Evidently Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) thinks Democrats should vote for him just because he is a Democrat, regardless of whether or not they agree with his GOP-leaning actions as Harold Meyerson points out today in the Washington Post.
Democrats have watched with surprise, and then with disgust, at his fawning over President Bush and his uncritical support for the Bush administration's conduct of the Iraq war.
What Lieberman may fail to grasp is that more than ever, the era of the straight-ticket party vote is OVER! For former yellow dog Democrats and traditional conservative GOP supporters alike.
The voting public's eyes have been opened. And they are dismayed.
Too often there is no difference between the parties, or traditional party values have been reversed or even abandoned, such as fiscal responsibility. Sadly, both parties have been bought and sold to special interests.
Never has that been more clear than with the shameful immigration reform bill that Bush is pushing to please illegal alien-hiring employers and to woe the Hispanic vote... and to keep some nefarious pledge to Mexican President Vicente "Your Land is My Land" Fox. Bush is supported by Senate GOP party soldiers and Democrats too eager to help the illegal alien at the expense of the country.
The lone holdouts are the majority GOP in the House... and it remains to be seen if this is just an election year stall or a true recognition by House lawmakers that they represent the people.... and that the people want the borders secured and lawbreaking employers held accountable before even considering amnesty.
The Democrats are launching a Web site with the goal of trying to help "Democrats resolve their policy differences and win more elections." But this may be missing the point.... instead remove the emphasis on Democrat and Republican labels, the "red state" and "blue state" designations. Candidates who represent the interests of corporations and illegal aliens over those of the voting U.S. citizen will lose in November. Regardless of party affiliation.
Lieberman, and all lawmakers running for election this November.... more than ever voters are looking at what you stand for and not at what party you represent.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Rumsfeld Spins, We Pay
Here are four headlines in today's Washington Post:
"Tanker Inquiry Finds Rumsfeld's Attention Was Elsewhere"
This is the largest defense procurement scandal in recent decades.... when Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was asked in April of 2005 to raise his hand and swear to tell the truth about this procurement, he whined to investigators, "I find it strange," on the grounds that as a government official "the laws apply to me" anyway.
Ah yes, the laws. Funny things. They show up at the most inconvenient times.
In this Rumsfeld interview he cited poor memory, loose office procedures and distraction with the wars to explain why he was unsure how his DOD squandered nearly $30 billion.
What was the $30 billion supposed to buy? An unneeded, procurement-violations tanker purchased from Boeing. Rumsfeld in this just-disclosed interview made it clear.... "he does wars, not defense procurement."
His "focus" was on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So how did that work out?
"Two Missing U.S. Soldiers Found Dead"
The two missing young U.S. soldiers bodies have been found. "The head of operations at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, said the Soldiers had been 'barbarically' killed and that there were traces of torture on their bodies." This is but a part of the bloody price we are paying for the Rumsfeld-focused, Cheney-Bush mandated war.
But, watch for the far Right rewriting of history. Liberal-hating Michael Savage said on his radio broadcast last night that the reason we didn't have enough troops in Iraq was because the evil liberals in Congress stayed Bush's hand. The truth.... Rumsfeld wouldn't listen to his own generals who wanted more "boots on the ground."
"Japan Plans to Bring Troops Home as Iraqis Take Over"
True, it is really just symbolic since Japan has just 550 troops in Iraq. But that is also what makes it so important. Symbolically, one of our staunch allies, Japan, is saying "enough." This newly dubbed "humanitarian war of liberation" has an odor... remember we asked our allies to join us because of Iraq's WMD. Now the reasons for the war are being repackaged, and Rumsfeld is doing the marketing. Japan wants out.
"In Tribal Pakistan, a Tide of Militancy"
This article is sobering. "A tide of Islamic militancy is spreading across" the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan that hugs the Afghan border. Some observers say the U.S. and Pakistan's heavy-handed military tactics have alienated the populace and won new supporters for the Taliban movement across the border in Afghanistan. This quote from a Pakistani English teacher: "U.S. forces were 'savages and barbarians' while the Taliban were 'religious scholars and sincere people.'"
Note to Rumsfeld: You can't win a war unless you win the hearts and minds of the people.
Now we, the voting U.S. citizens, need to "focus" on ridding ourselves of this Rumsfeld-Cheney-Bush cabal and their ilk.
"Tanker Inquiry Finds Rumsfeld's Attention Was Elsewhere"
This is the largest defense procurement scandal in recent decades.... when Defense Secretary Rumsfeld was asked in April of 2005 to raise his hand and swear to tell the truth about this procurement, he whined to investigators, "I find it strange," on the grounds that as a government official "the laws apply to me" anyway.
Ah yes, the laws. Funny things. They show up at the most inconvenient times.
