Bush, the King of Trumps

While recent events in Pakistan and D.C. may seem unconnected, they actually have a common theme... political power.

In Pakistan, the "Supreme Court Reinstates Judge". (WaPo)... Chief Justice Chaudhry, that is, who President Musharraf had accused of misconduct and removed.

The timing was.... well, suspect. When Chaudhry was removed, he was "reviewing and preparing to rule on several cases challenging Musharraf's plans to orchestrate a new five-year term for himself before upcoming parliamentary elections."

The Supreme Court ruled that the removal was illegal and Chaudhry was reinstated today.

The legal struggle has been framed as between the two branches of government. Bowing to the ruling, Pakistan's Prime Minister Aziz said, "We must all accept the verdict with grace and dignity reflective of a mature nation, this is not the time to claim victory or defeat. The Constitution and the law have prevailed and must prevail at all times."

Now, let's contrast this rather stirring outcome with the White House dispute with our legislative branch of government.

Invoking a new assertion of Bush's executive authority Thursday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.... "Broader Privilege Claimed" is the latest White House maneuver.

Bush's executive branch doesn't worry about the judicial branch slapping their hand since their grip on that branch is so total.... the "Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege." (WaPo)

Allowed?

And, the reason they are so arrogantly confident?

As it turns out, House and Senate contempt citations must be submitted to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia... the legal branch.... Attorney General Gonzales is Bush's boy and will do his bidding, and the majority on the Supreme Court is in the White House pocket.

This latest administration move is such a sweeping negation of the separation of powers it is important to quote fully a senior White House official on their consensus opinion: "A U.S. attorney would not be permitted to bring contempt charges or convene a grand jury in an executive privilege case, and a U.S. attorney wouldn't be permitted to argue against the reasoned legal opinion that the Justice Department provided. No one should expect that to happen."

Mark J. Rozell, professor of public policy at George Mason University calls the White House policy "astonishing."

"That's a breathtakingly broad view of the president's role in this system of separation of powers, Rozell said. "What this statement is saying is the president's claim of executive privilege trumps all.

Trumps the Constitution.

Trumps Congress.

Trumps the rule of law.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the administration is "hastening a constitutional crisis." And Henry Waxman (D-CA) added, that the administration "makes a mockery of the ideal that no one is above the law.... I suppose the next step would be just disbanding the Justice Department."

It's shocking to realize that the "mature" democracy of strife-torn Middle Eastern Pakistan is functioning and protecting its separation-of-powers government, while above-the-law Bush and Cheney's unholy alliance is ripping the guts out of ours.

A ruthless, unprincipled power grab orchestrated by shadow president Cheney. Congress must act, NOW.... while they still are the third branch.

Bush Spins in Tennessee

Bush rebuffed a question today at a town-hall-style meeting in Nashville about a possible pardon for border agents Ramos and Compean....

"I know the prosecutor very well, Johnny Sutton. He's a dear friend of mine from Texas. He's a fair guy. He is an evenhanded guy and I can't imagine, well, you know....."

Yes, we do know. Another friend of George.... that's enough for The Decider.

While George found the 30-month jail sentence of Cheney's chief-of-staff "Scooter" Libby "excessive," he evidently doesn't find anything excessive about the 11 and 12-year federal prison sentences for the border agents who fired at a fleeing Mexican drug smuggler... trying to escape from his van loaded with illegal drugs.... who was given blanket immunity by U.S. Attorney Sutton, even a border pass, to testify against them.

The drug smuggler's still free and suing U. S. taxpayers for $5 million.

It was the border crashing smuggler's word against the agents, the prosecutor took the smuggler's word. There are other outrageous actions by George's dear-friend Johnny, but that fact alone shows how the deck was stacked against the agents.

When asked at this same forum about his stalled immigration-overhaul bill, "Bush Defends His Immigration Proposals," (WaPo) and dipped into his bottomless well of fear warning, without that legislation and with stricter enforcement of the border, "I can make you a prediction.... that pretty shortly people are going to be knocking on people's doors saying 'Man we're running out of workers.'"

Oh, perish the thought that we might have stricter border enforcement.... thereby going against Gonzo's Justice Department's policy of ignoring the rule of law.... then employers might have to pay U.S. citizens a living wage to do a job.

The Decider also defended his failed Iraq policy, and tried once again to link the current Islamic militants in Iraq with those who planned 9/11.... the big "boo!"

But, he can no longer emotionally stampede his propaganda-weary audience.

As the woman who asked about the pardon for the border agents informed The Decider.... the Tennessee General Assembly has passed a resolution asking for such a pardon.

Putin Baits the West

Bass fishing diplomacy has it limits.... actually, our relationship with Russia is much worse after The Decider's yukking-it-up press conference early this month with Russia's President Putin after their Kennebunkport fishing summit to resolve U.S. anti-missile plans for Russia's backyard.

Putin made a show of cooperating with the defense system, offering to place it on Russian soil if Bush abandoned plans for facilities in Poland and the Czech Republic.

When Bush didn't go along with Putin's plan, on Saturday Putin announced that Russia would pull out of the CFE treaty, a landmark pact limiting post-Cold War military strength. "Russia rebuffs NATO talks offer on arms pact." (WaPo)

A hopefully sobered Bush, pushing ahead with his anti-missile plans, met with the Polish President Kaczynski at the White House on Monday.

Great Britain also has serious disagreements with Russia who is refusing to cooperate on a terrorist incident.... just days after London kicked four Russians out of the country, a retaliating "Russia Expels 4 British Diplomats" (WaPo)

Moscow continues to refuse to extradite the Russian former KGB officer, Andrei Lugovoy, who the British accuse of poisoning Alexander Litvinenko.... a fierce critic of Putin.... in London last November using polonium-210.

The case is particularly charged because Litvinenko, who fled from Russia to Britain in 2000 and became a British citizen, suffered a slow and gruesome death. In addition, hundreds of Londoners feared they were exposed when the radioactive substance was found in numerous places causing alarm and panic in the city last November.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said this week that he could not tolerate "lawlessness" in London and would make "no apologies for the action we have taken."

