Another Day Older and Deeper in Debt.....

A cartoon is worth a thousand words, and Tom Toles of the Washington Post said a mouthful about the Bush administration's selling of America upon The Decider's return from his trip to the Middle East where unbelievably he told Saudi entrepreneurs "It's important for the president to hear thoughts, hopes, dreams, aspirations, concerns from the folks that are out making a living."

He must mean the "folks" currently losing their homes, jobs and way of life under his watch.

The Decider's latest financial boondoggle is the $145 billion emergency stimulus package the form of "checks" to taxpayers and businesses.

Maudeen Dowd of the New York Times today laments over this selling of the American economy in "Red, White and Blue Tag Sale." She paints a clueless Bush last week doing his sword dances, Arabian stallion inspections and lounging in his fur-lined George of Arabia robe in the Saudi king's tent before he came home.... or, "what was left of home."

David Ignatius chimed in today with his opinion piece in the Washington Post, "Too Late To the Downturn". He points out that it's not that we didn't know about this looming financial crisis heralded by the housing subprime mortgage collapse.

As Ignatius points out, "What's infuriating is that the problems in the housing market were clear to everyday folks long before they registered with the geniuses at the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department....."

Now Congress and the Bush White House are jostling over the size and shape of an emergency stimulus package to reduce the impact of the coming recession. But the economic hurricane has already done it's damage, and issuing checks on yet more borrowed money is nothing more than the "Katrina effect."

Heck of a job, Georgie!

More Bush "Voodoo Economics"

The tax cuts for corporations and the rich along with an unprecedented spending spree.... the "trickle down" economic policies of the Bush administration.... have brought the country to an economic cliff, teetering on financial collapse, our dollar in free-fall.

Does Bush consider a targeted increase in taxes, pulling back from overspending? No. "Bush Proposes $145 Billion Stimulus Plan" (WaPo). King George wants to give us cake.... up to $800 per qualified taxpayer.

Ramp up the printing presses, Bush needs more money!

Discouragingly, both parties on the Hill praised this short-sighted plan.... but Wall Street wasn't impressed. They know investors are fearful of a "recession amid a severe housing crunch, high energy prices and stagnant job growth."

Some Democrats assailed the plan for leaving out the very poor 50 million low-income workers who do not pay income taxes... while Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards clear-sightedly warned that such a plan is "making matters worse."

No one has mentioned where the whopping billions are coming from.... Bush and Congress don't want to tell us that they'll have to borrow again from other countries, putting us deeper in debt and further weakening the dollar while not addressing the root causes.... corporations that "trickle up" and runaway spending.

As usual of late, most politicos take a voter-pandering stance to the Flim-Flam Man's panicky plan, ignoring the big picture.

Don't expect fiscal responsibility from anyone in the current administration or Congress.... that would take political courage and what's best for the country.... that "check's in the mail."

Where's Our Lincoln?

The Library of Congress has uncovered four new photos of the second inauguration of President Abraham Lincoln on March 4, 1865.

They show the large crowds and the many soldiers who participated in an inaugural parade including African-Americans who proudly marched in the parade for the first time. Lincoln shook at least 6,000 hands that day.... a day of celebration for a country emerging from the bloody Civil War. A little over a month later Lincoln was struck down by an assassin at Ford's Theater.

Many people well remember the words from that second inaugural speech that are captured on Lincoln's memorial to "bind up the nation's wounds." But, how many recall the part of the address where he names the cause of those wounds? Here are his thoughts on that day......

"....One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the southern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union...."

While slavery constituted the "powerful interest" in the United States that took a Civil War to contain, so too are special and powerful corporate interests squeezing the lifeblood from our country now in the name of greed and profits.

The next president must stop these powerful corporate and foreign interests from stealing our hard-won Union, restore trust in the government and, yes, bind our wounds.

Obama's "Find Waldo" Persona

A person's religious beliefs says something important about them. It's a part of what makes up the whole-cloth of the views of a worshiping person... and the whole-cloth of a presidential candidate. The matter of how and where they worship will surface during the upcoming general election battle as every nook and cranny of the lives of each candidate will be dissected, many times with a dull knife.

That is why Barack Obama's association with Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ leads to troubling questions as Richard Cohen points out in "Obama's Farrakhan Test." (WaPo)

The minister of Obama's church Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who is also Obama's spiritual advisor, launched in 1982 the Trumpet Newsmagazine. Wright's daughter serves as publisher and executive editor. Every year the magazine makes awards in various categories, and last year the award for the man it said "truly epitomized greatness" was given to Louis Farrakhan.

As Cohen points out, "For most Americans, though, Farrakhan epitomizes racism, particularly in the form of anti-Semitism.... His history is a rancid stew of lies."

Obama's camp says that he disassociates himself from this award, but feels that he is under no obligation to speak out on the matter. Not speak out on the views of his minister and spiritual advisor? Where is Obama's outrage for calling Farrakhan.... who vilified whites and homosexuals and singled out Jews to blame for crimes large and small as the racially-toxic leader of the Nation of Islam.... the epitome of greatness?

The award puts its stamp of approval on Farrakhan's poisonous incitements, applauding his "depth of analysis when it comes to the racial ills of this nation," praising his "integrity and honesty."

In March of 1984, answering charges that he was a "Black Hitler," Farrakhan responded.... "Well that's a good name. Hitler was a very great man....." Farrakhan was censured unanimously by the United States Senate for the speech.

He has said "White people are potential humans - they haven't evolved yet" in March 2000, and "Murder and lying comes easy for white people" in 1994. He has labeled whites as "blue-eyed devils" and the "anti-Christ," and Jews as "bloodsuckers." He has called for the destruction of America and rails against homosexuals.

Cohen's last thoughts on Obama's troubling reluctance in not vigorously condemning the idea of Farrakhan as "truly epitomizing greatness":

".... the rap on Obama is that he is a fog of a man. We know little about him, and, for all my admiration of him, I wonder about his mettle. The New York Times recently reported on Obama's penchant while serving in the Illinois legislature for merely voting 'present' when faced with some tough issues. Farrakhan, in a strictly political sense, may be a tough issue for him. This time, though, 'present' will not do."