In this Rumsfeld interview he cited poor memory, loose office procedures and distraction with the wars to explain why he was unsure how his DOD squandered nearly $30 billion.
What was the $30 billion supposed to buy? An unneeded, procurement-violations tanker purchased from Boeing. Rumsfeld in this just-disclosed interview made it clear.... "he does wars, not defense procurement."
His "focus" was on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. So how did that work out?
"Two Missing U.S. Soldiers Found Dead"
The two missing young U.S. soldiers bodies have been found. "The head of operations at the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, said the Soldiers had been 'barbarically' killed and that there were traces of torture on their bodies." This is but a part of the bloody price we are paying for the Rumsfeld-focused, Cheney-Bush mandated war.
But, watch for the far Right rewriting of history. Liberal-hating Michael Savage said on his radio broadcast last night that the reason we didn't have enough troops in Iraq was because the evil liberals in Congress stayed Bush's hand. The truth.... Rumsfeld wouldn't listen to his own generals who wanted more "boots on the ground."
"Japan Plans to Bring Troops Home as Iraqis Take Over"
True, it is really just symbolic since Japan has just 550 troops in Iraq. But that is also what makes it so important. Symbolically, one of our staunch allies, Japan, is saying "enough." This newly dubbed "humanitarian war of liberation" has an odor... remember we asked our allies to join us because of Iraq's WMD. Now the reasons for the war are being repackaged, and Rumsfeld is doing the marketing. Japan wants out.
"In Tribal Pakistan, a Tide of Militancy"
This article is sobering. "A tide of Islamic militancy is spreading across" the tribal areas of northwest Pakistan that hugs the Afghan border. Some observers say the U.S. and Pakistan's heavy-handed military tactics have alienated the populace and won new supporters for the Taliban movement across the border in Afghanistan. This quote from a Pakistani English teacher: "U.S. forces were 'savages and barbarians' while the Taliban were 'religious scholars and sincere people.'"
Note to Rumsfeld: You can't win a war unless you win the hearts and minds of the people.
Now we, the voting U.S. citizens, need to "focus" on ridding ourselves of this Rumsfeld-Cheney-Bush cabal and their ilk.
Monday, June 19, 2006
The Chicks Get It
What gives with the knee-jerk bashing and Right radio boycott of the Dixie Chicks.
Their crime?
Chick Maines said to concertgoers in England...."we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
That's it. Bush as an embarrassment. Ohhhhhhh. The sky is falling!
The Chick remark pales in comparison to the remark by Ann Coulter,... the Right's revered Preying Mantis... in her recent trash-talk book, that some of the 9/11 widows were "enjoying their husbands deaths." But did Right book store owners refuse to carry her book?
Seems like the Chicks are still cutting edge. First entertainers to recognize Bush as an international embarrassment, and now the first to embed a blogger on tour. A fresh departure from superficial fan blogging.
You go Chicks!
Their crime?
Chick Maines said to concertgoers in England...."we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."
That's it. Bush as an embarrassment. Ohhhhhhh. The sky is falling!
The Chick remark pales in comparison to the remark by Ann Coulter,... the Right's revered Preying Mantis... in her recent trash-talk book, that some of the 9/11 widows were "enjoying their husbands deaths." But did Right book store owners refuse to carry her book?
Seems like the Chicks are still cutting edge. First entertainers to recognize Bush as an international embarrassment, and now the first to embed a blogger on tour. A fresh departure from superficial fan blogging.
You go Chicks!
Friday, June 16, 2006
On Church, State and Science
This morning's back page headline read: "Physicist says pope tried to influence his research."
It seems that Pope John Paul II asked British scientist Stephen Hawking not to study the start of time. Hawking said the pope told him, "It's OK to study the universe and where it began. But we should not inquire into the beginning itself because that was the moment of creation and the work of God."
Happily, this attempt to restrict the brilliant Hawking's inquiry into the age-old questions.... Why are we here? Where did we come from?.... didn't stop his groundbreaking research in theoretical physics, although he joked "I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo."
Attempts by church leaders to stifle inquiry or influence governments is not news. The willingness to examine, question and resist this interference is.
That is why the enlightened editorial by E. J. Dionne, Jr. in the Washington Post, "A Shift Among the Evangelicals'" is encouraging.
As he points out, the upset victory of the Rev. Frank Page, who was recently elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is "very significant, both to the nation's religious life and to politics." Page defeated candidates supported by staunch Baptist conservatives who have dominated the Convention since the mid-1980s.
It may mean, insofar as evangelical politics are concerned, that some "are tired of just fighting liberals."
So, is it possible the heated, divisive political sermonizing has finally gone too far, reached it's unsustainable radicalism and may now return to more positive messages?... dare I say it, return to the spiritual.
