More on Stephen Johnson (w/update)

Back in January I wrote a post about how EPA administrator Stephen Johnson had denied California’s request for a federal law waiver so the state could implement its own landmark regulations to slash greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles.

Appearing before the U.S. Senate's environment committee, Johnson deflected oft-repeated questions from Sens. Barbara Boxer, (D-CA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) about any White House role in the decision.

Since he denied the waiver request, groups have been pressuring him to release his official statement on why he denied their request as more than a few prominent scientists, including some who actually work at the EPA, questioned his decision. Well, he finally released his official statement today, and it’s covered in White House fingerprints with a nice dollop of Bush-logic thrown-in for good measure. (in other words; it’s bullshit. Pure, unadulterated bullshit…)

Johnson wrote; “While I find that the conditions related to global climate change in California are substantial, they are not sufficiently different from conditions in the nation as a whole to justify separate state standards.”

So let me see if I have this straight… because we face global warming everywhere, he’s not going to allow it to be addressed anywhere, thus ignoring an INTERNAL EPA study that showed California suffers disproportionately from the effects of global warming than other states…

Reading that, and then realizing how utterly ridiculous it sounds, one has to instantly wonder how much input the White House gave Johnson… and how strongly did that input weigh on his decision.

Naturally, as all good BushCronies do; he ain't talkin'…

Though I don’t think we really need anyone to tell us how much input the White House had, do we?

3/7 UPDATE: Following Johnson’s actions of overruling his agency’s staff, House Democrats are seeking to overturn Johnson's ruling, with Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) saying yesterday that the EPA has “said no to the states. They’ve said no to their own scientists. They’ve said no to common sense. […] It’s time for EPA to lead, follow, or get out of the way.” (Nicely done, it seems the Democrats are finally starting to show some balls with an administration that has a low-approval rated, lame-duck president… stay tuned)

Remain calm, all is well ! Yeah sure.....

Some observations-

- For the first time since 1945, on average, American homeowners equity in their homes has fallen below 50%. Which means that the amount of debt owed on their homes exceeds the amount of equity in the home.

- Foreclosures hit a new all time high in the 4th quarter of 2007. And the number of homeowners 30 days or more late making mortgage payments is at the highest level since 1985.

- Inflation fears are increasing, the dollar is continuing to fall against the Euro.

- The stock market continues to drop in response to warnings of bank / mortgage related layoffs and bankruptcy fears.

- Oil keeps going up because traders (aka:greed mongers) get scared every time some one blows their nose in a 3rd world country.

Now can you tell me again Mr. President how we are in a 'slowdown' with no danger of heading for a recession? Curious that actual financial experts say we are already there....

Remember, it doesn't really matter what the experts say, like a self-fulfilling prophecy, if a majority of average American's think we are in a recession......then we are ...

Hold on, the ride is just beginning.

UPDATE BY KEMP: If I may add to Scott's post here, consider that the Federal Reserve announced this afternoon that Americans’ percentage of equity in their homes "fell below 50 percent for the first time on record since 1945” that caused the Economy.com website to estimate that “8.8 million homeowners, or about 10.3 percent of homes, will have zero or negative equity by the end of the month.”

Interesting... I guess people just "built too many houses", huh? It’s the only possible explanation...

