales, despite the fact he’s incompetent, because winning elections is much more important. Said Limbaugh: “I’m at a loss to understand why it is that even some people on our side and the conservative media think throwing Gonzales away is going to stop this. Now, they’ll say, “Well, that’s not what we’re trying to do. We want competence. We are conservatives, and we have high values, and high standards.” This is a battle going on here. There’s an election that’s going to hinge on stuff like this, and everybody the administration throws overboard is a tantamount admission to people that pay scant attention to politics there’s all kinds of corruption going on in there.” The man Al Franken likes to call a ‘Big Fat Idiot’ went on to say “USA Today’s got a poll: ‘Do you think something’s wrong about the firing of eight US attorneys?’ 72% said yes. 72% of the American people, a bunch of blithering idiots who have no idea what they’re talking about, but yet they voted, so these polls matter.” (Do I even need to say it? Ok, I will; What. A. Tool.)

And finally… the week that was in the 2008 Preznit race. On the left; Edwards told people not to vote for him because of sympathy or compassion for his wife’s cancer & is enjoying his status as the most wired-in candidate… Clinton tried to lay a smackdown on McCain & enjoyed a lengthened lead in Pennsylvania … Obama received an endorsement from George Clooney (so?) & chatted it up with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. On the right: Romney threw out some possible VP names (including Jeb Bush – EVERYONE PANIC!!!!)… Giuliani says he would want his (3^rd) wife Judith to sit-in on Cabinet meetings should he become President & showed that he can flip-flop with the best of them… McCain had to defend himself from accusations that he almost left the republican party & tried to persuade people that the Iraq war is changing… and a newcomer to the bunch, with Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) set to announce his bid for president on Monday in Iowa (I join everyone when I say; ‘Who?’)

And we all know that 2008 may see us elect the first female or first minority president, but have you considered this earth-shattering question from heavyweight Fox “News”: Are we ready for our first bald president in modern times? (That’s some damn-find reporting there Fox… don’t tax your “journalistic” abilities TOO much… give me strength )

Take ‘em as you will…

The Weekly Rewind

It’s that time again… The. Weekly. Rewind… but before we begin, some changes are coming here at TBWA… a new look and… well, really that’s it… but isn’t that exciting enough???

Well... it is for Scott and I…

So in the next few days you can expect to see some changes here, but we’ll still be doing our thing, that will never change…

You may all read in awe… or mass indifference… whichever you prefer.

Applaud: to knowing how to make our point. Liberal leftwing blogs are more likely to use profanity than conservative rightwing blogs by a ratio of 18 to one. To that I say, effin’ a!!!

Heckle: to porous reasoning. Vice President Dick “Dick” Cheney said earlier this week that a “too-soon withdrawal” from Iraq could make the war in Afghanistan worse. (Actually, what I think could make that war worse is pulling troops out of there to escalate the war in Iraq, but that’s neither here nor there. The real reason for this heckle is the fear campaign that this administration is waging once again… give it up Dick. It hasn’t worked in the past; I doubt it will work now…)

Applaud: to the jury at the Scooter Libby trial, who are expectd to deliberate into next week, as they’re progressing in the trial and getting the weekend off… they’ve asked the judge for a plethora of office supplies which they’ve received, but were denied a dictionary. So far, save for one, they’ve all done what they had been instructed to do, let’s hope it continues and in the end someone from this administration is sent to jail… at least until Bush pardons them at the end of his term… which can NOT come soon enough.

Heckle: to censorship. According to an article in the Army Times, soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Medical Hold Unit say they have been told that they must not speak to the media. Soldiers said an official told them that “they must follow their chain of command when asking for help with their medical evaluation paperwork, or when they spot mold, mice or other problems in their quarters.”Army Military reporter James Crawley says yesterday’s Army Times revelation “that Walter Reed patients had been barred from speaking with reporters is not the first case of tightened restrictions. In recent months, he says several MRE members have reported similar crackdowns. What’s worse, many of the denials are apparently in reaction to the potential negativity of a planned story.”

Applaud: to (finally!) trying to get something done in Iraq. House Democratic leaders have (finally!) agreed to legislation that would require troops to come home from Iraq within six months if the country’s leaders don’t help reduce violence there. “The plan would retain a Democratic proposal prohibiting the deployment to Iraq of troops with insufficient rest or training or who already have served there for more than a year. Under the plan, such troops could only be sent to Iraq if President Bush waives those standards and reports to Congress each time.”

