It's frustrating, insane, stupid.
Both political parties will be spending the next two months before the November elections trying to convince the voting public that their party will make them safer from terrorism. ("Bush Team Casts Foes as Defeatist "- Washington Post)
President Bush is on a whirlwind tour, launching the new GOP campaign "to rebuild support for the Iraq war, accusing the opposition of aiming to appease terrorists...." blah, blah, blah.
Democrats respond, "We Democrats want to fight a very strong war on terror. No one has talked about appeasement.".... blah, blah, blah.
What is frustrating, insane and stupid is that while posturing and orating about keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism, we are still being overrun daily by thousands of illegal, undocumented aliens on our SOUTHERN BORDER!
There, now I feel better. But not safer.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Nevada Crowds In
While I agree with the thrust of David Broder's op-ed piece in the Washington Post, the Democrats have "muddled the calendar of events for choosing the 2008 presidential nominee," I don't agree with his reasons.
He asserts that New Hampshire voters "take their role seriously. They turn up at town meetings and they ask probing questions..... New Hampshire voters don't need-- or particularly want -- guidance from Iowa..."
Now if there is anything this Iowan knows, it's that Iowa's political process, and the ability of Iowa voters to meet and judge the candidates.... ask probing questions.... is just as viable as the New Hampshire process. Maybe more so.
Broder, who was born in the Midwest, has been around D.C. too long. He has fallen into the elitist attitude that Easterners are better educated, more astute. He only mentions in passing the real underlying reason for the change in the calendar.
It isn't to "dumb down" the process, or put New Hampshire out to pasture. It is to insert the Hispanic vote and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) into the process.
Pandering, power grabbing.... those are the reasons.
Broder worries that "the country will be forced to witness a huge field of candidates flashing by in perpetual motion during the December holidays and the frantic first weeks of January, not standing still anywhere long enough to be measured for the job they are trying to win."
This statement proves my point.... Broder thinks the campaigning starts the December before the nominating season in 2008. In Iowa the presidential wanna-bes are in full throttle now.
More potential presidential candidates showed up at the Iowa State Fair in August than super-size boars vying for top-wallow honors. And, most have already started their "talking" tours around the state. Take a peek out of your ivory tower, Broder, the race is on.
Democrats. You shouldn't have caved in to Reids demands. His disproportionately-populated Hispanic state only exemplifies what U.S. citizens are burned up about, the invasion of mainly Hispanic illegal aliens across our southern border. This is going to be a real hot button issue. It could be a deciding issue.
Jamming Nevada into the nomination process in 2008 isn't a winning maneuver. On this Broder and I agree.
He asserts that New Hampshire voters "take their role seriously. They turn up at town meetings and they ask probing questions..... New Hampshire voters don't need-- or particularly want -- guidance from Iowa..."
Now if there is anything this Iowan knows, it's that Iowa's political process, and the ability of Iowa voters to meet and judge the candidates.... ask probing questions.... is just as viable as the New Hampshire process. Maybe more so.
Broder, who was born in the Midwest, has been around D.C. too long. He has fallen into the elitist attitude that Easterners are better educated, more astute. He only mentions in passing the real underlying reason for the change in the calendar.
It isn't to "dumb down" the process, or put New Hampshire out to pasture. It is to insert the Hispanic vote and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) into the process.
Pandering, power grabbing.... those are the reasons.
Broder worries that "the country will be forced to witness a huge field of candidates flashing by in perpetual motion during the December holidays and the frantic first weeks of January, not standing still anywhere long enough to be measured for the job they are trying to win."
This statement proves my point.... Broder thinks the campaigning starts the December before the nominating season in 2008. In Iowa the presidential wanna-bes are in full throttle now.
More potential presidential candidates showed up at the Iowa State Fair in August than super-size boars vying for top-wallow honors. And, most have already started their "talking" tours around the state. Take a peek out of your ivory tower, Broder, the race is on.
Democrats. You shouldn't have caved in to Reids demands. His disproportionately-populated Hispanic state only exemplifies what U.S. citizens are burned up about, the invasion of mainly Hispanic illegal aliens across our southern border. This is going to be a real hot button issue. It could be a deciding issue.
Jamming Nevada into the nomination process in 2008 isn't a winning maneuver. On this Broder and I agree.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Labor's Love Lost
It's the age of the Great Upward Redistribution.... Harold Meyerson (Washington Post) aptly so names our current economy. And laments on the decline of the laboring middle class. "Labor Day is almost upon us. What a joke."
The joke definitely is on the U.S. worker whose median hourly wage has declined by 2 percent since 2003. Wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of GNP since 1947, the first year they were measured, while corporate profits have risen to an 80-year-high.
But to hear the George "I Have Mine" Bush tell it, times have never been rosier.
That's true, if you are a lobbyist in D.C., are in Congress and work barely 80 days a year for obscene retirement and health benefits, a corporation benefiting from millions of illegal immigrants paid slave labor wages (middle-class taxpayers pick up the social cost), tax-exempt churches raking in "faith-based" millions or the tax-relieved very rich.
Labor Day used to be a day to reflect on the benefits offered by our nation to all of its citizens, a spreading of the wealth and a shared prosperity. But, thanks to the globalist, corporate-favoring Bush administration, labor has been devalued, and that is now "the essence of our economy."
But not to worry, as the spawner of our compassionate conservative president, Barbara Bush, said of Hurricane Katrina refugees who had lost everything and were sheltering in the Houston Astrodome..... "so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
Where's the cake?
The joke definitely is on the U.S. worker whose median hourly wage has declined by 2 percent since 2003. Wages and salaries now make up the lowest share of GNP since 1947, the first year they were measured, while corporate profits have risen to an 80-year-high.
But to hear the George "I Have Mine" Bush tell it, times have never been rosier.
That's true, if you are a lobbyist in D.C., are in Congress and work barely 80 days a year for obscene retirement and health benefits, a corporation benefiting from millions of illegal immigrants paid slave labor wages (middle-class taxpayers pick up the social cost), tax-exempt churches raking in "faith-based" millions or the tax-relieved very rich.
Labor Day used to be a day to reflect on the benefits offered by our nation to all of its citizens, a spreading of the wealth and a shared prosperity. But, thanks to the globalist, corporate-favoring Bush administration, labor has been devalued, and that is now "the essence of our economy."
But not to worry, as the spawner of our compassionate conservative president, Barbara Bush, said of Hurricane Katrina refugees who had lost everything and were sheltering in the Houston Astrodome..... "so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
Where's the cake?
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Run To The Nearest Exit Strategy
The big lie is used as a means to justify an end. The invasion of Iraq was the justification of a big Bush administration lie.... that Iraq and Saddam were connected to the terrorism of 9/11. Bush recently admitted for the first time that there was no 9/11-Iraq connection.
This timid mea culpa was too little and too late. This month, "a majority of Americans told pollsters that the struggle for Iraq was not connected to the larger war on terrorism. They thus renounced a proposition the [Bush] administration has pursued relentlessly since it began making the case four years ago to invade Iraq." (Washington Post)
The big lie was conceived and produced by puppet master Dick Cheney and his neocon marionettes, and dutifully staged by George Bush. It has failed to impress, or sway, its intended citizen audience. So, war-supporting congressional candidates up for reelection are renouncing their roles, changing their lines.
Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), a leading Cheney war puppet now in a tough reelection fight, has announced "the only way we are able to encourage some political will on the part of the Iraqis is to have a timeline for troop withdrawal."
His bobblehead cohort, Joe Lieberman (D now I-CT) has added his voice to Shays', conveniently forgetting his staunchly repeated GOP catch phrase, "stay the course."
The big lie is has run its course.... the curtain calls begin in November.
This timid mea culpa was too little and too late. This month, "a majority of Americans told pollsters that the struggle for Iraq was not connected to the larger war on terrorism. They thus renounced a proposition the [Bush] administration has pursued relentlessly since it began making the case four years ago to invade Iraq." (Washington Post)
The big lie was conceived and produced by puppet master Dick Cheney and his neocon marionettes, and dutifully staged by George Bush. It has failed to impress, or sway, its intended citizen audience. So, war-supporting congressional candidates up for reelection are renouncing their roles, changing their lines.
Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), a leading Cheney war puppet now in a tough reelection fight, has announced "the only way we are able to encourage some political will on the part of the Iraqis is to have a timeline for troop withdrawal."
His bobblehead cohort, Joe Lieberman (D now I-CT) has added his voice to Shays', conveniently forgetting his staunchly repeated GOP catch phrase, "stay the course."
The big lie is has run its course.... the curtain calls begin in November.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Church Tramples Wall
The Catholic Church, especially Cardinal Roger Mahoney the Archbishop of Los Angeles, has been championing the cause of amnesty for the millions of illegal aliens in the U.S., encouraging and supporting their marches and demands for "rights."
Now the church is flexing their political muscle in Mexico too by taking sides in the controversy over the recent contested presidential elections.
Norberto Rivera, the Catholic Cardinal of the world's largest archdiocese in Mexico City where 9 of 10 people are Catholic, has sided with President Vicente Fox's anointed candidate, Felipe Calderon, against populist challenger Lopez Obrador who is contesting the results of the July 2 election.
Rivera labeled the protestors "Crazies" and "called on Mexican Catholics to respect a decision by a special elections court rejecting Lopez Obrador's request for a full recount and ordering a recount of only 9 percent of polling places." (Washington Post)
This whole episode feels like reruns of our elections past, and visions of our elections future. Recounts are stifled and the tax-exempt church gives its blessing.
On the course set by the Bush administration, our protective wall of separation between church and state is disappearing along with the still-born idea of a border "wall" with Mexico to preserve and protect our national sovereignty.
This November, if you want the U.S. to remain a nation of laws, not religious precepts, reject the Bush administration Congressional enablers. Our Founding Fathers would expect no less.
Now the church is flexing their political muscle in Mexico too by taking sides in the controversy over the recent contested presidential elections.
Norberto Rivera, the Catholic Cardinal of the world's largest archdiocese in Mexico City where 9 of 10 people are Catholic, has sided with President Vicente Fox's anointed candidate, Felipe Calderon, against populist challenger Lopez Obrador who is contesting the results of the July 2 election.
Rivera labeled the protestors "Crazies" and "called on Mexican Catholics to respect a decision by a special elections court rejecting Lopez Obrador's request for a full recount and ordering a recount of only 9 percent of polling places." (Washington Post)
This whole episode feels like reruns of our elections past, and visions of our elections future. Recounts are stifled and the tax-exempt church gives its blessing.
On the course set by the Bush administration, our protective wall of separation between church and state is disappearing along with the still-born idea of a border "wall" with Mexico to preserve and protect our national sovereignty.
This November, if you want the U.S. to remain a nation of laws, not religious precepts, reject the Bush administration Congressional enablers. Our Founding Fathers would expect no less.
"Chaddy" Kathy Hangs a Right
Katherine Harris, Florida's Republican Secretary of State in 2000, certified the chad-challenged, "scrubbed," nullified-recount election for George Bush the Unready.... starting our country down the path of war, debt, economic instability and cultural suicide.
Now, as U.S. Representative (R-FL) trying for the U.S. Senate nomination, Harris is making this proclamation.... "God did not intend for the United States to be a 'nation of secular laws' and that the separation of church and state is a 'lie we have been told' to keep religious people out of politics." (Washington Post)
Oh yes, haven't you noticed how "Saint" Bush the Crusader has kept religion out of government. Pleeeeeeze.
But I am impressed Harris knows what God wants, wonder how she squares that with the statement Jesus made.... "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" ("reddite igitur quae sunt Caesaris Caesari et quae sunt Dei Deo") (Matthew 22:21).
Jesus gives this answer to the question of whether it is lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. Sounds like he separated church and state to me.
Yet Harris preaches on the campaign trail that only the faithful should be in government, "God is the one who chooses our rulers."
Gee, and here I thought it was the Supreme Court.
Now, as U.S. Representative (R-FL) trying for the U.S. Senate nomination, Harris is making this proclamation.... "God did not intend for the United States to be a 'nation of secular laws' and that the separation of church and state is a 'lie we have been told' to keep religious people out of politics." (Washington Post)
Oh yes, haven't you noticed how "Saint" Bush the Crusader has kept religion out of government. Pleeeeeeze.
But I am impressed Harris knows what God wants, wonder how she squares that with the statement Jesus made.... "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" ("reddite igitur quae sunt Caesaris Caesari et quae sunt Dei Deo") (Matthew 22:21).
Jesus gives this answer to the question of whether it is lawful for Jews to pay taxes to Caesar. Sounds like he separated church and state to me.
Yet Harris preaches on the campaign trail that only the faithful should be in government, "God is the one who chooses our rulers."
Gee, and here I thought it was the Supreme Court.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Allen Runs
Senator George "Macaca" Allen (R-VA) spoke to the Harrisonburg, VA area chamber of commerce Thursday. Media credentials were closely checked and the target of his bigoted remarks two weeks ago, S. R. "Video Man" Sidarth, was barred from the event. (Washington Post)
The chamber president stifled unwanted "Macaca apology" questions on what Allen is calling his reelection campaign "Listening Tour," by announcing that they were "not taking questions from the media." An awkward silence followed this pronouncement.
Minutes later a questioner said he was from WVPT, and Allen, fearing the dreaded "Macaca" thrust he thought was coming said.... "No, no." The man assured him he was a chamber member and asked a non-Macaca question.
"Trailed by reporters at the event's end, Allen practically dashed from the room and aboard his idling campaign bus."
Sidarth.... a straight-A student, tournament chess player, quiz team captain, college newspaper sportswriter, football player, Capitol Hill intern.... had this to say about Allen's sarcastic Macaca and "Welcome to America, and the real world of Virginia" remarks to him.... "I was born and raised in Fairfax County [VA], and he's from California."
Yes, Allen was born in California, but Virginia is where he is witnessing the demise of his political career and his aspirations to become the next Decider.
He can run from Macaca, but he can't hide.
The chamber president stifled unwanted "Macaca apology" questions on what Allen is calling his reelection campaign "Listening Tour," by announcing that they were "not taking questions from the media." An awkward silence followed this pronouncement.
Minutes later a questioner said he was from WVPT, and Allen, fearing the dreaded "Macaca" thrust he thought was coming said.... "No, no." The man assured him he was a chamber member and asked a non-Macaca question.
"Trailed by reporters at the event's end, Allen practically dashed from the room and aboard his idling campaign bus."
Sidarth.... a straight-A student, tournament chess player, quiz team captain, college newspaper sportswriter, football player, Capitol Hill intern.... had this to say about Allen's sarcastic Macaca and "Welcome to America, and the real world of Virginia" remarks to him.... "I was born and raised in Fairfax County [VA], and he's from California."
Yes, Allen was born in California, but Virginia is where he is witnessing the demise of his political career and his aspirations to become the next Decider.
He can run from Macaca, but he can't hide.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Allen's "Cookie Jar" Apology
Senator George Allen (R-VA) who is up for reelection this November, "Apologizes for Remark" he made to S. R. Sidarth.... the now infamous "Macaca" pointed-finger remark. (Washington Post)
So..... would this apology have been forthcoming if the video camera wasn't capturing Allen's remarks, or there wasn't a national outcry, or he wasn't up for reelection. After all, the remark was made many, many days ago.... what took him so long?
I would call this a "hand in the cookie jar" apology. He got caught.
The Republican party long ago fenced off for themselves the "values" and "character" domain. Are they, and Allen, now trying to tell us that a U.S. senator's character isn't fully formed? That he didn't know what he was saying, that he wasn't playing to what saw as a receptive audience?
Allen's campaign manager continued to blame Allen's opponent,saying the media and the senator's "leftist" foes were responsible for the controversy. Doesn't that tell us loud and clear then, that without the spotlight on his despicable behavior, the publicity, there would have been no apology.