Is it too much to hope that the Hawkings and Southern Bapists of the world presage the coming reversal of church interference in and influence over matters of State and science?
I leave you with a refreshing quote from the newly elected Rev. Page....... "I believe in the word of God, I'm just not mad about it."
It seems that Pope John Paul II asked British scientist Stephen Hawking not to study the start of time. Hawking said the pope told him, "It's OK to study the universe and where it began. But we should not inquire into the beginning itself because that was the moment of creation and the work of God."
Happily, this attempt to restrict the brilliant Hawking's inquiry into the age-old questions.... Why are we here? Where did we come from?.... didn't stop his groundbreaking research in theoretical physics, although he joked "I didn't fancy the thought of being handed over to the Inquisition like Galileo."
Attempts by church leaders to stifle inquiry or influence governments is not news. The willingness to examine, question and resist this interference is.
That is why the enlightened editorial by E. J. Dionne, Jr. in the Washington Post, "A Shift Among the Evangelicals'" is encouraging.
As he points out, the upset victory of the Rev. Frank Page, who was recently elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention, is "very significant, both to the nation's religious life and to politics." Page defeated candidates supported by staunch Baptist conservatives who have dominated the Convention since the mid-1980s.
It may mean, insofar as evangelical politics are concerned, that some "are tired of just fighting liberals."
So, is it possible the heated, divisive political sermonizing has finally gone too far, reached it's unsustainable radicalism and may now return to more positive messages?... dare I say it, return to the spiritual.
Is it too much to hope that the Hawkings and Southern Bapists of the world presage the coming reversal of church interference in and influence over matters of State and science?
I leave you with a refreshing quote from the newly elected Rev. Page....... "I believe in the word of God, I'm just not mad about it."
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
GOP Shell Games
Karl Rove, White House political wizard, is still safe behind his soiled cape. Free to continue his political slight-of-hand illusions for the Bush administration.
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has told Rove that he does not expect to seek charges against him in connection with the outing of CIA undercover officer Valerie Plame.
This leaves former aide to VP Dick Cheney, "Scooter" Libby, twisting alone in the wind on charges of perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice. The 2 1/2 year Fitzgerald investigation has yet to charge anyone with the actual CIA operatives-endangering leak.
As Rove and the Bush administration continue to "dodge the bullet" from the legal system, our "checks and balances" safeguards are being negated by the GOP choke hold over the executive and legislative branches of government.
If you can bear to learn more about how the GOP operates, read the heavily footnoted investigative article by Robert Kennedy, Jr. in Rolling Stone, "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?".
For it's not just total power that corrupts, but also the pursuit of that total power.
Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald has told Rove that he does not expect to seek charges against him in connection with the outing of CIA undercover officer Valerie Plame.
This leaves former aide to VP Dick Cheney, "Scooter" Libby, twisting alone in the wind on charges of perjury, false statements and obstruction of justice. The 2 1/2 year Fitzgerald investigation has yet to charge anyone with the actual CIA operatives-endangering leak.
As Rove and the Bush administration continue to "dodge the bullet" from the legal system, our "checks and balances" safeguards are being negated by the GOP choke hold over the executive and legislative branches of government.
If you can bear to learn more about how the GOP operates, read the heavily footnoted investigative article by Robert Kennedy, Jr. in Rolling Stone, "Was the 2004 Election Stolen?".
For it's not just total power that corrupts, but also the pursuit of that total power.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Money Talks
This Gringo Pesos speaks volumes.... it is what some Republicans suggest be sent to the party in response to Bush administration immigration policies.
The way things work..... the more money a party or campaign can raise, the more they can spend to influence the voters. Even though that vote may not be in the best interests of the propaganda-saturated voter.
Corporations are typically the king makers, giving lots of money to candidates who will give them legislative preference and clout .... usually the GOP political contenders. So.... it is a big deal when there is a "surge in small, individual contributions" fueling Democratic races this year and tightening the typical advantage of big- money corporations.
Not to be overlooked is the growing disenchantment of the GOP conservative base with the Bush administration's determined drift away from their core values.
While these conservatives aren't necessarily the biggest GOP contributors (although some are), they have been faithful contributors nonetheless. If they suspend their financial support of GOP candidates, it could level the funding playing field in the November elections.
Then, maybe the best candidate, and the electorate, will win.
Friday, June 09, 2006
The Hammer's Final Blow
"The Hammer's" final blow was delivered to a House chamber "crammed on the Republican side, virtually empty on the Democratic side."
But this ethics-required leave-taking yesterday by Former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, wasn't soon enough to spare the country his divisive religious right "iron fisted" leadership of the House.