As a state senator, Obama voted "present" 130 times. (NY Times)

Voters traumatized on so many sides..... by the perilous state of the economy, the devastating war in Iraq and the continuing specter of the threat of terrorism from Islamic radicals.... need to hear much more from Obama than "present,".... and they need to hear it now!

Behind Huckabee's "Aw Shucks" Smile

This morning on MSNBC's Morning Joe, they played a clip from a speech made yesterday by GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee in which he said:

"I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it is a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And that is what we need to do.... to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards rather than to change God's standards so it lines up with some contemporary standards that the country needed...."

This is scary wrong on so many levels. Of course, he was referring to his "beliefs," beliefs that he would act upon regarding termination of pregnancy and the definition of marriage. As this quote makes clear, he wants the Constitution to adhere to his literal translation of the Bible. Gone would be consensus, the will of the people.... only the doctrine of conservative Christians would prevail in his tortured vision of a Huckabee presidency.

While pandering to his base using The Word for cover, he, and all other religious hucksters like him, neglect to mention that the Bible does not provide an absolute answer as the flock is led to believe since it doesn't mention same-sex marriage and touches only once on miscarriage with a fine if a man causes something to happen to a pregnancy....

"Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. But if she is seriously injured, the payment will be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, cut for cut, and bruise for bruise. Exodus 21: 22-25. Contemporary English Version, American Bible Society"

In this same Bible chapter, it also demands: "Death is the punishment for cursing your father and mother." Does this biblical admonition also apply? Where would these alignments with the "God's standards" stop under a Huckabee presidency?

Some of Huckabee's religious backers.... The Christian Reconstructionists and dominionists.... are working hard to implement their narrow religious agendas based upon their belief in the inerrancy of the Bible and it's position of dominance in our government... not upon our Constitution and the freedoms and rights guaranteed under that Constitution. They're counting on Huckabee, and Huckabee is counting on their support.

This is serious. It's more than advocating for a breach in the wall separating church and state, it's a full-out assault on the very bedrock of our democracy. An attempt to stampede the unquestioning faithful toward a national theocracy.... and so far it's working.

Huckabee has the second-most Republican delegates and according to politico wisdom, stands to take the lion's share of the South Carolina primary delegates next Saturday.... the same large block of evangelical votes he captured in Iowa.

Huckabee probably won't resonate in the Michigan GOP primary today.... the rust-belt state has policy issues that need addressing starting with the NAFTA-gutting of manufacturing and the desperate plight of their working middle-class.

Hopefully, the religious Republican voters of South Carolina won't be gulled by the silky rhetoric of a former Baptist minister who is using his campaign bully pulpit to promise a rapture that in reality would be a "casting down" of their rights and freedoms.

Can McCain Drive Off with SC?

It was presidential candidate Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) finest hour.

He looked the far right wing of the GOP, and the far left wing of the Democratic party in the eye, put the Straight Talk Express into high gear, and "laid on the horn" in a speech just before the primary in South Carolina during his 2000 White House bid... trumpeting that evangelical pooh bahs Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell were "agents of intolerance," comparing them to the left's wingnuts Louis Farrakhan and Al Sharpton. Intoxicating.

Conservative Christians in South Carolina, prompted by a blizzard of Bush dirty-tricks leaflets smearing McCain, and rejecting his straight-talking comments, put the brakes on his presidential bid.

But, this moment of telling truth to power won McCain the hearts of many Independents and Democrats even though his party abandoned him.

Since 2000 McCain has played the good soldier, many times coming to the defense of The Decider while disappointing many of his supporters who look at Bush as arrogant and an abject failure as president. With dismay they watched as McCain embraced The Decider, and made nice with Jerry Falwell.

Fast forward.... McCain's gassed up the bus and revived some of his straight talk message.... only this time he doesn't face the Bush bully boys, but the newly-minted darling of the religious right, Mike Huckabee. And, a formidable and politically-disciplined powerhouse in Mitt Romney.

So, did McCain's political plays to Bush's base give a boost to his current Oval Office quest?

It seems only marginally...as he also has "annoyed, aggravated and nearly destroyed some of the most powerful members of Washington's Republican establishment, creating a list of antagonists including anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist and the vehement Gun Owners of America." (WaPo) Yet, McCain boosters will welcome the anamosity as evidence that the embattled McCain hasn't totally lost his in-your-face charm.

So the question next Saturday seems to be, can an iconoclastic, and knows-where-the-bodies-are-buried Washington GOP insider get past his party to the wider general election where his curmudgeonish personality resonates?

It'll be a close call. The GOP needs his experience and broad popularity in November. However, South Carolina may be payback time for McCain's old GOP foes.... and conservative Christians with long memories and a new champion in Huckabee.

Letter to Michigan Voters

Dear Michigan Republicans.... It's up to you to speak for the many who don't want to go down the aisle of theological politics to genuflect before the alter of a self-righteous privacy-invading government.

It's your chance to shun the revival tent of presidential candidate and former Baptist minister Mike Huckabee who wants to be Pastor-in-Chief because being Commander-in-Chief would require some clue about international affairs.

Huckabee preached on "Meet the Press" on CBS this morning that he wants to "recapture the soul" of our nation. Besides cornering the soul of the nation.... "Huckabee: Evangelical Christians Now Have a Chance to Lead GOP," (WaPo).... he'll use his nomination to convert the Republican Party into the Grand Old Pastorate.

At a Michigan pastors' meeting recently he exhorted these men of the cloth to "mobilize people of like mind and spirit" by tapping their email lists and phone lists. Never mind that the major requirement for churches to avoid paying taxes is to not endorse and advocate for a political candidate.

Nevertheless, this strategy worked for Huckabee in Iowa where about 80 percent of his voters identified themselves as "born again" or "evangelical." While his plan on issues like health care are sketchy, he loudly supports messing around with our Constitution with bans on same-sex marriage and abortion.... and he would be comfortable displaying the Ten Commandments in the White House.