Virginia..... you can do better.
So..... would this apology have been forthcoming if the video camera wasn't capturing Allen's remarks, or there wasn't a national outcry, or he wasn't up for reelection. After all, the remark was made many, many days ago.... what took him so long?
I would call this a "hand in the cookie jar" apology. He got caught.
The Republican party long ago fenced off for themselves the "values" and "character" domain. Are they, and Allen, now trying to tell us that a U.S. senator's character isn't fully formed? That he didn't know what he was saying, that he wasn't playing to what saw as a receptive audience?
Allen's campaign manager continued to blame Allen's opponent,saying the media and the senator's "leftist" foes were responsible for the controversy. Doesn't that tell us loud and clear then, that without the spotlight on his despicable behavior, the publicity, there would have been no apology.
Virginia..... you can do better.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Bush Cuts Up
The Marine Corps Reservists are facing another "involuntary call up" and could serve tours of 12 to 18 months in Iraq and Afghanistan. These Marines are no longer actively serving, they have already had combat tours, but now must once again put their lives on the line for The Decider. (Washington Post)
So, Bush takes this step seriously, right? He knows that he is asking thousands of brave soldiers to sacrifice yet again for their country. Put their lives on the line once again. He conducts himself as their Commander In Chief with sober reflection, dignifying their personal cost . NOT!
As the U.S. News & World Report learned from a White House insider (8/28/06 issue), Bush.... "loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes..... can't get enough fart jokes. He's also known to cut a few for laughs.... "
Sounds like a guffaw a minute in the White House.
Yes, this the our world leader, who with his forward-leaning foreign policy (leaping with crossed-fingers) is directly responsible for the failed war of choice in Iraq. He admitted in a recent press conference that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Now that we know him, don't you suspect the real reason behind why we ousted Saddam and unraveled Iraq is the thought he once articulated.... he "tried to kill my daddy."
It is time to recognize The Decider for what he is.... a danger. An empty clown hat with Armageddon powers.
One way to curb this madness is to throw his congressional enablers out of office in November, of whatever party. It's a start.
So, Bush takes this step seriously, right? He knows that he is asking thousands of brave soldiers to sacrifice yet again for their country. Put their lives on the line once again. He conducts himself as their Commander In Chief with sober reflection, dignifying their personal cost . NOT!
As the U.S. News & World Report learned from a White House insider (8/28/06 issue), Bush.... "loves to cuss, gets a jolly when a mountain biker wipes out trying to keep up with him, and now we're learning that the first frat boy loves flatulence jokes..... can't get enough fart jokes. He's also known to cut a few for laughs.... "
Sounds like a guffaw a minute in the White House.
Yes, this the our world leader, who with his forward-leaning foreign policy (leaping with crossed-fingers) is directly responsible for the failed war of choice in Iraq. He admitted in a recent press conference that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
Now that we know him, don't you suspect the real reason behind why we ousted Saddam and unraveled Iraq is the thought he once articulated.... he "tried to kill my daddy."
It is time to recognize The Decider for what he is.... a danger. An empty clown hat with Armageddon powers.
One way to curb this madness is to throw his congressional enablers out of office in November, of whatever party. It's a start.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Cycling Toward Armageddon
President Bush was queried Monday on whether "the failure of the U. S.-backed 'unity' government to stem the orgy of sectarian carnage disappoints him....he said that no, it didn't."
A flabbergasted Eugene Robinson in "President on Another Planet" (Washington Post) asks how is it possible that Bush isn't "disappointed" that 3,438 Iraqi civilians died in July, the bloodiest toll since Bush unleashed his Dogs of War on Iraq, " ...do 3,438 deaths really just roll off his back after he's had his workout and a nice bike ride?"
Bush lives in a world of great disconnect.... disconnect between his Decided myopic evangelical march toward his fantasy world, and the real world consequence of his crusade. The Dogs of War devour as The Decider relentlessly peddles toward Armageddon.
A flabbergasted Eugene Robinson in "President on Another Planet" (Washington Post) asks how is it possible that Bush isn't "disappointed" that 3,438 Iraqi civilians died in July, the bloodiest toll since Bush unleashed his Dogs of War on Iraq, " ...do 3,438 deaths really just roll off his back after he's had his workout and a nice bike ride?"
Bush lives in a world of great disconnect.... disconnect between his Decided myopic evangelical march toward his fantasy world, and the real world consequence of his crusade. The Dogs of War devour as The Decider relentlessly peddles toward Armageddon.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Bush Smarts
The question needed to be asked, "Is Bush An 'Idiot'?"
Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, now the MSNBC talk show host of "Scarborough Country," opined on this question for 10 minutes with guests John Fund and Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. while the screen caption asked the pithy question.
The consensus was, well, "curious." As in, that is what President Bush lacks "the intellectual curiousness" needed to lead. (Washington Post)
Translated that means, Bush is a hide-bound ideologue with no desire to be enlightened. Summed up, don't bother me with facts.... " I'm the Decider."
The White House isn't pleased with Scarborough, but White House fabulist, Tony Snow, spins the fairy tale this way, people are nervous about Iraq, but Bush "is not fazed" by the criticism. Of course not, Bush isn't even curious about the criticism.
Scarborough isn't alone in his critique of Bush. Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review asks whether Iraq is "Bush's Vietnam."
Conservative columnist, George F. Will, last week mocked Bush's neoconservatives for their desire to transform the Middle East, when stability should be the goal. Reagan-era conservative William F. Buckley Jr. earlier this year flatly said about Iraq "our mission has failed."
Bring on the clowns.... Snow, a former Fox radio talk show host, immediately flew to the ditto echo chambers of the Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham shows trying to staunch the political bloodletting. But these opinion pygmies can't cover up the obvious, The Decider has no intellectual clothes.
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." Groucho Marx
Joe Scarborough, a former Republican congressman, now the MSNBC talk show host of "Scarborough Country," opined on this question for 10 minutes with guests John Fund and Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. while the screen caption asked the pithy question.
The consensus was, well, "curious." As in, that is what President Bush lacks "the intellectual curiousness" needed to lead. (Washington Post)
Translated that means, Bush is a hide-bound ideologue with no desire to be enlightened. Summed up, don't bother me with facts.... " I'm the Decider."
The White House isn't pleased with Scarborough, but White House fabulist, Tony Snow, spins the fairy tale this way, people are nervous about Iraq, but Bush "is not fazed" by the criticism. Of course not, Bush isn't even curious about the criticism.
Scarborough isn't alone in his critique of Bush. Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review asks whether Iraq is "Bush's Vietnam."
Conservative columnist, George F. Will, last week mocked Bush's neoconservatives for their desire to transform the Middle East, when stability should be the goal. Reagan-era conservative William F. Buckley Jr. earlier this year flatly said about Iraq "our mission has failed."
Bring on the clowns.... Snow, a former Fox radio talk show host, immediately flew to the ditto echo chambers of the Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham shows trying to staunch the political bloodletting. But these opinion pygmies can't cover up the obvious, The Decider has no intellectual clothes.
"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." Groucho Marx
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Allen in Deep Ca-Ca
While many supporting Sen. George Allen (R-VA) in his campaign for reelection won't be deterred by his "Macaca" campaign slur (video) at Indian S. R. Sidarth.... his audience clapped and laughed at his remark.... it does reenergize supporters for his opponent, James Webb. And, it opens the eyes of many moderate and Independent voters
Allen and Webb, a former Marine and Secretary of the Navy, are now in a horse race. But the GOP assert they are confident Allen is untouchable. As of July, Allen "had 10 times as much to spend on his reelection bid" as Webb. "Republicans say [Webb] can't win, regardless of Allen's recent remarks." (Washington Post)
The GOP will count on Allen's bloated campaign chest to overcome the latest proof of his life-long racism.... their cocksureness amounts to "whistling past the graveyard" of Allen's reelection prospects.
