The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

The weekend is looming on this Friday Eve…

• Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the family of slain Arkansas Democratic Party Chairman Bill Gwatney…
• Despite their assertions that they were going to lay down their guns, the battle wages on in Georgia as Russia hinted today that they could be in the, breakaway, South Ossetia region for the long haul…(methinks this is going to get worse before it gets better… and the US is going to get dragged into it, and that worries me…a lot) In spite of invading a nation without much provocation, the International Rescue Committee says that Russia is responding well to the needs of South Ossetians fleeing the fighting…
• “President” Bush ordered the US military to aid Georgian civilians while at the same time Russia is pressing the US to choose between “a real partnership” with Moscow or an “illusory” relationship with Georgia… (We all knew that Putin had an ego the size of Bush’s… and when he inserted himself as Prime Minister we all knew he was going to be the de facto president. This is going to get a lot worse… the relationship between the US and Russia is going to get more strained and will take a very long time to heal… if it can be done at all. This scares me more than Iran, Pakistan and North Korea together)
• In a statement that is sure to endear him to the conservative base (and by endear I mean estrange further), Sen. McCain says he is open to picking a VP candidate that is pro-choice… (hard to understand why some conservatives aren’t happy with him isn’t it? I understand he does this to appease the people who still believe he’s a ‘maverick’, but come on now…)
• Responding to rumors that he was poised to not only endorse Sen. Obama but also speak at the upcoming Democratic Convention, the office of former Secretary of State Colin Powell released a statement saying he has not made a decision about a possible endorsement… (of all the people that had their career destroyed by working for Bush, Powell’s is the most glaring. Before he went to work for this administration, Powell was well-respected in both Democrat and republican circles… and he knows he screwed up and, in my opinion, is trying to make up for taking the job… so I believe that it’s entirely possible that Powell WILL endorse Obama and WILL speak at the convention… so stay tuned)
• Being consistently disparaged for having absolutely no idea about technology, McCain’s campaign is poised to unveil a technology agenda in the coming days. The agenda will bundle previously announced pro-business proposals along with support for a hands-off approach to regulation… (and the odd actions of the McCain campaign continues. By unveiling a tech bill, they’re guaranteeing that their candidate is going to be asked about technology… and in the process, further embarrass himself…though that usually brings a smile to my face)
• And have we mentioned? That today marks the 73rd anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt signing Social Security into law? To mark the event, here’s republican presidential candidate John McCain’s thoughts on the program; “Americans have got to understand that we are paying present day retirees with the taxes paid by young workers…and that’s a disgrace. It’s an absolute disgrace.” Remember that now and in November that McCain thinks Social Security is a disgrace… despite him receiving $24,000 in Social Security benefits last year. Hypocrisy thy name is McCain...

Tragedy in Arkansas

The chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party died Wednesday, after being shot at the state’s Party headquarters in Little Rock.

Police gave chase to a suspect apparently fleeing the scene and, after a high-speed chase, he was killed by police.

Reaction from other politicos was swift…

Sen. Obama; “I was shocked and saddened to hear about the tragedy in Arkansas. We're all grateful for the quick action of law enforcement and quick thinking by Chairman Gwatney's staff, and Michelle and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers.”

DNC Chair Howard Dean; “his senseless tragedy comes as a shock to all of us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Chairman Gwatney and his family and we pray for his full and speedy recovery. While the investigation of this shooting continues, and our primary concern remains with Bill and his family, we commend the courageous and speedy action of law enforcement officials in apprehending the suspect.”

Karen Ray, executive director of the Republican Party of Arkansas; “Our hearts go out to everyone at the Democratic headquarters. What a tragedy.”

President & Senator Clinton; “We are stunned and shaken by today's shooting at the Arkansas Democratic Party where our good friend and fellow Democrat Bill Gwatney was critically wounded. […] Bill is not only a strong chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party, but he is also a cherished friend and confidante. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bill and his family today…”

More as it becomes known… we at TBWA express our thoughts and prayers for the family and friends of Mr. Gwatney through this difficult time.

A picture is worth a thousand words

And this one speaks more than a thousand... from "President" Bush's recent China trip.

Is it just me, or does Bush look kind of tipsy? And is Barbara ready to hide under her seat or what?

We should be so proud...

The Wednesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Hump day! Yay, that means the week is getting closer to the end…

• The Russian/Georgian conflict continues… now “President” Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as a show of support (that should end well… and shouldn’t she have been on the first plane over the day it happened instead of days later?)
• Former Virginia Governor and current Senate candidate Mark Warner will be giving the Keynote Address at the Democratic convention… (Interesting pick… hmmmm)
• Hours after a former republican congressman coyly suggested that Sen. Chuck Hagel (r-NE) could be a possible running mate for Sen. Obama, Hagel’s office made an official announcement that Hagel, who has been against the Iraq war since the beginning, wouldn’t endorse either candidate. (I think Hagel’ silence on McCain speaks louder volumes than him NOT endorsing Obama…)
• Sen. Clinton’s presidential campaign just won’t go (officially) away… nor will her Campaign (mis)Manager Mark Penn, who complimented McCain’s celebrity ad. (Mark’s career with Democrats is likely coming to an end… what with the awful way he ran Clinton’s campaign, coupled with his praising of McCain, what Democrat in their right mind would hire him???)
• “Today we are all Georgians”? Seriously Sen. McCain… that’s what you’re going to say???
• From the “it’s not a surprise to me files”… the US spent $85 billion on contracts in Iraq in the first four years of the war and is now relying on contracted employees at a rate higher than in any other war… (that’s because it’s the Bush(whacked) Administration and that’s what they do… it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that people in the administration has any ties to these contractors… no sirree…)
• The Federal deficit ballooned to $102.8 billion in July… partly because of the economic stimulus payments that did anything BUT stimulate the economy…
• And have we mentioned? That a former FCC chairman may have THE line of the 2008 presidential campaign? Regarding McCain’s well known image as a computer “illiterate” whose “never felt the particular need to e-mail”, former FCC chairman Reed Hundt told Salon; “Basically, John is a technological troglodyte, and proud of it.” (Succinctly put, isn’t it? Do we really want a president that is not only afraid of technology but, as a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, fought against a program designed to provide discounts to schools and libraries to connect to the Internet while also siding with the telecom industry in the net neutrality debate? I certainly don’t…)

A Refusal of Law

It’s official; Attorney General Michael “The Refuser” Mukasey is indeed the second coming of former AG Alberto “Albatross” Gonzales…

Speaking before the ABA today, Mukasey said that the “negative publicity” those that politicized the DOJ’s internship and Honors programs was punishment enough and out-rightly rejected any possibility of prosecution. Said Mukasey; “That does not mean, as some people have suggested, that those officials who were found by the joint reports to have committed misconduct have suffered no consequences. Far from it. The officials most directly implicated in the misconduct left the Department to the accompaniment of substantial negative publicity. … To put it in concrete terms, I doubt that anyone in this room would want to trade places with any of those people.”

Negative publicity is enough of a deterrent for crime… really? Granted, I’m not an attorney, but it seems to me that Mukasey’s view is spectacularly minimalistic and naïve.

Why have laws if all it takes is “negative publicity” to ensure someone doesn’t do something again?

Why have the death penalty? If someone kills someone, the “negative publicity” would be more than enough of a deterrent to stop them from doing it again…

Granted, it’s two totally diverse law breaking… but when the AG of the United States says that the “negative publicity” faced by someone who broke the law is enough… that’s just wrong.

Mukasey is the man confirmed to head the nation’s law enforcement… the man confirmed to ensure laws are followed and not broken… the man confirmed to be everything this administration wasn’t.

And now Mukasey has done nothing but prove himself as incompetent as Gonzales… perhaps more so.

And Mukasey wasn’t done as he said “not every wrong, or even every violation of the law, is a crime.”

Not every violation of the law is a crime??? Isn’t that the definition of crime; a violation of the law?? So the man heading the nation’s law enforcement is, essentially, refusing to enforce the law?

And does Mukasey truly expect anyone with a brain to believe that “negative publicity” is hampering the job search of any of Bush’s former cronies?

Name one, just one, person with direct connections to this administration whose life or career has been ruined by “negative publicity.”