Demonstrating how self-servingly myopic are the ambitions of the religious right, "Fulton Sheen, a conservative religious activist in Michigan who switched his support from former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney to Huckabee on Saturday said, 'There is little difference in faith and values issues' between Huckabee and President Bush."

Imagine.... identifying with the values of the man who started a war of choice that has taken over 4,000 American lives, displaced millions and caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands in their homeland.

So, besides wars of aggression, a vote for Huckabee means more church and less state, more invasion of privacy and the diminishing of our freedoms.

Hey.... if you love the grip the Ayatollahs have on the government of Iran, you'll love the tyranny of a Christian cabal leading your party and..... what a chilling thought.... in the White House.

Michigan, the eyes and hopes of our Constitution-revering citizens yearning for a serious candidate who can bring us together and pull the country back from the abyss of arrogant "religiously inspired" ineptitude are on you next Tuesday. Sincerely....

Hillary Weathers NH Storm

Hillary's perfect-storm loss in the New Hampshire presidential primaries didn't happen. She weathered the storm, defeating rival Barack Obama in a cliff-hanger by a couple of percentage points.

The forecasters missed this one.... big time. Why is that? Every poll, except one by a college, showed Obama carrying the day.

Obviously the polls were wrong. There may have been several reasons besides the fact that Obama may have tried to make history instead of a cogent rationale for the vote.....

It could be that people lied to the pollsters in New Hampshire. While saying they could and would vote for a black candidate, in reality when left to the secret process of casting their vote, they showed a less-unbiased face than the PC one shown the pollsters.

On the other hand, the voters in Iowa had to publicly declare.... no room there for private ugliness. As the process moves forward Obama would do well not to depend on the sunny beachfront of acceptance reflected in the polls, they could be quicksand.

And, while there was no storm, there was a shower of sympathy for a more vulnerable, even teary, and ganged-up-on appearing Hillary. Her softer side was, and will be, a more formidable campaign front for Obama to face. She said she found herself in New Hampshire.... believe it.

And Bill.... he was well off-stage when Hillary made her acceptance speech. Perhaps at last recognizing he's more of a distraction. Hillary managed to overcome his "help," although his ham-fisted attempts to make the Obama story into a fairy tale may have given her some of the "there he goes again" womens' vote.

The next big battleground state for the Democrats will be Nevada on January 19, the home state of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The most sought-after endorsement there is from the 60,000-member-strong Culinary Workers union and this morning ABC News confirmed that the union will endorse Obama.

This endorsement will definitely give Obama a boost in a state that is expecting only 40,000 to participate in their caucuses. But, Hillary is also courting union workers, John Edwards (who finished a distant third in NH) has invested a lot of time in Nevada with his populist message, and New Mexico governor Bill Richardson (who barely registered in NH) is counting on the large Hispanic population of Nevada to pull him out of the campaign storm cellar.

Let's see what the polls forecast for Nevada .... regardless, Obama had better batten down the hatches as he navigates the rough primary seas in Nevada and onward to Super Tuesday.

The Clintons Backward Glance

Is this a diva trill?...... me, me, me, ME, me, me, me. No, it's the theme of Bill Clinton's remarks in New Hampshire while supposedly campaigning for Hillary. What he actually said last night is: "We can't be a new story, I'm sorry. I can't make her younger, taller, male. There are a lot of things I can't do." MSNBC

Here we thought opponent Barack Obama was Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare. No. Her worst nightmare is Bill.

As the polls show Obama steadily outpacing Hillary, the egocentric message coming from Bill amounts to.... "it's not my fault."

But, maybe it is.

Bill is yesterday, making Hillary and her "experience" yesterday. The voters sent a loud message in Iowa.... they want tomorrow. The polls agree.... it's all about tomorrow.

Like a robin on a June bug, Drudge pounced on the odor of desperation coming from the Clinton campaign in their flash today "from one top campaign insider.... Facing a double-digit defeat in New Hampshire, a sudden collapse in national polls and an expected fund-raising drought, Senator Hillary Clinton is preparing for a tough decision: Does she get out of the race? And when?!"

They also reported that John Edwards confided to a senior staffer that he is staying in the race because Hillary "could soon be out."

Rumors of a campaign meltdown are rife. A Clinton adviser told the Politico, "we're going to lose South Carolina." While Nevada is definitely pulling back as her endorsement by the powerful culinary union is in limbo, evidently awaiting the NH results.

On MSNBC's "Morning Joe" show this morning, Andrea Mitchell reported that many of Hillary's supporters at her rallies in New Hampshire are from Long Island and Upstate New York. NBC Washington bureau chief Tim Russert confirmed this, adding that at a rally he attended at Nashua High School over the weekend he was stunned to find the school's parking lot filled with cars bearing Massachusetts plates.

It's beginning to look like the perfect storm.... a dropping barometer of expectations, the gathering thunderheads of the Obama whirlwind, and her yesterday-sailor Bill heading for the lifeboats. If Hillary stays the course, it's going to be a dark ride.

Disasterous Bush Beat Goes On

With the presidential primaries taking all of the oxygen from the room, you may not have heard that:

The Decider again defied Congress, allowing Mexican 18-wheelers to begin traveling freely into the United States after previously being confined at a 25-mile border zone. Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who authored the provision that shut down the NAFTA Mexican trucking program, wrote to the Secretary of Transportation saying that the administration's violation of the law is arrogant and wrong.

The Pakistani government announced that it will not allow any country to conduct military operations on its territory after the New York Times reported the U.S. government was considering far more aggressive operations in Pakistan. The lawless tribal belt on the Afgan border is a haven for al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists. The Pakistani forces are engaging these militants, but an alliance with the U.S. in these operations would be deeply unpopular, and viewed by Pakistanis as doing the bidding of the United States... and these are our allies.

The unemployment rate soared and job growth came to a near-halt in December. Just 18,000 net jobs were created, and it takes about 125,000 a month just to keep up with population growth. "We are on the verge of a recession," said senior economist Robert A. Dye. This is just another economic jolt felt from the housing downturn and related crises in the financial markets. So much for The Decider's supply-side economics the NAFTA-ization of our job markets.