Whether Republicans like it or not, the remark hangs out there.... Allen's smelly underbelly. Repugnant and impossible to ignore in November.
Allen and Webb, a former Marine and Secretary of the Navy, are now in a horse race. But the GOP assert they are confident Allen is untouchable. As of July, Allen "had 10 times as much to spend on his reelection bid" as Webb. "Republicans say [Webb] can't win, regardless of Allen's recent remarks." (Washington Post)
The GOP will count on Allen's bloated campaign chest to overcome the latest proof of his life-long racism.... their cocksureness amounts to "whistling past the graveyard" of Allen's reelection prospects.
Whether Republicans like it or not, the remark hangs out there.... Allen's smelly underbelly. Repugnant and impossible to ignore in November.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Warrantless "Catch 22" Caught
"Catch 22" has worked for the Bush administration before, like when the Justice Department aborted inquiry into its own lawyers' role in the warrantless wiretaps because investigators could not obtain a security clearance from the Bush administration! ("How U.S. Citizens Were Cooked")
So Bush's National Security Administration (NSA) and Attorney General Gonzales figured it would work for them again in federal court on the latest challenge to the warrantless wiretap program. (Washington Post)
The Bush administration "Catch 22" argument this time was "state secrets".... since the plaintiffs needed state secret privilege to prove their case, and the government can't defend the case without revealing state secrets, the case can't go forward. They thought it was a perfect "Catch 22," .... a condition preventing the resolution of a situation.
But they didn't figure on Federal Judge Anna Diggs Taylor.
She concentrated on the process not the secrets.
In her ruling she points out that "Congress made numerous concessions to stated executive needs....delaying the application for warrants until after surveillance has begun.... reducing probable cause requirement.... extension of approved wiretaps from thirty days to a ninety day term."
Judge Taylor reminded our King George that "Our Constitution was drafted by founders and ratified by a people who still held in vivid memory the image of King George III and his General Warrants.... the Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution."
Taylor ordered a halt to the secret wiretap program authorized by President Bush in 2001 (the halt now delayed until a September 7 hearing) finding the warrantless wiretap program unconstitutional, .... violating the Constitution's First Amendment (freedom of speech) and the Fourth Amendment (privacy, undue searches), the Separation of Powers doctrine and "the statutory law."
That's right George, regardless of what VP Cheney and your minions think, there is no Imperial Presidency. The "war on terror" doesn't give you unfettered power.
Judge Taylor's final paragraph in her ruling was taken from a Justice Earl Warren decision:
"Implicit in the term 'national defense' is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart.... It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of.... those liberties.... which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile."
Or, as Judge Taylor stated simply in her ruling, "It is the upholding of our Constitution."
Amen.
So Bush's National Security Administration (NSA) and Attorney General Gonzales figured it would work for them again in federal court on the latest challenge to the warrantless wiretap program. (Washington Post)
The Bush administration "Catch 22" argument this time was "state secrets".... since the plaintiffs needed state secret privilege to prove their case, and the government can't defend the case without revealing state secrets, the case can't go forward. They thought it was a perfect "Catch 22," .... a condition preventing the resolution of a situation.
But they didn't figure on Federal Judge Anna Diggs Taylor.
She concentrated on the process not the secrets.
In her ruling she points out that "Congress made numerous concessions to stated executive needs....delaying the application for warrants until after surveillance has begun.... reducing probable cause requirement.... extension of approved wiretaps from thirty days to a ninety day term."
Judge Taylor reminded our King George that "Our Constitution was drafted by founders and ratified by a people who still held in vivid memory the image of King George III and his General Warrants.... the Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution."
Taylor ordered a halt to the secret wiretap program authorized by President Bush in 2001 (the halt now delayed until a September 7 hearing) finding the warrantless wiretap program unconstitutional, .... violating the Constitution's First Amendment (freedom of speech) and the Fourth Amendment (privacy, undue searches), the Separation of Powers doctrine and "the statutory law."
That's right George, regardless of what VP Cheney and your minions think, there is no Imperial Presidency. The "war on terror" doesn't give you unfettered power.
Judge Taylor's final paragraph in her ruling was taken from a Justice Earl Warren decision:
"Implicit in the term 'national defense' is the notion of defending those values and ideas which set this Nation apart.... It would indeed be ironic if, in the name of national defense, we would sanction the subversion of.... those liberties.... which makes the defense of the Nation worthwhile."
Or, as Judge Taylor stated simply in her ruling, "It is the upholding of our Constitution."
Amen.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Elephant in the Room
David Broder today highlights the disconnect between the reasons the GOP think they are in trouble with the voters, and actual underlying issues in his "For the GOP, a Heartland Plunge."
He reports that at the National Governors Association convention recently, Republicans gave the impression they thought the problem was "in part because of the chaos conveyed by the daily televised scenes of destruction in Iraq and Lebanon.... [the media's fault] .... and in part because of the dismal reputation built by the Republican Congress that is home to many of the endangered GOP candidates,".... [it's nothing we did]. (Washington Post)
While these things definitely impact the voters, the elephant in the room is corruption.... the GOP dominated-Ohio state government is a case in point.
As the Toledo Blade explains on August 16, "The breadth and depth of corruption at the highest levels of Ohio government has been documented by e-mails that reveal how officials sought to keep a lid on news of multi-million dollar losses at the Bureau of Workers' Compensation that might have altered the outcome of the 2004 presidential election."
Oh yes, the Republicans have good reason to attack the press, the press has been uncovering their odoriferous piles of elephant dung. In Ohio a week before the 2004 presidential election, the head of the Ohio BWC took steps to ensure that a $215 million investment loss in an offshore hedge-fund would not become public knowledge, this and the failed $50 million "Coin-gate" scheme would not surface until months after the election.
So even if Republican Governors point the finger of blame for their dismal showing in the polls on Iraq, Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff's Congressional buddies, it's much more than that.
Broder sums it up this way, "Ohio may be particularly vulnerable because the economy in parts of the state ... has been hurt by layoffs, and because a series of scandals has left retiring Gov. Bob Taft with approval ratings in the teens."
But a wounded elephant is dangerous. If uncovering terrorist plots and trumpeting the "Democrats are weak on terrorism" Rove-bite don't raise dismal poll numbers.... AP-Ipsos job approval for Bush 33 percent and for the GOP Congress 29 percent.... who knows what rampaging devastation the Bush administration might unleash to stampede Red Alert-blinded voters in their direction.
The voters must remember, it's not just the failed GOP policies on Iraq or terrorism causing our national stink, it's the elephant in the room.
He reports that at the National Governors Association convention recently, Republicans gave the impression they thought the problem was "in part because of the chaos conveyed by the daily televised scenes of destruction in Iraq and Lebanon.... [the media's fault] .... and in part because of the dismal reputation built by the Republican Congress that is home to many of the endangered GOP candidates,".... [it's nothing we did]. (Washington Post)
While these things definitely impact the voters, the elephant in the room is corruption.... the GOP dominated-Ohio state government is a case in point.
As the Toledo Blade explains on August 16, "The breadth and depth of corruption at the highest levels of Ohio government has been documented by e-mails that reveal how officials sought to keep a lid on news of multi-million dollar losses at the Bureau of Workers' Compensation that might have altered the outcome of the 2004 presidential election."
Oh yes, the Republicans have good reason to attack the press, the press has been uncovering their odoriferous piles of elephant dung. In Ohio a week before the 2004 presidential election, the head of the Ohio BWC took steps to ensure that a $215 million investment loss in an offshore hedge-fund would not become public knowledge, this and the failed $50 million "Coin-gate" scheme would not surface until months after the election.
So even if Republican Governors point the finger of blame for their dismal showing in the polls on Iraq, Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff's Congressional buddies, it's much more than that.
Broder sums it up this way, "Ohio may be particularly vulnerable because the economy in parts of the state ... has been hurt by layoffs, and because a series of scandals has left retiring Gov. Bob Taft with approval ratings in the teens."