The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

• A small bomb exploded at a military recruiting station in Times Square early this morning… police and the FBI continue to investigate and are looking for a ‘man on a bicycle’. The media is doing their usual bang-up job of raising fear by playing the terrorism card…
• AP is reporting that the Mortgage Bankers Association is reporting that home foreclosures hit an all time high in the final quarter of 2007 and continue to climb… but according to this administration, we’re not nearing a recession. (Maybe they’re right, perhaps we’re already in one…)
• The states of Florida and Michigan are acting like little kids and don’t want the rules to apply to them, insisting that their votes should count and their delegates should be allocated accordingly. (To that I say; tough! How many voters stayed home that day because they knew their vote wasn’t going to count? I would surmise a lot, and to have the delegates count now would not only be unfair to them, but unfair to the candidates who didn’t campaign there or weren’t even on the ballot. This isn’t a pro-Clinton or pro-Obama thing, it’s an abiding by the rules thing, and they shouldn’t count… )
• Bob Dole says John McCain has a temper… Bob Dole.
• The Texas caucus results still aren’t counted yet… (perhaps this will teach Texas to not do things in a muddled, mind-numbingly stupid way… but I doubt it.)
• The republicans have a presumptive nominee while the Democrats have a horse-race. Does that make a difference right now? Yes and no. It’s true that McCain can now start focusing on the November election and choosing a running-mate, but it’s a precarious place as it’s unwise to attack the Democratic candidate before there even is an official candidate. As we like to say at TBWA; stay tuned.
• FBI Director Robert Mueller told the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the FBI improperly used national security letters in 2006 to obtain personal data on Americans during terror and spy investigations… (I am shocked. Shocked to find gambling in this establishment…)
• And have we mentioned? That “President” Bush is insisting that America is in the lead on climate change? It’s true, speaking to the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) Bush said; “in the lead when it comes to energy independence; we’re in the lead when it comes to new technologies; we’re in the lead when it comes to global climate change.” (Wow, there are SO many things wrong with that statement I don’t even know where to begin…let’s just ponder it shall we?)

One last thought about last night's primaries/caucus

How about a quick delegate rundown for last night… keep in mind that all these numbers are tentative, as final vote tallies continue to creep in from the post-Texas primary Texas caucus (yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds…)

Vermont, which Sen. Obama won, and its 15 delegates: Obama grabs 9 and Clinton 6.

Rhode Island, which Sen. Clinton won, and its 21 delegate: Clinton gets 12 while Obama still gathers 8.

Texas PRIMARY, which Clinton won, and its 126 delegates: Clinton takes 65 but Obama still grabs 61, only four less than what Clinton, the winner, got.



Ohio, which Clinton won, and its 141 delegates: Clinton took 76 while Obama grabbed 65.

So for the night, Clinton grabbed 191 delegates while Obama scooped-up a still-respectable 178.

The overall lead in pledged delegates, as of now, per CNN;

Obama: 1,257

Clinton: 1,127

If you add super-delegates, Obama has 1,451 and Clinton 1,365 with 2,025 needed to officially secure the nomination.

What does all of this mean?

Well, the stark reality of it is that, despite her three state victories last night, Clinton only chipped away at Obama's pledged delegate lead, and if Obama can show he's not going to collapse under the weight of Clinton's assault, there will be no reason for the super delegates to overturn the will of the voters in either pledged delegates or the popular vote)… and, as my esteemed colleague Scott says, with the way the delegates are divided, in order for Sen. Clinton to pull ahead in the pledged delegate count she would have to win the rest of the primaries and/or caucuses by 65% in each state… which, barring Sen. Obama having a secret love-child with Brittany Spears, will NOT happen.

As always; stay tuned…

Things to consider after 'Mini' Super-Tuesday

Unless you have been in a cave since last night you know that Hillary won Ohio, Texas and Rhode Island in yesterday’s primary contests.

A couple of observations:

• Total vote counts in each state were roughly 2-1 in favor of Democrats over republicans (Kemp’s Note: Which gives me hope for November, regardless of our nominee…)
• Texas was essentially a tie (In the primary voting, the caucuses have yet to be determined)
• Barack Obama leads in pledged delegates by approximately 150

Now these observations raise questions:

• What does the difference in the number of total votes for each party mean for the General Election
• Are there really that many more Democrats in each of these states compared to Republicans? Or was the Republican turnout artificially low because McCain essentially had it locked up? (Which means they will come out in force in November...)
• What was the factor, specifically in Texas and Ohio that caused the dynamic to switch from Obama to Clinton? And can this factor be repeated by one or defeated by the other?
• If Obama maintains his pledged delegate lead, what does that mean for the convention.

Ok, now the last observation and question raise an interesting question. Which was touched on by most news organizations, and that is the issue of the Super-Delegates.

The Obama camp (and the average person) are stating that the Super-Delegates (let’s call them ‘SD’s) should cast their votes in support of the candidate who comes into the convention with the majority of pledged delegates.

The Clinton camp is stating that the SD’s should vote independently of the pledged delegate counts in favor of whom they feel is most qualified.

Of course each candidate is going to favor the position most beneficial to them personally. However let’s think back to another situation where a select group of people decided an election independent of the popular vote: the 2000 Presidential Election.

