Cheers: to a new Newsweek poll that shows Bush's approval at 26%... better watch out Dicky, Bushy is on your heels and knocking on your door...

Heckle: to still not having a clue. As my esteemed collegue pointed out earlier this week, at the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers.” Unbeknownst “even to many on his staff,” Bush has summoned “leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House” to discuss questions like, “Why does the rest of the world seem to hate America? Or is it just me they hate?” Ah, George we hate to tell you but it is you, remember that poll we just talked about? The feelings run wide and deep around the planet.

Heckle: to taking abuse of power to a new level. For the first time in his presidency, Bush commuted a sentence without running requests through lawyers at the Justice Department, White House officials said. He also did not ask the chief prosecutor in the case, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, for his input, as routinely happens in cases routed through the Justice Department’s pardon attorney. And with this administrations track record this is a surprise to who?

Cheers: to the plurality of Americans finally seeing the damn light. Want proof? 69% of voting Americans “disapprove of “President” Bush commuting the 30-month prison sentence of ‘Scooter’ Libby… wow, there is hope for the country… thank God…

Cheers: to the plurality of Americans again as a recent poll by the American Research Group shows that 54% of American adults want the US House of Representatives to “begin impeachment proceedings against Vice President Dick Cheney.” That includes 76% of Democrats, 17% of republicans, and 51% of Independents. Incidentaly, the same poll found 46% of voters in favor of doing the same thing to “President” Bush, including 69% of Democrats, 13% of Republicans, and 50% of independents… (The times, they are a’changing…)

Cheers: to at least doing something to challenge this abuse of power. The Washington Post reports House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers is “expected to move swiftly to conduct hearings on the commutation”, congressional sources said. We at TBWA applaud Rep. Conyers.

Heckle: to the sad fact that U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton believes that President Bush’s commutation of Scooter Libby’s prison term may also wipe out his two-year probation. “Strictly interpreted, the statute authorizing probation indicates that supervised release ’should occur only after the defendant has already served a term of imprisonment,’” Walton wrote. We here at TBWA are not surprised at this turn…

Cheers: to finally growing a pair, as the U.S. this week publicly accused Iran of intervening in the Iraq conflict, claiming that its Revolutionary Guard played a role in an attack that killed five Americans and was using Lebanese militants to train Iraqi insurgents. And we are just calling them on this now?

Heckle: to a study that shows the economic American dream “that children would be more prosperous than their parents, is in question as perhaps never before.” Since 1973, “median family income has been essentially flat,” and men in their 30s “earn roughly $5,000 less than their father’s generation.” For those of us in our 30’s or early 40’s this is not a surprise at all.

Heckle: to the fact that President Bush equated the war in Iraq with the U.S. war for independence during a speech on Wednesday. Like those revolutionaries who ‘dropped their pitchforks and picked up their muskets to fight for liberty,’ Bush said, American soldiers were also fighting ‘a new and unprecedented war’ to protect U.S. freedom. I cannot even begin to express my shock at his comparison….clueless does not even touch the total ignorance of the shit that comes out of his mouth more and more.

Cheers: to the nearly half of the National Hurricane Center’s employees who urged the Bush administration to replace their boss. “The staff of the National Hurricane Center would like nothing more than to return its focus to its primary mission of protecting life and property from hazardous tropical weather,” they wrote, “and leave the political arena it now finds itself in.” As we have said before, when you start playing policitcs in the area of science no one wins…

Well folks it is getting hot here today in the midwest. Mind you not as hot as in the southwest, but hot none the less. Time to post and go for a dip in the pool!

Oh and least I forget, a very happy birthday to my collegue and co-writer, Kemp. Best friend and like minded politico, have a great day pal!

Be good, stay informed….later

The House & Senate actually did something

A little bit of sanity has been returned to the country as the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill this morning that will restore habeas corpus, the sacrosanct Constitutional right to challenge government detention in court.

There was no debate… there were no amendments attached… it was a straight vote of eleven to eight, with Arlen Specter (R-PA) the ONLY republican to support the bill.

Scary isn’t it that 88.9% of republicans on the committee believe that following the Constitution is optional

The bill should reach the full Senate later this month where a major challenge still exists in getting the bill passed there… and another challenge by the House… and by “President” Bush.