Hear! Hear! Good show, Brown!

Bush should take note of how grownups deal with an increasingly dangerous Putin.... drop the Bush frat boy buddy-buddy approach.... Putin isn't looking for friends.

The Schitzo Chronicles

George W. Bush has been hearing voices.... God has been whispering in his ear, telling George he's the chosen one to carry out a messianic mission.

In 2005 the BBC aired a series called "Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs." In this documentary, Abu Mazen, Palestinian Prime Minister, and Nabil Shaath, his Foreign Minister, describe their first meeting with Bush in June of 2003.... four long and bloody years ago.

Shaath: "President Bush said to all of us: 'I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, "George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan." And I did. And then God would tell me, "George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq...." And I did. And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, "Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East." And by God I'm gonna do it." (BBC)

We all have heard Bush frame his "global war on terror" in the terms of good and evil... the "axis of evil," the "evil-doers," as he puts himself at the head of the crusade to execute what he scarily believes to be divine will.

In Bob Woodward's book "Plan of Attack," he recounts how Bush told him after giving the order to invade Iraq in March of 2003 that "I was praying for strength to do the Lord's will."

We all remember when Bush was asked by Woodward whether he had asked his former-president father for advice on what to do about Iraq, Bush replied that his earthly father was "the wrong father to appeal to for advice... there is a higher father that I appeal to."

So, Bush unleashed the dogs of war against Iraq... justifying his actions with lies, faulty intelligence and propaganda slogans.... firm in the belief he was on a mission from his God and in a religious fog.... God will take care of all.

Bush and his neocon cheering section were so caught up in the "vision" they didn't plan.... didn't listen to generals telling them to use more troops to secure Iraq, didn't continue pursuing the 9/11 perpetrator, al Qaeda's Osama bin Laden. ... they just kept repeating the same mantra "stay the course" and closed their minds to all other options.

So, here we are, according to the newly released National Intelligence Estimate, "On Shakier Ground,".... in more trouble than ever with an al Qaeda that "has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability by reestablishing a haven in Pakistan and reconstituting its top leadership," able "to recruit and indoctrinate operatives, including for Homeland attacks." (WaPo)

The White House has made no serious attempt to mediate a solution through hefty diplomacy with envoys to the Middle East like Henry Kissinger, Jim Baker, George Mitchell or Richard Holbrooke.... instead Bush sends his stiletto-heeled pretender, Condi Rice, to jet around uttering inane platitudes or issuing unworkable orders from Washington.

In an attempt to focus its members on the need for a change of course, the Democratic-led Senate debated all-night last night, and into this morning, on a bill to try to force limits on Bush's ability to recklessly keep our troops in the middle of the civil war in Iraq.

Entrenched senators were not swayed by the many impassioned pleas. The outcome was predictable.... the timeline measure was blocked.... the GOP stayed firmly in Bush's camp, fingers crossed, compassion and reason firmly in check.

So our country remains in the grip of a religious fanatic, bent on his crusade regardless of the will of the people, or the consequences for all time.

Iraq Should Be a Nation Divided....

The vote in the Senate today.... probably coming late in the night as the GOP filibusters.... decides a simple matter really. What do we care about, the lives of our troops, or the occupation of a nation waging a tribal civil war where 69 percent of the citizens don't want our presence, and whose Prime Minister Maliki told us a few days ago could take over their own security operations.

As the "Democrats Maneuver To Force Iraq Votes," let's not lose sight of the troops, as Majority Leader Harry Reid passionately reminded the Senate..... not just the unacceptable loss of life, but the tens of thousands injured, many with the loss of limbs and other horrific disabilities.

Reid said of the vote, "It's unfortunate that President Bush has proven, beyond any doubt, that he won't listen to the Congress or the American people unless he's forced to, and that's what this amendment does."

Yes, Chicken Little Bush continually fear mongers that if we leave Iraq the sky will fall. That's not what recent "war games" exercises for the U. S. military concluded however as outlined in "Exit Strategies." (WaPO)

It's worth quoting in full: "If U.S. combat forces withdraw from Iraq in the near future, three developments would be likely to unfold. Majority Shiites would drive Sunnis out of ethnically mixed areas west to Anbar province. Southern Iraq would erupt in civil war between Shiite groups. And the Kurdish north would solidify its borders and invite a U.S. troop presence there. In short, Iraq would effectively become three separate nations."

This outcome is basically the same as the thoughtful proposal of Sen. Joseph Biden that has received bipartisan support.... dividing Iraq into three defined states under a weaker central government. The sky wouldn't fall. Especially if the administration drops the "stay the course" rhetoric and works to implement such a plan.

Today's "Intelligence Report Warns of al-Qaeda's Capabilities," (WaPo) and confirms our worst fears as articulated by Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, that the invasion of Iraq "diverted needed resources from eliminating the threat from al Qaeda".... and "points out that the real threat to the U.S. homeland emanates from Afghanistan and Pakistan, not Iraq."

Sorry to say, though, undoubtedly when the clock strikes midnight in the Senate tonight nothing much will have changed.... and the "stay the course" pumpkin-heads will once again frustrate the will of the nation.

Bush's "Unhealthy" Power Grab....

With their usual stealth, last January the Bush administration issued an executive order "effectively rewriting the playbook" on who will write the rules on health and safety issues.... a power historically delegated by Congress to executive departments, with more specific directions from presidential executive orders.

Ever looking for ways to expand his death-grip on governmental power, Bush's order, which is to take effect a week from today, would require agencies to consider free-market solutions to problems before issuing rules, limits agencies' practice of issuing informal guidelines and calls for "regulatory policy officers," who must be presidential appointees, be given authority to set an agency's agenda.

