Benchmarks? What benchmarks?

Hat tip to Barbin at Daily Kos for pointing me to this tasty tidbit that I read shortly after hearing about yet another former Bush/Iraq war supporter abandoning the president, Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM), and calling for a withdrawal timeline…

Way back in January when “President” Bush announced his “surge” strategy (and I use that term very loosely), he said that one of the benchmarks (though he didn’t use that word) of success would be the time that the Iraqi government (I use that term very loosely) passed legislation regarding oil revenue sharing.

Said Bush: “To give every Iraqi citizen a stake in the country's economy, Iraq will pass legislation to share oil revenues among all Iraqis.”

Spiffy, huh?

Bush didn’t stop spewing this crap in January…

February: “They're in the process of finalizing a law that will allow for the sharing of all revenues among Iraq's peoples...making it clear to the Iraqi people that they have a stake in the future of their country by having a stake in the oil revenues.”

March: “As we help the Iraqis secure their capital, their leaders are also beginning to meet the benchmarks they have laid out for political reconciliation. Last month, Iraq's Council of Ministers approved a law that would share oil revenues among Iraqi people.”

Hmmmmmm…

April: “The Council of Ministers recently approved legislation that would provide a framework for an equitable sharing of oil resources…”

Okaaaaayyyyyy…

May: “The council of ministers has approved legislation that would provide a framework for equitable sharing of oil resources. We strongly believe...that a good oil bill will help unite the country.”

Wait a second, something’s amiss here…

June: “At home, most of the attention has focused on important pieces of legislation that the Iraqi Parliament must pass to foster political reconciliation -- including laws to share oil revenues...I speak to the Prime Minister and I speak to the Presidency Council quite often, and I remind them we expect the government to function, and to pass law.”

Did I just sense a change in tone there??? I think I did…

Two days ago, WH mouthpiece Tony “Rhymes with Blog” Snow announced that the “President”: “...had phone calls with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the three members...They do report that they have now transmitted to the council of representatives, their legislature, the oil law, and are hoping quite soon to have a related piece of legislation, one that has to deal with the distribution of oil and hydrocarbon revenues, before the legislature quite soon.”



Quite soon huh? Well, many not as 'quite soon’ lasted until yesterday when attempts to pass a key oil law were snarled once again by vast differences among Iraq's Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish leaders, thereby delaying any debate about the issue even though PM al-Maliki had claimed a breakthrough.

And it wasn’t a minor glitch that stalled the legislation but rather a fatwa (religious edict) issued by a Sunni organization that said the bill was “religously forbidden.”

Oh, and the Kurds also objected...

As did the Shiites...

Yessirre… getting an oil revenue sharing law passed should be a cinch right?

And when it’s passed… the violence will end as well, right?



Right????

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…

And the dominoes continue to fall...

2 Update belows

For years the republican mantra about the Iraq war has been “a few more months.” Such as ‘a few more months is all we need for victory’ or ‘a few more months is all the Iraqi people need to create a working government’ or ‘a few more months is all the Iraqi government needs to be effective.’

Well… it’s beginning to look as though the current “few more months” will be ending this fall.

William F. Buckley, George Will & David Brooks sounded the trumpet last week… then came the LA Times Editorial board…then came House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) this past weekend… then Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR)… then Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) then Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)…

Now it’s Senate republican Whip Trent Lott (R-MS) who is declaring that the war in Iraq is on a short rope within the republican party.

Lott says President Bush's new strategy in Iraq has until September before gop members will need to see results.

Lott’s comment echoed remarks made this past weekend by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)… which are all signs that republican’s have limited patience on the war.

Said Lott: “I do think this fall we have to see some significant changes on the ground, in Baghdad and other surrounding areas.”

(Welcome to the evident point that was well known to everyone with their own brain months ago Mr. Lott)

However, in true republican flip-flop fashion, Lott declined to say what he thinks should happen if Congress doesn’t see improvement in the situation by then, leaving an opening for him and every other republican to backpedal.

Despite that, it’s clear that Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle are giving “President” Bush a few more months to show that the war has (finally) turned a corner… and it’s also relatively clear that September is beginning to look more and more like that decisive month.

That sucking sound you hear is the wind being taken out of the White House sails by upper-echelon conservatives.