And while the Senate Judiciary was passing this bill, the House, ignoring Bush’s constant threats of a veto, voted to expand stem cell research… thus defying “President” Bush’s wishes, which is always good to see. The unfortunate part of that is that the House and Senate do not have the two-thirds majority needed to override Bush’s crayon veto.

But for now, revel in the fact that a little bit of common sense has returned to this country… albeit for a short time.

The Weekly Rewind

In this corner, weighing in at a staggering debt load of over $8 trillion, and bloated with two-faced beaurocrats, in the black trunks, the Bush Administration. And in this corner, in the White Trunks, two guys who are not quite so much in debt, and are out to open the eyes of the willing everywhere, the “Bush”-Whacked Administration. Now let’s get ready to Rewinnnnnnnnnnnnnnd!!

Sorry folks just felt a little bit of an attitude coming on.

Heckle: We’ll send you there, but once you’re there, you’re on your own. U.S. Embassy employees in Iraq are growing increasingly angry over what they say are inadequate security precautions in the heavily fortified Green Zone. Most staff members still sleep in trailers that one described as ‘tin cans’ that offer virtually no protection from rocket and mortar fire. The government has “refused to harden the roofs because of the cost”, one employee said. When will the various agencies in our government get treatment for their Cranial-Rectal Inversion and start to take care of our people serving overseas?

Heckle: to opening mouth and inserting foot….or, just another day in the life of a conservative. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) yesterday defended the decision to place scandal-plagued Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) on the Appropriations Committee. “Where do you draw the line?” Boehner asked. “We do not want a blanket allegation to rise to the level of credibility where we are basing our decisions on it. It’s unfair.” Hmmmm, I think we draw the line at appointing corrupt or possibly corrupt officials in positions of authority…..just a thought….

Heckle: to President Bush on principles alone.

Heckle: to once again proving that this administration acts before it thinks, and then has to back track and look stupid. The White House confirmed yesterday that the U.S. ambassador in Baghdad is likely to meet in the next several weeks with Iranian officials about stabilizing Iraq, as the administration embraces a tactic outsiders have long recommended as essential to reducing sectarian violence in Iraq. Ok, we didn’t do the job right to begin with, we know you are causing trouble for us and are a main supporter of violence against us and we should do something about it, but we have lost face in the world, other countries laugh at our sabre rattling, but we want to talk and make nice…. we still hate you, but we acknowledge the power that you have in the region…..do I need to continue?

Heckle: to the sheer stupidity of a statement. Afghanistan now produces 92 percent of the worlds opium. Bush administration officials acknowledge that until recently, “fighting drugs was considered a distraction from fighting terrorists.” The problem has become so severe that American officials now “hope that Afghanistan’s drug problem will someday be only as bad as that of Colombia.” And remind me again how our ‘War on Drugs’ against Columbia is oh so succesfull ……

Heckle: to diverting funds from our deserving troops. Nearly two dozen officials who received hefty performance bonuses last year at the Veterans Affairs Department sat on the boards charged with recommending the payments. Remember all those stories about how well things are at Walter Reed, and how the VA is on the cutting edge of Technology and taking care of our troops…..I’ll continue while you keep thinking…

Heckle: to Alberto Gonzales, on principles alone, and this week also due to the allegations of former Deputy AG James Comey.

Applaud: to Bill Maher. As we’ve said before on this site, it’s not often we applaud him, but sometimes he nails it. Case in point:

New Rule: You can’t send the National Guard to Iraq and then claim it’s still here. The helicopters, the Humvees, the men…Like Dorothy and Toto, they’re not in Kansas anymore. Sorry Mr. President, but the last documented case of a National Guardsman able to be in two place at one time…was you.”

Well said Bill….

Heckle: to the continued raping and pillaging of the average American. “Households are spending about $1,000 more per year for gasoline than they were just five years ago, an 85 percent increase” according to consumer groups’ analysis prepared for the House Judiciary Committee. “In the past five years the oil industry has picked consumers pockets for 200 billion in excess profits,” said the Consumer Federation of America. Next time you fill up remember that it’s too expensive to build a new refinery, or that many Oil Company CEO’s are taking home $100 million + a year….remember that as the pump passes $50 or $75 while you are filling up….