I’ll be waiting…

The Tuesday ‘BushWhack’ing

Tuesday is here…

• Following ABC News’ Cokie Roberts’ idiotic comments about Sen. Obama travelling to Hawaii (we mentioned it in yesterday’s ‘Daily’, U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka…US Senator from the STATE of Hawaii, laid the smackdown on her, saying; “Saying our 50th state is somehow 'foreign,' does a great disservice to the hard working, patriotic Americans who call Hawaii home. For months people have been asking me, 'when is Sen. Obama going to come home?' I'm so glad he found time to visit his sister and his grandmother, show his daughters more of his home state, and relax a little. Hawaii is a great U.S. destination; just ask the 5.5 million Americans who visited last year for business and pleasure.” (And yet still no apology from Roberts… what a tool)
• The Russia/Georgia conflict continues… allowing the candidates a chance to showcase their foreign policy knowledge and credentials… though it seems McCain’s can be summed up thusly; bomb em.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to kowtow to republicans… saying that she is open to a vote being held regarding offshore drilling. (For all her machismo and rhetoric when she got the speaker position, Pelosi is quickly turning into a mistake as she refuses to show any backbone towards the minority republicans or the lame-duck president. The idea of replacing her as Speaker should be entertained soon… and I don’t mean by Cindy Sheehan. Though I do like her comments towards McCain’s idea to bring Congress back into session for an offshore drilling vote, with her saying; “Well, it’s interesting to hear Sen. McCain talk about bringing Congress back. […] He wasn’t even in Congress when we had two very important bills on energy.” Pwned! Maybe she has a little backbone left in her… let’s just hope she finds it in time)
• Still no word on either side’s VP choice…
• A new report by the GAO shows that “two-thirds” of U.S. corporations “paid no federal income taxes between 1998 and 2005” along with about 68% of foreign companies avoiding corporate taxes over the same period… (We at TBWA continue our stance of not disparaging the IRS – lest we get audited. So we respectfully ask all of you to write your own snark)
• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been “noticeably absent” while the Russia/Georgia conflict wages on… Gee, doesn’t part of a Secretary of State’s job entail traveling around the world to help US allies deal with conflicts like military invasions? She better have a good reason to be missing… what’s that? Oh! Okay then, she doesn’t want to “interrupt her holiday”… (and the dedication and commitment by this administration takes yet another tumble… 1/20/09 can NOT come soon enough)
• And have we mentioned? That someone in McCain’s campaign is apparently a fan of Wikipedia? Due to McCain’s complete lack of knowledge about the economy the Middle East technology & the intertubes we know he didn’t find it… but someone in his campaign did. Speaking yesterday about the aforementioned war in Russia, he said; “After a brief period of independence following the Russian revolution, the Red Army forced Georgia to join the Soviet Union in 1922. As the Soviet Union crumbled at the end of the Cold War, Georgia regained its independence in 1991, but its early years were marked by instability, corruption, and economic crises.” Compare this to the Wiki description of Georgia; “After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Georgia had a brief period of independence as a Democratic Republic (1918-1921), which was terminated by the Red Army invasion of Georgia. Georgia became part of the Soviet Union in 1922 and regained its independence in 1991. Early post-Soviet years was marked by a civil unrest and economic crisis.” Hmmmm… interesting. Click HERE to see more similarities to the two…

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

Another week begins… will we get news of a VP choice (or choices?) this week… stay tuned.

• John Edwards admitted having an extramarital affair last Friday… and while I in NO WAY condone such actions and ask myself what the HELL is was thinking, let us remember that republican nominee John McCain had an extramarital affair as well… while his wife was convalescing after an accident… with a MUCH younger woman… so my question for everyone attacking Edwards is this; Where’s the outrage towards McCain??
• “President” Bush, Vice President Cheney, Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain are all voicing their support for Georgia… though Bush was relived when Cheney said he could still get peaches
• Really CNN, a “Conspiracy of Silence”… who the hell is writing your headlines now, an out of work screenwriter for the CW network?
• And speaking of Bush… NBC interviewed him last week after he gave a speech and expressed “deep concerns” with China’s “detention of political dissidents, human-rights advocates and religious activists.” Bob Costas brought up that speech and asked Bush about “America’s own problems.” Bush denied America has any problems and said; “First of all, I don’t see America having problems. I see America as a nation that is a world leader that has got great values.” (I would say more, but I am SO amazed he had the audacity to say that my head hurts…)
• The secretary for Housing and Urban Development says the US is in a “housing crisis.” (aren’t ya glad that Bush surrounds himself with the best and the brightests?)
• The ridiculous campaign ads continue, now it’s Obama’s turn with an ad that attacks McCain’s “DC celebrity” status… (Give me an effin’ break… how about an ad that speaks on, gee I don’t know – THE ISSUES?? Or is that too much to ask???)
• And have we mentioned? That Cokie Roberts is an idiot? Need proof, consider what she said about Sen. Obama’s trip to Hawaii; “... does not make any sense whatsoever. I know his grandmother lives in Hawaii and I know Hawaii is a state, but it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be in Myrtle Beach, and, you know, if he's going to take a vacation at this time.” Okay… let’s see if we can help Ms. Roberts out here… Obama grew up in Hawaii… his grandmother lives there… he’s trying to campaign in all 50 states (which hasn’t been done since Nixon, and this will make number 48… so what exactly is the problem Cokie?

The Weekly Rewind

So addicting you can't live without it... it's TBWA's Weekly Rewind. Let's get to it...