Add to that ever-growing list the fact that Kevin Drum of The Washington Monthly believes that there is a “handful” of more moderate republicans who are also thinking about abandoning Bush… plus, Senate Democrats have compiled a list of other republicans that have been opining similar comments.
Wait a minute… are these some of the same republicans that bashed Harry Reid for what they, at the time, said was an all-to-quick prognosis of failure of the war??? Are they now covering their asses hedging their bets?

My one word answer: Yup.

What’s happening now is that they are not only trying to save face, but they are also trying to avoid another election smackdown at the polls in 2008… and 2009… and 2010… and, well, you get the idea.

So in trying to save face they’ve assigned September as the month in which things have to change by, and the reasoning behind September is primarily because that was the month that Gen. David Petraeus, the commanding general in Iraq, has said he would have a handle on whether the current troop increase surge escalation was having a positive “political progress” impact on the war or not.

(Remember that Bush’s supposedly primary purpose of the escalation was to assuage anxiety in Baghdad so some kind of political progress could occur)

Additionally, fiscal 2008 starts October 1st and (most members of) Congress would like to rein in war spending for the new fiscal year.

Granted, we’ve heard similar things before… but this; this could be the real deal.

In September, Petraeus will deliver his progress report, and many people already seem to know what it will say… that progress is being made on the ground… but political progress is a whole different kettle of fish, especially since, as of right now, there is virtually no positive signs that the political process is getting any better.

And in an effort to head the republicans off at the pass, the Democrats need to outline a definition of “progress” now before the Bush(whacked) Administration has a chance to do it and, as is the custom and trademark of this administration, dumb it down. And in my opinion, “progress” will have to mean the disarming of militias, suppressing a wide swath of sectarian violence, the sharing of oil revenue, and so on… anything less than that will be (more of) a failure.

And one has to think that what we know now and what we expect, failure is what we will be seeing in September.

So it’s all settled in the republican party now, right? September will might will might will might will be the end of the president’s Iraq policy…

Maybe… Stay tuned…

Update 1: Then again... maybe not September. The Pentagon announced late yesterday (Tuesday) that 35,000 soldiers in 10 Army combat brigades will start to deploy to Iraq this August, which would make it possible to sustain the escalation until the end of this year at the least. (Once again, ignoring the will of not only the American people and Democrats but quite a few conservatives, the Bush(whacked) Administration is doing whatever the hell they want… way to be the ‘people’s government’ there guys… or should I say ‘boys’…)

Update 2: More coming out about this as Craig Crawford of CQPolitics.com thinks this sudden surge of Septemberitis is a rope-a-dope by a handful of republicans;

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., among others in their party, are now settling upon September as a deadline. But the White House might be preparing the way for another “ropa dope” of Congress. Yesterday the Pentagon announced that another 35,000 troops were notified that they are likely to be heading to Iraq by December. That suggests that, come September, the White House will be asking for a reprieve until the end of the year — and possibly beyond.

Stay tuned…

So you say you want a resolution an ultimatum?

“President” Bush is planning to invite Congressional leaders from both parties to the White House for milk and cookies to try and resolve the Iraq War funding stalemate.

The only problem is that it doesn’t really look to be much of an attempt at a resolution but rather the throw-down of an ultimatum as Bush made it clear that he would not change his position opposing troop withdrawals.

Said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino; “President Bush will invite Democrats to the White House to discuss their standoff over a war-funding bill, but he will not budge from his opposition to troop-withdrawal deadlines in Iraq.”

Lovely…

When a reporter asked her why lawmakers should even attend a meeting that already has rules of no negotiation attached Perino replied, “Maybe they need to hear again from the president about why he thinks it is foolish to set arbitrary timetables for withdrawal.”

In other words, Bush is going to act like the spoiled little brat that he is and pout and shout until he either gets his way or takes his ball and goes home…

But Bush better be careful, as this is not the gop-controlled parents congress that let him do any damn thing he wanted…
Enter Senator Harry Reid; “Iraqi leaders are not willing to take the political risk of governing their own country. That must change. That's what Congress is demanding. That is what the American people, by a large majority, demand. And the president should be leading us in that direction, not threatening to veto funding for our troops unless we rubber stamp his flawed plan.”