Applaud: to not quietly taking what bones the administration is willing to throw. The Justice Department on Wednesday told an angry Senate Judiciary Committee chairman it does not have documents described in a subpoena that demands all materials relating to Karl Rove’s possible involvement in the U.S. attorney firings. Instead, it said, “ Rove’s lawyer must have them.” And if there is nothing to hide, why haven’t they been turned over….??

Applaud: to more from Gore…. Al Gore will release his new book The Assault on Reason next week. Gore tells Time that he began questioning why “our democracy hasn’t responded” to both the climate crisis and the Iraq war. “So I started thinking, What’s going on here? … Our democracy was pushed around by false impressions and wasn’t able to hold its focus,” he says. “That’s the common denominator. Once I’d thought through all of that, I couldn’t not write this book.” Does anyone else think that the contry may be better served with Mr. Gore in a Whistle Blower, serving the public interest kind of way? In that capacity he is beholden to no one….

Heckle: to more of the same old stuff. Several senators have urged President Bush to withdraw his nomination of Michael Baroody — a corporate lobbyist picked to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission — saying the candidate was “unqualified and the appointment posed insurmountable conflicts of interest.” Am I the only one that sees this as the Fox guarding the Hen House?

This one does not qualify for either an Applaud or a Heckle. Earlier this week the Senate passed a bi-partisan bill that would make the estimated 12 million plus illegal immigrants currently in the United States eligible for legal status. Some of the main provisions are that they would have to pay a fine, wait a certain period of time, and return first to their country of origin, to then enter the country legally. The bill also contained a provision to allow ‘new’ U.S. citizens to sponsor relatives for immigration using a complicated point system that rewards points based on certain competencies. Among these are if someone is a skilled/educated worker, as well as the ability to speak English. The better you are the more points you get. Right away people on both sides of this issue are crying foul. Liberals are complaining about the fines, Conservatives are complaining about this bill granting ‘amnesty’ to illegals. This story is far from over….

Well there you have it. Not too many applauds (of course), but enough heckles to go around. Don’t worry we will have more heckles next week. Until then…

Be good, stay informed…..later.

The Weekly Rewind

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Be good, stay informed….later.

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… time for The Weekly Rewind, in five, four, three, two, one…

Applaud: to Elizabeth Edwards as she once again faces a battle with breast cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with her, John and their family.

Heckle: to the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War this past Monday. I don’t think anything more needs to be said…

Applaud: to Al Gore. He was on Capitol Hill this past week speaking about global warming and laid a smackdown on Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) when Mr. Barton tried to de-rail Gore’s speaking points. (Lesson learned, you don’t fuc* with Al…)

Heckle: to something I posted about earlier this week. The percentage of Iraqis that have confidence in U.S.-led coalition troops is 18%. Six in 10 Iraqis say their lives are going badly, and nearly 90% say that they “live in fear that the violence ravaging their country will strike themselves and the people with whom they live.” (When I posted this earlier this week, a meandering, yet well intentioned, comment was left. While I applaud their commitment to the troops, their pathetic attempt to tie the Iraq war into terrorism was inconceivable at best…)

Applaud: to the House Armed Services Committee, for passing The Wounded Warrior Assistance Act of 2007 by a 59-0 vote earlier this week. The bill aims at “making immediate improvements in the treatment…of wounded combat veterans.” (About. Effin. Time. Rather sad though that an Act even had to be created for something that you would have thought was common sense… best treatment for the brave men and women risking their lives for our freedom… go figure)

Heckle: to Bush, Cheney, Gonzalez, et al. The New York Times reported that in his first weeks on the job, defense secretary Robert Gates repeatedly argued that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay had become so “tainted abroad” that any legal proceedings there would be viewed as illegitimate and that it should be shut down ASAP. The idea was quickly shot down by AG Alberto “Whadya mean George isn’t taking my calls anymore” Gonzales first. This initial rejection came despite the fact that Mr. Gates gained an ally in Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who joined Gates in urging the closing of the detention facility… those discussions were then thrown-out after Bush rejected the suggestions outright… (Wow… Mr. Bush went against Condi… things must have been frosty in the bedroom Oval Office that week…)