Although initially resisting this executive order by threatening to kill the funding, the Democratic-controlled Senate committee caved to the demands of lobbyists of "64 trade groups".... who know The Decider's appointees will shield them from costly environmental and safety rules.... and dropped the effort to deny funding.

In other words, the Senate meekly handed the White House more of their checks-and-balances power.

However, Democrats in the House did vote last month not to fund the executive order.... although Bush has "threatened to veto any bill that blocks financing."

So, as reported in "Fighting for the Right to the Rules," (WaPo) the health and safety of the nation has lost again.

Just as the political officers appointed by the Bush administration muzzled the Surgeon General and NASA scientists on issues like stem cell research, safe sex practices and global warming.... they now want to extend this control and "give the White House unaccountable power over the agencies."

In effect, it guts the agencies power to do their job, and puts all power into the hands of a political appointee, and we know how much expertise the friends of George bring to the job.... look at Iraq, look at New Orleans, look at Homeland Security... and look at agencies overseeing food safety.

The Decider isn't alone in his irresponsibility toward protecting the health and safety of the public, Congress is also complicit. The ability of the FDA to make the inspections vital to determining the safety of imported seafood is dangerously, even criminally, inadequate.... "Catfish With a Side of Scombroid." (NY Times)

Yes, the FDA is rejecting imported seafood.... claw crab meat from Indonesia because of filth such as rodent hairs or parts of disease-carrying insects; shrimp from Thailand because of salmonella; tuna from Vietnam because of histamines responsible for scombroid poisoning and many veterinary drugs. In just May alone, 48 seafood shipments from China were rejected.

So, they're inspecting almost everything.... right?

Wrong.

Currently a mere 1.34 percent of seafood imports were physically inspected by the FDA because of a bare bones budget... and this year Congress has cut that inspection budget to ZERO!

This dangerous situation is what you get when your leaders make deep tax cuts, and then throw money at the disastrous Iraq war, good ol' boy earmarks, pet agendas and amoral corporations interested only in their bottom line.

But, you CAN once again swamp the switchboards with calls telling your representatives to uphold the House vote to curb The Decider's political appointee powers within the agencies and support the legislation to deny funding for his executive order... and to fund the FDA food safety oversight agencies!

Otherwise, the White House, which in the last years has become the enemy of the well being of its citizens, grows more powerful while daily we become at more deadly risk.

Will Someone Wake Me Up?

Here's the nightmare.... al Qaeda is Sunni. Saudi Arabia is Sunni... and supposedly our friends, even though Osama bin Laden and most of the 9/11 terrorists were Saudi nationals.

Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's powerful Mahdi Army is a Shiite militia. Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is Shiite. Iran is majority Shiite.

Shiite militia has been infiltrating Iraqi police units, and the Iraq military.

"Mahdi Army, Not Al-Qaeda, is Enemy No. 1 in Western Baghdad." It's no longer the case that the "Sunni insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq is the city's most formidable, the Mahdi Army has transformed the composition of the district's neighborhoods by ruthlessly killing and driving out Sunnis...." (WaPo)

There has been an ethnic cleansing of Sunnis in the 10-square mile district of West Rashid, home to about 700,000.... the Shiites have taken over.

The Shiites already control Iraq in the east on the Iran border, and in the south.

Although the bloody toll continues to rise in attacks across Baghdad, and in the Kurdish north, we heard Maliki assert on Saturday that Iraqis were ready to take over security operations "any time" American forces choose to leave.

How?.... because the Shiite militias with Iran's help will be the ones taking over, with Maliki's blessing?

Oh sure, today we hear lots of backtracking and explaining by Maliki over his comment, and not unsurprising really, the main thrust of his clarification is a defense of al-Sadr as being good for Iraq. Is anyone in Washington listening to this?

Meanwhile, our troops are still dying in the 103 degree heat while the Iraqi government takes an August vacation. So, between now the the September report from Gen. Petraeus, nothing much will happen from Maliki's government to bring the factions together, there will be more cleansing, and the Shiites will grow even stronger.

And, the Sunni al-Qaeda.... "Pakistan Truce Appears Defunct." (WaPo) A peace deal between the Pakistani government and tribal leaders in the north where al-Qaeda is known to be regrouping is over. Last weekend, 70 mainly soldiers and police were killed after the Taliban fighters announced an all-out guerrilla war against the Parkistan army.

So, this is the effect of what Bush and Cheney have wrought with their misbegotten Middle East adventure.... they are handing Iraq to the Shiites, and thus to Iran, while al-Qaeda is gathering strength in Pakistan.... a country with nuclear weapons and a weakened President Musharraf.

It's too late for what they should have done after 9/11.... gone after Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan and made THAT country a bastion of freedom from terror.

What we should be doing now is strengthening our own borders and ports, and aggressively rebuilding our military.... not because Homeland Security's chief Chertoff's gut is rumbling.... but because while we're over there, the terrorists will show up here, "Big Time."

Homeland Insecurity....

The quote of the day from Frank Rich of the New York Times.... "Though Mr. Chertoff may be the man standing between us and Armageddon, he is seen as a leader of stature only when standing next to his cabinet mate Gonzo."

And, don't miss Maureen Dowd's column in the NYT today either.... priceless.

Kristol: "Heck of a job, Georgie"

William Kristol is busy rewriting history even before the history is made.

This ultra-neoconservative friend of George is predicting.... "Why Bush Will Be A Winner." He wisely tries to defuse the obvious eye-rolling over his assertion that "Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one" by admitting up front that with this prediction he'll merely expose himself to "harmless ridicule."

So, I'll not say the obvious things like, it must be time to renew Kristol's prescription, and just stick to his three justifications.

1) Kristol posits that there has been no second terrorist attack on U.S. soil. This is something with our borders gushing unknown and untracked illegals that is just dumb luck, luck which evidently is about to end. According to the "gut feel" statement from the chief of Homeland Security.... his gut is rumbling that we may have an attack this summer. How many billions did this high tech and professional assessment cost? Feeling safer?

