The Weekly Rewind.

Ok so we now know it is going to be Obama vs McCain. I am not going to rehash what has been all over the networks and cable channels this week. No that would be boring. Howe about some stuff that flew under the radar? Here we go with this weeks Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to being consistently clueless. It seems that despite fierce opposition by Iraqis to his call for a long-term occupation of Iraq, ‘President’ Bush this week expressed confidence that a status of forces agreement would pass. Bush said that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki “appreciates our presence there” and suggested much of the opposition “is based on inaccurate media reports and misunderstandings.” Hmmm, okay let’s see where these ‘inaccurate media reports’ and ‘misunderstandings’ are occurring….stay together, now follow me….As reported at ThinkProgress and various news agencies…

• Top Iraqi officials are objecting publicly to the United States’ effort to establish permanent bases in the country. “The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq,” said Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. “If we can’t reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, ‘Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don’t need you here anymore.’”

• Iraqi lawmakers say that the Bush administration is “demanding 58 bases as part of a proposed ’status of forces’ agreement that will allow U.S. troops to remain in the country indefinitely.” Jalal al Din al Saghir, a leading lawmaker from the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, called the deal “more abominable than the occupation.”

• Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is saying that “talks with the United States on a longterm security agreement have reached a ‘dead end’” because the U.S. proposals “do not take into consideration Iraq’s sovereignty.”

Well it seems that either our ‘President’ has no clue of what he is talking about, or Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has an evil clone that runs around saying the exact opposite of everything he does……hmmmmm I’m betting on the first scenario… which takes us directly into the next point…

Heckle: to not only being clueless but not having a conscience either. In an interview with the UK Times, President Bush said he regrets his legacy in making the world believe he was a “guy really anxious for war” in Iraq. But today, he added that “he had no regrets about the decision to invade Iraq.” Amazing, you gotta wonder what it's like to be that clueless!

Applaud: to the effort. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) said he’s not going to let his effort to impeach President Bush die a quiet death in committee. He said Wednesday that he’ll bring his resolution “back in 30 days if the Judiciary Committee…doesn’t act on it.” “In 30 days, I’ll be joined by many more” members, he said. With the short amount of time left, we doubt it will go anywhere, however we heartily applaud the effort Dennis.

Applaud: to…..wait for it. President Bush is increasingly drawing on selected events of the past to argue that history will vindicate him. Unfortunately for the president, many historians have already reached a conclusion. In an informal survey of scholars this spring, just two out of 109 historians said Bush would be judged a success; a majority deemed him the “worst president ever.” See I told you to wait for it….

Applaud: to more people seeing the light. In a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out this week, 78 percent of respondents rate the economic conditions in this country as poor. That’s up from 75 percent in March. Only 22 percent rate the economic conditions in the country as good. Give it time and a few more of the 22 percent will wake up.

Applaud: for the effort , but you still gotta laugh at the image. Former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has bought a new, fuel-efficient Vespa. According to the DC Examiner, “Mr. Macho recently stopped by the Vespa dealership in Glover Park and took home a LXV 150 scooter, which can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour.” When asked about his purchase, Rumsfeld reported cackled, “Ha ha ha ha, I’ll get you and your little dog too!” Okay not really, but can’t you just picture it?

Applaud: to not keeping silent. This week the scientific academies of the G8 countries and of Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa “urged the world to act more forcefully to limit the threat posed by human-driven global warming.” They called on the industrialized countries to lead a “transition to a low-carbon society” and aggressively move to limit impacts from changes in climate that are already under way and impossible to stop. Ok, talk is nice, however all these countries need to put some actions behind their words or it’s just rhetoric.

Heckle: to once again pulling the rug out from under the average American. With soaring oil prices, Americans are increasingly turning to Amtrak, which saw record numbers in May when ridership rose a healthy 12.3 percent from a year earlier. The Bush administration, however, is of course threatening to veto legislation that would fund the passenger railroad for the next five years. What a surprise, one of our few pieces of infrastructure that could actually help is being threatened with being shut-down. Just another example of the ‘Bush-Whacking’ of America.

Heckle: to being once again being manipulated. As ‘President’ Bush travels across Europe to gain support for possible new sanctions against Iran, Israeli leaders have been working to lay the psychological foundation for a possible military strike if diplomacy falters. Reportedly in public threats and private briefings with American decision-makers, Israeli officials have been making the case that a military strike may be the only way to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Nice, here we go again. We screwed up in Iraq, so let’s try it again with Iran and this time let’s try the spin using a different ally. I can see Bush starting something near the end of his lame duck term and then running out the door to leave it to the next POTUS to deal with.

Heckle: to shortsightedness. Now the financial credit crisis is squeezing student loan programs that offer breaks to borrowers who enter critical fields such as nursing and teaching, as state-backed lenders in at least six states “have dropped or scaled back programs.” Ok so in about 10- 15 years when our kids are failing even worse than they are now, and when a large part of the population is in need of medical care we can slap the speculators and Administration officials who thought it wasn’t important to be pro-active. That is if we can find them.

And this weeks tool of the week is....... FEMA, for once again letting their stupidity show. A CNN investigation has found “FEMA gave away about $85 million in household goods meant for Hurricane Katrina victims.” A FEMA spokesperson said, “We determined that they were excess to FEMA’s needs; therefore, they are being excessed from FEMA’s inventory.” But Martha Kegel, the head of a New Orleans nonprofit agency, responded, “These are the very things that we are seeking right now.” I’m sorry can we just scrap FEMA and just start over with FEMA 2?