Applaud: to Chris Matthews (mark the day & time – it probably won’t happen again). He interviewed ex-Senator Tom DeLay (R-TX) and talked about passages in DeLay’s new book where he ripped into fellow (corrupt) Texan Dick Armey by describing Armey as “drunk with ambition.” When Matthews brought it up, DeLay denied writing that and said; “I wrote that he was ‘blinded by his ambition.’” Matthews then started to flip through the book and found the “drunk with ambition” quote and read it to DeLay… with DeLay STILL denying it. Finally, Chris handed the book to Tom and told him to read it himself. DeLay looked down, paused, and said; “I don't have my glasses.” (Once a tool, always a tool. Here’s a personal note to Mr. DeLay; Go away… no one cares…)

Heckle: to just not getting it. Tom DeLay still refuses to admit any impropriety in his dealings with Jack Abramoff. “So yes, I took a trip to Scotland. Yes, I played golf. Yes, it was privately funded… If I had the opportunity, I would do it again.” (What is it I said about DeLay above? Oh right; the man is a tool… always has been, always will be…)

Applaud: to biting the hand that feeds you because you know they’re wrong. Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen has stated in a pronouncement that at best can be described as “a stinging, wide-ranging assessment,” found that the U.S. was “unprepared for the extensive nation-building required” after it invaded Iraq, and every time there was a chance to alter their efforts, they still “failed even to understand the problems it faced.” (Once again, the ego of this administration has hindered its ability to do something properly and has screwed the country with its collective pants on…color me surprised…)

Heckle: to censorship. The censorship issue returned to Congress this week as the House oversight committee resumed its inquiry into reported “Bush administration interference in federal climate science.” The inquiry is expected to see testimony by one-time Bush crony turned Exxon lobbyist Philip Cooney. Heckle within a heckle to Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT) who stated at the hearing that “free speech is not a simple thing and is subject to and directed by policy.” (I>Uh… no, it’s not; it’s the constitution you putz… and it’s not subject to and directed by policy. Can’t we have a law passed where candidates, before they get elected, have to take a Constitutional exam???)

Applaud: to the Fark.com political headline(s) of the week: “A new study finds that one-third of D.C. residents are functionally illiterate. Bush would like to address this, but he's in that one-third.” Runner-up: “When historians sort out what happened to the U.S. in the 21st century, one of the mysteries will be why the press ganged up on Al Gore while giving his dimwitted Republican opponent a free pass”

Heckle: to “President” Bush (I know, I know; you’re shocked aren’t you?). This one is for his promise of a veto on the narrowly passed $124 billion supplemental war spending bill… all because it does something revolutionary… it sets a timeline that calls for the removal of troops from Iraq by August 31, 2008. (Tool.). An extra ‘heckle’ thrown-in for this quote from Bush; “Democrats in the House, in an act of political theater…” (Hello kettle, this is the pot… you’re black.)

Applaud: to sweet, sweet irony. The Department of Homeland Security's new HQ is going to be located in a former insane asylum… sometimes the jokes just write themselves…

Heckle: to stupidity as there is really no other way to describe Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ assertion that the U.S. “could fight a third war.” (Glad that bomb shelter of mine is almost done…)

Applaud: to those in the know that say the EXACT opposite of what Gates said above. Army Chief of Staff Peter Schoomaker told Congress last week that, essentially, the military is ill-prepared to fight a major ground conflict elsewhere, saying “We have a strategy right now that is outstripping the means to execute it.” (Well said Mr. Schoomaker, very well said. Let’s hope it doesn’t fall on deaf ears…)

Heckle: to incompetency. According to a GAO report released earlier this week, the U.S. military’s “faulty war plans and insufficient troops in Iraq” after the 2003 invasion left thousands, possibly millions, of tons of conventional munitions unsecured, allowing them to fall into the the hands of insurgent groups, thus allowing widespread looting of weapons and explosives that have then been used to make the IED’s that cause “the bulk of U.S. casualties.” (That’s just sad… it’s almost as if they were thrown into a hastily-arranged war and weren’t given the proper amount of time to stratgize and plan… but then that would mean the White House was to blame… oh, wait…)

Applaud: to the fact that we got rid of John Bolton before he caused even more damage. This past week he admitted to deliberately blocking peace efforts in the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict… if he was still our UN Ambassador and did that to North Korea or Iran, we’d all be glowing within 2 years…

Heckle: to the Pentagon for “quietly seeking congressional approval for significant new military sales to US allies in the Persian Gulf region” in order to offset Iranian influence. The sale of arms could make some people concerned that it brings “Washington closer to a confrontation with Iran.” (Yeah… selling arms… this should end well…)