And, in an op-ed in the Washington Post today, George McGovern opines: "Why I Believe Bush Must Go..... Nixon Was Bad. These Guys are Worse." His opening salvo.... "As we enter the eighth year of the Bush-Cheney administration, I have belatedly and painfully concluded that the only honorable course for me is to urge the impeachment of the president and the vice president."

McGovern's reasons: "Bush and Cheney are clearly guilty of numerous impeachable offenses. They have repeatedly violated the Constitution. They have transgressed national and international law. They have lied to the American people time after time. Their conduct and their barbaric policies have reduced our beloved country to a historic low in the eyes of the people around the world. these are truly 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' to use the constitutional standard."

He then talks about some of these "high crimes and misdemeanors," a sad recital of "killing, immorality and lawlessness."

Still, McGovern thinks impeachment is unlikely although he insists we must still urge Congress to act. All the more reason the primaries and general election are so important.... we must cleanse our government of these criminals and those who would try to follow in their shoes.

Support change. It matters.

Debates Goin' to the Dogs

If you had a dog in last night's ABC presidential candidates debate, you probably thought they decently defended their territory.

Although, if you support Fred Thompson you may well be more than pleased. The bar for him has been set so low when he bestirs himself to make salient points it has the same startling effect as watching your favorite basset hound talk. He had his best night.

If you are into truth telling, you would connect with Ron Paul's performance. Feisty. Making his points like a terrier on the postman's pantleg. Really, his slogan should be.... "It's the economy, stupid" which won't get much better until we pursue peace. And he's right. But most of the other GOP presidential candidates don't want to hear it and resort to ridicule to keep him out of the pack.

But, maybe ridicule would have been better than the ambushes Mitt Romney encountered. Snarly John McCain, cheap-shop Mike Huckabee and fast-talking Rudy Giuliani showed their ugly pack mentality, especially McCain. Snapping at Romney with bared fangs. Lowering themselves to personal attacks merely elevates Romney and exposes their mean streaks. Not very presidential. Their behavior may come back to bite them.

Not that the Democratic presidential candidates were all tail waggy and "Oh Boy.... It's Bacon"ish. Hillary Clinton so far forgot herself in response to a charge of being part of the old guard that she barked at John Edwards and Barack Obama like a threatened junk yard dog. But her trusty Saint Bernard, Bill Richardson came to the rescue, diffusing the dustup with a keg of humor... one of the few light moments of a long night.

All in all, nothing much new on the policy front was gleaned. Perhaps the best moments came when the candidates from both parties were on the stage together, the idea being that regardless of their differences they wanted what was best for the country.

Big doggy treats to Charles Gibson and ABC for the debate format, the best yet. Tonight FOX news will conduct a roundtable with the same GOP candidates as last night's debate, with one notable exception.... Ron Paul wasn't invited. Too bad. A debate needs a smart terrier.

Iowa... In With The New!

Our favored candidate, Sen. Joe Biden, has withdrawn from the presidential race after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses yesterday. But, he isn't going away.

Biden promises to be the administration's worst nightmare when it comes to their misshapen foreign policies, and to look after the well being of our troops, in the field and after they return.

For the Democratic party, it's a new dawning. You can hear the over-prognosticated apple cart wheels coming off as Barack Obama pulls off a stunning win, defeating the second-place John Edwards and derailing the Des Moines Register-anointed coronation of Hillary Clinton by nine percentage points, proving....

Parading Bill about isn't enough, it just reminds us we're all getting older, and wiser to them.

People want change.... out with the old, in with the new..... an Iowa twist on "throw the bums out."

Hillary doesn't own the women's vote.... Obama garnered 35 percent of the womens' vote, Hillary 30 percent.

Young people can be energized, they will come out and vote when someone speaks to them.

And, demographically very white Iowa will support a black candidate.

Turnout was historic, 239,000 for the Democrats... almost double in size from the 2004 caucuses.... and, the Democratic turnout doubled that of the GOP. This should give the Republican party worrisome pause as Iowa is considered a "red" swing state.

The GOP also went for change, giving former Baptist preacher Mike Huckabee the nod over Mitt Romney, while the rest of the pack trailed in the low teens or worse. Sixty percent of the GOP turnout according to polls were Christian conservative voters who overwhelmingly supported Huckabee.

While that probably won't give Huckabee an edge in New Hampshire, it might hold up in South Carolina where John McCain was tripped up by the Christian conservative voters in his 2000 race against The Decider.

The rumblings for change in Iowa were in the air long before last night. In the Democratic contest for governor in 2006, the candidate supported by retiring "establishment" governor Tom Vilsack didn't secure the Democratic nomination.

Evidently heedless of this warning, Clinton nonetheless drug along Vilsack and his wife, Christie, to many a campaign event, evidently thinking to ride on his perceived Democratic-turnout-machine coattails.

So, it is with a great dollop of irony that it was reported that Vilsack and Christie didn't show at their Des Moines precinct last night to vote, and in that caucus Obama carried the day over Clinton by.... you guessed it.... two votes.

Isn't Democracy great!

Biden's Pre-caucus Video

NEW VIDEO: SEN. JOE BIDEN SAYS “STAND WITH ME”

January 1st, 2008 by Erin Medlicott

Jan. 1: Today, Senator Joe Biden launched a new video today urging Iowans to caucus for him on January 3.

Senator Biden remarked, “I can hardly wait to debate Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee when they accuse the Democrats of having no moral authority to lead. Where is the morality in providing an addition $85 billion tax cut for those who make an average of $1.4 million a year? And, not providing health insurance for America’s children – or letting American’s who fall pray to a catastrophic illness lose all they have? What is moral about maintaining a prison at Guantanamo Bay and allowing torture as U.S. policy?”

Biden Supporters Rally

Surrounded by an overflow crowd of enthusiastic supporters, members of his family and well-organized campaign workers, Sen.Joe Biden delivered an inspiring and sober message today in Des Moines, two days before the Iowa caucuses.