But a wounded elephant is dangerous. If uncovering terrorist plots and trumpeting the "Democrats are weak on terrorism" Rove-bite don't raise dismal poll numbers.... AP-Ipsos job approval for Bush 33 percent and for the GOP Congress 29 percent.... who knows what rampaging devastation the Bush administration might unleash to stampede Red Alert-blinded voters in their direction.
The voters must remember, it's not just the failed GOP policies on Iraq or terrorism causing our national stink, it's the elephant in the room.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Allen's Ca-ca Mouth
It would be bad enough if he said it just once, but Sen. George Allen (R-VA) twice pointed and sneered "Macaca" to S. R. Sidarth, of Indian descent, who was videotaping Allen's reelection campaign event for his Democratic opponent James Webb.
To make sure Allen made points with his entertained conservative audience.... his final salvo at Sidarth was, "Macaca, or whatever his name is....Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." The crowd laughed and applauded. Sidarth, born in Fairfax, VA, is the son of a successful mortgage banker. (Washington Post)
Macaca is a racial slur meaning literally "a genus of monkey."
Allen's supporters and staff rushed to his defense.... he said "Mohawk" (NOT) and he isn't racist. Here is the video of the remark, you decide.
Allen's younger sister, Jennifer Allen, alleges in her memoir Fifth Quarter: The Scrimmage of a Football Coach's Daughter, that Allen sadistically attacked his younger siblings during his childhood. He was once suspended from high school for painting what a school administrator described as racist graffiti on school walls. Allen has a long history of promoting the Confederacy even using the flag in political ads in 1993. There's more, but you get the idea.
Just as the best can rise like cream to the top, pond scum also rises to the top.
Virginians.... run, don't walk, to your polls in November and rid yourselves and our government of this slimy Senator. We all deserve better.
To make sure Allen made points with his entertained conservative audience.... his final salvo at Sidarth was, "Macaca, or whatever his name is....Welcome to America and the real world of Virginia." The crowd laughed and applauded. Sidarth, born in Fairfax, VA, is the son of a successful mortgage banker. (Washington Post)
Macaca is a racial slur meaning literally "a genus of monkey."
Allen's supporters and staff rushed to his defense.... he said "Mohawk" (NOT) and he isn't racist. Here is the video of the remark, you decide.
Allen's younger sister, Jennifer Allen, alleges in her memoir Fifth Quarter: The Scrimmage of a Football Coach's Daughter, that Allen sadistically attacked his younger siblings during his childhood. He was once suspended from high school for painting what a school administrator described as racist graffiti on school walls. Allen has a long history of promoting the Confederacy even using the flag in political ads in 1993. There's more, but you get the idea.
Just as the best can rise like cream to the top, pond scum also rises to the top.
Virginians.... run, don't walk, to your polls in November and rid yourselves and our government of this slimy Senator. We all deserve better.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Bush Who?
"Knock, knock."
"Who's there?"
"Bush."
"Go away!"
This is the new campaign strategy for many GOP candidates in the fall election. President Bush has become the Garlic Eater at the kissing booth, his sour political breath polluting the air and driving off the electorate.
That is why many of his GOP minions are not only avoiding him, but basing their November campaigns on convincing the voters that they are independent of their own party and Bush. (Washington Post)
Take, for instance, Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA), who repeats over and over about Bush in his campaign for reelection... "When I think he's wrong. I let him know." Sorry, Gerlach, don't think it will sell any better than Lieberman's last minute "Bush who?" conversion.
Maybe the electorate has finally caught on to candidates who talk the talk around election time, but don't walk the walk. As Gerlach's opponent, Lois Murphy, points out about incumbent Gerlach, he "has been a reliable vote for the Bush administration."
And that's about as devastating a charge as you can make this election cycle.
"Who's there?"
"Bush."
"Go away!"
This is the new campaign strategy for many GOP candidates in the fall election. President Bush has become the Garlic Eater at the kissing booth, his sour political breath polluting the air and driving off the electorate.
That is why many of his GOP minions are not only avoiding him, but basing their November campaigns on convincing the voters that they are independent of their own party and Bush. (Washington Post)
Take, for instance, Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA), who repeats over and over about Bush in his campaign for reelection... "When I think he's wrong. I let him know." Sorry, Gerlach, don't think it will sell any better than Lieberman's last minute "Bush who?" conversion.
Maybe the electorate has finally caught on to candidates who talk the talk around election time, but don't walk the walk. As Gerlach's opponent, Lois Murphy, points out about incumbent Gerlach, he "has been a reliable vote for the Bush administration."
And that's about as devastating a charge as you can make this election cycle.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Biting the Extended Hand
There's rage in Britain.
By the Brits under attack yet again from their Muslim community?
No, the rage is from the Muslim community!
"Britain has become an incubator for violent Islamic extremism, fueled by disenchantment at home and growing rage about events abroad, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." (Washington Post)
To sum it up, because of Britain's open-door policy for immigrants from around the world that attracted a large population of Pakistanis and other Muslims, especially to London, the Brits are now the focus of the rage of these very people.
As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Forgetting that they escaped to Britain because of political unrest and a lack of jobs in their native countries, they are in a rage because of a lack of jobs, poor educational achievement, and are at odds with Prime Minister Blair's foreign policy.
In London, large contingents of Muslims prefer to live "in neighborhoods where they rarely mix with others." Muslims in the U.K. are Muslim first and foremost, and British second. A recent survey showed that 81 percent of British Muslims expressed this sentiment.
This, my fellow countrymen, is a preview of what lies ahead for our country.
Having allowed illegal Latino aliens to flood our country in the tens of millions, these very people are now organizing, marching.... demanding their "rights," the vote and the full benefits of our society.... all the while insisting they are still citizens of their native countries, and sending billions of dollars in earnings back to the native lands while evading U.S. taxes.
Our country still welcomes legal immigrants who historically have wanted citizenship and assimilated into the country and culture.
Will the Bush administration, and the GOP Congress with their enabling Democratic colleagues, see Britain as a cautionary tale and move to stem the tide of illegal immigration? Or will they keep hurling the country down the path of globalist, "bottom-line" chaos?
November.
By the Brits under attack yet again from their Muslim community?
No, the rage is from the Muslim community!
"Britain has become an incubator for violent Islamic extremism, fueled by disenchantment at home and growing rage about events abroad, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." (Washington Post)
To sum it up, because of Britain's open-door policy for immigrants from around the world that attracted a large population of Pakistanis and other Muslims, especially to London, the Brits are now the focus of the rage of these very people.
As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Forgetting that they escaped to Britain because of political unrest and a lack of jobs in their native countries, they are in a rage because of a lack of jobs, poor educational achievement, and are at odds with Prime Minister Blair's foreign policy.
In London, large contingents of Muslims prefer to live "in neighborhoods where they rarely mix with others." Muslims in the U.K. are Muslim first and foremost, and British second. A recent survey showed that 81 percent of British Muslims expressed this sentiment.
This, my fellow countrymen, is a preview of what lies ahead for our country.
Having allowed illegal Latino aliens to flood our country in the tens of millions, these very people are now organizing, marching.... demanding their "rights," the vote and the full benefits of our society.... all the while insisting they are still citizens of their native countries, and sending billions of dollars in earnings back to the native lands while evading U.S. taxes.
Our country still welcomes legal immigrants who historically have wanted citizenship and assimilated into the country and culture.
Will the Bush administration, and the GOP Congress with their enabling Democratic colleagues, see Britain as a cautionary tale and move to stem the tide of illegal immigration? Or will they keep hurling the country down the path of globalist, "bottom-line" chaos?
November.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
What is Bush Hiding?
The never transparent Bush White House, is becoming increasingly secretive.
"On one of the scariest days yet in the five-year battle with terrorists," this week, a remote President Bush made a speech to the American people and the White House press corps was 1,000 miles away in Texas. (Washington Post)
The President is now traveling without being accompanied by a full contingent of reporters. Just a hand-picked few on Air Force One.... wire services, TV cameras and "a single newspaper reporter who files a report" to the reporters left behind.