Finally, on a Sad note, Tim Russert of NBC died suddenly Friday at the studio in Washington doing what he loved. This was a man of great integrity who was respected and admired by both sides of the aisle. I spent many, many Sunday mornings watching him on 'Meet the Press' and considered him to be one of the fairest people in the arena of political reporting. I looked forward to his perspective on the issues. I will miss his wit, wisdom and insight as we enter this historic general election. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. God bless you Tim, you set a standard that will be hard for others to acheive.

That’s it for this week.

Be good, stay informed….later…

Here we go again: Part 256

Last week I posted about an Israeli press report that during a recent meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was going to urge “President” Bush to prepare an attack on Iran.

Naturally the White House has not commented extensively on the meeting, but Israeli press is commenting extensively and reported earlier this week that Olmert has dropped hints that a “U.S. action against Iran is imminent.”

From the article; “Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hinted after his meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday that U.S. action against Iran is imminent. While he avoided saying anything clear and specific on the matter, Olmert did mention a “timetable” and said action would take place before Bush leaves the White House. […] We reached agreement on the need to take care of the Iranian threat,” Olmert said after the meeting. “I left with a lot less question marks [than I had entered with] regarding the means, the timetable restrictions and America’s resoluteness to deal with the problem. […] George Bush understands the severity of the Iranian threat and the need to vanquish it, and intends to act on the matter before the end of his term in the White House,” Olmert reportedly said after his 90 minute long one-on-one meeting with the American Commander in Chief.”

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s officially the mantra of this administration now.

‘Here we go again…’

Why?

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is having a White House meeting today and, according to the Israeli press, Olmert will urge President Bush to prepare an attack on Iran; “Citing sources close to the Israeli prime minister, Yediot Achronot reported on its front page Wednesday that Olmert, who is due to hold closed-door talks with Bush in Washington, will say that “time is running out” on diplomatic efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program.”

Son of a…

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but how could diplomatic efforts be running out of time when we haven’t talked to them because that would be appeasement???

This is troubling, especially coming on the heels of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s “unusually sharp” verbal assault against Iran while giving a speech at AIPAC yesterday, this is news that should make conservatives nervous.

When you consider that Olmert himself told the AIPAC audience that “We must stop the Iranian threat by all possible means”… you get the feeling that the decision has already been made and they’re only waiting for a time that will benefit Sen. McCain’s campaign divert attention away from Olmert’s problems at home work from a logistical standpoint.

As Bush’s presidency gets nearer and nearer to the end, the rumors of a military strike on Iran are increasing at an alarming rate, with conservative lemmings like John Bolton and Norman Podhoretz coming out of the woodwork and suggesting an attack is near… and then there was the story last month in the Jerusalem Post that said a senior Bush(whacked) Administration official told Israeli officials to anticipate such an attack.

We’re boned…

Looking for casus belli

In case you though the Bush(whacked) Administration had forgotten about their plans to bomb Iran, think again.

The Jerusalem Post reported yesterday that a senior Israeli official said that “President” Bush and “Vice” President Cheney are of the belief that military action against Iran is necessary and that such an attack could be coming soon.

From the Post; “US President George W. Bush intends to attack Iran in the upcoming months, before the end of his term, Army Radio quoted a senior official in Jerusalem as saying Tuesday. […] The official claimed that a senior member of the president’s entourage, which concluded a trip to Israel last week, said during a closed meeting that Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney were of the opinion that military action was called for. […] However, the official continued, “the hesitancy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice” was preventing the administration from deciding to launch such an attack on the Islamic Republic, for the time being.”

Lovely…

The White House and the Pentagon have been “catapulting the propaganda” on Iran for a couple of months now, but aren’t moving precipitately this time as things look to be different this time around. Not only will there be no “coalition of the willing,” but the US public isn’t willing to get dragged into another war using questionable intel and evidence as support for attack.

If they can’t find a coalition of the willing and the American citizenry won’t accept it, what’s an administration to do?

Stay tuned.

Next stop part 1,210: Iran

Former US Ambassador to the UN, John “I am the Walrus” Bolton appeared on Fox “News” and discussed whether the US is close to striking Iranian targets, as new reports indicate the Bush(whacked) Administration is drawing up plans for a “surgical strike” on the country.

Bolton said that while there are “obviously risks associated” with a strike on Iran (that’s a massive understatement) the risks of not doing something are “far higher” at this point… though no one can say why.

Bolton said that attacking Iran would be the “most prudent thing to do” (especially if you’re a neo-con, war-mongering, chicken-hawk dumbass) and said; “I think they’re dead wrong on this. I think this is a case where the use of military force against a training camp to show the Iranians we’re not going to tolerate this is really the most prudent thing to do. Then the ball would be in Iran’s court to draw the appropriate lesson to stop harming our troops.”

This administration won’t be happy until they attack Iran and further deplete our military.

1/20/2009 can NOT come soon enough…

The Weekly Rewind

Greetings loyal readers. Unless you are living under a rock, you know that we are coming up on two more important primaries this Tuesday. So instead of beating you over the head with anything primary related, lets take a look at some of the other news items you may have missed. Here is a little piece we like to call The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: to stirring up the rhetoric to justify another ‘war’. U.S. and Iraqi security forces in Baghdad “have been targeted with 251 improvised bombs this month — nearly double the monthly average — as fighting in and around Sadr City intensified.” U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Mike Milano said that “some of the attacks involved deadly armor-piercing bombs that the U.S. military has linked to Iran.” Here is an idea, stick to the facts and the truth. If Iran is involved, obtain solid prrof and then we can deal with it. Otherwise stop twisting our troop casualties to fit your warped views.