It is hard to estimate now many attended, well into the hundreds, as it was SRO throughout the venue. And, it was obvious these were not only supporters, but caucus goers, since they braved subfreezing temperatures on New Year's day to deliver their message.... they want Joe Biden to be our next president.

Biden's closing thought was simple.... who would you want sitting in the Oval Office if nuclear-armed Pakistan exploded; or to settle the Iraq war while making sure that our 140,000 troops are protected now, and their needs are met when they return home; or to deal with a plutocratically trending Putin in Russia; or to manage the unraveling relations with an increasingly powerful China?

The answer was resounding.... Biden.

As he pointed out, progress on the domestic front is almost impossible until we address these threatening and economy-busting foreign policy issues.

As evidenced by his experience (30-year member and currently Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee), and legislative and diplomatic initiatives (currently the bill with his federalization plan for Iraq has the support of 75 percent of the Senate body of both parties and is on The Decider's desk awaiting his signature).... what sets Biden apart from the other candidates is that he has, and will, take action.

Iowans.... caucus on January 3. It matters!

(Photo at top: Biden signing autographs after his speech with his brother prominent in background. Photo at bottom: Truth Hunter and Biden with his son prominent in background.)

Take the Biden Path....

This from today's Des Moines Register Editorial Page Editor, Carol Hunter, about her impression of Democrat presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden when she attended his campaign rally in Newton, Iowa:

"He conveyed his detailed grasp of issues. He was passionate and inspiring, telling the audience he wanted to restore Americans' belief 'in the goodness of their government.' You left feeling this guy could make a good president."

Now that's an endorsement. The Register six-member endorsement board took the path of least resistance when they named Hillary Clinton as their choice.

Don't take the path of least resistance. Caucus for Biden. It matters!

Ready or Not, Here it Comes... 2008!

Farewell, 2007:

From our "There Will Always Be an England" notebook: "After he was exposed, Lamberton told an intelligence officer that he had thrown himself into a 'frenzied' round of 'gardening and debauchery' to get over the fact that he had lost a three-year battle over the use of his father's title." Washington Post

If only The Decider had been forced to turn to gardening instead of .....

****

In this divisive primary campaign year, Jupiter the African lion demonstrates how we all need one another, lovingly showing that we can cross the most ingrained barriers to join in common cause. Raspberries to our beastly Congress and veto-pen-wielding Lyin' King for acting like political animals instead of working for the best interests of the country.

Give yourself a New Year's warm and fuzzy by watching this touching video of Jupiter hugging his rescuer Ana Julia Torres... YouTube video

****
And, just a reminder of why it is important that our next leader well..... have a clue. Oliphant-WaPo

VOTE! IT MATTERS!

Huckabee's Nose Grows

Presidential GOP candidate Mike Huckabee said of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan that we send "our sincere concern and apologies for what has happened in Pakistan" and referred to the "continuing" martial law there.

By his recent statement, GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee has once again demonstrated not only his lack of understanding of Middle Eastern affairs, but his "slick" side.

This glib preacher who has delivered numerous sermons and consoled the grieving said he misspoke..... that he meant to say "sympathies" not "apologies" and had a long explanation for why he thought that the martial law had not been lifted by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf when in fact it had.

The truth, something with which Huckabee seems to only have a nodding acquaintance, is that he is weak on foreign affairs, although he tries mightily to flim-flam.

In his rush to capitalize on the tragedy and divert the discussion to the safer waters of domestic affairs, Huckabee linked the Pakistan situation to the dangers of illegal immigration in the United States, arguing Friday that "we have more Pakistani illegals coming across our border than all other nationalities except those immediately south of the border."

When pressed on the numbers.... looking like a deer caught in the headlights.... Huckabee fumbled around asserting that he thought they were CIA or immigration numbers. Actually, Homeland Security reports for 2006 show that many more illegal immigrants living in the United States came from India, Korea, China and Vietnam than Pakistan.

And, while on the subject of Huckabee's tough campaign stand on illegal immigration, let's take a look at his record.

The Washington Times ran an article by Stephen Dinan in which he said in the first paragraph: "Mike Huckabee is overselling his record of cracking down on illegal aliens as governor, claiming he ordered his state police to arrest illegal aliens when in fact he never signed the agreement with federal authorities that would have allowed it."

Huckabee's web site, however, boldly twists the facts.... "As governor, I ordered my state troopers to work with the Department of Homeland security to arrest illegals and enforce federal immigration laws." But he never signed an agreement with Homeland Security that would secure the training needed before federal immigration laws can be enforced by state police.

When called on this inaccuracy, his excuse was that he just ran out of time to get the agreement with Homeland Security.... the dog ate his Homeland Security agreement so to speak.

Yet, Huckabee had more than 20 months left in office to work out an agreement with Homeland Security for training, something his successor undertook in 12 months.

Huckabee at campaign rallies in Iowa exhorts voters to caucus for him.... "do something different that would utterly confound the political ruling class in this country"... deliver a "seismic shock."

An Iowa caucus win for Huckabee would be more like shock and horror.

Haven't we had enough talking the talk, but not walking the walk? Hopefully the Republican voters will examine Huckabee's record and deliver their shock to the huckstering Huckabee campaign on January 3.

Biden Walks the Walk

Brent Budowsky at The Huffington Post tells it the way it is regarding the Pakistan crisis:

"It was Joe Biden and Joe Biden alone among the presidential candidates in both parties who warned, and warned again about the dangers of Pakistan, who offered constructive proposals to get out of Iraq, and opposed the Iran hysteria of Lieberman-Kyle."

Come lately to the party, Chris Dodd, is now claiming he warned. Rudy Giuliani is saying his post 9/11 moves make him a Middle East expert.... but, as Biden so aptly pointed out, Rudy's campaign rhetoric boils down to three words, "a noun, a verb and 9/11."

The other candidates offer pithy platitudes.... the sound and the fury, signifying nothing.

Anyone paying the least bit of attention knows the one candidate who isn't just campaign hot air on foreign policy is Biden, the current Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Iowans, remember this on January 3.