Previously unheard of, especially in a time of war. "Increasingly, Bush Escapes the Media Pack," chronicles the narrowing view given reporters of the president's activities, especially at fund-raisers. This reverses the "open door" policy for reporters adopted by the Clinton administration to counter donor-favors scandals.
Wouldn't you think the scandal-ridden GOP, a la Jack Abramoff, might think it prudent to continue this policy? Not on Bush's watch. And he has a good teacher, Dick Cheney, the stealth Vice President.
Don't forget.... the White House press corps is out-of-touch in DC too. They are currently lodged across from the White House in the New Executive Office Building during a renovation of the press room. The first time ever the press is not housed in the White House complex. Press Secretary Tony Snow is vague about how long the renovation will take, estimating 7 to 9 months. Well after the November elections.
Increasingly the Bush administration is limiting and controlling our access to news and their operations. "The Decider" will determine our fate behind closed doors.
If they are to remain credible, the media needs to raise a storm of protest.... now!
"On one of the scariest days yet in the five-year battle with terrorists," this week, a remote President Bush made a speech to the American people and the White House press corps was 1,000 miles away in Texas. (Washington Post)
The President is now traveling without being accompanied by a full contingent of reporters. Just a hand-picked few on Air Force One.... wire services, TV cameras and "a single newspaper reporter who files a report" to the reporters left behind.
Previously unheard of, especially in a time of war. "Increasingly, Bush Escapes the Media Pack," chronicles the narrowing view given reporters of the president's activities, especially at fund-raisers. This reverses the "open door" policy for reporters adopted by the Clinton administration to counter donor-favors scandals.
Wouldn't you think the scandal-ridden GOP, a la Jack Abramoff, might think it prudent to continue this policy? Not on Bush's watch. And he has a good teacher, Dick Cheney, the stealth Vice President.
Don't forget.... the White House press corps is out-of-touch in DC too. They are currently lodged across from the White House in the New Executive Office Building during a renovation of the press room. The first time ever the press is not housed in the White House complex. Press Secretary Tony Snow is vague about how long the renovation will take, estimating 7 to 9 months. Well after the November elections.
Increasingly the Bush administration is limiting and controlling our access to news and their operations. "The Decider" will determine our fate behind closed doors.
If they are to remain credible, the media needs to raise a storm of protest.... now!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Bush Protects Drug Smuggler
The Washington Post headline declares "Study Finds Immigrants Don't Hurt U.S. Jobs." It seems... "The Pew Hispanic Center has analyzed immigration state by state using U.S. Census data, evaluating it against unemployment levels. No clear correlation between the two could be found."
Not every researcher agrees. Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University points out in the past five years, a subset of the workforce -- native-born men age 16 to 24 with high-school diplomas -- have in fact been displaced by immigrants. The Pew study does not address gender, educational component or age. And, makes no distinction between legal and illegal alien immigrants.
The real impact of illegal aliens on our economy and culture may be better demonstrated by real events, not dry, open-to-interpretation, statistics. I wish every Cheney-loving, Bush-supporting hawk accusing the Democrats of being weak on terror could read this, "Convicted border agent tells his story," as reported by Sara Carter.
In El Paso, Texas, two U.S. border agents are each facing 20 years in federal prison for pursuing, and firing at, a known drug trafficker who was fleeing apprehension, and in fact escaped. In other words, doing their job to keep you and yours safe.
U.S. Assistant Attorney, Debra Kanof, under the direction of Bush's Justice Department and Attorney General Gonzales, went after the agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, with a vengeance.
"The smuggler was given full immunity to testify against the agents...."
Read the full story, and then decide if the Bush administration is tough on lawbreakers, or just law enforcers. You can bet this drug-running thug, and countless others like him, weren't captured statistically by the rosy Pew report.
The Bush administration isn't tough on terrorism.... our borders are a government-protected gateway to the U.S. for criminals and worse.
Please, write or call your Congressional representatives to protest the travesty of these convictions. It's the least we can do for our brave border agents.
Not every researcher agrees. Andrew Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University points out in the past five years, a subset of the workforce -- native-born men age 16 to 24 with high-school diplomas -- have in fact been displaced by immigrants. The Pew study does not address gender, educational component or age. And, makes no distinction between legal and illegal alien immigrants.
The real impact of illegal aliens on our economy and culture may be better demonstrated by real events, not dry, open-to-interpretation, statistics. I wish every Cheney-loving, Bush-supporting hawk accusing the Democrats of being weak on terror could read this, "Convicted border agent tells his story," as reported by Sara Carter.
In El Paso, Texas, two U.S. border agents are each facing 20 years in federal prison for pursuing, and firing at, a known drug trafficker who was fleeing apprehension, and in fact escaped. In other words, doing their job to keep you and yours safe.
U.S. Assistant Attorney, Debra Kanof, under the direction of Bush's Justice Department and Attorney General Gonzales, went after the agents, Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, with a vengeance.
"The smuggler was given full immunity to testify against the agents...."
Read the full story, and then decide if the Bush administration is tough on lawbreakers, or just law enforcers. You can bet this drug-running thug, and countless others like him, weren't captured statistically by the rosy Pew report.
The Bush administration isn't tough on terrorism.... our borders are a government-protected gateway to the U.S. for criminals and worse.
Please, write or call your Congressional representatives to protest the travesty of these convictions. It's the least we can do for our brave border agents.
Dems Unite Behind Lamont
I swore to myself that I wouldn't write about Scary Joe Lieberman and his tantrums again, but here I am, writing about Scary Joe again. Who absented himself from the Democratic leadership welcome given Connecticut Democrat senate candidate Ned Lamont on Wednesday.
But then, by his own choice, pro-war, Bush-loving-Lieberman has petulantly relinquished his Democrat mantle (something the voters noticed some time ago) to run as an Independent.... and is certainly no longer a leader. Just a poor loser as he vows "to wage an independent crusade to save his seat and prevent the party from being captured by forces he said are out of the political mainstream" (Washington Post).... Karl Rove-speak for the Dems are anti-war and weak on terrorism.
It will be interesting to see how, and from whom, pouty Lieberman will receive campaign funding. From the GOP? Lieberman's campaign confirmed that White House political-guru Rove called Lieberman Tuesday night. With regrets we're sure. They're sorry to lose the their "Democrats for the Iraq War" poster-boy.
Not losing a minute... "Sure Shot" Dick Cheney rushed to charge that Lieberman's defeat signaled the Democrats are ready to "retreat behind our oceans." There's that word again.... retreat, undoubtedly a Rove talking point.
And this is why the Lieberman story is still so important. The GOP are going to use his loss to beat the drum for their fall campaign strategy.... Democrats are weak on terrorism. Expect lots of "Red Alerts" between now and November.
Connecticut's elder statesman, former GOP Senator and Independent Governor Lowell Weicker, spoke dismissively of Lieberman's run as an Independent...."He wants a job." Weicker's former chief of staff, Thomas D'Amore, Jr. summed it up, "It's all about Joe Lieberman."
But then, by his own choice, pro-war, Bush-loving-Lieberman has petulantly relinquished his Democrat mantle (something the voters noticed some time ago) to run as an Independent.... and is certainly no longer a leader. Just a poor loser as he vows "to wage an independent crusade to save his seat and prevent the party from being captured by forces he said are out of the political mainstream" (Washington Post).... Karl Rove-speak for the Dems are anti-war and weak on terrorism.
It will be interesting to see how, and from whom, pouty Lieberman will receive campaign funding. From the GOP? Lieberman's campaign confirmed that White House political-guru Rove called Lieberman Tuesday night. With regrets we're sure. They're sorry to lose the their "Democrats for the Iraq War" poster-boy.
Not losing a minute... "Sure Shot" Dick Cheney rushed to charge that Lieberman's defeat signaled the Democrats are ready to "retreat behind our oceans." There's that word again.... retreat, undoubtedly a Rove talking point.