Heckle: to running unrestrained. With Americans facing record levels of credit card debt, financial institutions have sharply raised rates for credit card customers — even those who pay on time — as they grapple with losses from other bad consumer loans. Banks are also imposing higher fees for late payments and ATM withdrawals to boost profits. Leave it to the financial sector to once again find ways to screw the American public for their own greed. The economy is in bad shape and the faster everyone acknowledges that and pays heed, the better off we will be when the inevitable happens.

Heckle: to another area of the financial sector screwing us. As the Federal Reserve completes work on rules to root out abuses by mortgage lenders, the mortgage industry has begun an intensive campaign to fight back. The industry’s criticism has already prompted the Fed to consider narrowing the scope of the plan so it applies to fewer loans. Once again, the administration shows it’s contempt for the average American, in favor of big business. Does anyone truly think that a McCain administration would be any different?

Heckle: to your own words biting you in the ass. Three years before Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was arguing for a 100 year presence in Iraq, he told MSNBC, “I would hope that we could bring them all home.” “I think one of our big problems has been the fact that many Iraqis resent American military presence,” McCain said. “[A]s soon as we can reduce our visibility as much as possible, the better I think it is going to be.” Excuse me Senator, would you like a swimsuit to go with those flip-flops?

Heckle: to the continuing erosion of the American dream. “Home foreclosure filings jumped 23 percent in the first quarter…and more than doubled from a year a earlier,” according to new RealtyTrac data. “One of every 194 households received a notice of default, auction sale or bank repossession between January and March, for the seventh straight quarter of rising foreclosure activity.” But remember, we are only in an economic slowdown….

Applaud: to another reason we respect him. In remarks made in Kansas City, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that “the military was being stretched and a lot was being asked of the all-volunteer force at a time when the entire country isn’t committed to war,” the AP reports. “I think it would be hard to respond to another crisis if it was like these two,” Powell said. Thank you Mr. Secretary for saying what more people with influence need to say.

Applaud: to putting the info out for all to see. A report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq predicts that “Iraq’s oil revenue will top a record $70 billion this year, adding fuel to a congressional push to force the Iraqi government to assume more responsibility for rebuilding the country.” “The cost of a barrel of Iraqi oil has increased by 250% since 2003.” You know I wish I would have thought of this before….oh wait a minute I did. Let’s stop footing the bill and keep some of our tax dollars back here in this country where they are needed.

Applaud: to taking some of the wind out of the sails of a litigious society. The Supreme Court’s recent rulings upholding Indiana’s voter ID law and Kentucky’s use of lethal injections exemplify a shift in the court’s approach to deciding constitutional questions. By rejecting broad legal challenges, the court is sending the message that legal advocates need to “produce evidence that a law has actually violated someone’s rights” rather than asserting that rights could be violated. Maybe now we can stop making laws to ‘protect the stupid’ just because they ‘might’ do something dumb….stupid should hurt.

Heckle: to a possible employment related ‘ponzi’ scheme. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Federal, state and local governments are hiring new workers at the fastest pace in six years, helping offset job losses in the private sector,” adding “76,800 jobs in the first three months of 2008.” By contrast, “private companies collectively shed 286,000 workers in the first three months of 2008″ leading “many economists to declare the country is in a recession.” Do we really need that many more people on the government payrolls? Hmmmm, could it be that the administration is actively working to ‘artificially’ lower the unemployment rate? Something to think about..

Heckle: to saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Though he’s promised to not raise taxes, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign acknowledged yesterday “that the health plan he outlined this week would” effectively increase tax payments for some workers, primarily those with high incomes and expensive health plans.” The campaign will not yet say “how many taxpayers might see their taxes go up.” I am sure they are hoping this will go away quietly.

Heckle: to a steaming pile. This week marked the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” moment aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. Editor and Publisher takes a look at the back at the media coverage on May 1, 2003, when reporters rushed to report that the Bush administration was “planning to withdraw most United States combat forces from Iraq over the next several months.” And now that the American people are asking why we are still there fighting after 5 years the WH is trying to say that the banner was only meant for the troops on the ship…..Bull**it….sorry I had to cough.

Heckle: to another indicator of a faltering economy. Auto loan delinquency in the United States “hit a 17-year high in the fourth quarter of 2007, according to the American Bankers Association. Some 3.13 percent of car loans were “overdue 30 days or more.” Edmunds.com, which provides automotive information, estimates that nearly a fourth of borrowers are ‘upside down‘ in their car loans, meaning the car is worth less than the loan balance. Sounds very similar to…..anyone…..yes that’s right, the real estate market. Watch, the next story will be about the large increase in the number of automobile repossessions. Which also sounds very similar to …..anyone….yes, that’s right the real estate market. But remember, we are only in an economic slowdown…

And Finally, at his final White House correspondents’ dinner on Saturday, President Bush poked fun at his potential successors. Explaining why none had attended the dinner, the ‘President’ said Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) “probably wanted to distance himself from me,” adding that “Hillary Clinton couldn’t get in because of sniper fire and Senator Obama’s at church.” Sorry, I think they all wanted to distance themselves from you. Kind of like Southern Methodist University does by voting to prevent your future Presidential Library from being built on their campus. Wow, when the Methodists don’t want to have anything to do with you….

That’s it folks.

Be good, stay informed….later.

Not a surprise, but definately problematic

AP is reporting that “President” Bush has chosen Gen. Petraeus to become the new commander of the U.S. Central Command.

Wow, I didn’t see that coming a mile away… oh wait, I did…

Petraeus, who is currently the Commanding General of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, replaces the recently “retired” William Fallon, whose “premature departure” was seemingly due to disagreements with… can you guess whom?