Should the SD’s at the convention decide to vote for the candidate who has the least number of pledged delegates they will be no different than when the Supreme Court handed the election to George Bush. And we all know how well that has worked out!

Also, what of the electorate? The people, whose votes were recorded, counted and reflected in the pledged delegate count. Think of the outrage, the effect that disenfranchising their vote will have come November. They voted for a candidate and they all expect that a majority rule should apply. Should this majority be ‘slapped’ in the face by the SD’s at the convention I shudder to think of the repercussions?

Personally, I believe that the SD’s should line up and support the pledged delegate majority candidate. However, should the SD’s vote alter the popular vote and elect the lesser candidate then the party needs to put the control back in the hands of the voters and get rid of the SD’s.

We have worked long and hard to get to this point and to have this screwed up by ‘patronage’ delegates will set the party and the country back by decades.

But hey, this is just my opinion…

The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Mid week that saw the Democrats take a giant step backward and the republicans take a giant step forward… d’oh!

• Sen. Clinton won the Rhode Island, Ohio and Texas primaries while Sen. Obama took Vermont and, as it looks now, the Texas caucus.
• Sen. McCain swept all four states last night, gathering enough delegates to be the ‘official’ presumptive nominee and will meet with “President” Bush for his (snicker) endorsement.
• Gov. Huckabee dropped out of the race while Ron Paul has been silent… I’m assuming that’s due to him not being able to pick up a clear TV signal on his tin-foil hat…
• Believe it or not there ARE other things going on in the world of politics besides the presidential race… a town in Vermont, Brattlebro, voted yesterday to seek an indictment of “President” Bush and “Vice” President Cheney and to arrest them if they show up in town (Yeah… not sure what the actual point of this was, but any time I can see the words indictment, Bush and Cheney in the same sentence, the world makes a little more sense…)
• Count Sen. McCain out of any plans to investigate the current White House occupants. McCain said yesterday that he doesn’t “agree with [the] sentiment that there has been widespread corruption” in this administration. His statements suggest to me, and anyone with a brain, that he wouldn’t support independent investigations into the administration’s activities if he won the presidency. (there ya go, one more reason to NOT vote for the man…)
• Tensions are on the rise again over some of Bush’s crony, I mean judicial, nominations… and that has prompted Sen. Arlen Specter (r-PA) to take his eyes off of the NFL for a while and focus his attention elsewhere. Specter pointed out that during the last two years of President Clinton's term, the republican-controlled Senate confirmed 15 circuit nominees and 57 district court nominees and since the Democrats took over the Senate, Bush has been successful in confirming only 6.... (Well duh Arlen, that’s what happens when you have qualified and crony-less nominees, they get approved…)
• And have we mentioned? That Senate conservatives plan to announce a package of harsh immigration bills today? The bills would not only require jail time for illegal immigrants caught crossing the border, it would also make it harder for them to open bank accounts and “compel them to communicate in English when dealing with federal agencies.” (How exactly do you ‘compel’ someone who doesn’t speak English to speak English?)

It's all over but the shouting?

Well… for all intents and purposes, Sen. John McCain is the republican candidate for president, collecting the necessary amount of delegates ahead of this summer’s republican convention, and effectively ended Mike Huckabee’s campaign…

It begins…

Hmmmm...

Methinks the media needs to tone things down just a tad…

McCain is being projected as the winner on the gop side in Ohio and Vermont…

On the Democratic side, Obama is being named the projected winner in Vermont, while the other Dem races are too close to call… which might have something to do with the fact that the polls just closed…

Hopefully I'll have some updates later... stay tuned.

UPDATE: Per CNN; the McCain camp is agog that if they can clinch tonight, "President" Bush will endorse him tomorrow.

Yes, you read that right; they're excited about the prospect of Mr. 19% endorsing him.

Hmmmmmm... I think I'm excited about it as well...

Teehee...

Please, make it stop

Just when you think Sen. Clinton can’t say anything that would surprise you, she says something that surprises you, but really shouldn’t considering who it is.