2) Kristol's next point shows the airy heights of his ivory tower... we now have "a strong economy." Not for the average Joe working two jobs, or the new slave labor class.... but hey, corporations are loving it. And, by the way, tried to sell your house lately?

Oh, and China loves it too, owns most of the U.S. now. Kristol even sees an upside to our budget deficit.... "it's lower than it was in 2003".... but he avoids mentioning that the world is using the plunging dollar for wallpaper.

3) The third argument is so obviously pie-in-the-sky it's embarrassing.... to quote: "... a war in Iraq that has been very difficult, but where - despite some confusion engendered by an almost meaningless 'benchmark' report last week - we now seem to be on course to a successful conclusion." Really, this obvious first draft of the rewrite of Bush's legacy needs no comment from me although this fairy tale should start, "Once upon a time there was a wise King George...."

Read Kristol's entire opinion piece, judge for yourself if you agree with him that "Apart from Iraq, there has been less of it [terrorism], here and abroad, than many experts had predicted... The war in Afghanistan has gone reasonably well."

Or, this from Kristol's own nibbed pen.... "Following through to secure the victory in Iraq and to extend its benefits to neighboring countries will be the task of the next president."

Kristol's next article will be on the proposition that pigs do fly.

Beatitudes Are In the Eye....

Christopher Hitchens is described by Michael Gerson as an "intellectually courageous and unfailingly kind" atheist.

In "An Atheist Responds" (WaPo), Hitchens rejects this description, and then unkindly skewers Gerson's recent column "What Atheists Can't Answer" as "insulting" with the "appalling insinuation that I would not know right from wrong if I was not supernaturally guided by a celestial dictatorship..."

Hitchens rejects the justifying premise of believers that even if religion is not metaphysically "true," at least it stands for morality. Hitchens points to the hypocrisy of religious teachings which have included the slaughter of other 'tribes,' the enslavement of the survivors, the mutilation of the genitals of children, the burning of witches...." you get the idea, it's a long list.

Hitchens issues a challenge to Gerson, he wants him to name "one ethical statement made, or one ethical action performed, by a believer that could not have been uttered or done by a nonbeliever."

Let me here interject that I have nothing against religion as long as it is allowed to remain in the personal spiritual realm. The spiritual can instruct and enrich our inner conversation.

The objection comes from what nonbelievers must endure from those who insist they must accept, or worship, some particular organized brand of supreme being.

The intellectually courageous holdouts will be subjected to self-satisfying judgments and mob shunning until they "believe".... at which time many purveyors of the God message abscond with worldly goods, tax dollars and personal freedoms.

It is supremely ironic that the practices of so many religious leaders and believer-pandering politicians are so.... well.... unChrist-like.

These actions speak louder than all of their words.

Gritting and Waiting....

Peggy Noonan, a conservative columnist for The Wall Street Journal, and former special assistant and speechwriter for President Ronald Reagan, wrote a very insightful piece today called, "American Grit.... We can't fire the president right now, so we're waiting it out."

The first paragraph sets the defection tone. She was watching President Bush on TV and thinking about what it is about him.... "that makes people who used to smile at the mention of his name now grit their teeth."

A little condescendingly perhaps, she quickly points out that she is not referring to what used to be called Bush Derangement Syndrome, referring to someone who so passionately disliked the president they seem somewhat unhinged. The mood has changed she says, and no one thinks that anymore.

Well, maybe the "deranged" never were, maybe Peggy and her friends have finally taken off the partisan blinders.

She tells how a rock-ribbed Republican of her acquaintance has "had it" with Bush. Another has taken the "W" off their car.... finally realizing we must assume that the W stood for worst.

Noonan herself is jarred because Bush doesn't seem to be suffering even though "every major domestic initiative of his second term has been ill thought through and ended in failure. His Iraq leadership has failed. His standing is lower than any previous president's since polling began," and yet, "He's in a good mood."

She finds his good humor "disorienting, and strange."

Noonan is also put off by Bush's justifications for his actions, claiming more virtue for himself than the other side. He is "idealistic" which means opponents are lacking in ideals. He makes his decisions "based on principle," unlike his critics who are poll watchers. "He is steadfast, brave, and he believes 'freedom isn't just for Americans' .... unlike those selfish, isolationist types who oppose him."

She forgot to mention patriotic.... those who oppose his Iraq agenda aren't, to him.

Maybe Noonan's best summation of the situation is: "With Mr. Bush it is the people who are forced to be cool-eyed and realistic. He's the one who goes off on the toots. This is extremely irritating, and also unnatural. Actually, it's weird."

This is really a sea change for Noonan. In August of 2004, she took an unpaid leave from the WSJ to campaign for Bush's reelection. She was a true believer.

Today, she is waiting it out and gritting her teeth. Welcome to the Bush Derangement Syndrome club, Peggy.

Love Thy Neighbor....

This cartoon is to remind us of the Fatwa Rev. Pat Robertson issued.... in the name of God, of course.

This is this kind of "Christian" activism that bred the God-awful Iraq war, the dismantling of the protective wall of separation between Church and State and the White House's faith-based social agenda.

For those who whine that the Washington Post is a left-wing mouthpiece, that argument fades to a whimper by example of today's opinion piece by their columnist Michael Gerson (more about him in a minute).... "What Atheists Can't Answer."

This religious pap by Gerson basically asserts.... well, he actually says.... "We long for love, harmony and sympathy because we are intended by a Creator to find them. In a world without God, however, this desire for love and purpose is a cruel joke of nature.... "

Gerson, meet the religious right's cruel joke, their premier evangelist, loving Pat Robertson.

Gerson actually argues that without belief in God, humans would say, "I'm going to do whatever I please."

Gerson, please meet your former boss, the religious-fanatic and headstrong "My Way or the Highway" George W. Bush... who does whatever he pleases.

Yes, that's right. Gerson was a key aide and speechwriter for The Decider from 1999 until the summer of 2006 after which he joined the Washington Post where his twice-a-week column is syndicated.