Applaud: to Defense Secretary Robert Gates (he certainly is getting a lot of our attention this week, good and bad, isn’t he?). Every evening Mr. Gates writes letters of condolence to families of soldiers killed in Iraq, saying; “I feel a personal responsibility for each one of these men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.” (Beautifully put Mr. Gates… and one thousand times more than your predecessor EVER did… please keep it up)

Heckle: to breaking the law and ignoring the Constitution, The Justice Department’s Inspector General told the House earlier this week that “the FBI may have violated the law or government policies as many as 3,000 times since 2003” as agents ‘covertly’ collected telephone, bank and credit card records of “U.S. citizens and foreign nationals residing here.”

Heckle: to Rep. Jean “Shrill as a Banshee” Schmidt, who said earlier this week that the Walter Reed Hospital scandal was “overblown” by, naturally, the media. An applaud within a heckle to Schmidt's congressional district colleague, and fellow republican, Rep. Steve Chabot. When told of Schmidt’s comments, he said that it is wrong to suggest that the media or anyone else has “overblown” the problems at Walter Reed. (Maybe she’s trying to replace Katherine Harris as the certifiable loon on the republican side of the aisle… that can be the only explanation, right?)

New feature in The Weekly Rewind: the Conservative Wing-nut Tool of the Week. This week’s inaugural winner is conservative columnist Ruben Navarrette. He wrote this week that the only people who want Gonzales gone are racists on both sides of the aisle and that Gonzales was being “whacked like a piñata.” (Speaking as a Hispanic, that’s bullshit… speaking as a Liberal, that’s an inane argument. The people who want Gonzales gone are the ones who have seen through the smoke and mirrors of AttorneyGate. I’ll ignore the hypocrisy of using the piñata metaphor for now. All together now; What. A. Tool.)

And finally…

The week that was in the 2008 presidential race. On the Left, Gore was on Capitol Hill this week (I know he’s not running, but I like playing with the minds of those who think he will)… Clinton picked-up an endorsement from former candidate Tom Vilsack… Edwards is still running, despite some incredibly bad news received this past week (see top)… Obama made-up some ground without him actually doing anything, thanks to YouTube… and Kucinich and Gravel haven’t done a damn thing.

On the right, McCain apparently ditches pandering for flip-flopping as he backs-up his thoughts on immigration… Tancredo's presidential campaign (who? what?) has enlisted Republican strategist Bay Buchanan… Romney is talking immigration in Iowa… Giuliani, like McCain, is now working on his flip-flopping as he dramatically changes his gun views as he works to be more like ‘log-cabin republicans.’

That’s all I have, take ‘em as you will…

The Weekly Rewind

Friday… Weekly Rewind time… enjoy:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Applaud: Hmmmmmmmm, Cheney stepping down next week ?

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

Take ‘em as you will…

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

It’s Friday, you all know what that means… it’s time for our ever-popular, ever-knowing feature; The Weekly Rewind… long-winded edition.

Applaud: to low polling numbers for the President and the Vice President. According to a new Harris Interactive Poll, “President” Bush’s approval is hovering at 32%, while Dick “Dick” Cheney’s numbers have him at an all-time Vice-Presidential low at 29% approval. (Hee hee hee hee… I love when hubris come back to bite people in the ass. What is it I used to say a lot here? Oh yeah… ‘Karma, baby!’)

Heckle: to the Department of Homeland Security for failing to tell Congress how the department is spending billions of dollars on major programs that run the gamut from aviation security to Gulf Coast rebuilding. (Checks and balances? What checks and balances???)

Applaud: to the republicans who are supporting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s right to travel back and forth from DC on a military plane, like her republican predeccesor, Dennis Hastert (R-IL) did. According to the New York Times (new motto: all our reporters are now out of prison), a lot of republicans were put off by the flight fight. Said Rep. Ray LaHood (R-IL) “This is a bunch of baloney.” Rep Jeff Flake (R-AZ) followed that up by declaring; “Next week, we are going to steal their mascot and short-sheet their beds.” Now the White House is backing Ms. Pelosi with Spokesman Tony “Job” Snow saying in a briefing earlier this week: “This is a silly story, and I think it's been unfair to the speaker.” (I never thought I would say this, but nicely said Mr. Snow. This is a non-story that is being brought up by a slew of junior gop representatives who apparently have absolutely nothing better to do but criticize something that their former leader did and something aimed at protecting the SECOND person in the Presidential line of succession. To everyone who is making this molehill into a mountain; STFU)

Heckle: to the Bush(whacked) administration. According to the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the administration, in its elan to secure the nation’s borders and slow the flow of illegal immigrants, might be leaving asylum seekers vulnerable to deportation and harsh treatment. (I’m sorry, what were the principles this country was founded on?)