Sen. Clinton told a gaggle of reporters yesterday that she and the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain offer the experience to be ready to tackle any crisis facing the country under their watch, but Barack Obama simply offers more rhetoric, saying; “

I think you'll be able to imagine many things Senator McCain will be able to say. […] He’s never been the president, but he will put forth his lifetime of experience. I will put forth my lifetime of experience. Senator Obama will put forth a speech he made in 2002.”

I’m sorry… did she just endorse the presumptive republican nominee over her fellow Democrat??

This is part of the problem I have with Clinton, her claims that she is ready to be the commander-in-chief from “day one.” But what I want to know, and what a reporter asked her at press conferences, is if she can name a particular instance in her past that equips her to deal with a national security crisis.

When asked by the reporter yesterday she stalled and said “Well, I was involved in a lot of the decisions that were made.”

Huh? What decisions and when?

As a Senator?

As a First Lady?

When? How? What?

Come on, inquiring minds want to know Ms. Clinton… give us some examples... but she won’t… because she doesn’t seem to have any.

And then there’s this tasty tidbit from the Chicago Tribune’s The Swamp that happened earlier this week to an Ohio lawyer;

So last night around dinner time, the phone rings. It’s the Hillary campaign–official number, per the caller ID. The woman on the other end asks me if Hillary can count on my support Tuesday. I say I have not decided.

At the end of her spiel, she says, “And we haven’t heard anything that specific from Osama bin Laden.”

I say, “You did not just say that.” She replies, “I’m sorry . . . just a slip of the tongue.” She then thanks me for my time and encourages me to vote for Hillary on Tuesday.

Sad… sad and pathetic…

But really, what else should we be expecting from her campaign now?

Can you repeat that? On second thought; don't.

One of the things that continues to elude me is how someone who speaks with the clarity of an adult in an old Peanuts cartoon can twice be elected president.

Case in point… in an presser this morning, “President” Bush wanted to thank Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno, who had been serving as the No. 2 commander in Iraq, for his years of service.

Bush was trying to say “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory,” but instead offered up this nonsensical statement;

“I appreciate the fact that you really snatched defeat out of the jaws of those who were trying to defeat us in Iraq.”

Sigh…

The Tuesday ‘BushWhack’ing

It’s Tuesday; and because the media has been quiet about it (sarcasm alert!), we wanted to remind you that there are four primaries/caucuses today in Ohio, Vermont, Rhode Island and Texas...

• Sen. Obama can wrap up the Democratic nod, Sen. McCain can nail a lobbyist down the gop nomination, and this is Sen. Clinton’s last stand… again… so stay tuned.
• Not necessarily political, but a nice story as Army Master Sgt. Woodrow “Woody” Keeble, almost 26 years after his death, has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his efforts during the Korean War. In doing so, Keeble becomes the first full-blooded Sioux Indian to receive the honor. Congratulations Sgt. Keeble, we at TBWA salute you…
• Sen. Obama and Sen. Clinton are still sniping at each other over NAFTA. The spat comes on the heels of an AP report that Obama told a Canadian diplomat that he’s open to renegotiating the controversial trade pact… which was pushed and endorsed by President Clinton… amazing that everyone is conveniently forgetting that point…
• Seemingly remembering, finally, that Bush is a lame-duck, House Democrats are saying that a civil lawsuit could be filed as early as this month that would challenge the administration’s claims of executive privilege aimed at not allowing aides from testifying on Capitol Hill. What brought this on? Well, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) decided to purse civil litigation after AG Michael “Gonzales Lite” Mukasey refused to enforce contempt citations against Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten. (While I like this show of balls, I wonder if it’s purely lip service or if they intend to follow through on it…stay tuned)
• Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is in the Middle East this week trying to further damage our standing in the world get peace talks back on track. (The problem I have with this is that the US, and specifically the Bush(whacked) Administration, is in no position to do this. Bush has largely ignored the reagion for over 7 years and now, with less than a year left in office (yay!) he’s trying to make up for lost time… but I don’t think they’re interested in what Rice, and Bush, are peddling. And with our enormous loss of standing in the world, who is going to listen to anyone from this administration?)
• And have we mentioned? That Sen. McCain has hired John Green to coordinate his “message and travel schedule with congressional Republicans?” It’s true… but have we mentioned yet that Green is a GOP lobbyist and founding partner of Ogilvy Government Relations, and that with this hiring McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign? Which is the most of ANY of the candidates… (Um… am I missing something? Isn't McCain fond of presenting himself as an enemy of the D.C. lobbying culture? Constantly claiming that he’s the only presidential candidate that “special interests don’t give any money to"... I think you're doing it wrong John. If you're against something, you don't utilize that something... though maybe I'm using too much common sense...)