After the GOP seized control of the House in 1994, DeLay was instrumental in propelling the country down a "the ends justify the means" partisan governing path that embraced power-broker corporate lobbyists who wrote legislation and handed out payoffs.
And, although DeLay attacked big-government liberalism in his farewell to the House, the "growth of government and special-interest spending accelerated" under his GOP rule. The stink of his corrupting influence wafted through the halls of Congress for over two decades, infecting its members and destroying the trust of the electorate.
As DeLay exits "stage right," the country has the opportunity to come together and deliver the message "no more" in November.
But this ethics-required leave-taking yesterday by Former House Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, wasn't soon enough to spare the country his divisive religious right "iron fisted" leadership of the House.
After the GOP seized control of the House in 1994, DeLay was instrumental in propelling the country down a "the ends justify the means" partisan governing path that embraced power-broker corporate lobbyists who wrote legislation and handed out payoffs.
And, although DeLay attacked big-government liberalism in his farewell to the House, the "growth of government and special-interest spending accelerated" under his GOP rule. The stink of his corrupting influence wafted through the halls of Congress for over two decades, infecting its members and destroying the trust of the electorate.
As DeLay exits "stage right," the country has the opportunity to come together and deliver the message "no more" in November.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Save Our Nation Too
President Bush and the White House are having a very good day.
Abu Musah al-Zarqawi, the evil face of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is dead.
This is the biggest poll-changing, war-justifying good news coming from Iraq since Saddam was captured in 2003.
This morning Bush made a Rose Garden statement, a "somber yet celebratory appearance for which he was joined by several of his top aides, including Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove."
On another positive note, the three appointments for the vacant Iraq ministries.... defense, national security and interior.... have been filled.
Does this news from Iraq ease somewhat the concern over the war and knock it from it's pinncale of voter worries? Will this put an even bigger focus in November on domestic concerns, like porous U.S. borders and the invasion illegal immigrants?
We can hope.
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and Bush like to say about Iraq.... we need to "get the job done."
The voters will be looking for this same determination from the White House in addressing their top-of-the-polls concern over preserving and securing the home front.
Abu Musah al-Zarqawi, the evil face of al-Qaeda in Iraq, is dead.
This is the biggest poll-changing, war-justifying good news coming from Iraq since Saddam was captured in 2003.
This morning Bush made a Rose Garden statement, a "somber yet celebratory appearance for which he was joined by several of his top aides, including Vice President Dick Cheney, national security adviser Stephen Hadley and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove."
On another positive note, the three appointments for the vacant Iraq ministries.... defense, national security and interior.... have been filled.
Does this news from Iraq ease somewhat the concern over the war and knock it from it's pinncale of voter worries? Will this put an even bigger focus in November on domestic concerns, like porous U.S. borders and the invasion illegal immigrants?
We can hope.
Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and Bush like to say about Iraq.... we need to "get the job done."
The voters will be looking for this same determination from the White House in addressing their top-of-the-polls concern over preserving and securing the home front.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
End of Days Starts In November
How ironic that radical right dogma-spewer, Ann Coulter, is purposely releasing her new book today.... the 6th day of the 6th month of the millennium's 6th year....bashing the "Godless" liberals.
Just a little too cute, and another good example of the current politics of division spawned by the Great Divider.... errr Decider.... in the White House. The whole theme of her book, which accuses liberalism of being a religion, is unfortunate. It just adds fuel to the politics of destruction that is the specialty of the GOP religious right.
A perfect example of this religious right philosophy is the current debate in the Senate over the proposed marriage amendment that the White House is trying to enshrine in the Constitution to appease the "Tinky Winky is Gay" Falwellites.
So, 6-6-06 doesn't scare the beleaguered U.S. citizens who, since the election of 2000, have been witnessing the pillaging their land by The Decider's three-headed Beast.... corporations, church and oil.
For this Beast and his White House Masters, the End of Days starts in November
Just a little too cute, and another good example of the current politics of division spawned by the Great Divider.... errr Decider.... in the White House. The whole theme of her book, which accuses liberalism of being a religion, is unfortunate. It just adds fuel to the politics of destruction that is the specialty of the GOP religious right.
A perfect example of this religious right philosophy is the current debate in the Senate over the proposed marriage amendment that the White House is trying to enshrine in the Constitution to appease the "Tinky Winky is Gay" Falwellites.
So, 6-6-06 doesn't scare the beleaguered U.S. citizens who, since the election of 2000, have been witnessing the pillaging their land by The Decider's three-headed Beast.... corporations, church and oil.
For this Beast and his White House Masters, the End of Days starts in November
Monday, June 05, 2006
Marriage Amendment Ploy
The country is facing dire issues.... mounting chaos in Iraq, increasing threats on both U.S. borders, soaring gas prices... so just what is happening on The Hill this week? The AP reports "Senate to Tackle Gay Marriage Ban." Say what?