Heckle: to the fact that close to “90% of National Guard units in the US are rated “not ready” because of escalation issues, budget costs and supply shortfalls and are jeopardizing their ability to respond to crises at home and abroad… but this administration is all about keeping us as a nation safe… yes Virgina, I am being sarcastic…

Applaud: to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) for this quote: “You can’t catch a socially transmitted disease by sitting down with people who hold ideas that are different than yours.” (very well said Governor… very well said… I don’t know what’s more surprising; that I’m applauding Gov. Schwarzenegger or saying that he said something well?)

Heckle: to really bad intel. For five years, the Bush(whacked) Administration has pointed fingers at North Korea and accused them of developing enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb, straining tensions with a country that we should not be straining relationships with. We cut off aid to the country and they responded by throwing out international inspectors, building up their plutonium arsenal and producing a nuke. Now comes word that the administration is admitting (albeit very, very VERY quietly) that its intelligence may have been faulty… (Allow me to give my shocked face at this bit of news… One has to think, had the U.S. not so loudly accused them of enriching uranium, would they have become so hell-bent on creating a Nuke? One (with a brain) would have to think the answer would be ‘no.’ Kim Jong Ill is crazy… but he’s not mad)

Applaud: that the number of female politicians around the world is currently at 17%, which is an increase of 6 percentage points in the last decade. (I perceive this as good news, though my brother would say; ‘Someone didn’t show-up for work today…’ Emails can be sent to…)

Heckle: to the media. When Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama says “We have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted,” we get a media firestorm… when republican presidential candidate John McCain says “We've wasted a lot of our most precious treasure, which is American lives,” we get nothing… we get crickets chirping and tumbleweeds tumbling down the street. Here’s some advice. YOU, the media, does not pick the president, the American people do. Why don’t you report on both parties with equality and let US decide… fuckin’ media idiots…

Applaud: to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who said earlier this week that he would support legislation by Sen. James Webb (D-VA) that would bar a “U.S. attack on Iran” unless Congress gave “President” Bush a green light. (As has become a common saying on this site; I’ll believe it when I see it…)

Heckle: to more moronic quotes from White House spokesman Tony “Job of” Snow. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (New motto: We Hate Everyone) Snow said that the Bush Administration “didn't create the war in Iraq.” (and Tony will admit to smoking crack when?)

Applaud: to Ambassador Tim Carney, one of the U.S. coordinators for Iraq’s reconstruction, was interviewed on NPR earlier this week. During the interview, he said that the post-war decision to exclude Iraqis from governing the country was “incompetent, foolish, dubious in all of its aspects.” (Nice… always happy to see people tell the truth about the incompetent handling of the war and its aftermath. It should also be known that the White House shipped out Carney to Baghdad recently so they could avoid his testimony before a congressional committee and not be able to give interviews … oops, guess the administration forgot that in this day and age, interviews don’t have to be done on-site…)

<Heckle: to “President” Bush and his budget cuts. Despite 84% supporting the expansion of the Childrens’ Health Insurance Program so it covers all uninsured children, Bush has proposed cutting funding for the program. Add to that the fact that 56% of Americans think the federal government has a responsibility to provide health care for all… (And yet… nothing is happening. He talked big about it during the SOTU, but since then – nothing. Smoke and mirrors only work if you’re good at it George…and you and your administration are NOT good at it)

Applaud: to the administration being proven wrong… again. Earlier this week, U.S. officials displayed bombmaking parts that were said to have been transported by Iran into Iraq. The problem was the cache of arms included boxes that appeared to contain shipments of tubes that came directly from factories in the Middle East and, well, none of them in Iran… (That has to be like, what, strike 22 for proving Iran is behind the insurgency in Iraq?? Give it up guys… ya ain’t gonna be able to tie them together…)

Heckle: to, once again, “President” Bush. This one is for stating his intention to veto a “broad counterterrorism bill” that would implement many of the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission. (The man is a tool. Do you want to know why he wants to veto it? Because the legislation would extend union protection to 45,000 federal airport screeners… and heaven knows we can’t have that…)

Applaud: to the House for passing, with a vote of 241-185, the Employee Free Choice Act, thus making it easier for workers to organize while at the same time establishing stronger penalties for employers who intimidate workers. A similar bill will be intro’d in the Senate by Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) within the next few weeks. (republicans must hate this Act since it will make it easier to create their horror of horrors… unions)

And finally… a recap of this week’s happenings regarding the 2008 Presidential race… African-Americans are starting to swing to Obama, Clinton forgot to include a family-charity on Senate disclosure forms… Edwards is learning that you don’t always speak the truth on the stump… Edwards is unsure about public money should he win the nom…and Vilsack is still bitter about having to drop out. On the republican side Romney smeared Giuliani on “The 700 Club” (Yeah, but HE was on 700 Club)… Giuliani reaffirms his core beliefs (and yes, they are conservative beliefs)… Romney’s campaign tries to cover-up a leaked strategy memo… Huckabee is still trying to showcase himself as a real candidate (Good luck)… ditto for Hunter… and McCain officially announced his candidacy while still pandering to anyone who will listen.