Applaud: that all 435 House members will be allowed to view the classified version of the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iraq which should provide some much-needed “fuel for a House debate” on Iraq and escalation next week where every single Rep. “will be given five minutes to speak” on Bush’s escalation plan. (Bush has to be feeling scared now… things are seemingly starting to slowly unravel regarding his build-up for not only the escalation plan, but for the whole Iraq war… makes one smile ear to ear…)

Heckle: to news that should not be a surprise to anyone with a brain. The Pentagon’s Inspector General has found that Donald Rumsfeld’s aide Douglas Feith’s rogue pre-war inteligence group was an “inappropriate” use of intelligence by Pentagon civilians, and was also “predisposed to finding a significant relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda.” (I am shocked… shocked to find gambling going on in this establishment…). Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), the Senate intel chairman, vows that his panel will probe whether the Pentagon broke the law by “failing to notify Congress about the group’s work.” (This is definitely a step in the right direction, though one has to wonder if anything will actually be done… I guess only time will tell… and remember, you read it here first second third again…)

Applaud: to “widespread” dissatisfaction. A lot of voting conservatives say they pick “none of the above” when faced with the options of Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MT) and Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) as the 2008 republican presidential nominee. Such dissatisfaction with the leading Republican presidential candidates is widespread among the party's conservative stalwarts and should make this presidential election the most contested in decades.

Heckle: to Budget waste. “President” Bush’s proposed budget includes a slew of high-cost weapons that will not even be in operation for years to come, thus using a funding request aimed at supporting the troops to actually get money for some of the Pentagon’s pet projects… (and the White House and Pentagon have the audacity to say people against escalation and the budget don’t care about our servicemen/women… give me a break. I’m all for making new weapons to help our military, but right now, in the middle of fighting two wars and possibly a third with Iran, instead of funding tools that cant be used now, how about giving them the best of what we have now. Or would that make too much sense?)

Applaud: to the Fark.com political headline of the week: “Rice grilled over lack of smoking gun in allegations against Iran. Critics demand evidence, saffron”

Heckle: to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for announcing that he will be skipping a forum for Democratic presidential candidates in Nevada later this month, despite assertions that seven other announced or expected Democratic candidates, including Hillary Clinton (D-NY) & John Edwards (D-SC), will participate in the forum. Obama’s campaign spokesman Dan Pfeiffer said that they couldn’t fit the forum into his itinerary. (This is disappointing… this is the first chance for a lot of people in this country to see Obama with the other cast of characters and thus giving them the chance to start thinking about whom they want as the Democratic nominee… Personally, I think his campaign team should do some re-shuffling in order to make sure Senator Obama can be at this forum…)

Applaud: to becoming spectators instead of players. With neither a president seeking reelection nor a vice president being a presumptive nominee, the Bush(whacked) Administration has been turned into mere spectators for the 2008 presidential election. Ya think the gop wishes they could have had their 2000 VP nomination back instead of giving it to someone who they had to have known would not run for the big office in ’08. Personally, I think the fact they even chose Cheney in the first place shows just how much the gop was not confidant in Bush’s ability to run the country…

Heckle: to lying liars… Last week in the Rewind I applauded a White House proposal to increase Pell Grants. While it was announced and meeted with great fanfare last week, Dubya’s FY08 budget contains no new money to pay for it… (Bat rastards…)

Applaud: to Democratic presidential candidate and former governor Tom Vilsack (D-IA). No particular reason other than the fact he needs a little reassurance, doesn’t he? He’s gonna be this race’s Dennis Kucinich…

Heckle: to republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R-MT). No particular reason other than the fact he needs a little smackdown, doesn’t he?