Could this highly-charged political ploy be an attempt to attract our attention from the passage of other legislation this week?... like the "record-size emergency spending bill to continue U.S. military operations in Iraq" and hurricane relief.... an over $100 billion spending package.
Or the legislation rolling back the estate tax with a potential cost of $1 trillion (yes TRILLION) over the first ten of the affected years .
Does this make sound fiscal sense?.... spend more and take in less. Your government at work.
Back to the highly-publicized marriage amendment..... Bill "I Want To Be Your President" Frist, GOP Senate Majority Leader, one to never miss an opportunity to brown-nose the GOP conservative base, rushed to place this time-wasting amendment on the floor schedule.
While Bush in his Sunday radio address pushed for the amendment as a "defense of the stability of society," knowing full well that the amendment will never make it out of the Senate.
Note to Bush.... a Constitutional marriage amendment won't stabilize society, but OCEANS OF DEBT will destabilize our country for generations to come!
It is the monumental arrogance of Bush and his handlers that lead them to assume that the voting public won't see through this "red-meat to the base" marriage amendment maneuver.
This obvious pandering and reckless fiscal policy will cost them in November.
Could this highly-charged political ploy be an attempt to attract our attention from the passage of other legislation this week?... like the "record-size emergency spending bill to continue U.S. military operations in Iraq" and hurricane relief.... an over $100 billion spending package.
Or the legislation rolling back the estate tax with a potential cost of $1 trillion (yes TRILLION) over the first ten of the affected years .
Does this make sound fiscal sense?.... spend more and take in less. Your government at work.
Back to the highly-publicized marriage amendment..... Bill "I Want To Be Your President" Frist, GOP Senate Majority Leader, one to never miss an opportunity to brown-nose the GOP conservative base, rushed to place this time-wasting amendment on the floor schedule.
While Bush in his Sunday radio address pushed for the amendment as a "defense of the stability of society," knowing full well that the amendment will never make it out of the Senate.
Note to Bush.... a Constitutional marriage amendment won't stabilize society, but OCEANS OF DEBT will destabilize our country for generations to come!
It is the monumental arrogance of Bush and his handlers that lead them to assume that the voting public won't see through this "red-meat to the base" marriage amendment maneuver.
This obvious pandering and reckless fiscal policy will cost them in November.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Rumsfeld Sings a Happy Song
The U. S. American Forces Press dutifully reported that on Friday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "disputed the notion that violence in Iraq is a result of U.S. military intervention." Oh really.
Issa Khalaf Harat, a lieutenant colonel in Iraq's oil protection police, and the brother of one of the victims of the U.S.-vindicated attack in the village of Ishaqi where as many as a dozen civilians were killed, said: "We know they were not terrorists, they were not shooting at the Americans, and they were killed in cold blood." A cousin of one of the victims, Ahmed Hussein, proclaimed: "America is forcing us to go and join the resistance. If this goes on like this, in the end we will find ourselves forced to fight the Americans."
Another incident, the coverup-delayed probe into the March killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, elicited clucking noises from Rumsfeld and the acknowledgement that he has not spoken to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the matter.
So while not even recognizing man-to-man, leader-to-leader, the furious concern and delicate position of the Iraqi prime minister, Rumsfeld and president Bush expectantly await a miracle from the 13-day-old government of Maliki.... filling the vacant ministry posts of interior, defense and national security. Rumsfeld is "optimistic that Iraqi leaders will do the right thing."
Volunteers for these posts anyone? In Iraq over the weekend:
Issa Khalaf Harat, a lieutenant colonel in Iraq's oil protection police, and the brother of one of the victims of the U.S.-vindicated attack in the village of Ishaqi where as many as a dozen civilians were killed, said: "We know they were not terrorists, they were not shooting at the Americans, and they were killed in cold blood." A cousin of one of the victims, Ahmed Hussein, proclaimed: "America is forcing us to go and join the resistance. If this goes on like this, in the end we will find ourselves forced to fight the Americans."
Another incident, the coverup-delayed probe into the March killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in Haditha, elicited clucking noises from Rumsfeld and the acknowledgement that he has not spoken to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about the matter.
So while not even recognizing man-to-man, leader-to-leader, the furious concern and delicate position of the Iraqi prime minister, Rumsfeld and president Bush expectantly await a miracle from the 13-day-old government of Maliki.... filling the vacant ministry posts of interior, defense and national security. Rumsfeld is "optimistic that Iraqi leaders will do the right thing."