Gerson, who was mentored by Watergate's preacher Colson, says he was attracted to Bush because he "understood that biblical faith has a lot to say about morality."

You mean like the quick-trigger morality of the bloody Iraq war?

Since Gerson used America's Founders to fortify his argument, we feel free to turn to the wisdom of good ol' Abe Lincoln on the subject:

"When I do good, I feel good.

When I do bad, I feel bad.

That's my religion!"

Thanks to Congress, Bush Is Still Fiddling....

while our nation burns!... it's laws, it's moral compass, its international bridges.

In testimony before a Congressional panel on Tuesday, former Surgeon General Richard Carmona testified that the Bush administration silenced medical and scientific opinions in favor of political agendas and religious dogma.

Carmona, who served as Surgeon General from 2002 to 2006, confirmed the White House's despotic approach to implementing their agenda, they "would not let him speak on or issue reports about stem cell research, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues."

James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies and several federal climate scientists have "accused the administration of muzzling them," especially on the issue of global warming. The corporate-favoring administration has trashed our forests and rescinded environmental controls.

We have witnessed the strong-arm tactics of Bush's Attorney General Gonzales who has turned the Justice Department into the political enforcement arm of the White House, trampling the Constitution and perverting the rule of law.

Now, thanks to the investigative report of Bob Woodward in WaPo today.... "CIA Said Instability Seemed 'Irreversible' ".... we just now learn that last November, CIA Director Michael Hayden told the Iraq Study Group that the inability of Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's government "to govern seems irreversible," and Hayden could not "point to any milestone or checkpoint where we can turn this thing around."

Hayden's conclusion, "The government is unable to govern." His opinion is based on the more than 500 CIA personnel in Iraq providing intelligence and analysis.

In his appearance that very day before the study group, Bush held forth for an hour with a megalomaniac vision of "victory" in Iraq and defended Maliki's regime.... "A constitutional order is emerging," he insisted.

The Decider's opinion was based on wishful thinking.

Regardless of Bush's delusional diatribe for his costly ($12 billion a month) messianic crusade that he terms "a great ideological conflict," a sobered study group issued their recommendations.... change course in Iraq.

So, what did The Decider do.... he announced in January that he was staying the course, and sent more troops to Iraq in a "surge" to prop up that very failed Maliki government.... stubbornly and criminally continuing on a course that cost the precious lives of 700 more U.S. troops, with no end in sight.

Today, even while Bush was painting a smiley face on the pitiful report scoring the benchmarks set for Iraq, an early vote in the Senate on legislation designed to tie the president's hands in Iraq fell victim to a Republican filibuster.

Another sickening fiduciary failure by Congress.

The fact that Bush has been able to rule as a dangerous corporatist dictator is the fault of the Congressional leaders of both parties.... most especially the leadership of the Republican party.

Let's get serious about legal maneuvers like impeachment.... there isn't time. It must be accomplished by political pressure.

Our lawmakers must put aside partisanship, personal agendas and special interests and work together to shackle the hands of the corporatist cabal in the White House.

Otherwise, they will have to answer to an outraged electorate in 2008 for their complicity.

Gonzales Must Go

It's no longer a question of if Attorney General Gonzales is The Decider's political enforcer, it is now a question of degree.

The more abuses of power the now Democratically-controlled Hill uncovers, the more breathtaking the scope.... and sheer brass.... of the Justice Department's trampling of the Constitution to further The Decider's political agenda.

In "Mr. Gonzales's Inattention" (WaPo) we learn of the latest outrage on the heels of the ousting of eight U.S. attorneys for not implementing White House political vendettas. In late April 2005, Gonzales testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was considering reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act, that "there has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse" under the Act.

Gonzales gave this testimony despite the fact, it was learned yesterday, that earlier that year "Gonzales was sent several documents.... outlining FBI mistakes or abuses concerning national security letters and other intelligence-gathering tools."

And, this year the inspector general sent another report to Gonzales about a significant increase in FBI violations in the use of national security letters.

Gonzales is the picture of innocence.... he is "surprised" about the reports, which he says he knew nothing about (the dog ate his homework); and "upset" about what was revealed in the reports.

Once again Gonzales has been caught not doing, or not wanting to do, his job.... and, misleading and obstructing congressional oversight.

Isn't it now obvious to even the most biased or partisan observer, that this White House's attitude about their Machiavellian power grab in every direction is.... catch them if you can.

And, if you do, the smirks tell you the "cops" are in their pocket.

These are your freedoms and civil rights they are stealing.... get mad!

Demand that Attorney Venal Gonzales must go!

It's Still "Stay the Course"

One can just imagine Dicko Cheney bucking up George, telling him he must be "resolute." It's so easy for Dicko to manipulate George's megalomaniac vision of his destiny.

That is why it is well to heed Eugene Robinson's note of caution about George of Arabia's willingness to take a sane approach to the tragic war in Iraq.... "Resolute Amid the Wreckage." (WaPo)

After all, White House spokesman Tony Snow told us just yesterday where George's presidential advisers are coming from.... "There is no debate right now on withdrawing forces right now from Iraq."

So, the public may be debating, the media may be debating, the Senate may be debating.... but George has gone bike riding.

Oh, George will tell us about a new plan, maybe even a draw down to the levels before the surge, or shuffle the troops that are on deck.... but, listen to what Snow also said.... "The conversation is always about what do you do to succeed in Iraq."

"Being 'resolute' is all that matters."

Bush's Backdoor Exit

You can lead an elephant to water, but you can't make him drink.... or think.... or listen.

That was the case when national security advisor Stephen Hadley trekked to Capitol Hill last week to meet with senior Iraq-defecting GOP senators.

" 'Scouting' the Hill on Iraq" is how Hadley described his mission.... a "scouting trip."