Righto! Petraeus, who we all know is a Bush lapdog “favorite of the White House.”
This new and incredible and ridiculously predictable promotion instantly increases the chance of Bush and his merry band of cronies attacking Iran because…well, because they’re insane really… but moreso because they’ve gotten rid of someone who was vehemently AGAINST war with Iran and replaced him with someone who is vehemently FOR war with Iran.

Better get back to work on that bomb shelter…

Here we go again… and again and again and again

During their much heralded and often repetitive appearance on Capitol Hill earlier this week, General David Petraues and Ambassador Ryan Crocker accused Iran of “funding, training, arming and directing” ‘special extremist groups’ in Iraq.

At one time during his appearance on the Hill, Petraeus, responding to a reporters question asking if he believed Iran was supporting Sunni militants inside Iraq or had any evidence establishing such a link, said; “I’m not aware of – it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened” which he then infused with the implication that some Sunni extremists could have had weapons that were made in Iran…

So let me get this straight… per Petraeus, Iran IS a material influence in Iraq, whilst at the same time is NOT a material influence in Iraq and therefore MAY WELL BE a material influence in Iraq BECAUSE there is no evidence to suggest otherwise…

God, I think my brain just cramped up…

And Petraues wasn’t the only one throwing blame towards Iran, Ambassador Crocker also got into the act when he said; “I think one might look for a reconsideration in Tehran as to just where they want to go in Iraq. […] This would be an excellent time for them to reassess.”

What the HELL does that mean?

Is it an honest attempt to ask them to alter their relationship now despite the fact that there will be a new president to deal with in less than a year?

Or is it a veiled threat that if they don’t mind their P’s and Q’s, the US will use military force?

Before the conservative trolls come out to torch me about making too much out of what he said, it should be noted that quite a few conservatives see the duo’s testimony as cause to reignite talk about striking Iran.

Per ThinkProgress;

On his radio show this morning, Bill Bennett told the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol — who had a personal meeting with President Bush yesterday — that a “conclusion” he drew was that the hearing was “less an argument for getting out of Iraq than going into Iran.” After suggesting that Iran may “have to pay some price at some point on their own soil,” Kristol said that President Bush authorizing an attack of some kind before he leaves office is not “out of the question.”

Uh-oh…

Then we have noted conservative tool and Democratic turncoat Joe Lieberman who, having previously said that the US has to be prepared to take military action against the Iranians, appearing on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show Thursday night said that he hopes the administration tells the Iranians that “unless they stop it, we’re going to take action.”

And then we have this from Bush himself when (supposedly) speaking about Iraq; “The regime in Tehran also has a choice to make: They can live in peace with its neighbor, enjoy strong economic and cultural and religious ties, or it can continue to arm and train and fund illegal militant groups which are terrorizing the Iraqi people and turning them against Iran. […] If Iran makes the right choice, America will encourage a peaceful relationship between Iran and Iraq. If Iran makes the wrong choice, America will act to protect our interests and our troops and our Iraqi partners.”

Wow, that sounds familiar… I wonder wh— oh yes, the buildup to Iraq...

Here we go again…

More on the "resignation" of Admiral Fallon

While the permanent replacement for recently “resigned” CentCom commander Adm. William Fallon will likely be General Petraeus, the interim replacement is Fallon’s top deputy, Gen. Martin Dempsey, who, in the past, led the training of Iraqi security forces.


Have we mentioned that Dempsey has made statements suggesting a critical approach to the administration in the past as well, just as his former boss had?


Case in point, on November 15, 2007, during a hearing on the Iraq escalation then-CentCom commander Gen. John Abizaid said Dempsey opposed the surge.


Another example was in an interview with the National Journal last June, where he stressed that the U.S. needed a “transition scheme” with Iraqi forces rather than a surge. In the same article he said that the Bush(whacked) Administration should come clean on future force levels… something they haven’t yet done and probably never will do.


Having said all that, Dempsey does have some Bush sycophantic traits to him as he said, according to Think Progress, that the Iraq war was “absolutely worth it” despite the costs during an interview with Bill “Want to see my microphone?” O’Reilly back in 2006.


My feelings are that Dempsey won’t be in the position long as the Bush(whacked) Administration will not waste ANY time in getting someone – Petraeus – in the position who favors war with Iran…


Stay tuned…

Next stop: Iran?

I don’t want to get all tin-foil hat on here, but an interesting development has happened today as the Cetntcom commander who not only opposed the surge in Iraq but also said that an attack on Iran “will not happen on my watch” and that labeled conservative officials’ warmongering rhetoric as “not helpful” has… well, we’ll say “resigned” for now.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the announcement this afternoon that Centcom commander Adm. William Fallon submitted his resignation, mere days after he (Fallon) was the subject of an Esquire magazine article in which the admiral suggested he could be “relieved of his command before his time is up next spring,” in favor of a commander more amenable to war with Iran. (If you want to see more examples of Fallon disagreeing with this administration, click, per ThinkProgress, HERE to go to National Security Network’s post about that)

Allegedly Fallon resigned, according to Gates, because of post-article fall-out, with Fallon, again allegedly until I hear otherwise form Fallon himself, telling Gates; “The current embarrassing situation, public perception of differences between my views and administration policy, and the distraction this causes from the mission make this the right thing to do.”

Gates said he approved Fallon’s request to retire with “reluctance and regret.” (but immediately called “President” Bush who hooted and hollered in approval I’m guessing…)

It should be pointed out that there is a line in the Esquire story that says, essentially, if Fallon gets fired, the US is going to war with Iran. When asked to address that, Gates responded with a flippant, “Well that’s just ridiculous.”