And Reid has a strong point there as the American people overwhelmingly support a change in direction for the Iraq Conflict. According to an April 2-4 AP/IPSOS poll that showed 64% of those polled “Disapprove” of how George Bush has handled the war in Iraq, 59% feel that going to war with Iraq was “A Mistake” and 50% saying the war is “Hopeless”…

During all of this, Bush is trying to increase pressure on the Democrats by playing a pathetic game of trying to shift blame to the Democrats by touting that funds will be cut off and the troops will be the ones to suffer…

Never mind the fact that there IS adequate funding for the occupation until July… (a fact that is backed-up by the Congressional Research Service, whose report shows that our troops have plenty of funds for the next few months)… never mind the fact that the Pentagon can shift funds as needed… and never mind the fact that the previous republican Congress took 118 days to pass a supplemental request, he's trying to create a false sense of urgency, and it’s now been…

... carry the two…...

... 57 days since Bush requested the latest supplemental funding bill and the Democratic Congress passed it.

It’s painfully clear that Bush is attempting to increase pressure on the Democrats and to force them to move, meaning a final decision on exactly what direction the U.S. will take in Iraq may be decided very, very soon.

The only question is will it follow the path that a majority of American’s want, more responsibility from Iraq and a timetable for U.S. withdrawal? Or will the President gather up his toys and go home?

Stay tuned…

Remind me again… who cares more for the military?

We’ve heard it before… ‘Liberals don’t care about the military, the conservatives do.’

‘Democrats are out to undermine our military while republicans look to strengthen it…’

I have two words to say to that;

Bull.

Shit.

Ignoring the outrageous costs of this occupation war, this quagmire is also on the verge of decimating our military.

The AP is reporting that for the second time since the war began, the Army is sending large units back to Iraq without giving them the mandate year off at home, a move that shows just how thinly stretched our fighting forces have become.

As a general rule, the Army tries not to shorten troops' U.S. time, but this time they had.said a senior Army official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Obviously right now the Army is stretched," the official said.

And the planning isn't getting any better…

While “President” Bush has stated that the escalation is working, defense officials and military leaders have been disagreeing over just how long it will take to determine if this buildup is working…

For instance, Major General William Caldwell, the military's chief spokesman in Iraq, has stated that commanders won't know until autumn, at the least, if the escalation worked and if the military could then begin to bring troop levels back down.

This came a day before Defense Secretary Robert “Don’t call me Donald” Gates told a congressional committee that he was disturbed to hear that comment, and he said commanders should be able to make the evaluation by summer…

How about we all get on the same page guys…

But I’m straying from the topic of this post.
Let’s face facts; Bush and his minions are not only sending sick and injured troops back to Iraq, but they’re also sending troops that haven't received the requisite leave. The damage being done to our armed forces (and ultimately to our national security) has a high probability of being felt for years and years to come… and it’s an at that is no more a show of support for the troops than vetoing the funding bill that Congress has given to him.

And yet he has the audacity to claim that Congressional Democrats (and all Democrats/Liberals in his eyes) don’t support the troops all the while ignoring the fact that Salon.com has uncovered even more evidence that the military, in a desperate move to fill its ranks for “President” Bush’s escalation plans, are sending soldiers with “acute post-traumatic stress disorder, severe back injuries and other serious war wounds back to Iraq.”

Anyone with a brain could see the irony in that…but since we’re talking about George W. Bush… I doubt he ever will…

And that’s just sad…

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…

Can we talk about facts again?

The Bush(whacked) administration supports the troops, and the Liberals don’t support the troops because they’re the ones trying to get the troops OUT of Iraq…

At least that’s the way the fuzzy-logic works with this administrtion.

Two things in the last few days are perfect examples of how much this administration “supports”the troops…

First, from the Associated Press comes word that two Army combat brigades are skipping the usual desert training session. Essentially the troops are being rushed into service by Bush's decision to escalate, thus not giving them the opportunity to train at the premier Desert-training range in California and instead will make their final preparations at their home bases… what this means is the troops will be forgoing training in a desert setting that was designed specifically to prepare troops for the challenges they’ll face in Iraq and instead will end their training without going through any desert drills.

Nice… nothing like on the job training that could kill…

The other example is the fact that close to 90% of Army National Guard Units are rated “not ready” because of shortfalls in billions of dollars worth of equipment. Thus jeopardizing their ability to respond to crises at home and abroad.