Am I missing something?

A couple of weeks back the Bush(whacked) Administration refused to approve a 21-day extension of the Protect America Act (PAA). Ever since, “President” Bush and his merry band of cronies have been fear-mongering in order to force the House to pass the Senate-approved update of the PAA that includes retroactive immunity for telecoms.

One would think that Bush would move on to other things in his head (assuming there is something up there at all) but he hasn’t… in fact, this weekend he continued his fear-mongering and spewed forth crap about how “no renewal of…the Protect America Act is dangerous for the security of the country, just dangerous.”

(BTW, a weekend that AGAIN saw him in Crawford – the 452nd day that Bush has spent at his ranch in Crawford, TX. This marks his 70th ranch visit as president, so Bush has blown President Ronald Reagan – one of the modern presidency’s most famous vacationers – and his record 335 days at his ranch out of the water, but I’m acting like Bush and veering off the subject at hand )

Correct me if I’m wrong, but if Bush and his peons truly believed that America is “open to attack” without the PAA, why wouldn’t they support a temporary extension and engage in negotiations of some sort?

Because they’re republicans that’s why… and they would much rather play with their dolls play politics than protect Americans…

See… I can fear-monger too.

Not all Democrats in Congress have folded like origami though as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has grown a pair and has challenged Bush and his gop clique to hold true to their rhetoric and he has introduced a bill aimed at extending the PAA for 30 days while negotiations between the House and Senate get under way.

Think about it… despite their fear-mongering claims that “America is at risk” without the PAA, the White House and congressional conservatives have been unwilling to take actions that would lead to its extension. And even though the House and Senate have been working since the passage of the Senate bill to reconcile difference between the two chambers, republicans have instructed their staff not to participate in these negotiations, effectively making them fruitless…

But republicans are the ones that care about the security of the country, remember?

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

It’s Monday, with another slew of primaries tomorrow…

• Using precision missiles, the US military struck a “known terrorist target” in southern Somalia this morning… stay tuned.
• Our condolences to John and Elizabeth Edwards on the death of her father…
• In case you’ve forgotten – and the only way for that to happen would be if you lived on the moon, had your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears – there are four primaries tomorrow. Will Sen. Obama get closer to securing the nomination? Will Sen. Clinton do well or will she have a Dean-moment? Will Sen. McCain get the conservative base vote? Will Gov. Huckabee matter? Will Ron Pa—, never mind… as always; stay tuned.
• Iranian President Ahmadinejad was traveling home after his two-day visit to Iraq and said of the United States; “No one likes them.” (Hello kettle? This is pot, you’re black…)
• House Intelligence Chair Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) hinted over the weekend that a deal on surveillance legislation is close and that the deal may give “phone companies the retroactive legal protections long sought by President Bush.” (Lovely… I knew the Dems wouldn’t have balls for long, but not this quick… what part of lame-duck to they not understand???)
• Karl Rove was on Fox “News” Sunday, and tried something different from the normal, run-of-the-mill republican terrorism fear-mongering… economic fear-mongering… He spewed that redeployment from Iraq would cause oil prices to shoot to $200 a barrel, saying “If we were to give up Iraq with the third largest oil reserves in the world to the control of an Al Qaeda regime or to the control of Iran, don’t you think $200 a barrel oil would have a cost to the American economy?” (and let’s not forget that the reason al Qaeda is in Iraq in the first place is because the US invaded, so essentially the reason for this happening is… all together now – BUSH… January 20, 2009 can NOT come soon enough…)
• And have we mentioned? That Russia has a “new” president? Dmitry Medvedev won Russia’s presidential election by a landslide this past weekend, a landslide that essentially gives him a mandate of succeeding Vladimir Putin, though a 22-member observer mission from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that there were “flaws” in the results which has immediately cast doubt on the fairness of the vote, so stay tuned. Unless of course the Supreme Court gets involved, than it’s all over…
  

eep

From Times Online:

As Hillary’s presidential bid falters, are the Clintons turning to their daughter Chelsea to continue the White House dynasty. [...]