Doesn’t seem so ridiculous when you use your own brain and think about it… Bush obviously wants to attack Iran and, as he did in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, Bush is sweeping aside respected senior officers who oppose his war plans… what could be even more troubling is that Gates is seemingly playing ball with Bush and going along with this preposterous exercise.

The US can NOT afford another war… and I don’t mean in an economic sense either, though I doubt that would help our looming recession. Our military is already stretched to the max and adding another war front would not only be disastrous to our military, but our nation as well.

January 20, 2009 can NOTcome soon enough…

More inanity from the man who made it an art form

Just when you think the Bush(whacked) Administration has learned something from past mistakes and has taken intelligence at face value, you realize who you’re thinking about and you’re snapped so-hard back into reality that you almost get whiplash…

A few weeks ago, when the NIE concluded that Iran had halted its nuclear weapons program WAY BACK in 2003, White House Tool Press Secretary Dana Perino said that the President “accepted the results of the NIE”, even saying this week that Bush had never expressed “anything but support” for the NIE’s findings.

Yet in an interview with Fox “News” earlier this week, the President made it crystal clear that he doesn’t share the NIE’s conclusions…

Uh-huh…

Sure, he admitted that the intelligence officials were probably “sincere” in what they wrote, but he refuses to say whether he believed them or not…

And while on his latest legacy-saving trip®, Bush tried so hard to distance himself from the NIE, that he not only hurt himself, he probably got a burnt tongue his mouth was open so much… though that could also have been because he was kissing everyone’s ass on the trip…

For instance, while in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, Bush “made it clear” that the intelligence services that created the NIE are an “independent agency” and “come to conclusions separate from what I may or may not want.” He also, per an article in Newsweek, told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the NIE’s “conclusions don’t reflect his own views.”

(Excuse me??? His own views?? He is not supposed to have his own views of these things… he’s supposed to rely on, wait for it, his intelligence agencies.

That’s the problem with this man… he ignores his counselors and thinks what HE thinks is the law… with these statements, Bush has positioned himself farther to the right than Vice President Cheney (and that ain’t easy) since Cheney told the Politico last month that he doesn’t have “any reason to question” the NIE.

Bush is indeed in a world of his own, and January 20, 2009 can NOT come soon enough…)

He still doesn’t get it...

Yesterday I wrote about the incredible lack of logic displayed by Bush regarding the NIE report that says Iran stopped working on their nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Yesterday I hoped that someone, anyone, in his administration, his cabinet, his house, would tell him the facts.

Didn’t happen.

This morning “President” Bush was in Nebraska and said;

“It is clear from the latest NIE that the Iranian government has more to explain about its nuclear intentions and past actions.”

Huh?

No George, the latest NIE does NOT mean that the Iranian government has more to explain… it DOES mean that your administration has more to explain on who knew what, what they knew and when they knew it.

Less than two months ago, Bush famously elicited images of another World War when he said;

“… if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon. And I take this very -- I take the threat of Iran with a nuclear weapon very seriously.”

Of course that’s all fine and good… Iran having a nuclear weapon would be bad… but with the revelations about the NIE coming out… did Bush already know that Iran had suspended their nuclear weapons program in 2003 when he said that?And if he did, does saying what he said and banging the war-drums merit censuring or, at the most, impeachment?

And before you trolls jump up and down on me about a witch hunt, it’s not just Liberals and Democrats that are getting fed-up with Bush’s (choose one) logic and/or lack of intelligence.

Joe Scarborough had Pat Buchanan (via telephone) on MSNBC this morning to discuss the recent NIE revelations about Iran as well as Bush's sad and pathetic performance yesterday when he said he didn't find out about it until just now.

It’s safe to say that Joe and Pat are dubious about that concept, with Buchanan even suggesting that Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) needs to get back to DC and hold hearings about who knew what, and when. Buchanan also called on Biden to bring Condi Rice and Stephen Hadley before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and ask them if they knew about the NIE report, and if they had ever told Bush, and if either of those two knew about this report, and didn't tell Bush about it, they should be fired immediately…

And Buchanan wasn't the only one firing off at Bush as Scarborough said;

"We are left with only two options here. Either the President of the United States is lying to the American people about what happened during that meeting, or the President of the United States is stupid."

It seems that Joe Scarborough and Buchanan (who are no where close to Liberal about anything) has had it with this administration.

There seems to be a shift evolving with the release of the NIE… people who usually would support the president, no matter what, are realizing that he may be as off-the-chart as many of us have already said…

Stay tuned…

Here we go again...

“President” Bush held his first presser in seven weeks this morning in order to not only admonish Congress for not seeing things the way he does (few people who walk upright do).

But the press corps would have none of that nonsense and turned the conference into a chat about the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that says that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program four years ago in 2003.

Most people (clarifier: most people with a working brain) would look upon that news as severely undermining the Bush(whacked) Administration's argument that Iran poses an imminent peril to the world and that ignoring the threat could lead to World War III… remember, I said people with a working brain.

Mr. Bush begs to differ, saying this morning;

“Look, Iran was dangerous. Iran is dangerous. And Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”

Um… okay… by that logic, wouldn’t a physics grad student armed with the internet also be “dangerous”??

The Bush(whacked) Administration also claims that it has new, “secret” information about Iran's weapons program, and that that information differs from the public NIE that was just released, and… and… why does all of this sound familiar?

.....