Why don’t they have the equipment? Because Bush has the military so-thinned out, that the supplies and equipment can’t be made, ordered, shipped quick enough… and this has been going on since the war started; witnessed by accounts of soldiers not having the proper equipment (body armor, socks, etc) who then have to result to either buying the gear themselves or relying on people at home to send it to them. Or the widely known item that a lot of the military vehicles being used don’t have the proper armor plating installed.

And yet it’s Liberals who don’t support and care for our troops… how incredibly inane is that sentiment?

This administration has often shown its discourse for the people in the military… they don’t mind using it to erase past mistakes of daddy… but they don’t dare support or help the troops themselves.

And it’s not like I’m being facitous, there’s plenty of evidence to support this; witness the deplorable conditions at Walter Reed… or the Bush(whacked) Administration not allowing a disabled Vet appear at a White House media function because they didn’t want the media to see his legs had been blown off in Iraq.

And yet it’s Liberals who don’t support and care for our troops because we want to get them out of Iraq…

The media needs to stop feeding the beast that Liberals are against the troops and conservatives are for them…

It’s the exact opposite…

Let's talk about wars...

The Dog and Pony show that is the House of Representatives’ Debate on Iraq escalation continues, and now we’re seeing republicans jumping sides and coming out against Bush’s Iraq escalation plan (but NOT the President himself… go figure) in droves.

How many rethugspublicans are going to jump you ask? One particular republican lawmaker stated that the gop house leadership has 50 to 60 republicans on their watch list and are expecting anywhere between 40 and 60 to switch sides by the time the debating ends tomorrow.

Will this actually do anything?

I doubt it.

Let’s be honest, “President” Bush doesn’t listen to anyone but his cadre of cronies (Cheney, Rice, Rove, et al) while blatantly ignoring the will of the American people, the will of Congress, and the will of other world leaders. He wants what he wants, and he doesn’t seem to care how he achieves that… So why would the escalation in Iraq be any different?

(Come to think of it, why should we expect this administration’s dealings with Iran to be any different?? I really need to get back to work on that bomb shelter…)

And while we’re on the subject of failed wars, let me use this space to talk about a speech Bush gave this morning. In the speech, he declared the war in Afghanistan as a success… apparently ignoring the facts that we never caught bin Laden (even though we know for a fact he was there), the Taliban are enjoying a nice resurgence in the country, and the plans we had in mind for the country (ya know, like being able to read a book without fear of retribution) have gone the way of the Dodo.

Because of this, the “President” has released his much-less ballyhooed Afghanistan escalation plan…

Let me see if I have this straight… Bush royally fucks-up screws-up the war in Afghanistan by turning his feeble mind and ever-decreasing attention span to erasing his Daddy’s failures, namely Iraq & Saddam Hussein. He does this even though (and there is proof out there) the U.S. not only had the Taliban on the run, but Osama bin Laden and Al Qaida on the run as well.

Fast forward five years… he’s screwed up two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan (the latter being the true “war-on-terror” battleground) and now he’s saying, nee – demanding – that other NATO countries help us out by sending troops to Afghanistan stating in his speech at the American Enterprise Institute

“When our commanders on the ground say to our respective countries ‘We need additional help,’ our NATO countries must provide it.”

They "must" provide it… do you really want to go there Dubya? Saying they “must” provide help? Even your staunchest allies in Europe have washed their hands of you and you’re going to have the audacity to demand they provide troops???

Do you even know who your friends are anymore?

Do you even know what the hell you’re doing anymore??

Random Political Thoughts

Wednesday… I’ve shoveled myself out and now have a walking path, so here you go with this week’s Random Political Thoughts…

Remembering Dead Eye Dick. It was one year ago this week that Vice President Dick “Dead Eye” Cheney “accidentally” shot his “friend” and lawyer Harry Whittington. (And he still can’t escape it. Cheney is scheduled to go fly-fishing this month in Tasmania. Someone, with a sense of humor like yours truly, wrote to the local newspaper, “Please assure us that Dick Cheney is coming to Tasmania to fish and not to shoot.” When you start getting heckled by Tasmanian newspapers, you know you’ve become a laughing stock…)

Prisoner 24601. The number of waivers granted to Army recruits that have criminal backgrounds has skyrocketed to 8,129 in 2006, drastically up from 4,918 in 2003. That’s about a 65% increase in the last three years… (Yeah… this should end well…)