In a presidential campaign filled with surprises, Chelsea Clinton has sprung one of the most intriguing. She has emerged from the shadow of her famous parents to carve out her own political identity as both a devoted and persuasive surrogate for her mother; and – just maybe – as a dynasty’s next best hope. [...]

Yet what if Hillary fails? Will that be the end of the Clinton family’s remarkable presidential run? Or is America about to discover that a younger, prettier but potentially just as formidable Clinton is ready to pick up the baton?

We've seen what happens with two Bushes in the White House, are we ready for three two Clintons?

Stay tuned... if you dare...

The (Overstuffed) Weekly Rewind

Another week down, there's 324 days left in the Bush(Whacked) Presidency, let’s get to it…

Applaud: to the memory of William F. Buckley. While I obviously didn't agree with much he ever said or wrote, he was leagues better than the hate-spewing Limbaugh-Fox-Coulter types that pass for “conservative commentators” nowadays. Scott and I, always ones to practice tolerance for those we disagree with, will miss his greatness – despite the side of the aisle he played on.

Heckle: to lame-ducks wearing rose-colored glasses. “President” Bush predicted earlier this week that voters will replace him with a republican president that will “keep up the fight” in Iraq saying; “I believe the American people understand that success in Iraq is necessary for the long-term security of the American people.” (And as I’ve asked a few times this week Mr. Bush; explain how. Explain how success in Iraq is necessary for the security of us… tell us how… and remember – Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11… Iraq had nothing to do with al Qaeda… and Iraq had no WMD’s… so explain to all of us HOW success in Iraq is necessary. I’ll be waiting…)

Applaud:to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – wow, haven’t said that in a really long time. She asked Attorney General Mukasey for a “grand jury investigation” into whether White House COS Josh Bolten and former counsel Harriet Miers should be prosecuted for contempt of Congress while also demanding that misdemeanor charges be pursued against the two of them for their refusal to cooperate in the U.S. attorney scandal. (While it’s great to see the Dem leadership show some balls, I am relatively positive that nothing will come of it because the White House will claim executive privilege… but I could be wrong. Though I doubt it…)

Heckle: to “President” Bush for just not getting it. Earlier this week he said; “I don’t think we’re headed to a recession, but no question we’re in a slowdown.” (What. A. Tool. It’s not a slowdown when every economist in the world agrees we’re headed for a recession… and if we weren’t in a recession, why create the stimulus package?? Putz…)

Applaud: to the resignation of Defense Department General Counsel William Haynes. Haynes was a strong advocate of the administration’s bypassing of the Geneva Convention and announced earlier this week that he is “returning to private life next month.” (Nice… Haynes was always controversial, but the spotlight was brightened last week when Gitmo prosecutor Col. Morris Davis insisted that the administration “can’t have acquittals” at Guantanamo Bay and resigned his post…)

Heckle: to already acting like our current commander in chief. Sen. McCain, according to Huffington Post, “may have taken steps to protect his Republican colleagues from the scope of his investigation” into disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff earlier this year. (So there ya go. He’s promised to essentially be a third-term for Bush, and he’s already acting like Bush by protecting his friends and cronies – the law be damned. Let’s do everything we can to make sure that McCain does NOT win the presidency by voting for whomever the Democrats nominate, and ensure that we get some law and order back in the nation’s capital…)

Applaud: to Lee Camp. He appeared on Fox “News” earlier this week and, at the end of the segment, said, “What is Fox News? It’s just a parade of propaganda, isn’t it? It’s just a festival of ignorance.” (Niiiiiiiiiiiceeee…)

Heckle: to the news that “wiretaps will resume under the current law ‘at least for now,’” as “telecommunications companies have agreed to cooperate ‘for the time being’ with spy agencies’ wiretaps.” (and the dumb-ing down of our Constitution continues…)

Applaud: to the news that, the day before a House Judiciary subcommittee was going to discuss issuing a subpoena against him, former Attorney General John Ashcroft has agreed to testify before Congress as they look into no-bid contracts Ashcroft and others received to monitor out-of-court corporate settlements. Heckle within the Applaud to the news that the U.S. Attorney who awarded Ashcroft this sweetheart of a deal, Chris Christie, has not agreed to testify.