Biden Pakistan Warnings Prophetic

Regardless of the saber-rattling of The Decider against Iran, presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) has been warning that the hot spot in the Middle East isn't Iran, but Pakistan.... a country rife with al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists and bristling with nuclear weapons.

Today in Rawalpindi, Pakistan's instability was tragically validated with the assassination of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto who headed up a party in opposition to President Pervez Musharraf.

Bhutto was shot in the neck and chest just before a suicide bomber detonated explosives near her car as she was leaving a campaign rally. At least 20 others were also killed by the bombing.

Also today in Rawalpindi, a rooftop sniper opened fire at the rally of another political foe of Musharraf, the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, killing four supporters.

It's just 12 days until the Pakistanis are supposed to vote in national parliamentary elections.... the party with the most legislative seats determines who is prime minister. Will Musharraf now call off these elections and reimpose a state of emergency, leaving him in power and the push for democracy nowhere?

U.S. military officials said last week that the terrorist group al Qaeda is increasingly focusing its efforts in Pakistan.... considered the most dangerous country in the world..... a nuclear-armed country quickly plunging into chaos.

Ask yourself who do you want in the White House as the situation in Pakistan becomes ever more dangerous.... the candidate who is highly respected and experienced in foreign affairs, who understands the gravity and complexity of the situation in the Middle East, knows its leaders, and serves as the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

That presidential candidate is Democrat Senator Joe Biden.

The Dog Days of Mitt and Huck

Seems the campaigns of two top GOP presidential candidates are going to the dogs....

.... As, when it was learned that Mike Huckabee's son David was involved in the hanging of a stray dog when Huck was governor of Arkansas. David was dismissed as camp counselor and the local prosecuting attorney wrote a letter to the Arkansas state police seeking help investigating whether or not state animal-cruelty laws were broken.

The request was denied because according to John Bailey, Huck's then director of Arkansas state police, he was leaned on by the governor and his personal lawyer to deny the prosecutor's request. Seven months later Bailey was terminated by Huck who cited as one of the reasons, "I couldn't get you to help me with my son when I had that problem."

According to I.C. Smith, the former FBI chief in Little Rock, "Without question [Huckabee] was making a conscious attempt to keep the state police from investigating his son," and called Bailey a "courageous" and "very solid" professional.

As disturbing as the incident was.... the Animal Legal Defense Fund got an anonymous fax that summer that alleged that David and another youth had been involved in the hanging of a stray dog at the camp and the defense fund report reads, "Boys confessed & were fired".... as always, it's the cover up that is so telling about the ethics of the self-professed "Christian Leader" candidate Huckabee who turned the screws to hush things up.

Then there is Mitt Romney's treatment of man's best friend, his Irish setter Seamus.... Romney put poor Seamus into a dog carrier and strapped it to the roof of his station wagon in 1983 for a 12-hour trip from Boston to a cottage on Lake Huron, Ontario. When the terrified dog made bads all over the car, why old Mitt the problem-solver hosed down the dog and car and then continued on his merry way.

Empathy doesn't seem to be Romney's long suit. Although that wasn't one of the reasons stated in the unheard of anti-endorsement of Romney by the Concord Monitor last Saturday. They boldly stated that Romney is a "disquieting figure who sure looks like the next president and most surely must be stopped."

It's the flip-flop thing on such issues as gay rights, abortion rights, stem-cell research and anti-tax pledges that led the Monitor to an unimpressed.... "you're left to wonder if there's anything at all at his core."

Or, maybe we should just ask..... "How would Seamus the Irish setter vote?"

Are Two Clinton's Better?

On the whole, does former president Bill Clinton help or hurt his wife's campaign?

Seems like Hillary had a lot more wind in her sails until Bill stepped in to add his hot air. Like, his telling people while campaigning for Hillary in Iowa on November 27 that "I approved of Afghanistan and opposed Iraq from the beginning, I still resent that I was not asked or given the opportunity to support those soldiers."

This is so wrong, on so many levels.... the first being he didn't oppose the Iraq war, he's just trying to rewrite his history on back of Hillary's campaign. Second... in just one sentence on her campaign stop he used "I" three times, Hillary zero times.

His campaigning for Hillary is all about Bill, his presidency, his opinions..... all of the time. Mentions of Hillary sound like well-drilled rote lessons, like his parrot repetition of "Hillary is an agent of change." When he strays from the campaign script it's all "me, me, me, me, me, me, me."

As Alice Roosevelt Longworth said of her attention-demanding legendary father, Teddy Roosevelt.... "he wants to be the bride at every wedding, the corpse at every funeral, and the baby at every christening."

Teddy reborn in Bill.

Is it that Bill just can't help himself, or is there something more insidious going on.... an "I'm the best president" power struggle. Even if Hillary can grab enough attention to somehow win the nomination, then what is Bill's roll? The more he raises his profile, the more the GOP "vast conspiracy" will be motivated to squelch Hillary.

And, if Hillary somehow manages to win the presidency, will Bill then be undercutting her Secretary of State and other advisers?.... cranking up the media circus that follows him around like dust on a dirt road. These questions bring back to the voters the seamy side of Bill's White House life.

Some things are best viewed at a distance.... in this case it's Bill Clinton's presidency.

Rather than being the wind under Hillary's campaign wings, he's likely to become the draft drawing her off course. The old Clinton formula of "two for the price of one" could be.... and perhaps should be.... Hillary's undoing.

White House Christmas: Then, Now and....

A picture can be worth a thousand words.... so hope you enjoy this little jaunt through White House Christmas cards and wishes past, present and..... please, say it isn't so.... the future?

The Blue Room of the White House was the theme for the greetings sent by Presidents Lyndon Johnson in 1967 and Bill Clinton in 1995. Above is the Johnson card, a reproduction of Robert Laessig's painting, and below the Clinton card with the artistic image "Fantasy Blue Room" by Thomas McKnight.

The first President George Bush used the image of artist Kamil Kubik's impression of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse for their striking 1992 Christmas card.