Applaud: to resting cases. Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald wrapped up his portion of the Scooter Libby trial this week… a week that saw jurors hearing Libby’s grand jury audiotapes in which Libby claimed he learned about Valerie Plame’s CIA identity from Vice President Cheney, and that he then “forgot it, then learned it again” from Tim Russert (who said is was “impossible” for him to have told Libby about Plame). It was also revealed this past week that Cheney was “upset” at Ambassador Wilson for his criticism about the lead-up to the Iraq war. (All of this stuff coming out… and it’s getting more and more interesting…)

That’s all I got, take ‘em as you will and have a good weekend. Later.

The Weekly Rewind

Rather lean week when it comes to reporting what’s happened in the world of politics… and there are definitely more ‘heckles’ than ‘applauds’ this week, let’s hope that that is not a start of a trend.

The Weekly Rewind starts…

Right now…

Applaud: to Molly Ivins. ‘nuff said.

Heckle: to a study released earlier this week by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO for you acronym-lovers out there) that shows the real troop increase associated with “President” Bush’s escalation could be as high as 48,000… which is more than double the 21,500 soldiers that Bush has claimed for all you suffering from arethemia.

Applaud: to telling it like it is. A new international climate report has revealed that there is little to no question that the increase in greenhouse gases are “dominated by human activities.” A White House official called the report “significant,” but didn’t say if it would alter “President” Bush’s “policy” (and I use that term loosely). (What exactly would it take for this administration and this president to accept that global warming is real? A blizzard to cover his ranch in Texas in the middle of July??)

Heckle: to concerns about another Iraq forming. According to US News, “Democrats on Capitol Hill are increasingly concerned that “President” Bush will order air strikes against targets in Iran in the next few months or even weeks.” (Repeat after me George, and I’ll use small words and go really slow: We. Can. Not. Get. Involved. Into. Another. War. At. This. Time. Now, write that on a chalkboard about 500 times and maybe, just maybe it will get through to you… though I doubt it. Does anyone in this country really think we can afford to get bogged down into another war/military campaign?? This is what keeps me up at night… well this and .)

Applaud: to calling it what it is. David Ignatius writes in an Op-Ed piece in the Washington Post that the Libby trial is exposing a “failed cover-up” by the White House. About times someone calls it what it is… now let’s see if anything actually happens to anyone involved…

Heckle: to idiots who don’t know when to stop. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) says that universal health care is “socialist” and thinks that such a plan “would be a nightmare for America.” (Well, okay… ignroing the fact that 69% of Americans favor a universal health care system… what exactly is he getting involved in this discussion for? And for that matter, why the hell am I feeding into his ego like the media is and talking about it. The man lost and he’s still obsessing about it apparently. Here’s a nickel’s worth of free advice Rick; ‘STFU’)

Applaud: to Great Britain who has plans to put children on “the front line of the battle to save the planet.” How you ask? By making issues such as energy saving and recycling a compulsory part of the school curriculum. (Great to see some counry take an active role in teaching children about global warming… But… this being the week it is with more heckles than applauds, this applaud directly leads to a…

Heckle: In contrast with Great Britain, many U.S. schools are banning , Al Gore’s Oscar nominated global warming documentary An Inconvenient Truth. (Nice…)

Applaud: to the Senate for (finally!) voting to increase the minimum wage. Granted, it includes $8.3 billion in tax cuts to small businesses., but that should help get the bill passed and, in the long run, should help small businesses (which in reality are part of the backbone of this country) cope with the much-needed raise. Way to go Senators! (I bet you won’t see me write that a lot…)

Heckle: to piss-poor “kickoffs”. Joe Biden (D-… how do you abbreviate Delaware exactly??) kicked off his 2008 presidential campaign earlier this week… and promptly stuck his foot in his mouth. How you ask? In explaining Barack Obama's (D-IL) appeal as a presidential candidate, he called him "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.” I think the quote is an example of actually putting one’s foot into his mouth and nothing else, but at the least this should be a learning experience for Biden as he needs to realize that every single thing he says now is going to be scrutinized and put under a microscope and, in some instances, taken out of context… just ask John Kerry (D-MA).

Applaud: to “President” Bush. What!!?? Did you just read that right?? Did I just see you guys applauding Bush??Yes, you read that right, we at TBWA are applauding him for his budget calling for the “largest Pell Grant increase in three decades.” Granted, it was because there were proposals by both the House and Senate to raise it. (This is a good thing as the maximum Pell Grant has been stuck in neutral at $4,050 a year since 2002 and was lagging way-behind tuition increases and inflation.)