Volunteers for these posts anyone? In Iraq over the weekend:
- Parliament members canceled their meeting Sunday which was intended to nominate candidates for the vacant ministry posts...Maliki said it was "almost impossible" to find candidates who had broad support among all the factions.
- Iraq's most prominent insurgent leader, Abuj Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq, in a four-hour video taped "sermon" on Friday urged Sunnis to come to the defense of the sect against their Shiite enemies... and to "forget about those advocating the end of sectarianism and calling for national unity."
- In Basra on Saturday night, at least 27 people were killed in a bomb explosion, and scores more were injured.
- In Baghdad, Sunday, gunmen killed four state communications employees outside their office.....
- And, 19 minibus passengers were executed in Uthaim, 12 were Shiite Muslim high school students.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Bush Blows His Bubble
So, is Bush, our "my way or the highway" president, getting all touchy, feely on the neocons.
It's astounding, revolutionary, breathtaking.... he actually solicited an opinion.... Iraq war critic, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey was invited to the Oval office and allowed to speak his mind. After returning from Iraq, McCaffrey and five other specialists, briefed Bush for 90 minutes on Tuesday. McCaffrey said afterward, "The president seemed open to views." Imagine.
Bush has softened his stand on other issues too. Some say it is the influence of his new chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, or maybe Bush's press is finally getting to him. Newsweek's cover story on him as "Bush in the Bubble," sums him up as "the most isolated president in modern history."
Might not be the legacy he is shooting for.
Or maybe his new moderation is a Paul Revere "elections are coming" ride of desperation, engineered by the White House's savvy new press secretary, Tony Snow.
Here's hoping if Bush is going to start listening to opinions, he listens to the opinions of his U.S. citizens too. We're screaming "secure our borders and ports first"....
It would be a start.
It's astounding, revolutionary, breathtaking.... he actually solicited an opinion.... Iraq war critic, Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey was invited to the Oval office and allowed to speak his mind. After returning from Iraq, McCaffrey and five other specialists, briefed Bush for 90 minutes on Tuesday. McCaffrey said afterward, "The president seemed open to views." Imagine.
Bush has softened his stand on other issues too. Some say it is the influence of his new chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, or maybe Bush's press is finally getting to him. Newsweek's cover story on him as "Bush in the Bubble," sums him up as "the most isolated president in modern history."
Might not be the legacy he is shooting for.
Or maybe his new moderation is a Paul Revere "elections are coming" ride of desperation, engineered by the White House's savvy new press secretary, Tony Snow.
Here's hoping if Bush is going to start listening to opinions, he listens to the opinions of his U.S. citizens too. We're screaming "secure our borders and ports first"....
It would be a start.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Good News, Bad News
The headline reads: "Six Powers Reach Accord On Iran Plan."
Good news it seems. We'll be reading lots of such headlines in the coming weeks before the November elections. The Bush administration handlers know the country is in no mood for an expanded war. Time to make nice.
Let's give Secretary of State Rice her due, whenever the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, Germany and the European Union agree on acceptable boundaries for Iran's nuclear ambitions, it is positive news. We await the details.
But you know....there's the good news, and then there's the bad news.
Yesterday President Bush announced his support of the proposed marriage amendment to the Constitution. Let's see.... what he likes are decent, hardworking people who love their families and contribute to the economy..... especially if they are illegal aliens.... gay U.S. citizens get none of his "compassion."
Of course, King George knows full well that this marriage amendment will never make it out of the Senate, but hey.... keep the religious right happy.
This political lollipop is designed to divert the Silent Majority's attention away from the deadly, and daily worse, situation in Iraq; and the nation-changing explosion of illegal aliens.
It'll take more than lollipops to sweeten the Bush blunders.
Good news it seems. We'll be reading lots of such headlines in the coming weeks before the November elections. The Bush administration handlers know the country is in no mood for an expanded war. Time to make nice.
Let's give Secretary of State Rice her due, whenever the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, Germany and the European Union agree on acceptable boundaries for Iran's nuclear ambitions, it is positive news. We await the details.
But you know....there's the good news, and then there's the bad news.
Yesterday President Bush announced his support of the proposed marriage amendment to the Constitution. Let's see.... what he likes are decent, hardworking people who love their families and contribute to the economy..... especially if they are illegal aliens.... gay U.S. citizens get none of his "compassion."
Of course, King George knows full well that this marriage amendment will never make it out of the Senate, but hey.... keep the religious right happy.
This political lollipop is designed to divert the Silent Majority's attention away from the deadly, and daily worse, situation in Iraq; and the nation-changing explosion of illegal aliens.
It'll take more than lollipops to sweeten the Bush blunders.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Wink and Smirk Policy
The Washington Post headline calls it the "Coalition of the Erring." They are referring to the unholy alliance of President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair and their truth-bending, fast-draw approach to the invasion of Iraq.