It soon became apparent, however, that he wasn't scouting for exit strategy answers. In fact, some senators were left with the impression that "the White House still does not recognize the scope of the Iraq dilemma. Worse yet, they see the president running out the clock until April, when a depleted U.S. military can be blamed for the fiasco." Robert Novak (WaPo)

The military will run out of troops in about 9 months, and The Decider is letting this happen while evidently shunning an honorable exit plan.

A four-star general summed up the mood in White House.... "hawks within the administration, including Vice President Cheney, remain more powerful than the pragmatists looking for an exit strategy in Iraq."

So, just when you thought the White House gang couldn't go any lower, they find a new bottom to their Iraq agenda cesspool. Decimate the ranks, and then blame the military.

Their exit strategy will come when scout Hadley finally has to admit, "they went that-a way" as cowards Bush and Cheney sneak out of the backdoor of the White House.... making their git away while leaving a grieving nation in shambles.

Where's the Congressional sheriff?

Iraq Government on the Verge....

CBS News exclusively reported yesterday that the Iraq government is now in crisis.

Senior Iraqi leaders are demanding a drastic change. On July 15 they plan to ask for a no-confidence vote in the Iraqi parliament.... with the end game being to bring down the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The largest block of Sunni politicians.... part of a broad political alliance called the Iraq Project.... want a new government run by "ministers who are appointed for their expertise, not their party loyalty."

Wow! Can we get these guys to D.C.?

"Closed Door" Cheney discussed this Iraq Project with Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on his most recent visit to Baghdad. Hashimi made it clear that cosmetic changes only aren't acceptable, "what we need is much bigger than that," he warned.

So.... since the White House knows about the impending instability in the central government, what has been their response?

"Administration Shaving Yardstick for Iraq Gains.... Goals Unmet; Smaller Strides to Be Promoted." (WaPo)

That's right, they are lowering the bar. The White House when selling the surge (did you know it's called the Phantom Thunder offensive?) assured that it would allow the government of Maliki to "take responsibility for security in all of Iraq's provinces by November."

However, their interim July report that was demanded by Congress will "boast" that Iraqi political leaders managed last month to agree on a unified response to the bombing of a major religious shrine.

And just how many lives of our troops was that worth?

It's probably hard to put out a report on Maliki's progress when the administration knows full well that he's likely to be given the unceremonious boot.

The fine hand of the Saudi royals can be seen in this overthrow move. They are uneasy with an increasingly powerful Shiite Iran and the dangerous ineffectiveness of Maliki's Shiite-dominated government. The Saudis may be the real "Phantom" behind a move to oust Maliki.

But we're left in the dark to only speculate. As one top administration official reflected privately.... "The heart of darkness is the president.... Nobody knows what he thinks, even the people who work for him."

That's because Bush is waiting for the soul of darkness Cheney to whisper in his ear. And, his whispers have the force of "Thunder" in the empty head of shallow boy George.

Blue Marble Rocks!

It's really hard to understand why global warming naysayers are so adamantly opposed to efforts to increase environmental awareness.

Even if the effect of man on global warming is minimal, what's the harm in conserving energy and helping to preserve our "Big Blue Marble."

It really doesn't make sense.... unless those naysayers are beholden to the polluters like big oil. Even so, don't they have their own children and grandchildren's future best interests to think about? Why not do our best for them?

Why vilify Al Gore and his worldwide crusade to do something about man's contribution to global warming.... why not just relax and enjoy his Live Earth concert series today.

After many setbacks to find a venue in D.C., including the GOP blocking attempts to have the concert on the Capitol grounds calling it a "partisan political event," Gore has now had the last, and very fitting, laugh.

The D.C. venue will be the National Museum of the American Indian... where and who better to appreciate and try to preserve Mother Earth.... featuring performances by Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and many Native American groups including the Blues Nation from Oklahoma.

So, on this very hot summer day.... kick back, and be entertained by the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, Kanye West and Bon Jovi (New Jersey); Madonna, Genesis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters and Beastie Boys (London); and, many others from concerts in places like Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, and Sydney.

Tune into Bravo all day, NBC tonight, or webcasts at http://liveearth.msn.com/.

The Gift That Keeps Giving

It wasn't the birthday present he wanted. "Key GOP Senator Breaks With Bush."

Today, as The Decider turns 61....SURPRISE!.... Republican party loyalist and former staunch supporter of the Iraq war, Sen. Pete Domenici (NM) called for an "immediate change in U.S. strategy that could end combat operations by spring." (WaPo)

He joins powerful Republican defectors Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), the leading Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who declared that the "current path" in U.S. Iraq policy is not acceptable; Sen. John W. Warner (R-VA), the former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, who praised Lugar's speech; and Sen. George Voinovich (OH) who sent The Decider a letter calling for withdrawing the troops.

These mutineers are scrambling to get ahead of the wave of citizen protest that is swamping the White House, attempting to outmaneuver Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who plans proposals to cut off funding and set a firm withdrawal date.

In the meantime, Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO) introduced a Iraq Study Group measure, and Domenici has already endorsed that proposal along with ten other co-sponsors including six Republicans.

It appears the Senate may at last commute the open-ended Iraq sentence imposed on America by The Decider .... SURPRISE!, our troops will start coming home!

Extravagant Embassy Boondoggle

Boondoggle: A project funded by the federal government out of political favoritism that is of no real value to the community or the nation.

What struck me about WaPo's Special Report "Construction Woes Add to Fears at Embassy in Iraq" wasn't so much that this was just another contractor rip-off in Iraq, but the fact that it's a "$592 million project to build the largest embassy in the world."

The largest embassy in the world!

Why are we building the largest and most obscenely costly embassy in the world in unstable, war-torn, tribal feuding, terrorist saturated Iraq?

It will never be "safe" even without already worrying construction flaws in the 21 building embassy being cobbled together by a Kuwaiti contractor.

The guard base, a vital first-completion facility in that neighborhood, is uninhabitable with wiring problems, fuel leaks and noxious fumes in the sleeping trailers.... in general, "Poor quality construction....life safety issues."