Take ‘em as you will...

The Weekly Rewind

It’s that time again… Friday… and you no what that means…

No, not the early bird special at the Sizzler…

It’s time for The Weekly Rewind.

It’s been an interesting week, with rhetoric debate about the Iraq escalation plan, an attempt to get bailed out of another war, and so much crap about Anna Nicole Smith that every time I hear the latest item about her, I die a little inside…

Here we go…

Applaud: to defections. More and more republicans are coming down in favor of the Democrat-led escalation resolution, and not all of them are in danger of being unseated.. meaning that some of them are, ohmhgod, voting their conscience… quick, call Hell to see if it’s frozen over…

Heckle: to utter, unbiased, unadulterated stupidity. Just when you think republicans have said the craziest thing you’ve ever heard, they surprise you. The chairman of the Texas House Appropriations Committee, Warren Chisum, doesn't believe that the earth revolves around the sun, Yes, you read that right; a grown man who doesn’t believe that the earth revolves around the sun so much that he distributed a memo pitching the website of, evidently, bat-shit crazed wingers, who believe the earth doesn't spin on its axis or revolves around the Sun yet stands still… and just when you think it couldn’t get any better, you then find out that this group believes that Copernicus was part of a Jewish conspiracy to undermine the Old Testament… you can’t write shit like this I’m telling ya. It would be hilarious if it weren’t true…

Applauds: to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). Earlier this week she “strongly endorsed binding legislation” that would require the Bush(whacked) Administration to seek congressional authorization even before the thought of military strikes on Iran enters their collective minds… (oops, too late…). Now she’s tied her support for Dubya’s war-funding request into strict standards of training, equipping and resting combat forces. (I think it would be safe to say that Ms. Pelosi has larger balls than her predecessor, Dennis Hastert, ever did…unfortunately, I still have doubts that Congress will be able to stop Bush from doing anything he wants to do… he’s really like an over-aged frat-boy in that regard…)

Heckle: to incredibly unrealistic assumptions and piss-poor analysis. According to documents that have just been releasd, the U.S. Central Command’s original war plan for invading Iraq “postulated in August 2002 that the U.S. would have only 5,000 troops left in Iraq as of December 2006.” (Uh, yeah… I think we’re a little off the mark on that one. 5,000 troops LEFT in Iraq, and here we are, February 2007 and we’re getting ready to send 20,000+ additional troops over there. All you people out there who defended this administration’s war-planning strategy still want to defend it??? Didn’t think so…)

Applaud: to the House Ccommittee on Government Reform for unanimously passing strong new whistle-blower protections, thus ensuring court reviews of whistle blower complaints and extending protection “for the first time to the F.B.I. and to intelligence agencies where wastefulness is draped in secrecy.

Heckle: to hookers at the point… or maybe more appropriately; hookers at the Come-on-I-wanna-lay-ya. In a 25-count indictment disclosed yesterday against Defense contractor Brent Wilkes shows he was able to boondogle a plethora of Pentagon contracts by giving then-Rep. Duke Cunningham, besides cash, a prostitute on August 15, 2003 and, at the Congressman’s request, a different prostitute for the second evening, on August 16th… (First of all; eeeewww… second of all; eeewww again… third; is this what they mean by ‘poleing the electorate’?)

Applaud: to the power of Progressive Blogs. Earlier this week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) launched a new blog (named The Gavel). Later in the week, a group of conservative House members issued a release claiming Pelosi had “violated copyright and trademark law” by “using pirated content” from C-SPAN, suggesting that “the Speaker bring the gavel down on ‘the Gavel Blog.’” (Naturally, within hours, the group who led the charge learned that their legal analysis was stupid idiotic petty wrong and retracted their complaint… Nice way to show that bi-partisanship you were all crowing about before the session began. And it also makes you wonder what exactly this group of conservatives didn’t want peopl to see. Dumb. Asses.)