It turns out "Bring it On," and "Wanted Dead or Alive" are great sound bites but lousy policy.
But the headline could have described another shady coalition locked in a poorly conceived scheme called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North American (SPP). To understand this formalized agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada all you need know is European Union.
The SPP envisions a North America without borders, free trade and common goals. This agreement is why George "The Decider" isn't doing anything about our porous southern border, and why Mexico's president Vicente Fox is acting like our overseer.
The deal is done, the fix is in, the only problem is no one told the U.S. citizen taxpayer.... who will do the paying, in all respects, for this stealth-attack realignment policy.
George the Elder waxed poetic about a "New World Order" until he was hushed by his poll-sensitive handlers. George the Lesser learned a lesson.... don't tell the country what you are doing, just do it and then evade and equivocate. That is why in March of 2005, after Bush's reelection, the SPP was formalized. But it was on the drawing board long before that.
In 2002 Fox bragged in Madrid: "Eventually, our long-range objective is to establish with the United States, but also with Canada, our other regional partner, an ensemble of connections and institutions similar to those created by the European Union."
This is why The Decider isn't protecting our borders, our language and our heritage. He decided we're no longer going to be a nation state.
Can we vote our way out of this mess in November?
It's unclear. Seems the GOP-leaning furnisher of the majority of our new voting machines, Diebold, has created a very vulnerable system. Voter groups are trying to stop this flawed voting process legally, but time is running out.
The country we have built, fought and died for is about to be abandoned with a wink and smirk.
It turns out "Bring it On," and "Wanted Dead or Alive" are great sound bites but lousy policy.
But the headline could have described another shady coalition locked in a poorly conceived scheme called the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North American (SPP). To understand this formalized agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada all you need know is European Union.
The SPP envisions a North America without borders, free trade and common goals. This agreement is why George "The Decider" isn't doing anything about our porous southern border, and why Mexico's president Vicente Fox is acting like our overseer.
The deal is done, the fix is in, the only problem is no one told the U.S. citizen taxpayer.... who will do the paying, in all respects, for this stealth-attack realignment policy.
George the Elder waxed poetic about a "New World Order" until he was hushed by his poll-sensitive handlers. George the Lesser learned a lesson.... don't tell the country what you are doing, just do it and then evade and equivocate. That is why in March of 2005, after Bush's reelection, the SPP was formalized. But it was on the drawing board long before that.
In 2002 Fox bragged in Madrid: "Eventually, our long-range objective is to establish with the United States, but also with Canada, our other regional partner, an ensemble of connections and institutions similar to those created by the European Union."
This is why The Decider isn't protecting our borders, our language and our heritage. He decided we're no longer going to be a nation state.
Can we vote our way out of this mess in November?
It's unclear. Seems the GOP-leaning furnisher of the majority of our new voting machines, Diebold, has created a very vulnerable system. Voter groups are trying to stop this flawed voting process legally, but time is running out.
The country we have built, fought and died for is about to be abandoned with a wink and smirk.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Iran Iraq Irony
Iraqi Foreign Minister, Kurd Hoshyiyar Zebari said yesterday at a joint news conference with Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki in Baghdad: "We respect and confirm the right of the Republic of Iran.... to have scientific and technological abilities to research in the field of nuclear energy for peaceful uses.
The final irony for the nation-building Cheney-Bush neocons.
The final irony for the nation-building Cheney-Bush neocons.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
The Bush Ambush
It started when we tolerated the Supreme Court's first ever interference in our national elections in 2000. That signaled to the Bush administration that it could go its arrogant way.... abuse of power by intelligence manipulation, secrecy, unwarranted spying, pork barrel spending, corporate favoritism, and now a push to abandon our Constitution and the rule of law by rewarding illegal alien invaders
Bush may be temporarily out of arrows.
But the electorate IS out of patience. "Big Time."
November.
Cartoon by Tom Toles, The Washington Post.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Bush Focus: Fundraising
The nation is in a lot of trouble.
We are in a devastatingly expensive war in Iraq that gets bloodier by the day despite airy-fairy reassurances from the Bush administration.
The national budget and trade deficits have reached astronomical proportions... despite Bush administration toadies proclaming the economy is strong. What we actually have is a credit card economy. And you know what happens when those credit bills come due. Yet the Bush administration continues to reduce national income through tax cuts.
The nation is being overrun by an invasion of illegal aliens across the southern border. The Bush administration's fix is 6,000 National Guard who will have no authority whatsoever to do anything to stop, apprehend or even impede the border lawbreakers.
Bearing this in mind, what do you think "President Bush and his team are focusing on" ..... the November elections with fundraisers by Bush the Lesser and "building a campaign strategy around tax cuts, immigration and national security!"