However, proving that political good taste doesn't reproduce itself, The Decider turned his 2007 greetings into a sermon, in keeping with the GOP push to turn our country into a theocracy. The biblical message reads (and I'm not kidding)....

"You alone are the LORD, You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. NEHEMIAH 9:6 (NIV)"

"May the joy of all creation fill your heart this blessed season 2007."

Below are the front of the Bush 2007 card with this year's holiday "theme".... our national parks and natural history. And, depicting this "Holiday in the National Parks" is the 2007 Holiday Program, and on the inside back cover, (really, I'm not kidding) is Mama Bush's portrait regally lording over a terrra cotta replica of our Mt. Rushmore worthies.... Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt and Lincoln.

If you love the creationist thrust of The Decider's 2007 Christmas message, then you'll love a President Mike Huckabee who calls himself the "Christian Leader" and espouses the teaching of creationism in our public schools. This Huckabee family Christmas card is from when The Huckster was governor of Arkansas, before he embarked on becoming our Ayatollah in November 2008...

Think you can see the direction our country is heading unless you stand up for the separation of church and state, and for keeping American free for all Americans.

Ring in the New Year by supporting the candidate who offers "Peace on earth and good will to all men".... regardless of belief, or lack thereof.

Biden Takes Aim

Truth telling. That is Sen. Joe Biden's (D-DE) way to campaign for the presidency.

For instance, Biden defends the role of the CIA in the administration's decisions on Iran, especially their recent reports about Iran's nuclear weapons capability.... "It's not been so much that we've gotten bad intelligence, but that what we've gotten is manipulation of that intelligence by the president."

Ba-ba boom!

Further, Biden explains, the CIA is "tired of being manipulated by a president who in fact uses the information they produce to do things that do not justify what the report says."

He continues to remind us that while Iran may be a problem in the future, it is Pakistan that is "bristling with nuclear weapons."

How refreshing.... a hard-hitting opinion. About a real problem. Not religious pandering or interest group targeting.

Because of his grasp of the issues, his breadth of experience and his straight-forward commitment to resolve our thorniest issues .... Biden would be a sound choice for thoughtful Iowa caucus goers on January 3.

Huckster Huckabee

Ordained Baptist minister Mike Huckabee has hit upon an effective strategy in the race for the GOP presidential nomination.... keep the focus on religion.... this pleases the religious right base and keeps the talk away from his record.

Like his ethics problems when he was governor of Arkansas..... 16 complaints before the Arkansas Ethics Commission resulting in five violations including using campaign funds to pay for a Gospel Fest event, or cash that was received and unreported.

Or, paroling a rapist whose guilt Huckabee questioned, pressuring the parole board for his release. Huckabee, shaving the truth, says the parole board members were appointed by his predecessors. He fails to mention that he reappointed two board members, one just days before he voted with three other members to set the rapist free. The rapist subsequently murdered a woman in Missouri.

As governor of Arkansas, Huckabee issued more commutations and pardons.... over 1033 during his nearly eleven years in office..... than all of the six neighboring states combined including the usually never reduced sentences of murderers serving life without parole.

And, Huckabee's recent strong stand on illegal immigration is counter to his record. He battled conservatives in his own party who were pushing for stricter state-level measures. He opposed proof of legal status when applying for state services and proof of citizenship when registering to vote.... calling these requirements un-Christian and accusing the sponsors of drinking a different "Jesus juice."

He also tried but failed to make children of illegal immigrants eligible for state-funded scholarships and in-state tuition to Arkansas colleges.

Huckabee also touts that he cut taxes, but fails to point out that he raised fuel and sales taxes and other state charges leading him to be nicknamed "Hucka-fee."

But.... how is he presenting his record? He crusades under the label "CHRISTIAN LEADER" with the mantra "Faith doesn't just influence me, it really defines me."

Huckabee's stump speech is more sermon mixed with homilies and crowd pleasing political promises. At campaign stops, his introductions include, "Here's a guy who fears God."

It's pure praise God and pass the plate.... and vote for me, Huckabee.

Opponent Mitt Romney has been indulging in own God talk, assuring Iowans that God loves them. Perhaps most jawdroppingly, in a speech on his Mormonism in early December, Romney preached that "freedom requires religion," proclaiming his allegiance with "any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty."

This brought the boogieman response from Huckabee that Mormons believe Jesus and the devil are brothers. Very Christian.

All of this political preaching has led WaPo's Dana Milbank to ask and answer, "Is This Heaven? No, it's Iowa."

We say unbelievably, "Are these revival crusades? No, they are presidential campaigns."

But, as long as the GOP hucksters aren't called out for placing belief front and center.... obscuring their records and agendas... it'll be all God, all of the time.

Keeping the Faith Honest

If you have nothing to hide....

Despite vigorous protests from the secretive White House, "Secret Service Logs of White House Visitors Are Public Records, Judge Rules."

Administration lawyers have been arguing that the logs recording visitors to the White House or the vice president's residence are presidential records and outside the scope of the Freedom of Information Act. But the decider on this issue is U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth who ruled they are "agency records" subject to disclosure.

Records of the visits of nine conservative Christian leaders including James Dobson, Jerry Falwell and Gary Bauer are ordered to be released.... and Lamberth will also rule on visits by disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

Now, Judge Lamberth, how about the names of the attendees at VP Cheney's stealth energy policy gathering....

Lieberman Hawks McCain

Foregoing his usual skulking around the halls of Congress in his "Independent" sheep's clothing, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (CT) exposed his Benedict Arnold underbelly today by endorsing GOP presidential candidate John McCain (AZ).

Never one to miss an opportunity to support anyone who supports the war in Iraq, Lieberman extolled McCain as no ordinary candidate, while McCain made assurances that Lieberman would be one of his closest presidential advisers.

It's telling that Lieberman, Al Gore's Democratic vice presidential running mate in 2000, has strayed so far into the GOP "ends justify the means" swamp that Lieberman supports putting another war-promoting, religious-pandering, illegal-immigration-favoring Republican in the White House for four more years.

If Lieberman wonders if we'll still respect him after he prostitutes himself yet again for his narrow pro-Israel Middle East agenda, let us hasten to assure him that we don't respect him now.