Heckle: to lowering your standards. The number of waivers that the Army has granted to recruits with criminal backgrounds has grown 65% in the last three years… (Meaning, once they shoot the enemy, they then take their wallets…)

Applaud: to the end of the Scooter Libby case. Scooter Libby’s defense team has rested. Now, with Libby having decided to not testify himself, it’s over… and all paths lead to the White House. Now we just have to wait to see whose path it leads to…

Heckle: to dumbing down your comments. During the House’s Iraq debate, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) explained her support for sending tens of thousands of U.S. forces to Iraq with language you would usually only hear in a trailer park:

“In the South, we have a wonderful saying and it goes like this: Get ‘er done. Our soldiers want to get it done and come home, and our President wants the same thing, and this Congress should demand the exact same thing. Let’s get out there and get ‘er done.’

Come on now,that has to be an impeachable offense, right?? Saying something as inane as that on the floor of the House of Representatives… what’s next? You might be a redneck…

Applaud: to more gop dominoes falling. Governor Jim Gibbons (R-NV) is being investigated by the FBI for failing to report gifts from a military contractor that he received while he was a member of Congress… (no word if hookers were involved or not…)

Heckle: to quoting quotes that aren’t actual quotes from the person you’re quoting… During yesterday's House debate on Iraq escalation, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) repeated a misquoted quote from Abraham Lincoln, a “quote” that was used in a Washington Times op-ed piece by Frank Gaffney. Disregarding the fact that the quote was never delivered by Lincoln, a point which Gaffney admits, Young is refusing to retract his statement and using the toddler-like excuse that the paper hasn't printed a correction yet either… (Usually I would use this space to say something akin to; What. A. Tool. But for this one, I prefer; what. A. Child. Grow up, Representative… grow up…)

Applaud: to the news that, for now, North Korea has agreed to nuclear disarmament… does that mean we can stop panicking? Probably not, it is Kim Jong Ill we’re talking about here, and he’s more bi-polar than... well... anyone...

Heckle: to Michelle Malkin. Just because I can…

Applaud: to the American public. A USA Today/Gallup poll finds 63% of Americans want all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2008…

Heckle: to delusions of grandeur. WaPo Op-Ed columnist David Broder says President Bush is poised for a political comeback… Uh…. Okay… Let me ask you Mr. Broder; what color is the sky in your world?

Applaud: to the Fark poltical headline of the week. “"Leadership" issue plays to Giuliani's strength. "Not sticking your weener in other women while still married" issue plays to his weakness”

Heckle: to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Earlier this week he said that he’s extremely concerned about the possibility of a “Tet Offensive” in Iraq that would “switch American public opinion the way that the Tet Offensive did” during Vietnam… (Uh… Senator… more than two-thirds of Americans already oppose the war… what more do you want??)

And finally…

Half-Hearted Applaud: to the House of Representatives for “rebuking” Bush on his troop-escalation plan (246 for, 182 against). Why is this a half-hearted applaud you ask? Because it amounts to less than a slap on the wrist and won’t stop Bush from doing a damn thing. But, I suppose, it’s better than nothing… but not by much. For those of you who want to see it, here’s the text of the resolution:

Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That—
(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq; and
(2) Congress disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.

Tomorrow, the Senate votes, and at least four GOP Senators (Smith, Warner, Snowe, and Collins) have said they will switch sides and back the Democratic-led resolution.

All I have, take ‘em as you will and have a good weekend.

The Weekly Rewind

No glitz… no spin… no flashy intro… just a simple ‘Here ya go, help yourself to this week’s Weekly Rewind.’

Applaud: to all the delicious tidbits being strewn about in the Scooter Libby trial. VP Dick Cheney’s former communications director showed notes that detail how Cheney “could respond to allegations that the Bush administration had played fast and loose with evidence of Iraq’s nuclear ambitions,” OR how former Associate CIA Deputy Director Robert Grenier testified that he told Libby that Valerie Plame worked at the CIA in June 2003 (a month before Libby claimed to have learned that information), OR any of the other nifty little items that have, or will be, come out. (Good stuff… good times…)

Heckle: to the State of the Union address… no particular part mind you, really the whole damn thing… it was just one big heaping load of crap…

Applaud: to Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI). The shiny-new chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, has scheduled a hearing to explore whether or not Congress has the authority to cut off funding for the war in Iraq. (It’s nice and refreshing to see someone actually do something about the “surge” and not just throw rhetoric to the wind about it. Way to go Senator Feingold!)