Just what was the fix suggested for the formaldehyde fumes permeating the 252 prefabricated residential trailers built by a Saudi trailer manufacturer? The company confirmed it had used the toxic chemical in preparing the housing, and suggested the embassy keep the windows open and use charcoal in the rooms to absorb the odor.

How many millions did those trailers cost?

There's much, much more.... but you get the idea. The administration is throwing money around to Middle East buddy-buddy contractors for substandard work without proper oversight. For this White House, business as usual.

Regardless, the State Department is in a rush to complete the embassy this year.... guess The Decider wants to fit it into his legacy.

Which leads to the perfect solution for this "white elephant" enterprise.... why not make it the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

Freedom from Tyranny

The 4th of July!

A day where we should be able to look to our leaders to inspire, and uphold the vision of our founding fathers, who took a stand for freedom and the self-evident truths embodied in their Declaration of Independence.

Today the Flag still waves, the fireworks still awe, and the bands still march.... but most citizens don't look to the White House, Congress, or the Justice Department for principled leadership. By their base actions they have sullied the idealism embodied in that ringing declaration.

We are painfully aware of the unequal treatment under the law doled out by President Bush and his Justice Department, but John Fabian Witt today reminds us of another abandoned precept in, "A Declaration The President Ignores." (WaPo)

That precept is that war ought to be governed by law.

"In late June 1776, as the first detachments of what was to become a sizable British force were landing 90 miles away in New York, Thomas Jefferson and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia drew up charges denouncing King George III to the world. The accusations were to serve as the core of the declaration. The climatic final charges, for which the rest were prologue, indicted the king for war crimes."

Since then the United States has aligned itself with the rules of warfare.... the 1780s treaty with Prussia.... Abraham Lincoln's code for the Union Army.... Franklin Roosevelt's guidance in establishing the Nuremberg tribunal for German war criminals and his aides who wrote the U.N. charter's rules for the use of force.... and the international law regarding combatants, civilians and mercenaries embodied in the Third Geneva Convention's rules on prisoners of war.

Sadly, we've had to bear witness as our present King George has morphed into British King George III. Under the guise of national security, he has drug our nation into the muddy pits of Guantanamo, secret CIA prisons, Abu Ghraib and even "formalized" torture.

As a result, King George has fueled the rise of terrorist recruitment, has isolated us and tarnished our reputation in the eyes of the world.... what the Declaration calls "the Opinions of Mankind."

This day as we celebrate the courage it took to declare our independence in 1776, let's vow to regain that courage and declare our own independence from the tyranny of King George and his minions.

Tell them loud and clear.... "We're taking back our country!"

Bush's Criminal Compassion

"Compassionate Conservative" is how candidate George W. Bush defined himself in 2000 and vowed that if made president "politics, after a time of tarnished ideals, can be higher and better"

We now know Bush isn't a conservative. Conservative "values" like fiscal responsibility, avoidance of nation building and tough enforcement of the law have been trampled under King George's buckled boot.

But, it's the compassion part of his self-description that is the most stunningly perverted. He has no compassion for our military.... kept at his almost lone insistence in the crossfire of tribal hatreds in Iraq.

Or, for border agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean who are in prison serving sentences of 11 and 12 years for wounding a fleeing drug runner who was given immunity to testify against them. Bush has rejected all pleas that he reduce their sentences or grant them pardons.

But, Bush has bestowed his selective compassion on convicted perjurer "Scooter" Libby by commuting his 30-month prison sentence.

Libby, Vice President Cheney's alter-ego chief of staff, was convicted of lying to a grand jury and federal agents and obstructing justice in the investigation of the leak of the name of a covert CIA operative whose husband tried to unmask the Big Lie of intelligence manipulation.... manipulated intelligence used by the White House as the battering ram of justification for the bloody, costly and unwinnable Iraq war.

And, even as egregious as Libby's commutation is, even more so was the way Bush did it.... without even a nod to precedence or evenhanded justice. It was "A Decision Made Largely Alone." (WaPo)

For this crony, Bush short-circuited the legal system. He didn't run the request for commuting Libby's sentence through the lawyers at the Justice Department, nor even ask the chief prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, for his input.

A disgusted Fitzgerald rejected Bush's action saying "Before the bar of justice all should be equal." It's now obvious, for King George's brand of justice, some are more equal than others.... and his "higher ideals" is shorthand for highhanded expediency in the pursuit of his agenda.

King George has made it abundantly clear, he's not just outside and above the law.... he is the law.

GOP Splinters

Are the Senate Republicans stalled, their leadership sails slack as they bob about in the legislative doldrums?

So says Robert D. Novak in his "McConnell's Immigration Failure." (WaPo)

While Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D-NV) was up to his elbows in dirty deeds, convoluting the rules of procedure and twisting arms trying to pass The Decider's amnesty for illegal aliens bill, Bush's Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell (KY) was not only above the fray.... he ended up voting against it, and "abandoned his post, staying off the floor during final stages of the debate."

As it turns out, the fury of the switchboard-crashing number of calls coming into the Senate, threatening to never again vote for anyone supporting "amnesty," changed the minds of some GOP senators facing reelection, like McConnell.

So it seems McConnell faced the music and voted against the bill.... music conservative columnist Novak sees as a sour note, "It is difficult to exaggerate the pessimism about the immediate political future voiced by Republicans in Congress when not on the record."

Seems like Novak needs to quit talking only to Bushistas, and instead listen to Republican senators like Jim DeMint (SC) who didn't support the legislation and exulted in an email to supporters.... "We did it."

Even Republican former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who may yet throw his hat into the presidential ring, told contributors that the vote was "a soaring victory for the American people" in the defeat of the "Bush-Kennedy-McCain bill."

These are strange times, unexplored waters for many GOP politicians.... the party of political discipline that heeded President Reagan's admonition to speak no ill of another Republican.... an open break with their party leader and president.