Oh, right… Iraq… WMD’s… right… must have blocked that out of my mind. Speaking of blocking things out… one has to wonder when Bush became aware of the NIE’s contents. Well, according to the man himself, he was “made aware of the NIE last week. In August, I think it was Mike McConnell came in and said, we have some new information. He didn't tell me what the information was; he did tell me it was going to take a while to analyze...And it wasn't until last week that I was briefed on the NIE that is now public.”

Huh… so let me get this straight… a few months ago, someone said something about some new information about the number one threat to the world, and they didn't tell the leader of the free world what that information was…

Wow… that seems highly unlikely, doesn’t it?

Thankfully, there are apparently still some members of the press that use their brains, and one of them seemed as perplexed as I;

REPORTER: Mr. President, thank you. Just to follow, I understand what you're saying about when you were informed about the NIE. Are you saying at no point while the rhetoric was escalating, as "World War III" was making it into conversation, at no point nobody from your intelligence team or your administration was saying, maybe you want to back it down a little bit?
THE PRESIDENT: No, nobody ever told me that.

Wait a minute… let’s see what National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley had to say yesterday about the NIE;

“One, when the President was told that we had some additional information, he was basically told: stand down; needs to be evaluated; we'll come to you and tell you what we think it means. So this was basically -- as we said, this is information that came in the last few months, and the intelligence community spent a lot time to get on top of it.”

Now I’m confused… Hadley says Bush was told, Bush says he wasn’t told… but maybe he was, and he just forgot…

Honestly, how does this man walk upright?

The Weekly Rewind

It's the end of the week! What does that mean? Football? sure... drinking to an excess? ok for some of you perhaps.... However for us at The "Bush"-Whacked Administration it means a look back at some of the things that you may have missed this past week, both good and bad. Hence the Applauds (good) and Heckles (bad). Ok, let's get to it.....

Applaud: to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for a soundbite from this past week’s democratic debate. The bit isn’t nearly getting the amount of airtime it should, but it is a classic. Biden described gop candidate Rudy Giuliani thusly; “There's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11.” (Nicely said Mr. Biden, well done)

Heckle: to poor campaign practices. Waking potential voters up at 2 in the morning to ask them to vote for you is probably gonna have an opposite effect. Just ask Westchester (NY) County Legislature hopeful Domenic Volpe. A firm his campaign hired, and I would imagine later fired, to dispatch recorded calls asking for their support accidentally was programmed to call voters at 2 a.m. instead of 2 p.m… oops

Applaud: to Dennis Kucinich (did I really just write that?) for saying what many others are surely thinking, that Bush may need his racket restrung.

Heckle: to Vice President Dick “President” Cheney and his Dan Quayle impression this morning. During a speech in Dallas, a reporter asked Cheney about his views on Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Cheney responded that the people of Peru “deserve better” leadership than Chavez… um, okay. Last time I looked, Chavez was the president of Venezuela and the president of Peru was Alan Garcia… but I could be wrong.

Heckle: to avoiding the US like we have a plague. The number of foreign visitors to the United States has plummeted since the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington because foreigners don’t feel welcome,” according to tourism professionals. The decline has cost America “94 billion dollars in lost visitor spending, nearly 200,000 jobs and 16 billion dollars in lost tax revenue.” Ok, just for the record, we like visitors, we don’t like illegal immigrants.

Heckle: to knowing that almost everyone saw this coming. While there are pockets of security where life in Baghdad is starting to get back to normal, it’s not normal by most standards. Across the city Sunnis and Shiites live in sectarian enclaves, many walled off. Sunnis fear visiting Shiite areas and vice versa, even if it is just a few blocks away. Trust has broken down so much that a stranger in a neighborhood can arouse enough suspicion to warrant an attack. Nice, someone walking to the market takes a wrong turn and ends up getting killed because they are wearing the wrong scarf…sounds like what….. that’s right, major gang areas in the US. We can’t control them here, so what makes us think we could do it in Iraq?

Heckle: to proving that he needed to go. As Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld wrote 20 to 60 “snowflakes” — his trademark missives for developing policy — each day. In a sampling of them obtained by the Washington Post, Rumsfeld “argued that Muslims avoid ‘physical labor’ and wrote of the need to ‘keep elevating the threat,’ ‘link Iraq to Iran’ and develop ‘bumper sticker statements’ to rally public support. As if we didn’t already know that the administration was burning to expand our real estate holdings in the region…oh and by the way Don, no one takes anything on a bumper sticker seriously.

Heckle: to a sad reality. The number of Americans without health insurance “rose by nearly 8.6 million to 47 million from 2000 to 2006, with children and workers from every income level losing coverage,” according to the Economic Policy Institute. The increase was “driven primarily by the continued erosion in employer-provided health insurance.” I wonder how many of those 47 million voted republican in the last 2 elections. And you hope they will be smart enough to vote democrat next year. Remember the only values that the republicans care about are the values that their corporate handlers tell them to care about.

Applaud: to 67 percent: Which is the number of Americans who “support giving contraceptives to students”, according to an Associated Press-Ipsos poll. About as many - 62 percent - said they believe providing birth control “reduces the number of teenage pregnancies.” Thank you for exhibiting common sense.

Heckle: to One in eight: Which is the number of veterans under the age of 65 who are uninsured, a finding that contradicts the assumption many have that all vets qualify for free health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Approximately 1.8 million veterans overall lack health coverage, a jump of 290,000 since 2000. This is unacceptable. These men and women risked life and limb for this nation and this nation owes them a debt of gratitude, which includes the health care promised to them.

Heckle: to being just so damned hippocritical. Lawmakers have increasingly steered federal funds to overtly religious organizations — many of which claim proselytizing or religious conversions as their primary function — using earmarks. For instance, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) tried to earmark $100,000 for a creationist organization. Since when do we get to pick and choose when church and state are separate.