Heckle: to being inarticulate. “President” Bush said earlier this week that Sen. Obama (D-IL) has a “long way to go to be president” and then followed that by saying that Obama was, no lie, “articulate.” (Wait… where’s the moral outrage that the media had when Biden said it?? Why does most of the media in this country keep fellating Bush??? Give me a break…)

Applaud: to Federal Judge Reggie Walton for agreeing to let prosecutors show video clips of former White House stool pigeon Press Secretary, Scott McClellan telling reporters that Scooter Libby “had nothing to do” with leaking any information about Valerie Plame. (Nice job Judge, every little bit helps…)


Heckle: to ridiculous spin. White House spokesperson Dana Perino, while reacting to yesterday’s compromise between Sens. Carl Levin (D-MI) and John Warner (R-VA) on a resolution opposing escalation, said that the resolution would “send mixed signals to our troops and our enemy.” (First of all… the troops in Iraq aren’t in favor of an escalation, but once again the White House is ignoring them. Second, I’m not exacty sure what type of “mixed signal” this would be sending to our enemy’s, but it’s not a solid argument. I have an idea Dana, why don’t you stop spinning and start communicating… I’m just sayin’…)

Applaud: for doing something that they said they would do. Congressional leaders agreed earlier this week to a $463 billion spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year and stripped “all earmarks, or narrow, special-interest provisions” from the plan. (Wow… who would have thunk it? They actually did something to, at least, ebb the flow of pork… will wonders never cease?)

Heckle: to the U.S. for selling Cobra hellicopters to Pakistan. I’m sure this won’t come back to bite us in the ass at all…

Applaud: to Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) for making “significant progress” in his recovery. Keep it up Senator.

Heckle: to football cliches. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) a washed-up former football “player” is apparently a fan of tired, football-themed clichés now that he’s in Congress. He says that success in politics is about "teamwork" and "having the right playbook." He then went on to say that Iraqis need to “get off the sidelines” and act towards their freedom. Uh, Rep. Shuler… can you please try not to be like former Virginia republican Senator George “Always carrying a football in my hand to remind people that I use to be a football player” Allen and try to draw some more original analogies? Please… we’re begging you…

Applaud: to the best political headline via Fark this week: “Dennis Hastert has swollen and enflamed gall bladder removed. Which is understandable, because it certainly takes a lot of gall to claim a president who lied about a BJ deserves impeachment while one who lies us into a war doesn't.” (Nice… couldn’t have said it any better myself…)

Heckle: to toothless resolutions. As I said in this week’s Random Thoughts… maybe, just maybe this ‘toothless resolution’ will make some people think twice about this escalation disaster… one can only hope.

Heckle: to backpeddaling that is not likely to impact voter’s thoughts. Sen. John “polling numbers droppnig like Dubya’s” McCain (R-AZ) is backing away from his statements about Iraq now that he has seen that the very people he wants to serve don’t agree with him… way to backpedal there Senator… but be careful you don’t hit your ass…

Heckle: to the latest immigration fiasco. I don’t even know where to begin, so I implore you to read the article for yourself…

That’s 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...

SOTU

My cell phone rings, it's my good friend and colleague Scott

Me: "What's up?"

S: "Is he saying anything interesting?"

Me: "Mike Rowe? Yeah, he's making barrels... not very dirty, but still somewhat interesting"

S: "No, Bush is giving the SOTU, isn't he?"

Me: "Yeah. I watched the fist 20 minutes then I got this dull buzzing sound in my ears... then my ears started to bleed... then I had a brief spasm and drifted in and out of consciousness for a while. I thought it would be most beneficial to me to turn it off and watch something else. What are you up to?

S: "All I can say is it deals with a lot of crap..."

Me: "Oh, so you were watching the speech?"

Okay, so maybe it didn't happen exactly the way I describe it above, I did watch most of the speech, then drifted back and forth between the speech and "Dirty Jobs." I have to give "President" Bush props for hailing Madame Speaker Pelosi... but overall it was the same rhetoric we've heard from him six times before, only this time he was a little more nervous than in years past.

What was good was the Democratic response by Freshman Senator James Webb (D-Va), one of the best Democratic responses I have ever heard.

For those of you interested, I present links for each:

SOTU

Democratic Response

Enjoy.