Poll, polls and more polls. A new USA Today poll shows that 63% of Americans want all U.S. troops home from Iraq by the end of 2008. A CBS poll shows 63% of the public disapproves of the President’s escalation. (All these numbers and Congress can’t find the balls to debate, much less intervene, about the escalation… all the while the White House ignores, once again, the will of the people. I’ve said it before here, and I’ll say it again. January 2009 can NOT come soon enough…)

It Was Only a Matter of Time. Looking for love and afraid that the person you might find will not be Mr. Rright, but instead will be Mr. Left? Worry no more as political matchmaking sites are springing up faster than Anna Nicole Smith memento’s on eBay. ActForLove.org will help Liberal progressives find love while ConservativeDates.com aims for conservatives (If VP Cheney is in charge of shooting, you should get matched right away. What’s next? Dating sites for dogs… oh, wait….)

Not Paying Attention. Methinks Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has lost his mind. 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??)

Here We Go Again? “President” Bush held a press conference today and said that Iran is supplying weapons to insurgents in Iraq but stressed that he is not using this issue as a “pretext” for a war against Iran… (and I totally believe him, don’t you? I mean, has he ever given the world American people any reason to not believe everything that comes out of his mouth?? Sarcasm becomes me…)

Making Scott Evil Proud. Dolphins and sea lions have been trained to detect and apprehend waterborne attackers and could be sent to patrol a military base in Washington state soon (Ignoring the fact that Dr. Evil has been heard laughing maniacally nearby… how exactly would dolphins and sea lines apprehend a perp???)

The Forgotten (& True) War on Terror. Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the man who commanded U.S. forces in Afghanistan for 21 months has gone on the record saying that “The intelligence has gone cold on Osama bin Laden.” He threw down more sunshine by saying he also expects a fresh offensive by the Taliban this spring. (Mr. Goodnews Happy Guy he ain’t… but this doesn’t come as a surprise to me. The Taliban has already regained a foothold in the country and has been attacking our troops constantly, most people don’t know that because the MSM has been ignoring it and giving us hourly updates on the latest news about Anna Nicole Smith instead)

Dog and Pony Show. The House of Representatives has started debating the escalation of troops in Iraq. Nobody is paying attention because: A - It’s not going to have an effect on the administration. B - Everyone knows this debate is purely for show. C – A chance to spout more rhetoric than a campaign stop. D - All of the above. If you guessed ‘D’ you would be right.

Scooter Trial. the defense in the Scooter Libby is poised to rest their case soon with neither Libby himself or VP Cheney taking the stand. (regardless of who takes the stand next, I think some damage has been done and someone, though I’m not sure whom, will be going to jail. Unfortunately I don’t think it will be Cheney… and that has me a little bummed…)

Op-Ed Piece of The Week. this week I’ve chosen an op-ed piece from The Hill, which for those of you that do not know, is the newspaper for and about the U.S. Congress. The piece is entitled “Game plan”, written by Brent Budowsky and it’s definitely a must-read.

Doesn’t Know When to STFU. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John “Don’t Call me Michael” Bolton says the deal with North Korea is rewarding their “bad behavior” and is sending “bad signals” to Iran. (First of all, if North Korea actually follows through, which is never for certain when dealing with Kim Jong Ill, it essentially means nuclear disarmament for them… which is a good thing. The U.S. isn’t giving them anything that we haven’t given other countries before, and if it stops them from making nuclear weapons, it’s worth it. And to Mr. Bolton I say: you aren’t the ambassador anymore, why don’t you shut up, trim your ugly-ass mustache and get a new job… ya schmuck)

A Political Prognosticator’s Dream. This is already going to be the most wide-open Presidential campaign in eons, and it seems anyone and everyone on both sides (republicans and Democrats – ignore Nader… please… for the love of God ignore Nader!!!!) is going to, at the least, form an exploratory committee and consider a run. Something that carries a lot of weight within Congress but is essentially ignored by the public is the so-called Capitol Primary. A win in this “primary”, unofficial as it is, definitely helps to build momentum for candidates, but with such a wide-open field, the support from members of Congress may be beneficial and helpful to those that are making a run for the White House and are already on the outside looking in, I guarantee you that this Presidential election is going to be one for the books and one that everyone, and I mean everyone needs to pay attention to.