Heckle: to Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. Who, according to a new book on Blair’s tenure, “turned down a last-minute offer from President George Bush for Britain to stay out of the Iraq war because he thought it would look ‘pathetic,’. Well Tony, now your position looks as pathetic as ours. Nicely played.

And finally-

Applaud: to a financial wizardseeing the light. Warren Buffett this week told CNBC that he believes there is a “fairly significant” chance that the United States is headed toward a recession. Maybe Warren should take over for Bernake for a while.

Ok, all these heckles have left me tired and depressed. That’s it for this week.

Be good, stay informed….later.

And the war-drums get louder...

One truly has to wonder how “President” Bush’s logic works at times…

During his presser yesterday, Bush was asked about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and he warned for the first time, or at the least he warned for the first time in public of the risk of “World War III” if Iran gets nuclear weapons. TPM has the video HERE.

Said Bush; “I’ve told people that if you’re interested in avoiding World War III… […] It seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon.”

Sure… whatever you say Mr. Bush.

What this does is make it clear that attacking Iran has replaced attacking Iraq as the official Presidential wet dream…

Like it was with Iraq, the rational from ‘diplomacy’ to ‘attack!’ shifts until something sticks or the White House confuses everybody by claiming that their shifting rationales were, in fact, serious diplomatic efforts.

The administration’s first rational was that Iran was secretly developing nuclear weapons… but that has now been debunked by UN weapons inspectors.

The second rationale was that Iranians were arming Iraqi insurgents… this too has been debunked.

This brings us to the third rationale, “possessing the knowledge to build a nuclear weapon.”

This isn’t new technology, so Iran almost certainly possesses the technology to build a weapon. So we go from having weapons, to arming, to having technology to build nukes.

So in three simple steps, the bar to attack Iran has been lowered.

On we march to war...

Next stop, Iran

Despite our military being stretched to the absolute limit… the Bush(whacked) Administration is setting its eyes on attacking Iran sooner rather than later.

The Sunday Telegraph revealed in an article published yesterday that the American air force is working with military leaders from the Gulf to “train and prepare Arab air forces for a possible war with Iran.”

Lovely…

And then there was an article in The Guardian that reported that John Bolton, who did such a damn good job as the US ambassador to the UN that he wasn’t asked to come back, reportedly has told Tory delegates in England that attempts by the Europan Union to negotiate with Iran had failed and that he saw no alternative to a pre-emptive strike on suspected nuclear facilities in the country.”

What the hell is wrong with this administration?

The Iraq war is a clusterfuck…

Afghanistan (where al Qaeda actually is located) has been all but forgotten by the administration…

And now this administration wants to invade a country that is stronger and more ready from a military aspect than Iraq ever was?

I really have to get that bomb shelter finished…

The Weekly Rewind

Well here it is the end of another week. What kind of week? Interesting always seems to describe the weekly goings on in the debacle that is the “Bush”-Whacked Administration. So let’s get right to this weeks version of The Weekly Rewind.

Heckle: Shhhh, we have a list ! The UK Sunday Telegraph reports that the Pentagon is “taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran,” developing a list of up to 2,000 bombing targets in that country. Not a surprise at all to anyone with even half a brain. Now if you think about it, the Pentagon probably has lists of bombing targets for just about every country on earth.

Applaud or Heckle:It’s all in how you look at it. The Iraqi Interior Ministry is pulling the license of Blackwater USA, an American security firm, after the company was “allegedly involved in the fatal shooting of civilians during an attack on a U.S. State Department motorcade.” “We have canceled the license of Blackwater and prevented them from working all over Iraqi territory,” Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul-Karim Khalaf said. Honestly, I am torn on this one. Doesn’t the State Department have it’s own security details? On the other hand, if you attack military personel or U.S. Government representatives, prepare to kiss your ass goodbye.

Heckle: To bold (yet stupid) statements in response to token moves. Senate conservatives’ successful effort to obstruct the Webb amendment this week marked the “the eighth time this year” that Senate Republicans…blocked a Democratic move to challenge U.S. policy in Iraq. This follwoeed on the heels of Sen. John Warner (R-VA) comments earlier in the week that he was considering pulling his support for Sen. Jim Webb’s (D-VA) measure to give the overstretched armed forces more rest. Interestingly, Warner voted for the measure last July, but he now claims to be appeased by the administration’s token withdrawal. And yes the administrations move is nothing more than a ‘token’. Call your Senators and demand their support for Webb’s pro-troop amendment. It’s never too late to reconsider this action in support of our troops and their families. Let’s keep up the pressure and use the deliberate blockage of a change in U.S. policy in Iraq when it is time to go to the polls in November 2008.

Heckle: 89.6 million: The number of Americans under the age of 65 who “had no health insurance for some or all of 2006 and 2007, according to a study released Thursday by Families USA, an advocacy group for the uninsured. The number is “almost double the number of uninsured reported by the Census Bureau for 2006.” Say it isn’t so, don’t tell me that the administration underreported a critical social number that is a sad check on our national priorities.

Heckle: 29: President Bush’s approval rating in the latest Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday, which is below his worst Zogby poll mark of 30 percent in March. I’m sorry it appears the ‘President’ may be confusing a opinion poll with a Limbo Pole, the idea here is not ‘how low can you go’…..

Heckle: What happened to paying your own way? Mary Matalin, a former Cheney aide, is working to pay the legal bills of her old co-worker, “Scooter” Libby, who the President granted clemency to earlier this year. “Make no mistake, Scooter’s battle is not yet over,” Matalin wrote in a recent fundraising letter. He “still has hundreds of thousands of dollars in outstanding legal bills from his trial” that “need to be paid immediately.” As if Kemp and I did not see this one coming from 10 miles away. Never mind that Scooter did wrong, he shouldn’t be held responsible for payment of his own bills….