Sanity in Democratic Discourse

Des Moines Register Editor, Carolyn Washburn, the moderator of today's Democratic presidential candidate debate, redeemed herself.... no more Nurse Ratched.

Or, perhaps the high caliber of the candidates simply raised the level of discourse without the undignified tension evidenced between the GOP candidates and Washburn yesterday.

Today, no one preached, or claimed that God was on their side.... no blatant religious pandering. No one tried to justify torture or scoff at global climate change or continue the push for lower taxes in the face of the country's Bush-engendered crippling deficits.

Refreshingly, today the Democratic candidates answered the questions put to them, they didn't run over their time requiring Washburn to constantly try to keep unruly debaters on track, and they were respectful both to her and their fellow candidates..... there was no need to struggle to maintain control of a Cuckoo's Nest.

Six Democratic candidates debated.... Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Barack Obama, and Bill Richardson. No Democratic candidate won, and no candidate lost. You were left with the feeling that you could entrust the country to any of these candidates. So in the end.... the Democratic party won.... big time.

GOPers In the Cuckoo's Nest

One down and one to go in the Des Moines Register's Nurse Ratched-hosted presidential campaign debates. Not much to comment on except for Fred Thompson trying to project a macho Reaganesque "I paid for this microphone" display by refusing to take his hand-raising medicine.

Look for a lobotomy on Thompson from the Register before the caucuses despite their make-nice front pager in this morning's paper.

More after the Democrats go to bat today.... although the baseball steroid-users list will probably knock the debate's general media coverage back to the cheap seats.

Biden: "Tapegate" Special Counsel

During his confirmation hearings before Congress, Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused to describe waterboarding as torture. We now know why.

The videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists were purposely and cynically destroyed by the CIA.... and in our heart of hearts we know why.... undoubtedly they showed our government using torture, almost certainly waterboarding, on these suspects.

Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) has called for a special counsel to investigate this perversion of justice so "everyone will know what the truth is;" and, candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) regrets that the destruction of the videotapes "harms the credibility and the moral standing of America in the world again."

However, applying the Bush administration manipulative standards of justice, Mukasey's Justice Department and the CIA announced that they will conduct the joint inquiry into the matter.... the "fox guarding the hen house" analogy was never more apt.

While we endured the White House's corrupting "the ends justify the means" decadent policies, we did see a ray of hope.... now dashed by "tapegate".... that our new attorney general would uphold the rule of law and start to restore our national honor.

It's now clear, until we can install leaders with a political moral compass.... not a Trojan horse administration blathering religious platitudes that are disconnected from their power-grabbing agenda.... nothing will change.

Take this lesson to your caucus or primary next year. Real moral political leadership.... not religious political rhetoric cloaking the condoning of torture and the destruction of evidence.... matters. We must not be fooled again.

Only the Faithful for Romney

The question must be considered.... are we electing a president, or are we ordaining a preacher-in-chief.

Which matters more, experience in the affairs of the pulpit, or experience in foreign affairs? And what about non-believers.... are they to be sidelined as second-class citizens? Is there now a religious litmus test for the presidency

GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, spoke Thursday in defense of his Mormon religion, recognizing all peoples of faith and advocating the premier role of religion in our country.... and, taking it even further, obliterated the wall of separation between church and state by flatly stating that "without religion there is no freedom." Excuse me?

The very freedoms he, and all of the religious-pandering presidential candidates, so loftily proclaim they want to protect are fundamentally undermined by this "we're all the children of God" mantra.

What about freedom from religion? It is just a short step from interjecting religion in the public square to dominionism.... placing religious dogma above the constitution.

By singling out those who "seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgement of God" as citizens to be mocked for the "religion of secularism," Romney divided Americans into believers and non-believers.... the non-believers having no place at a President Romney table.

No one said it better than founding father James Madison in 1785.... "What influence, in fact, have ecclesiastical establishments had on society? In some instances they have been seen to erect a spiritual tyranny on the ruin of the civil authority; in many instances they have been seen upholding the thrones of political tyranny; in no instance have they been the guardians of the liberties of the people."

Amen.

One Dictator Checked, One Empowered

Democracy wins in Venezuela while Russia's fate lies with Putin's dirty-gray soul that The Decider gushed over a seeming lifetime ago.

"Venezuelans Deny Chavez Additional Authority"..... as voters yesterday blocked proposed constitutional changes that would have sped the country toward socialism and allowed President Hugo Chavez to stand for reelections indefinitely. A hopeful sign in our dangerous back yard.

At the same time a half a world away, "Pro-Democracy Groups Call Russian Election Unfair"..... as the United Russia party headed by President Vladimir Putin won the parliamentary elections by 64 percent. European observers called the election "the merging of the state and a political party."

An example of the skewed results.... in Chechnya United Russia received 99.36 percent of the vote with a turnout of 99.5 percent. Chechnya is currently led by a Putin strongman, and their elections were not monitored.

Putin's United Russia now has 315 of the 450-member State Duma.... enough to change the constitution to allow Putin to remain in power beyond the current limit of two consecutive terms. Putin opponents called the vote a "disgusting" repeat of Soviet practices, while Putin said he was pleased with the results.

There seems little doubt that the empowered Putin will continue to consolidate his dictatorial powers, while the The Decider and his Russia "expert" the dithering Secretary of State Rice, watch their soulful Russia policy ice over like a Siberian winter.... or a cold war.

Purple Panthers on the Prowl

The weather outside is frightful (ice storm), but the fire is so delightful, and since we've no place to go..... it's the perfect day to veg in front of the TV and watch the UNI Panthers (12-0) try to keep the Delaware Blue Hens (9-3) couped up in their own territory.

That will be a tall order since Delaware's running back Omar Cuff has the FCS single-season record 33 touchdowns on the ground.

So, at 1pm today (Mediacom Channel 22 in the Des Moines area) pop a big bowl of popcorn and settle in to cheer on Northern Iowa in the Football Championship Subdivision playoff quarterfinal at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls.... let UNI roll, let them roll, let them roll.