All I have, take ‘em as you will…

The Day Ahead

Things to pay attention to and thing’s we'll (possibly) write about today:

• WaPo: North Korea agrees to Nuke Disarmament (everbody stop panicing)
• WaPo: Mitt Romney has entered the 2008 gop presidential fray (people are saying he’s unelectable, but let’s remember that was said about Dubya as well…)
• Chicago Trib: Scooter Libby trial continues… (who will be the next contestant in the ever-growing list of wintesses for the defense?)
• ThinkProgress: Cheney aide says war with Iran is possible this year (everbody panic)
• CNN: House debating Bush(whacked) administration Iraq escalation plan (not that this administration would listen anyway…)
• USA Today: USA Today/Gallup poll finds 63% of Americans want all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2008 (want troops home, don’t favor escalation, but don’t want funds cut for escalation… can we say ‘mixed messages’???)
• NY Post: Giuliani is 100% committed (insert own joke here) on winning 2008 presidential campaign (better choice than McCain or Romney that’s for damn sure…)

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… you know what that means… , it’s porkchop day in the employee cafeteria… that, and it’s time for The Weekly Rewind…

Here ya go:

Applaud: Monday was the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King… let’s keep his memory and dreams alive forever. So far, $72.9 million has been raised to erect a memorial to Dr. King that is expected to cost $100 million. So if you want to help, donate today.

Heckle: to what seems to be even more cronyism in the Bush(whacked) Administration (… I know, I know, I should be used to it by now from this man) Do you know who Frederick Kagan is? He’s the American Enterprise Scholar who had “the president’s ear” on Iraq and is responsible for crafting the escalation plan. One would think that the person Bush placed responsibility on for crafting a new stratgy for Iraq would have a long military history and experience as a military expert… well, one would think that… and hope that… to bad he isn’t a “military expert” (Yeah… I have great hopes for this plan working…)

Applaud: to giving it back. Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki has decided to “take a page out of the Bush administration playbook..” Earlier this week he said that that criticism of his administration from “President” Bush gives the terrorists a “morale boost” and pushes them to make an extra effort. Monkey see… monkey do…

Heckle: to the Bush(whacked) Administration… do you sense a theme here? While House Democrats want to cut student loan interest rates… the administration has “declared its opposition” even though the bill would cut interest rates on some college student loans in half and “would help an estimated 5.5 million students.” (Nice… the White House really does care about the people don’t they? Fuc**** idiots…)

Applaud: to political satirst Art Buchwald… who passed away earlier this week (Thursday). Democrat or republican, Liberal or conservative, it didn’t matter to him, he would skew each side with snark (even before we knew what snark was) and wit. And he did it for over four decades. He will be missed.

Heckle: to the Bush(whacked) Administration. Experts tell us that the Administration is leaving out important details in regards to the Iraq troop “surge” (read: escalation). McClatchy Newspapers: “President Bush and his aides, explaining their reasons for sending more American troops to Iraq, are offering an incomplete, oversimplified and possibly untrue version of events there that raises new questions about the accuracy of the administration’s statements about Iraq.” (I am shocked… shocked to find gambling going on in this establishment…)

Applaud: Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) just created his. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) is poised to make herself one… former Sen. John Edwards (D-SC) has one… as does Gov Tom Vilsack (D-IA). A few others are considering doing the same… I writing about the ever-popular Presidential Exploratory Committee. This is gearing up to be a croweded and, some say, an historic Presidential campaign. Can’t wait to see how this one plays out. (My opinion can be summed up in two simple words: No. Hillary…. Okay, two more words: No. Kerry.)

Heckle: to the same old, same old. According to the Washington Post, at least half a dozen congressional spouses have jobs as registered lobbyists and several more are connected with lobbying firms. Coincidentally… all reforms that are being made in regards to lobbyists seem to be excluding the aforementioned spouses… but I’m sure there’s no connection to that whatsoever…

Applaud: to Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, for speaking the truth and ignoring the pressure of the White House. He stated in an interview that Taliban attacks have surged by 200% in December. (Wouldn’t it make more sense to add more troops to Afghanistan, where the terrorist/Al-queda links actually are, then to Iraq? I would think it would, but I guess that’s what happens when I think for myself…)

Heckle: to Commander Cuckoo-Bananas schedule. After six horrific… terrifying… nauseatingly troublesome… civil liberty-erasing… deadly… catastrophic… immoral… sheep-like thinking… years in office, “President” Bush has now spent one full year (or 365 days) at Camp David. The Bushes (The Bushesssses?) left Friday evening for their 116th visit. If you’re asking where his Camp David visits ranks with his Crawford, Texas visits… David is still way on down the line. As of Jan. 1, Bush has spent 405 days in Crawford. Including the days immediately after Hurriance Katrina and immediately after the death of former President Gerald Ford. Bush… a prince of a man… and by prince I mean moron.