And this is why the Lieberman story is still so important. The GOP are going to use his loss to beat the drum for their fall campaign strategy.... Democrats are weak on terrorism. Expect lots of "Red Alerts" between now and November.
Connecticut's elder statesman, former GOP Senator and Independent Governor Lowell Weicker, spoke dismissively of Lieberman's run as an Independent...."He wants a job." Weicker's former chief of staff, Thomas D'Amore, Jr. summed it up, "It's all about Joe Lieberman."
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Joe's Baaack!
He's baaack!
Just like Freddie Krueger's Halloween reincarnations, and just as scary, Joe Lieberman rises from the mist of his primary defeat to stalk the streets of Connecticut as an Independent senate candidate in November.
I was struck by CNN's interviews of each candidate this morning after. Winner Ned Lamont answered questions forthrightly, with "meat" on the bones of his answers. Scary Joe spouted GOPish moralistic platitudes.... "I'm disappointed not just because I lost but because the old politics of partisan polarization won today. For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand." (Washington Post)
Pleeeeze Joe. Don't save us from ourselves. The Connecticut Democrat primary voters have spoken. Accepting that fact with grace and working to help the party in November would have been a statesman's choice.
So, rather than a united front against the Connecticut GOP candidate in the fall in support of the successful Lamont, Scary Joe is going to drag the Connecticut voters through the swamp of partisan politics.
Like his idol in the White House, "The Decider," Scary Joe has decided to ignore the mandate of the people. For shame.
Just like Freddie Krueger's Halloween reincarnations, and just as scary, Joe Lieberman rises from the mist of his primary defeat to stalk the streets of Connecticut as an Independent senate candidate in November.
I was struck by CNN's interviews of each candidate this morning after. Winner Ned Lamont answered questions forthrightly, with "meat" on the bones of his answers. Scary Joe spouted GOPish moralistic platitudes.... "I'm disappointed not just because I lost but because the old politics of partisan polarization won today. For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand." (Washington Post)
Pleeeeze Joe. Don't save us from ourselves. The Connecticut Democrat primary voters have spoken. Accepting that fact with grace and working to help the party in November would have been a statesman's choice.
So, rather than a united front against the Connecticut GOP candidate in the fall in support of the successful Lamont, Scary Joe is going to drag the Connecticut voters through the swamp of partisan politics.
Like his idol in the White House, "The Decider," Scary Joe has decided to ignore the mandate of the people. For shame.
Lieberman's Conversion
Today we'll find out if Senator Joe Lieberman's death-bed conversion will save his place on the Democrat ticket. E. J. Dionne, Jr. of the Washington Post makes the case that Lieberman's last minute embracing of the anti-Bush camp may do just that.
I'm not convinced that this 11th hour soul-cleansing will be enough for the savvy voters in Connecticut who know Lieberman's record. They may well see it as the last desperate act it is.
Note to all of the talk-show conservatives shilling for Lieberman's victory.... whatever happened to the "term limits" legislation the GOP pushed for when they were the minority?
David Broder may have found the true pulse of the country this election cycle.... "Contempt for Congress."
In the weekend meeting of governors of both parties at their annual summer conference, "the common theme in interviews and informal comments was one of utter disdain for Congress." As Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) put it, "Congress has gone from unresponsive to hopeless. On everything from the minimum wage to immigration to energy, they've just given up. No one expects anything from them."
That's why incumbents are in trouble. Bush and Congress are fiddling in the Middle East while we burn at home. November.
I'm not convinced that this 11th hour soul-cleansing will be enough for the savvy voters in Connecticut who know Lieberman's record. They may well see it as the last desperate act it is.
Note to all of the talk-show conservatives shilling for Lieberman's victory.... whatever happened to the "term limits" legislation the GOP pushed for when they were the minority?
David Broder may have found the true pulse of the country this election cycle.... "Contempt for Congress."
In the weekend meeting of governors of both parties at their annual summer conference, "the common theme in interviews and informal comments was one of utter disdain for Congress." As Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) put it, "Congress has gone from unresponsive to hopeless. On everything from the minimum wage to immigration to energy, they've just given up. No one expects anything from them."
That's why incumbents are in trouble. Bush and Congress are fiddling in the Middle East while we burn at home. November.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Joe's Nose Grows
Senator Joe "Pinocchio" Lieberman's nose is growing.... he is trying to convince the Democrat voters of Connecticut that his coziness with Bush didn't really happen.... trying to convince them he is "a proud and loyal Democrat who not only had opposed nearly all of Bush's domestic agenda but also had repeatedly criticized the administration's handling of the Iraq conflict." (Washington Post)
Gee, that's funny. I distinctly remember Lieberman chastising us in a speech for doing just that, criticizing Bush's conduct of the war. Something like "you shouldn't criticize a president during a time of war." Maybe Joe wants the subjects of Bush, the Imperial Decider, to just bow.
Lieberman's campaign against his opponent, Ted Lamont, boils down to going after him for his recent membership in a country club that "ads say is not known for its diversity." Playing the race card? Is that all the better this three-term senator can do for a campaign?
Tuesday's results will tell the tale!
Gee, that's funny. I distinctly remember Lieberman chastising us in a speech for doing just that, criticizing Bush's conduct of the war. Something like "you shouldn't criticize a president during a time of war." Maybe Joe wants the subjects of Bush, the Imperial Decider, to just bow.
Lieberman's campaign against his opponent, Ted Lamont, boils down to going after him for his recent membership in a country club that "ads say is not known for its diversity." Playing the race card? Is that all the better this three-term senator can do for a campaign?
Tuesday's results will tell the tale!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Lieberman No Sacred Cow
The politicos in both parties are muttering the dire prediction that a loss by Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) in Tuesday's primary would "signal a power shift inside the Democratic Party that could reshape the politics of national security and dramatically alter the battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination," according to Dan Balz of the Washington Post.
This will only happen if the politicians and voters listen to the spinners as they weave their airy fairy tales around their agendas.
True, this is an important election.... just ask Lieberman.... and it does show Democrat voter dissatisfaction with many things, not the least of which is the war in Iraq. But I think Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) put the emphasis where it belongs.... "This is really about Bush."
The GOP want to paint it as a victory for tree-hugging anti-war hippies about to overrun the Democrat party as articulated by righty William Kristol in the Weekly Standard, "They want retreat-- under the guise of 'reducing the U.S. footprint in Iraq.' "
No, the Lieberman primary isn't about retreat, or just the war in Iraq. It's about accountability to Connecticut Democrats, not to Bush's globalist, faith-based agenda.
What a Lieberman loss will signal is that there are no sacred cows grazing contentedly in the Senate, ignoring home pastures, while roaming around the Bush preserve.
This will only happen if the politicians and voters listen to the spinners as they weave their airy fairy tales around their agendas.
True, this is an important election.... just ask Lieberman.... and it does show Democrat voter dissatisfaction with many things, not the least of which is the war in Iraq. But I think Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) put the emphasis where it belongs.... "This is really about Bush."
The GOP want to paint it as a victory for tree-hugging anti-war hippies about to overrun the Democrat party as articulated by righty William Kristol in the Weekly Standard, "They want retreat-- under the guise of 'reducing the U.S. footprint in Iraq.' "
No, the Lieberman primary isn't about retreat, or just the war in Iraq. It's about accountability to Connecticut Democrats, not to Bush's globalist, faith-based agenda.
What a Lieberman loss will signal is that there are no sacred cows grazing contentedly in the Senate, ignoring home pastures, while roaming around the Bush preserve.
Saturday, August 05, 2006
It's the Imperial Presidency, Stupid!
After reading the article in the Washington Post, "RNC Chief Faults Democratic Leaders on Terrorism," the thought that hit me was "some nerve."
It takes some nerve to point the finger of blame at the Democrat party, as Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Party, did on Friday. He warned that if the Democrats gained control of Congress in November, it would surrender important tools in the fight against terrorism. He means that the Democrat party would curb the dictatorial conduct of the current Imperial Presidency. A result the White House wants to avoid at all costs.