Applaud: to PROOF that Sen. McCain just doesn’t get it… appearing at the Sturgis (SD) motorcycle rally this week, McCain chatted to some in attendance that he might urge his wife Cindy to enter the Miss Buffalo Chip contest… apparently someone forgot to tell him (or they told him and he promptly forgot) that the contest is a topless, most of the times bottomless beauty pageant where the contestants simulate fellatio and “banana coddling.” (In McCain’s defense, he could have thought they said ‘simulate gelato’ and thought he might get a chance to eat dinner REALLY early…)

Applaud: to EVEN MORE PROOF that McCain’s campaign doesn’t have any idea how to make a political message. Here’s the most current message of the McCain campaign from campaign manager Rick “DHL Loves Me” Davis; “Only celebrities like Barack Obama go to the gym three times a day, demand ‘MET-RX chocolate roasted-peanut protein bars and bottles of a hard-to-find organic brew—Black Forest Berry Honest Tea’ and worry about the price of arugula.” (Wow… this must have had the Obama campaign reeling… how will they ever recover from this dastardly attack?)

Applaud: to YET EVEN MORE PROOF that McCain and his campaign doesn’t know what the hell they’re doing. During a speech in Florida McCain claimed that he fought for the recognition of Martin Luther King day… apparently McCain doesn’t know that people can fact check what he says and find that, via ABC News; “In Arizona, a bill to recognize a holiday honoring MLK failed in the legislature, so then-Gov. Bruce Babbitt, a Democrat, declared one through executive order. In January 1987, the first act of Arizona’s new governor, Republican Evan Mecham, was to rescind the executive order by his predecessor to create an MLK holiday. Arizona’s stance became a national controversy. McCain backed the decision at the time.” They could then check his facts further and find that in 1983, McCain voted against a motion to suspend the rules and pass a bill to designate the third Monday of every January as a federal holiday in honor of the late civil rights leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” (Dumb. Ass. Who’s in charge of this campaign, Mark Penn???)

Heckle: to ominous occurrences. After Georgian troops launched a major military offensive this past Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia, Russian troops and tanks moved in… this should end well…

Applaud: to the news that, supposedly according to NBC News, the U.S. and Iraq are “close” to agreeing to a deal that would signal all American combat troops would leave Iraq by October 2010… (I’ll believe when I see it… hell, knowing this administration I may not even believe it then… stay tuned)

Heckle: to more flip-flopping from the man who is making it an art form. Earlier this week McCain attacked Obama about this tire gauge theory… now he’s “appeared to back down.” In a telephone townhall meeting earlier this week (can it really be called a townhall meeting if it’s over the telephone?) McCain told voters in Pennsylvania; “Obama said a couple of days ago says we all should inflate our tires. I don’t disagree with that. The American Automobile Association strongly recommends it.” (Well duhhhhhh… that’s what people have been trying to tell you and your moronic surrogates… it does work. Maybe next time you should check things out before attacking… just a thought)

Applaud: to ignoring of a memo. This past week marked the seven year anniversary of “President” Bush’s reception of a ‘President’s Daily Brief’ entitled “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” The morning he received it, Bush was vacationing at his ranch in Crawford (of course he was) and he, along with EVERY OTHER PERSON in his administration ignored the memo… wonder how things would be different had they acted on it…

Heckle: to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Per the GAO, they’re putting “millions of Medicare dollars at risk” by allowing and even authorizing fabricated sellers of wheelchairs, prosthetics and other medical supplies to submit reimbursement claims with limited reviews of the claims… even though the group has been promising since “at least 2005” to fix the problems… (Why should this surprise us? Every governmental department, agency, group under this administration has shown their disdain of the rules and promises. Like everything else, the next president –regardless of whom it is – has a LONG road ahead of him to fix everything this administration’s fucked up…)

Applaud: to delicious irony. McCain was talking about a looming loss of jobs in Ohio this past week and was not clued into the fact that it was partially due to his campaign manager. Well, the media finally got wind that McCain isn’t perfect (that or it was denture cream) and started asking him about the fact that this campaign manager was partially behind the loss… (Once again it seems as if McCain has no idea who is working for his campaign. Shouldn’t someone have connected the dots to Rick Davis and DHL? If his campaign is run like this, what the hell would his administration look like?)

Heckle: to understating the obvious. The White House grossly underestimated (or grossly under-announced) the budget deficit for FY 2008 being $389 billion…however, a new CBO report puts it at nearly $490 billion. (regardless of who is right, they’re both WAY too high and are BOTH close to the record-breaking number of 2004… not surprisingly also under “President” Bush… the next president is going to have one helluva job awaiting him…)

Applaud: to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. During an interview with Politico, Ms. Rice said that America could be safe under an Obama administration and empathized with his stand on the surge… (Ouch. This isn’t the first time that Rice has suggested she might favor Obama over McCain, but when a republican says that the Democratic candidate could keep the country safe while at the same time empathizing where he stood about her boss’ much-ballyhooed surge, you know your candidate may not be the best choice…)

Heckle: to “President” Bush for, once again, saying things that may smart and logical people’s heads hurt. Reacting to the Justice Department’s report on his administration’s illegal hirings, Bush said: “I had a lot of hires in this administration, a lot of parts of it. … I’ve read the critique. I’ve listened very seriously to what they said. And other than that, I have no comment.” (Huh?