Applaud: to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE). He’s joing leading Democrats in introducing a resolution that opposes “President” Bush’s buildup of troops in Iraq. For those of you keeping score, this puts a bipartisan spin on the looming showdown over the war… which include Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and his cap plan . Especially when you consider that Bush says Congress and the Senate can’t stop his escalation plan… Liberal and conservative Constitutional Law experts disagree... Llllllleeetttssss getttt readddddddyyyyyy toooo rrrruuuummmbbbbbllllleee…

Heckle: to slow-ass comprehension… and evern slower speaking up. Okay, I’ll give him the benefot that the news probably took this long for the concept to comepletely reach his brain , but almost three weeks after the fact, President Bush said the execution of Saddam Hussein “looked like it was kind of a revenge killing.” The hanging of Saddam by the Shiite-led government is also helping accelerate Sunni-Shiite sectarianism across the Middle East.. (and Lord knows that will help defuse the situation…)

Applaud: to shrinking political capital. No, not Bush’s, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s. It seems that he is now under pressure from “higher authorities” in Iran to “end his involvement in the country’s nuclear program.” (Good news… but answer me this; why can’t we get the same thing over here?)

Heckle: to Frank Hargrove (R-VA). A day after our nation observed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, he said that slavery ended nearly 140 years ago and that “black citizens should get over it.” He then went on to say; “Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?” (The crap that oozes out of their mouths just amazes me sometimes…

Applaud: to General Electric, DuPont, and Alcoa, along with about seven additional major companies for banding together, along with a few environmental groups, to call for a “firm nationwide limit on carbon dioxide emissions.” A limit that would lead to reduced emission of “10 to 30%” over the next 15 years… (Excellent… about time some of our larger companies start leading by example. Maybe the gop will finally see the light)

Uber-Heckle: Okay, when I tell you this, don’t panic… on second thought; panic. The Doomsday clock was moved closer to Armageddon this past week. Mass hysteria in 5…4…3…

Applaud: to the fall of the axe… and by axe I mean justice. Ex Congressman Bob Ney (R-OH) has been ordered to serve 30 months in prison for accepting gifts, favors and campaign contributions in exchange for official actions. This makes him the first elected official to be sent to prison in the ongoing investigation of ex-lobbyist Jack “Black Hat” Abramoff'. (Hopefully, and I think I speak for a LOT of people; he wont be the last. Don’t bend over for the soap Bob…)

Heckle: Really???? Rich Little??? Are you fuc**** kidding me???

Applaud: to the Senate (Democrats and republicans) who approved legislation (with a 96 to 2 vote) that would limit the influence of lobbyists, constrict congressional ethics rules and put a stop to spouses of senators from lobbying senators and their staffs. (Nice piece of legislation, but let’s hold off on praising it more until it actually is signed into law…)

Heckle: to Attorney General Alberto “Torture is my Life” Gonzales. Do I really need to give a reason? Sigh… okay; heckle(s) for this, this, this, this aaaaaand this… what. A. Tool.

Heckle: to Vice-President Dick “Dick” Cheney. Why? Because he should be heckled every damn chance we get. Along with “President” Bush, AG Gonzales, Karl Rove, Condi Rice… let’s just throw in every single member of the Bush(whacked) administration and cabinet and be done with it.
That’s all we got, take ‘em as you will.

Is Bush losing an Ally?

With his looming announcement of a troop “surge” (read: escalation) in Iraq, some people are starting to question if “President” Bush is losing one of his most stallwart ally’s for the Iraq War.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair seemed to be breaking away from Dubya’s concepts about the Iraq war and (finally) using his own mind when he announced earlier this week that Britain will not be sending more troops to Iraq, even if Bush pushes ahead with a ’surge’ (read: escalation) of U.S. troops.