Just the facts…..In a protest march in Jena, LA, this week that “filled streets, spilled onto sidewalks and stretched for miles,” it was reported that more than 10,000 demonstrators rallied to protest the treatment of six black teenagers arrested in the beating of a white schoolmate last year. Support the Jena 6 here. This story is ongoing and is far from over. It appears that all sides can share in the blame, but the main issue that cannot be lost sight of is that the administration of justice needs to be balanced, blind and fairly dealt. It wouldn’t hurt for Jessie Jackson to remove himself from the issue and stop ‘stirring the pot’.

Heckle: Whos’ bright idea was this? The appointment of Donald Rumsfeld as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution is drawing fierce protests from faculty members and students at Stanford University. Some 2,100 professors, staff members, students and alumni have signed a petition protesting his appointment. Applaud to those protesting his appointment! Better idea, appointment to the ‘Lemming Institute’…..

Applaud: It’s about time. Earlier this week, Republicans reacted angrily to Bush’s pledge to veto increased funding for children’s health insurance. I’m disappointed by the president’s comments,” said Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA). “I’m very, very disappointed,” echoed Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR). Ok fella’s we like where your heads at, however how about kicking up the rhetoric a little….

Heckle: Talk about being out of touch with reality. This week, Rudy Giuliani was “on the trans-Atlantic campaign trail…bragging about his international credentials. ‘I’m probably one of the four or five best known Americans in the world,’ Giuliani told a small group of reporters at a posh London hotel as onlookers gathered in the lobby to gawk at actor Dustin Hoffman, who was on a separate visit. Nothing like getting kicked down a few pegs after inserting your foot into your mouth.

And finally, our candidate for Tool of the Week .... Fox, Fox "News" and/or Michelle Malkin...

Since actress Sally Field won an Emmy and spoke out against the Iraq war in her acceptance speech, the right wing has been on the attack. In addition to Fox censoring her speech, conservatives continue to criticize Field for speaking out.
Taking the slander to a very personal level, right-wing blogger Michelle Malkin attacked Field’s parenting skills with a column in the National Review entitled “Sally Field Does Not Speak For Me.” In it, she writes:

• Sally Field is the mom who looks the other way when the brat on the elementary-school slide pushes your son to the ground or throws dirt in your daughter’s face.
  
• She’s the mom who holds her tongue at the mall when thugs spew profanities and make crude gestures in front of her brood.
  
• She’s the mom who tells her child never to point out when a teacher gets her facts wrong.
  
• She’s the mom who buys her teenager beer, condoms, and a hotel room on prom night, because she’d rather give in than assert her parental authority and do battle.
  

Fox and Friends hosted Malkin this morning to promote her hate-filled column. On the show, Malkin — a mother herself — posited her theory of parenting: “motherhood should bring a ferocity, and dare I say, make us more violent.”

Fox was overjoyed to have Malkin on the air. Co-host Gretchen Carlson said Malkin’s “best line in the article” was about the condoms and beer. Malkin responded, “as a Mom, I know, I’ve dealt with moms like [Fields], who look the other way.”

After a few more exchanges of laughter and contempt, co-host Steve Doocy closed the segment stating, “Hollywood probably thinks you are dangerous and offensive.” So do many others.

That’s it for this week. Let’s see what Commander Coo-koo Bananas and the Fruit Basket that is his administration can come up with next week. Till then…..

Be good, stay informed….later.

...and Dick Cheney as the President

Even as “President” Bush suggests a Mid-East peace conference (I know, I know. Who wants to bet that the irony is lost on him?), Vice President Dick “President” Cheney has been pushing for a pre-emptive military strike on Iran before “President” Bush leaves office.

I'll pause a moment to let that sink in...

And Dick's pushing? Well, it's now starting to... sway people’s minds within the White House.

That’s disturbing on so many levels…

Today, The Guardian newspaper has this as its banner headline; “Cheney pushes Bush to act on Iran”

Awwwww crap…

Said the article;

“The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned. […]Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo.”

As I said this morning; or in more user-friendly term; Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?

Still in limbo??

What limbo??? Whose limbo???

Last year, Bush supported Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice’s position, which is shared with Britain, France and Germany, to diplomatically squeeze Iran.

But then trouble started brewing… and by trouble I mean Cheney. At a meeting of the White House, Pentagon and state department last month, he expressed frustration at the lack of progress towards Iran and (surprise, surprise) Bush came down on Cheney’s side, which caused a White House source to express; “The balance has tilted. There is cause for concern…”

Great… just great…

I’ve often wrote about how Bush will never, ever admit he was wrong about anything he’s ever done, let alone Iraq… and now, with more and more political pressure building on both sides of the aisle to end the war, Bush could be desperate enough to do something to re-focus attention… such as giving an order to attack Iran… an attack that we are certainly not prepared for.

And speaking of Cheney and Iran, I came across this tidbit from BoingBoing, via Daily Kos:

From BoingBoing:

Cartoonist and all-around seeker of unusual truths, Jay Kinney, says: "Attached is a page from T-Man comics #3 from 1952. I just happened upon it by chance and - Holy Smokes! - all was revealed. We can now grasp the origins of the Bush administration's foreign policy! It was all there in T-Man #3, 55 years ago! Perhaps Cheney read this comic in his youth and just bided his time until he was in a position to actualize it in real life."

There we go... mystery solved...

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 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.