Applaud: to Sen. Obama for turning the tables on a heckler. Before Obama had a chance to launch into his speech about his energy policies earlier this week, John Quinn shouted “Hey, you didn't start this rally with the Pledge of Allegiance, that proves you hate America.” Rather than have the man dragged out of the hall (which, is this were Bush or Cheney would have been immediately followed by a new arrival at Guantanamo) Obama obliged the man and led the audience in the Pledge. (The argument ‘you didn’t recite the pledge so you hate America’ is about as vapid as “President” Bush… who, it should be known, has RARELY started any of his speeches with the Pledge. Perhaps Mr. Quinn should get a life and/or STFU)

Heckle: to grossly overstepping one’s bounds. The department of Health and Human Services has proposed a new rule that would allow doctors to refuse to perform abortions. (Um… how exactly does this fall under HHS’ responsibilities is anyone’s guess. But if it happens, expect a HUGE backlash…)

Applaud: to the media for finally(!) waking up. One of McCain’s home-state newspapers in Arizona is taking him to task for reneging on his promise to run a “respectful, civil” campaign… (good job guys, keep it up. McCain’s pledge was about as empty as his tech knowledge…)

Heckle: to Focus on the Family for asking Christians everywhere to pray for rain on the day that Sen. Obama gives his acceptance speech… (are you kidding me? Way to stay classy guys… tools)

Applaud: to the McCain campaign being proven wrong… again. First they blew a passing comment by Obama out of proportion while at the same time saying it wouldn’t work. Second, they were shown they were in fact idiots because experts agreed that it DOES actually work. Third, they mocked Obama for saying it and then in the next sentence say that the idea actually works. (Every time McCain is wrong, a Democratic delegate gets their vote…)

Heckle: to inane irony. Congressional republicans have been labeling the Democratic-led Congress as a “do-nothing Congress”… this past week they’ve shown the lengths they’ll go to get what they want by showing themselves to be a honest to goodness ‘do-nothing Congress’ by threatening to shut down the entire federal government if they don't get their way on offshore drilling. Bonus: One of the people suggesting it is Newt Gingrich…(While I try to figure out when the hell Newt became politically relevant again… perhaps someone should show the republicans just how stupid they look. On second thought, don’t; it can only help us…)

Applaud: to intra-party issues. Six conservative senators are skipping the republican convention this year… while it’s not hard to understand why Senators Ted “Indicted is my middle name” Stevens, Larry “Wide Stance” Craig and Wayne “no nickname available at press-time” Allard won’t be appearing, it’s more of a puzzle as to why Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Susan Collins of Maine won’t be coming. After all, I’m sure it has nothing to do with the two of them facing tough re-election campaigns and not wanting to appear with a severely damaged brand… (it’s so hard to express sarcasm in the written form…)

Heckle: to news that should make everyone say; “Oh shit.” CBS News reported earlier this week that due to growing anxiety about Iran’s nuclear ambitions, “Israel is building up its strike capabilities” and is confident that an attack would “cripple Tehran’s atomic program, even if it can’t destroy it.” As part of the build-up, Israel has purchased 90 F-16I fighter planes that can carry enough fuel to reach Iran, and will receive 11 more by the end of next year.” (This should end well…)

Applaud: to polling data that brings a smile to my face. A new Time magazine poll shows a mere 21% of Americans approve of Bush’s handling the economy with 29% approving of his job as President… a CBS news poll released this past week gives Bush a scant 25% approval rating… (I’m going to ignore what the hell these people are smoking and bask in some of the lowest approval ratings for a president in a RELLY long time…)

Heckle: to Iraqi lawmakers for adjourning earlier this week without agreeing on a provincial election law… about as do-nothing as our last two Congress’ have been. I guess they are emulating us after all...