It will be interesting to see if GOP supporters of the legislation who didn't change their vote despite the loud and intense pressure of their constituents... Lindsey Graham (SC) who is up for reelection, and presidential candidate John McCain (AZ).... will pay the price in 2008. One can only hope so.

The U.S. voters should find joy, not the reflected dejection of Novak or the gloomy outlook of McConnell who tried to have it both ways by trying to appease Bush while justifying his defection.... "This isn't a day to celebrate.... It wasn't the people's will. And they were heard."

You bet we were heard!

Let freedom ring

Speak Out America!

Congressman James McDermott (D-Wash.), speaking June 28 from the floor of the House, now joining with an expanding number of other lawmakers, told Vice President Dick Cheney to "resign or face impeachment".

McDermott said, "The Vice President holds himself above the law and it is time for Congress to enforce the law,"....."Why debate, when you can dictate? Why follow the law, when you can act like you are above the law"......"(Cheney) holds himself accountable to no one"......"I have seen the Vice President repeatedly drive our nation into increasingly dire situations, in Iraq, in Iran, and within our own country as he tramples over the Constitution like it is a doormat."

Americans wake up, be heartened!!!.....all who have become rock-bottom disaffected with the Bush administration's dishonesty and secrecy over the past six years. This is what can be done.

The U.S. Congress has a duty to watch over the health and integrity of our nation and the public has that same duty. We all have cowered and remained silent too long about the destructiveness brought by this administration.

Rep. McDermott admonished in his speech from the House floor, "The intent of this administration, and this vice president, has been to silence all dissent,"...."Fear is what (has) kept this administration in office"....."fear is the only public discourse this administration understands — and practices."

Congress needs to hear the will of the people and to feel our support NOW! Cheney will neither resign or be impeached (Bush will be next) unless the American public places demands on our Congressional leaders to take swift and appropriate action!

By Guest Contributor

Independent on Independence Day

Independence Day this year is more than just fireworks and brats on the grill.... it also marks a growing independence in the electorate.

A new, in-depth study by The Washington Post in collaboration with the Kaiser Foundation and Harvard University, finds that a "broad segment of the electorate - about three in 10 voters" call themselves Independents and could well be the power brokers of 2008.

Putting things into perspective usually means 3-D.... in the case of Independents, the study puts them into focus with 5 Ds:

Deliberators... classic swing voters. They may not decide until the curtain closes.

Disillusioned... there must be hordes of these. They think the parties are but two heads of the same dangerous political monster.

Dislocated... no one party fits their social-fiscal outlook. Remember when the GOP was fiscally conservative?

Disguised... wingers on the left and right. So far out on the limb they can no longer see the tree.

Disengaged... "There's going to be an election?"

The voter category that worries me the most is "Disengaged." They are about 25 percent of all independents and are the youngest of any group.... four in ten are younger than 30. It's their future that's the most on the line in 2008.

It's maddening that the political odor emanating from our so-called political leaders distances the very people their actions will most impact.

So, which party or political candidate benefits from the trend toward independence?

Not former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Two-thirds would definitely not vote for him. New York Mayor Bloomberg if he runs as an Independent? Maybe half, while a third said definitely not.

One is left with the impression that there is a great muddle of voters out there milling around and muttering "Who to trust... who to trust."

They are shell-shocked by the deceptions of The Decider and his partner in crime, "Closed-door" Cheney, and their Constitution-gutting, inept cabinet and congressional enablers from both parties.... a host of good-ol'-boy bureaucratic big spenders and bumblers.

Today, Independents are waving the flag, weighing their options and withholding their support.... for now.

"W" Doesn't Stand For Wisdom

"Bush Defends Military Buildup in Iraq" (WaPo) President Bush called for patience with his Iraq surge operations.... "we're seeing some hopeful signs."

"The great enemy of truth is very often not the lie... deliberate, contrived and dishonest... but the myth... persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." John F. Kennedy

"Six Members of Sunni Bloc Quit Iraq Cabinet in Protest" (WaPo) ... The Sunnis have a sense of alienation within Iraq's Shiite-dominated government. And, the "lack of progress on important legislation, coupled with the failure to reconcile with minority Sunnis, ranks among the greatest obstacles to stability in Iraq."

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." Franklin Roosevelt

"Democrats Plan to Press GOP on Iraq" (WaPo) After the 4th of July break, Senate and House Democrats intend to demand greater accountability from Bush and the Iraqi government with binding troop-withdrawal timelines.... "they will offer weekly votes to force Republicans, and the president, to defend the war."

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president." Theodore Roosevelt.

"Bush Is Told to Justify Executive Privilege" (WaPo).... The White House invoked executive privilege to block the release of documents surrounding the firing of U. S. Attorneys. The chairmen of the House and Senate Judiciary committees accused the administration of a "veil of secrecy.... unprecedented and damaging to the tradition of open government."

"I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts." Abraham Lincoln

"Justices to Weigh Detainee Rights" (WaPo) Yesterday the Supreme Court reversed an earlier decision and will now consider whether Guantanamo Bay detainees have been "unfairly barred from the federal courts by the Bush Administration and Congress."

"...And there is distrust in Washington. I am surprised, frankly, at the amount of distrust that exists in this town. And I'm sorry it's the case, and I'll work hard to try to elevate it." George W. Bush

Pres. Cheney: Depends What "Is" Is

It was left to Tricky Dick's Chief of Staff, David Addington, to parse the argument for why his boss falls between all of the accountability cracks.

Here's Addington's spin.... "Given that the executive order treats the Vice President like the President rather than like an 'agency' it is not necessary in these circumstances to address the subject of any alternative reasoning, based on the law and the legislative functions of the vice presidency....." (WaPo)

Ummmmmm, think I get it. Since Tricky Dick actually is the President, the order doesn't apply.

Well, at least now it's out in the open.

Actually, this tortured "I"m outside the law" reasoning has already been rejected by the director of the National Archives Information and Security Oversight Office, William Leonard.

You go Leonard!