This is just the latest spouting of the November election tactic that Bush administration adviser Karl Rove articulated last January, "the Republicans should make terrorism the central campaign issue in the fall campaigns and argue that Democrats hold a pre-September 11 view of the world."
But let's face it, we are where we are because this is where the Bush administration has taken us. Into a war of choice in Iraq that is, thanks to Rumsfeldian ineptness, turning it into an unwinnable Civil War, empowering Iran and fueling a Middle East crisis that could well lead us into WW III, or worse. In WWs I & II we had allies. With his ham-fisted foreign adventures, Bush has managed to turn most of the world, including our previous partners, against us.
So this joke of a governing body, the Bush administration, through their master manipulator Rove, is spinning that if the Democrats win control of Congress in November, "party leaders will stop the National Security Agency from eavesdroppiong on foreign terrorists (ridiculous) and will pursue impeachment of the president." Hmmmm.
If ever a president deserved impeaching, Bush is it. But should a newly minted Democrat Congress waste time and effort on impeachment, as tempting as it would be? There are many pressing, and deadly, issues to address. But, having grabbed fistfuls of power, such as "Signing Statements," Bush may block Congressional efforts. Impeachment may be the only lever left to rein in the Imperial Decider.
The Rove November election strategy isn't really about NSA, you or the state of our crumbling nation, it's about saving the Bush presidency. And they can only do that by keeping control of Congress with the GOP. We can't let that happen.
It takes some nerve to point the finger of blame at the Democrat party, as Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Party, did on Friday. He warned that if the Democrats gained control of Congress in November, it would surrender important tools in the fight against terrorism. He means that the Democrat party would curb the dictatorial conduct of the current Imperial Presidency. A result the White House wants to avoid at all costs.
This is just the latest spouting of the November election tactic that Bush administration adviser Karl Rove articulated last January, "the Republicans should make terrorism the central campaign issue in the fall campaigns and argue that Democrats hold a pre-September 11 view of the world."
But let's face it, we are where we are because this is where the Bush administration has taken us. Into a war of choice in Iraq that is, thanks to Rumsfeldian ineptness, turning it into an unwinnable Civil War, empowering Iran and fueling a Middle East crisis that could well lead us into WW III, or worse. In WWs I & II we had allies. With his ham-fisted foreign adventures, Bush has managed to turn most of the world, including our previous partners, against us.
So this joke of a governing body, the Bush administration, through their master manipulator Rove, is spinning that if the Democrats win control of Congress in November, "party leaders will stop the National Security Agency from eavesdroppiong on foreign terrorists (ridiculous) and will pursue impeachment of the president." Hmmmm.
If ever a president deserved impeaching, Bush is it. But should a newly minted Democrat Congress waste time and effort on impeachment, as tempting as it would be? There are many pressing, and deadly, issues to address. But, having grabbed fistfuls of power, such as "Signing Statements," Bush may block Congressional efforts. Impeachment may be the only lever left to rein in the Imperial Decider.
The Rove November election strategy isn't really about NSA, you or the state of our crumbling nation, it's about saving the Bush presidency. And they can only do that by keeping control of Congress with the GOP. We can't let that happen.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Kansas Evolving, Lieberman Devolving
Thanks to votes supporting Darwin, Kansas now has a chance to evolve into a respected member of the scientific world.
In its primary yesterday, Kansas voters gave pro-evolution candidates for the State Board of Education a fighting chance to regain control. The Washington Post summed up the outcome... "conservatives would at best have five of 10 seats on the board." And the election in November could trim that margin in favor of science.
Now the intelligent design conservatives lament.... "We're not from Kansas anymore."
In Connecticut, Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D) primary test is fast approaching, and it appears that he's up against a wave of support for his opponent, Ned Lamont, and an undertow of strong disapproval for his Bush-accommodating antics.
Lieberman's politicos are in full spin, trying to convince their disenchanted base that if Lieberman loses the Democrat primary, he will run as an Independent and.... here the spin becomes a tornado.... easily win.
This threat from the three-term senator and former vice president candidate should tell Democrat voters all they need to know. He has shown his colors and they are, if not red, at least bright pink. Lieberman is using terrorist tactics on the Democrat voters of Connecticut.... vote for me or else .
Hopefully the Democrat voters of Conneticut will tell Lieberman, if you're not with us, you're against us. We don't negotiate our vote.... you're out.
In its primary yesterday, Kansas voters gave pro-evolution candidates for the State Board of Education a fighting chance to regain control. The Washington Post summed up the outcome... "conservatives would at best have five of 10 seats on the board." And the election in November could trim that margin in favor of science.
Now the intelligent design conservatives lament.... "We're not from Kansas anymore."
In Connecticut, Sen. Joe Lieberman's (D) primary test is fast approaching, and it appears that he's up against a wave of support for his opponent, Ned Lamont, and an undertow of strong disapproval for his Bush-accommodating antics.
Lieberman's politicos are in full spin, trying to convince their disenchanted base that if Lieberman loses the Democrat primary, he will run as an Independent and.... here the spin becomes a tornado.... easily win.
This threat from the three-term senator and former vice president candidate should tell Democrat voters all they need to know. He has shown his colors and they are, if not red, at least bright pink. Lieberman is using terrorist tactics on the Democrat voters of Connecticut.... vote for me or else .
Hopefully the Democrat voters of Conneticut will tell Lieberman, if you're not with us, you're against us. We don't negotiate our vote.... you're out.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Beam Up Kansas
This is what you get when you mix church and state.... Kansas.
Now mind you, Kansas is a perfectly fine state, full of perfectly fine, really wonderful, people... gosh, it's the "Sunflower State" after all. But a blight fell on those sunny flower folks many years ago called the GOP Religious Right. They succeeded in making Kansas an international laughing stock.
The Religious Right hijacked the Kansas Board of Education and changed the state science standards to question evolution and promote "intelligent design" .... a misnomer if there ever was one.
But what could you expect when their leader, our incurious, religiously-myopic President Bush, rejected the "stance of his White House science adviser when he told reporters last summer that 'both sides' should be taught." All one can advise Bush's religious lemmings as they plunge over his cliff of "decider" science.... better not buy ocean-front property, and keep air conditioners in good running order.
There is a ray of sunshine beaming on Kansas today, however, their primaries leading to November's elections. As the Washington Post reports in "Election Could Flip Kansas Evolution Stance," defenders of evolution are "working to defeat Kansas Board of Education members who oppose modern Darwinian theory," by challenging three incumbent Republican conservatives. It would take a shift of just two seats to lead Kansas out of their science-education wilderness.
If the challengers succeed, the educated electorate, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Scientific American.... and the Sunflowers.... will thank you.
Now mind you, Kansas is a perfectly fine state, full of perfectly fine, really wonderful, people... gosh, it's the "Sunflower State" after all. But a blight fell on those sunny flower folks many years ago called the GOP Religious Right. They succeeded in making Kansas an international laughing stock.
The Religious Right hijacked the Kansas Board of Education and changed the state science standards to question evolution and promote "intelligent design" .... a misnomer if there ever was one.
But what could you expect when their leader, our incurious, religiously-myopic President Bush, rejected the "stance of his White House science adviser when he told reporters last summer that 'both sides' should be taught." All one can advise Bush's religious lemmings as they plunge over his cliff of "decider" science.... better not buy ocean-front property, and keep air conditioners in good running order.
There is a ray of sunshine beaming on Kansas today, however, their primaries leading to November's elections. As the Washington Post reports in "Election Could Flip Kansas Evolution Stance," defenders of evolution are "working to defeat Kansas Board of Education members who oppose modern Darwinian theory," by challenging three incumbent Republican conservatives. It would take a shift of just two seats to lead Kansas out of their science-education wilderness.
If the challengers succeed, the educated electorate, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Science Teachers Association, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Scientific American.... and the Sunflowers.... will thank you.
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