Applaud: to Sen. Charles E. Grassley (r –IA) and Rep. Rush D. Holt (D-NJ) for calling for an investigation into the anthrax investigation. (I’m not a conspiratist, but the timing of all of this sounds rather convenient… and it’s a good idea to investigate it)

Heckle: to stupid and misguided deals. “A secret deal between Britain and the al-Mahdi militia” prevented British Forces from assisting US and Iraqi allies during the battle for Basra earlier this year with one British official saying that the deal was “intended as an IRA-style reconciliation,” that “did not work.” (Ya think? As much as you might detest this war, this is an act of cowardice that endangered the lives of US and allied forces)

Applaud: to Grover Norquist. Last week McCain said at a townhall meeting; “I want to look you in the eye: I will not raise your taxes nor support a tax increase.” Anti-tax guru Grover Norquist hit the nail on the head when he said that McCain’s “look you in the eye” declaration was “an updated version” of Bush 41’s infamous “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge that helped sink his campaign when he ran for reelection…

Heckle: to showing their true colors. A week ago Friday the House considered a bill that would have provided much-needed funding to veterans and military organizations. Naturally House conservatives tried to kill the bill and attached an offshore oil drilling amendment to it. Chet Edwards (D-TX), Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, denounced the tactic and when he read statements from veterans groups urging Congress not to meddle with the legislation, House conservatives booed… you read that right; House conservatives booed veterans… stay classy guys. You bunch of tools… BTW, the bill passed.

Applaud: to irony that is so thick even “President” Bush could see it… well, maybe not. Eight years ago this past week delivered his acceptance speech at the 2000 republican National Convention and said; “So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.” (Honor? Dignity? Those terms are alien to Bush and everyone else in his administration… 1/20/2009 can NOT come soon enough)

All I got, take 'em as you will...

The Friday ‘BushWhack’ing

Friday! Yippee!

• Embattled, and moronic if I do say so myself, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson is refusing to resign…
• Joining his wife, Sen. Clinton, President Bill Clinton will speak at the Democratic convention the night of the Vice President’s nominee speech… (Party unity is a vital message to get across at the convention, and having both of the Clintons speak is a HUGE step in the right direction. Let’s hope it doesn’t devolve into a gop-like circus stunt…)
• Minnesota Governor (and McCain VP possibility) Tim Pawlenty says that the gop needs to “freshen up.” (What that means is anyone’s guess… but knowing their history, it’s probably sexual…)
• “McCain’s campaign of mockery…” (Pretty much sums it all up nicely doesn’t it? Sen. McCain’s campaign is slowly becoming a joke and the more it goes the ‘insult comic’ route, the further down the respectability scale it slides… which can be a good thing for Sen. Obama’s campaign. Stay tuned, the next 90 days should be fun)
• McCain’s desperation (which is misguided since the election is still far away and it’s still anyone’s game) is showing with his campaign ads… they don’t pump up the candidate but rather aim to tear down his opponent. While that concept can work, they need to be balanced with ads that stroke the virtues of their candidate. Hopefully Obama’s campaign doesn’t make the same mistakes)
• White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers are appealing the ruling that U.S. District Judge John Bates handed down last week declaring the two must testify before Congress regarding their role U.S. AttorneyGate. Their court filing read: “Whatever the proper resolution of the extraordinarily important questions presented, the public interest clearly favors further consideration of issues before defendants are required to take actions that may forever alter the constitutional balance of separation of powers.” (Give me en effin break… it’s a federal ruling that they must appear… make it so or arrest their asses…)
• And have we mentioned? That the Bush White House has its own interrogation room? That’s what Ron Suskind’s new book accuses when he describes a situation near the White House where security officials detained and interrogated a Pakistani U.S. college graduate because he was “fiddling” with his iPod near White House gates. (The rumors of what is under the White House and its grounds are stuff of legends… and the possibility of a security room being beneath it shouldn’t be a surprise)