Applaud: to the Congressional Budget Office for popping Dubya’s bubble. The CBO says that y that “President” Bush can “balance the budget within five years, or he can get Congress to extend his tax cuts beyond their scheduled expiration — but he can’t do both.” (Almost a political equivalent to a good ol’ fashioned knee in the groin, isn’t it? Could Dubya be any more of a lame duck?)

Heckle: to an inactive Parliament. As insurgency attacks have grown, the Iraqi Parliament “has been at a standstill” with almost every session being adjourned because so few members make it into work,. Officials fear that the members were and are “losing confidence in the institution.” (Excellent, I’m sure the troop escalation will be just what the doctor ordered and will help immensely. As I’ve always said; sarcasm is so hard to express in the written word)

Applaud: to over-analysis of this past week’s SOTU. According to this interactive graph from the New York Times, Bush used the word Iraq 37 times in his State of the Union and the word “freedom” just three times. (And yet absolutely no mention of Hurricane Katrina… hmmm, interesting. HT to Thinkprogress.org for the link)

Heckle: to “President” Bush for stating in an interview with USA Today, that he “can’t guarantee that all U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the end of his presidency because ‘we don’t set timetables.” (I’m sorry… you don’t do what? Set timetables?? Are you fuc**** kidding me?? That’s all your administration does is set timetables. So instead of fessing up that you screwed-up big time, you’re gonna leave a nice mess for the next president to clean up?? Mark my words, doing that will tarnish his already-hazy legacy even more. What. A. Tool.)

Applaud: to the Washington Post (did I just write that??). In the SOTU, Bush said he wasn’t the U.S. to reduce “U.S. gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years.” All fine and good, right. Wrong. The Washington Post looks at the fine print in really small letters and finds that the administration says that the goal is 20% below projected annual gasoline usage and not based off today’s levels.” What does that mean? It means that carbon dioxide emissions from transportation fuels will “drop only slightly from today’s levels” (Rhetoric is as rhetoric does…)

Heckle: to the news that the Taliban (Yes, that Taliban) plans to open its own schools in areas of southern Afghanistan that are under its control. (Words coming from the White Hosue: ‘Taliban? What Taliban? Afghanistan? What Afghanistan?” I swear, this administration has to be the most inept group of idiots to ever be in charge of anything, ever!)

Applaud: to former VP Al Gore and his Oscar nomination in the Best Documentary category for “An Inconvenient Truth”

Heckle: to conservatives in the Senate that blocked legislation to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25. They insisted that it “include new tax breaks” for restaurants and other businesses.

Applaud: to polling data. New approval numbrs are out, new approval numbers are out! AWashington Post-ABC poll puts him at 33%, CNN/Opinion Research has him at 34% and a CBS poll shows yet another record low with a 28% approval. (Nothing I say could improve on the beauty of the numbers themselves…)

Heckle: to even more putting of foot into mouth by “President” Bush. Despite getting ridiculed after he labeled himself ‘The Decider’, Dubya is up to naming himself again… Currently on a collision course with Congress over the troop escalation, Bush said today; “I'm the decision-maker” about sending more troops to the war. (It would be funny if he didn’t actually say it… but he did. This man just does not get it. And it’s also good to know he’s able to ignore all those checks and balances things that our forefathers thought of. Idiot.)

Applaud: for dis-proving any true evidence of Iran’s links to the insurgency in Iraq. According to the LA Times, “evidence of Iranian involvement in Iraq’s troubles is limited.” While U.S. troops have found mortars and antitank mines with Iranian markings dated 2006… there’s been “little sign of more advanced weaponry crossing the border, and no Iranian agents have been found.” (Good news to see there isn’t any real evidence of Iran’s involvement, bad news that real evidence doesn’t mean a damn thing to the man in the oval office. Everybody panic…)

Heckle: to Fox “News” host Sean Hannity. In an interview with former Presidential candidate and retired 4-Star General Wesley Clark, the idiotic host had the audacity to essentially claim that Clark doesn’t know much about military strategy. What an asshat…

Heckle: to news stories that really shouldn’t catch anyone by surprise. It seems that Diebold voting machines have a key (a key that can open every single Diebold machine by the way) that can be copied from a photo on the company's website. (Lovely… and this is a surprise… how?)

Heckle: to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who apparently is a cheap date. Come on Blago, hows about making job buying a little more pricey of a proposition…

That's all I have, take 'em as you will...