(Should I be looking outside for flying pigs? Quick, someone call Hell and see if they’ve frozen over…)

The Prime Minister’s strategy is a gradual handing over to the Iraqi army… something that many others (Democrats and republicans here in the U.S.) have been pushing for for a long time.

Does this show a strain in Bush’s and Blair’s relationship? It certainly seems so… it also makes one wonder… is Blair finally starting to grow tired of his “friend and colleague” George? Has he seen enough bloodshed in Iraq and enough running in place by the Bush Administration in regards to Iraq that he’s gotten to the point that the only true and viable solution is to hand over responsibility to Iraq.

Who exactly does support a troop surge? Good question. The Dems don’t. Many republicans don’t. A lot of generals don’t. The American public doesn’t. Our troops don’t. The Iraqi people and government don’t. It’s enough to make you wonder if Dubya’s life (people in his circle are starting to leave rather quickly) is getting to a point where the only people that support and listen to him are Laura and his dog…

Well… at least his dog…

The Week Ahead

A handy-dandy guide of some things to pay attention to as this week gets underway…

• The biggest news of the upcoming week is that on Wednesday night, “President” Bush is expected to announce his new and improved plans for Iraq which most people are saying is a surge (read: ESCALATION) of troops. While thinking about that frightening scenario, think about this (via Think Progress): On June 28, 2005 — a mere 18 months ago — Dubya said that sending more troops to Iraq would “undermine our strategy of encouraging Iraqis to take the lead” and would also suggest to the Iraqi people that we “intend to stay forever.” As of Friday, the new plan was being dubbed “A New Way Forward.” Interesting… isn’t it?)
• The day after Bush’s speech on his new plans for Iraq, Secretary of State Condoleezza “Rhymes with” Rice will go before the House Foreign Affairs Committee so she can defend her boyfriend’s boss’s “war-strategy shift.” Besides Condi, newly-minted Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman General Peter Pace will be busy defending the change before the House Armed Service Committee. (Can we say “spin” boys and girls?)
• Pay attention to how the new Democratically-controlled Congress reacts to Bush’s new Iraq strategy. This past Sunday on CBS' “Face the Nation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Democrats will not give President Bush a blank check for Iraq, declaring: “The American people and the Congress support those troops. We will not abandon them. But if the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it. And this is new for him because up until now the Republican Congress has given him a blank check with no oversight, no standards, no conditions.”
• Keep an eye on science in the days weeks months years ahead. Why? Well, it seems the failure of the 109th “Do-Nothing” Congress to pass new budgets for the fiscal year has engineered “a crisis in science financing” that is so bad that is threatens to close major facilities, delay new projects and leave thousands of government scientists out of work with, possible, disasterous consequences. (Well sure, it plays right into the gop’s hands of ignoring the plight of Global Warming and the environment… so it’s natural that they ignored science. Remember; to them, science is a four-letter word.)
• Watch out as one of the cornerstones of Bush’s domestic agenda turns five-years old this week (seriously though… it’s really his only domestic agenda that got off the ground… but let’s not nitpick…). Which one you ask? It’s the plan that, at its simplest, aimed to improve the basic skills of the nation's public school children, in particular poor and minority students... that’s right; No Child Left Behind turns 5 years old today. And it’s future is as unclear as the future of the students it was supposed to have helped as Congress prepares to reauthorize it there is a group of 100 education, religion and civil rights leaders that are going to be calling for “major changes" to the plan…so stay tuned.
• Keep an ever-vigilant eye on Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) because I don't think he can be trusted...
  
• Keep your ears open year-round, as another year filled with Bushisms gets under way. Curious as to what the top Bushism for 2006 was? Wonder no more. A Web site that analyzes and catalogues language usage has issued its Top Bushisms for 2006, the Top Five are:

5. "The only way we can win is to leave before the job is done." Nov. 24 (Greely, Colo.)

4. "I've got an ek-a-lec-tic reading list." August 29 interview with NBC's Brian Williams.

3. "It was not always certain that the U.S. and America would have a close relationship." June 29.

2. "I use The Google," in reference to the popular search engine. October 24th. Interview with Maria Bartiromo of CNBC.

And the number one Bushism for 2006 is:

1. "I'm the Decider." "I'm the decider, and I decide what is best. And what's best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the secretary of defense." April 18, in response to a question from CNN's Ed Henry.

I don’t really think anything more needs to be said… have a good week everyone and remember:

Take ‘em as you will…