The Thursday ‘BushWhack’ing

Back and better than ever…

• China is accusing “President” Bush of meddling… this comes from a country that won’t allow foreign journalists covering the games to access certain website and won’t allow protests near the Olympics… pot, meet kettle.
• Sen. McCain says the US needs an “economic surge.”
• Polling data across the country says the presidential race is tight… (did we really need polls to tell us this? This race isn’t going to be decided months or even weeks in advance. It will be decided on Election Day and any polls you see between now and then – regardless of whom they put in the lead – should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt)
• Supporters of Sen. Clinton plan on marching in protest at the Democratic convention later this month. (Sigh… why? What could this possibly accomplish?? The candidate you supported lost… that’s the end, time to move on and unite behind the party’s nominee. To protest would show the nation, and the world, a fractured party, and that is something we do NOT need. If you truly believe in party unity and don’t want to see republicans in the White House for another four years, you need to put your personal feelings – or prejudices – aside… for the better of the nation and the party. If not, you’ll be counted among the Joe Liebermans’s of the world…)
• A new CBO estimate shows that the budget deficit for fiscal 2008 is going to be “around $400 billion.” The CBO’s prediction is, natch, “slightly higher” than the deficit estimate presented by the White House, who pegged it at $389 billion. Regardless, both estimates are close to the record-breaking deficit suffered in fiscal 2004 when it was $412.7 billion. Not surprisingly, that also came during the reign of Bush…
• A new Time magazine poll shows that a scant 21% approve of the job “President” Bush is doing in terms of handling the economy with a scant 29% approving of his job as President.
• The VP race continues on both sides with neither seemingly close to choosing one.
• House republicans don’t plan to end their pathetic stunts anytime soon… with House gop leaders saying they plan to continue their stunts on oil drilling for “at least the next two weeks.” Showing that he has no grasp of reality, House Minority Leader John Boehner said in a memo that their stunts are “making history.” (and they’re doing that… how? Even Bush is ignoring them and calling them for what they are; a stunt that is designed to give the appearance of them caring. It’s not working and it’s not going to work, so perhaps they should quit before they embarrass themselves further…)
• And have we mentioned? That “diplomacy is finished” with Iran? John “I am the walrus” Bolton said so on Fox “News” today that are only two options now left; targeted military strikes or full-scale regime change, saying; “I think regime change would be preferable because I think that would lead to greater stability in the region as a whole.” (First of all, who the HELL is listening to this man? Anyone? Second, how can diplomacy be finished when it hasn’t even started yet? I knew Bolton was a few bricks shy of a load, but this is mind-bogglingly stupid…)

Trouble in Paradise

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any better, we get this.

Congressional republicans asked Bush to convene a special session of Congress to grandstand and showboat their lusting of lifting the ban on offshore drilling.

“President” Bush refused.

Now he’s got House republicans mad at him… and a group of them sent a legislative update to gop members today in which Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (r-MI) accused the President, whom he labeled “Beijing George” of throwing House republicans “under the bone-dry bus.”

Says the memo; “Today, in his final term, the wildly unpopular President George W. Bush boarded Air Force One bound for the Beijing Olympics and a meeting with his chum Hu Jintao, the dapper ruler of a nuclear armed, communist dictatorship. … Perhaps our Compassionate Conservative-in-Chief will bring our absent Democrat Congress some ‘Made in (communist) China’ souvenir t-shirts: “Bush went to Beijing and all I got was this lousy five week, paid vacation.”

Ouch… that sounds like something I would say on this blog… but the fact that it’s members of Bush’s own party should give concern to republicans and joy to Democrats.

We can only hope the animosity lasts...

The last straw?

Just when you think you’ve heard the worst thing this administration can do, something comes out that makes you realize they’re not even close.

Journalist Ron Suskind has a new book coming out and in it he describes how the Bush White house ordered the CIA to forge a backdated, handwritten letter that would tie Saddam Hussein to the 9/11 attacks.

According to Suskind, the letter was commissioned “from the highest reaches of the White House and occurred in the fall of 2003 when the White House ordered CIA Director George Tenet to forge a “fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001.” Writes Suskind; “It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq.”

While this isn’t totally surprising, it should enrage you… for two reasons.

First, while many of us knew, or at the least now know, that Bush lied us into war, we now seem to have some kind of concrete and traceable proof that Bush knew before he invaded Iraq that there were no WMD’s… and yet he continued to lie to the American public and to Congress.

Second, after the fact it now looks as though Bush & Cheney ordered the CIA to forge a letter to justify the invasion; “The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001. It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq — thus showing, finally, that there was an operation link between Saddam and al-Qaeda, something the Vice President's office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade. […] A handwritten letter, with Habbush's name on it, would be fashioned by CIA and then hand-carried by a CIA agent to Baghdad for dissemination.”

CIA officers Rob Richer (former head of the CIA’s Near East Division) and John Maguire (who oversaw the Iraq Operations Group) are both on the record in Suskind’s book confirming the existence of this letter…
Suskind goes on to not only describe how this is an impeachable offense, but also delves into details about how and why it’s illegal for the President of the United States to use the CIA in this manner.

Yes, it’s also immoral, but if the last seven years have shown us anything, it’s that Bush has no moral code to guide him.

When you add this to the recent New York Daily News article about the Anthrax attacks that revealed the fact that “White House officials repeatedly pressed FBI Director Robert Mueller to prove it [the anthrax attack] was a second-wave assault by Al Qaeda” you start to clearly see that the lengths by which this administration would go to in order to get what they wanted.

It’s a given that the conservative Beltway intelligentsia won’t give Suskind’s revelations a second thought… (it’s not a blow job in the Oval Office mind you, so why should they?) but maybe, just maybe enough Democrats will see revelations like this and they’ll be convinced that the only way to prevent future crimes against the American people will be to impeach Bush…

Stay tuned, though I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Technical Difficulties

Today's edition of "The Daily BushWhacking" will not be seen... we regret the inconvenience.