Heckle: to news that makes me, and everyone else with a brain, nervous as hell. According to the latest survey by the National Association for Business Economics, more and more economists foresee the country falling into a recession, with 45% of economists on its forecasting panel expecting a recession this year… (and yet, the administration continues to maintain we’re only in a slump… apparently those rose-colored glasses come with blinders as well…)

Applaud: to Army Chief of Staff George Casey for not kowtowing to “President” Bush and his merry band of Iraq cronies. He told a Senate panel that he would not embrace going back to longer tours, even if “Bush decided to suspend troop reductions.” Why? Because Casey is looking out for the wellbeing of US soldiers and the US Army and recognizes that the Army is “under serious strain” from years of war and must “reduce the length of combat tours as soon as possible.” (Well said Mr. Casey… too bad it seems to be falling on deaf ears at the White House…)

Heckle: to once again speaking out of his ass. “President” Bush spoke to the republican Governors Association earlier this week and was in full rose-colored glasses mode when he claimed that Americans will ultimately be thankful for his foreign policy decisions, saying; “I believe 50 years from now, people will look back at this period of time, and say, thank God the United States of America did not lose its faith in the transformative power of liberty to bring the peace we want for our children and our grandchildren.” (Um… I sincerely doubt that, but let’s meet in 50 years and we’ll talk…)… it’s almost as good as his quote about his prognosticating of the presidential election; “When I say I'm confident, I am so because I understand the mentality of the American people.” Uh-huh, and that explains your ever-dwindling approval ratings… how?

Applaud: to an op-ed in the Washington Post (did I just write that?). In the piece, John Podesta, Ray Takeyh, and Lawrence Korb debunk the scenario that an American departure from Iraq would lead to genocide and mayhem, saying; “It is entirely possible that in the absence of a cumbersome and clumsy American occupation, Iraqis will make their own bargains and compacts, heading off the genocide that many seem to anticipate.” (Interesting read… I don’t know about genocide breaking out, but I do see mayhem if the US totally withdrew from the country… that’s why I favor a progressive withdrawal over time…)

Heckle: to Senator Lindsay Graham (r-SC). The eternal optimist took a week-long trip to Iraq and returned brimming with optimism and telling Fox “News” that he wishes Washington DC was more like Baghdad, saying; “The truth is that political reconciliation in Iraq is going better there than it is here at home because of better security.” (Pretty stupid comment there Mr. Graham, but what should we expect from someone wearing rose-colored Iraq glasses that are thicker than Joe Lieberman’s???)

Applaud: to not waiting for November. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer was speaking to reporters earlier this week and made mention of the fact that the Dems aren’t waiting for next year and are planning a robust agenda in the months ahead to tackle things that got voted down by republicans before… (this is an interesting strategy, and it could help tremendously in November. If some of the things they bring up are issues that are important to the American people, it could carry over to the presidential election in November, not to mention the House and the Senate… stay tuned)

Heckle: to Jose Antonio Ortiz and his taking of politics WAY too seriously. For those of you who haven’t heard, he’s the Pennsylvania man that ‘allegedly’ stabbed his brother-in-law in the stomach after they argued about their support of Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton… for the record, Ortiz is the Clinton supporter and his BIL, Sean Shurelds, is the Obama supporter.

Applaud: to Sen. McCain (wait a minute – hear me out) for NOT playing the Obama-is-Muslim card. After being introduced with an embarrassingly sad and pathetic introduction from conservative radio host Bill Cunningham, the Senator refused to play the part and apologized for Cunningham’s lame attempts at painting Sen. Obama as a ‘Manchurian candidate’ while stressing his middle name. (I understand it was pandering, but I still applaud you for the act Mr. McCain, after all, it’s dumbass comments like those of Cunningham’s that spark hatred for the right… besides – what does it accomplish?)

Heckle: to taking a page from the republican fear-mongering textbook. Israel’s ambassador to the US said earlier this week that Iran was becoming a “very, very dangerous ticking bomb” and urged the world to take a more active role in forcing Iran to give up its uranium-enrichment program… (Um, correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t they already given up on the program according to the NIE released last year???)