The Monday ‘BushWhack’ing

Is it really Monday again? Already? Son of a…

• Sen. Obama unveiled his energy plan today… among the ideas is tapping the SPR’s (which he didn’t want to do last month), giving an energy rebate to help with gas prices, the creation of five million “green” jobs and eliminating the need for Middle East oil within 10 years.
• Obama seems to be flip-flopping on Florida and Michigan delegates. (not good Mr. Obama. You were against it before, you can’t come out in favor of it now…it will make you look like a flip-flopper, and one in this race is more than enough…)
• President Clinton says he isn’t racist… thanks for clearing that up Sir.
• Sen. Edward Kennedy, still recovering from surgery and chemo to battle a malignant brain tumor, will not be able to attend the Convention, so he’s recorded a tape to be played at the event. (Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with you Mr. Kennedy)
• Speaking of conventions… protesters are practicing for the upcoming republican convention. In other news; protesters practice.
• “President” Bush is in Asia this week, in advance of his attendance at the Olympic Opening Ceremonies. Expect relations with Asia to become strained in five, four, three…
• If the Dems can claim a majority of the 10 in-play Senate seats this November, it would give them the first veto-proof Democratic majority since the 1977-1979 sessions. (Hopefully though, we won’t need a veto-proof majority as we will have also claimed the White House. So stay tuned…)
• We expect this from him, but we expect more from our Congress… since a commission aimed at boosting US energy independence was formed over 3 years ago, neither Bush nor Congress has “acted to appoint members.” Apparently we didn’t need them, even though, during this time, oil prices have skyrocketed, more than doubling in price from $60 a barrel to $125 while the price of a gallon of gasoline has increased from about $2.25 to nearly $4… (way to go everyone? Keep up the good crappy work!!!)
• A new GAO report shows that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is risking millions of Medicare dollars by allowing “fictitious sellers of wheelchairs, prosthetics and other medical supplies to submit reimbursement claims with only limited review.” Apparently they forgot that they promised to fix these problems back in 2005. (Every damn department/agency in the US is going to have to be rebuilt after this administration leaves office…)
• And have we mentioned? That eight years ago yesterday “President” Bush delivered his acceptance speech at the 2000 republican National Convention? It’s noteworthy for what he said within his speech; “So when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office to which I have been elected, so help me God.” (Honor? Dignity? I can sum up Bush’s job of upholding those in two simple words; Epic. Fail. Mark my words, he will go down in the history books as one of the worst, if not THE worst, president EVER. Honor and dignity indeed…)

The Friday ‘BushWhack’ing

TGIF… ‘nuff said.

• Sen. McCain is claiming Sen. Obama is playing the race card… (Regardless of what each candidate and their surrogates may say, race is going to be a factor for some people in this campaign… perhaps the candidates should talk about it rather than trying to sweep it under the proverbial rug…)
• Apparently CNN is just now learning that high gas prices are causing American consumers to point fingers to assign blame… Message to CNN; May 2008 called, it wants its news story back…
• Congressional republicans are calling for a special session of Congress to deal with the oil crisis… though I’m sure it has nothing to do with “President” Bush urging Congress earlier this week to allow offshore drilling. And if you believe that, I have a nice bridge to sell you in South Dakota.
• July unemployment figures jumped from the previous month, the seventh straight month of job losses. The report, released by the DOL this morning found that companies eliminated 51,000 jobs in July while the unemployment rate also shot up to 5.7%, the highest rate since March 2004.
• Homeland Security disclosed recently that Federal agents can take a traveler’s laptop or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time, even “without any suspicion of wrongdoing.” The DHS also has the ability to “copy a lifetime of files” and then examine those files at their leisure… (Constitution? What Constitution?)
• More fallout from his idiotic and insensitive comments towards children with autism, last week’s TWR Tool of the Week Michael Savage has lost another radio gig. Los Angeles’ KGIL dropped his show earlier this week; joining stations in Ohio, Mississippi, and Virginia. He’s also lost a handful of advertisers as well. (Good… and I have the feeling we haven’t seen the end of the fallout, stay tuned)
• And have we mentioned? That Wal-Mart is worried about the November elections? Apparently the chain is mobilizing store managers and department supervisors by calling them to mandatory meetings in which they’re being told the downsides of a Democratic victory… evidently they’re scared that if Democrats win power in November, they’ll likely change federal law to make it easier for workers to unionize companies… (Kind of makes their slogan, ‘Live Better’, seem rather hollow, doesn’t it? Live better, as long as it’s not at our expense…)