Applaud: to news that could really help the Democrats… the LA Times reported earlier this week that Mitt Romney may rejoin the race for the White House. Romney “suspended” his campaign in February and, while he endorsed Sen. McCain, did not pledge his delegates to McCain… (If Romney jumps back into the race, it will further embolden Huckabee to stay in and could also take quite a few votes away from McCain… stay tuned)

Heckle: to House conservatives for not being able to decide on a proposed moratorium on earmarks… now they are “conceding that they do not have support for the idea from their colleagues” and the “votes aren’t there,” said Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas… (Nice… getting republicans to vote against something that gives them free crap is like trying to get cats to march in a parade… it can’t be done)

Applaud: to the House for actually passing a bill – woot, woot! In a 236-182 vote, the House approved an extension and expansion of tax breaks and incentives for wind, solar, and other alternative energy sources. The bill also closes $18 billion in tax loopholes and subsidies for Big Oil.

Heckle: to SCOTUS Chief Justice John Roberts. Earlier this week the Court heard oral arguments on how much money ExxonMobil should be forced to pay as damages for its Exxon Valdez oil spill 19 years ago. According to WaPo's Dana Milbank; What bothered the chief justice was that Exxon was being ordered to pay $2.5 billion — roughly three weeks’ worth of profits — for destroying a long swath of the Alaska coastline in the largest oil spill in American history.” After hearing how much they would have to pay, Roberts asked in court (that’s how it’s done Mr. Thomas); “So what can a corporation do to protect itself against punitive-damages awards such as this?” (Wow, a conservative placing business above the environment, that’s something we don’t see often) Though Roberts question did elicit an Applaud-worthy response from the lawyer representing the Alaska fishermen; “Well, it can hire fit and competent people.” As you could imagine, Mr. Roberts was not amused…

Applaud: to the results of the 2007 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council’s Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard. While the scorecard does report some positive news, many people didn’t fare so well, in fact current gop presidential candidate John McCain received a 10 percent rating — the worst in the U.S. Senate. (10% Ouch… that’s even lower than Bush’s approval ratings, and that says a LOT)

Heckle: to internet… um, I don’t want to call him a reporter… how about internet wannabe Matt Drudge. After months of a consensual and international media blackout, Matt Drudge decided to reveal on his page yesterday that Prince Harry has been “in Afghanistan for more than two months,” Drudge’s inane and idiotic decision to break the story has been to the “fury of the Ministry of Defence and condemnation from the head of the British Army.” Because of Drudge reporting it, Harry is now being sent back to Britain.

Applaud: to Prince Harry. Do I really need to explain why? Okay… while other children of powerful people (cough cough – Bush twins) stay home and drink themselves into a stupor, Harry has been serving on the front line in Afghanistan with the British Army, calling in airstrikes on Taliban positions and going out on foot patrols.

And this week we have a two-fer four our conservative Tool(s) of the Week. The first choice goes local… Last week Florida state Rep. Donald Brown (r) introduced a bill aimed at creating a “Confederate Heritage” license plate, saying “it would give motorists a way to show pride in their heritage.” Under his plan the money would benefit educational programs run by Sons of Confederate Veterans, a group that considers the Civil War to be “the Second American Revolution.” You can be proud of your heritage, whatever it is… but for something that is a symbol of hostility towards an entire race to be sanctioned by a state is wrong, plain and simple. And because of that, Mr. Brown, and possibly the entire state of Florida, is our first conservative TOTW.

Our second choice this week is republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas. Forgetting for a moment that she’s being volleyed about as a possible McCain running mate (ewwwww), she said earlier this week that Sen. Russ Feingold’s bill to begin an Iraq withdrawal within 120 days puts “a bullet right in the hearts of our troops who are there.” (Nice…) Her staff quickly started to backtrack her comment, saying that she meant to say “bull’s eye”, never minding that that wouldn’t make an ounce of sense. (So for saying that it would be a bullet in the hearts of people being shot at on a daily basis and wondering how this meshes with the fact that our troops do not want to be there, she is our second conservative TOTW)

All I have, take ‘em as you will…