Either Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove is in la-la land, or Bush the Arrogant and his handlers think the Silent Majority is stupid. There is no way they can turn the cesspool of their governing into a Lilly pond!
Hurricane Katrina was the biggest response disaster in our nation's history. The Bush administration spies on U.S. citizens with a system that captures gazillions of their phone call records, and has space satellites that can photograph a flea on a camel's hump. Yet "Homeland Security" allowed millions of undocumented aliens invade our southern border, and our ports and imported goods are a security game of Russian roulette.
Two House Democrats who oversee Homeland Security criticized the agency last week for "not releasing to Congress reports on 118 security plans for mass transit, rail, aviation, ports and borders." Many of the reports were due in 2003. Your Homeland Security at work.
Our Bush-manipulated war in Iraq is pulling the nation down and apart. So it is hopeful for the long-suffering Silent Majority that there is within the Democratic Party a substantial body of politicians and policymakers who, instead of just criticizing the Bush governing disaster, are formulating policy for a different approach to Iraq. They are taking their plans to centrist Democrats.
Not to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) the Revengeful, Bull-horn Liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass), or Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) the Irrelevant.
These younger Democrat party foreign affairs professionals propose to first clean up the crimes perpetrated by the Bush administration "at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and the CIA's secret prisons" to restore America's reputation as the world's foremost defender of human rights.
They will end the Bush cynical policy of nation building, while linking foreign aid to implementation of "a long term plan for political and economic changes" by benefiting countries. And they won't cut and run from the Iraq war.
The Silent Majority will not be fooled by the Bush fund-raising history rewriters... and they will respond to fresh ideas from fresh Congressional faces.
The citizen Silent Majority will not be silent in November.
We are in a devastatingly expensive war in Iraq that gets bloodier by the day despite airy-fairy reassurances from the Bush administration.
The national budget and trade deficits have reached astronomical proportions... despite Bush administration toadies proclaming the economy is strong. What we actually have is a credit card economy. And you know what happens when those credit bills come due. Yet the Bush administration continues to reduce national income through tax cuts.
The nation is being overrun by an invasion of illegal aliens across the southern border. The Bush administration's fix is 6,000 National Guard who will have no authority whatsoever to do anything to stop, apprehend or even impede the border lawbreakers.
Bearing this in mind, what do you think "President Bush and his team are focusing on" ..... the November elections with fundraisers by Bush the Lesser and "building a campaign strategy around tax cuts, immigration and national security!"
Either Karl "Turd Blossom" Rove is in la-la land, or Bush the Arrogant and his handlers think the Silent Majority is stupid. There is no way they can turn the cesspool of their governing into a Lilly pond!
Hurricane Katrina was the biggest response disaster in our nation's history. The Bush administration spies on U.S. citizens with a system that captures gazillions of their phone call records, and has space satellites that can photograph a flea on a camel's hump. Yet "Homeland Security" allowed millions of undocumented aliens invade our southern border, and our ports and imported goods are a security game of Russian roulette.
Two House Democrats who oversee Homeland Security criticized the agency last week for "not releasing to Congress reports on 118 security plans for mass transit, rail, aviation, ports and borders." Many of the reports were due in 2003. Your Homeland Security at work.
Our Bush-manipulated war in Iraq is pulling the nation down and apart. So it is hopeful for the long-suffering Silent Majority that there is within the Democratic Party a substantial body of politicians and policymakers who, instead of just criticizing the Bush governing disaster, are formulating policy for a different approach to Iraq. They are taking their plans to centrist Democrats.
Not to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) the Revengeful, Bull-horn Liberal Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass), or Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) the Irrelevant.
These younger Democrat party foreign affairs professionals propose to first clean up the crimes perpetrated by the Bush administration "at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and the CIA's secret prisons" to restore America's reputation as the world's foremost defender of human rights.
They will end the Bush cynical policy of nation building, while linking foreign aid to implementation of "a long term plan for political and economic changes" by benefiting countries. And they won't cut and run from the Iraq war.
The Silent Majority will not be fooled by the Bush fund-raising history rewriters... and they will respond to fresh ideas from fresh Congressional faces.
The citizen Silent Majority will not be silent in November.
Fall House/Senate-Cleaning Time
It is way past time for the voting public to reconsider "conservative" and "liberal" labels, and their alignment with the Democrat or Republican parties.
It is way past time to reward those who act on the principles you hold dear, and to give the boot to those who promise but don't try to deliver.
Let's face it, there is no such thing as a "compassionate conservative" as Dubya styled himself in 2000. And his base is at last taking off the rose-colored glasses and facing the fact that he "talked like a conservative to win our votes but never governed like a conservative."
That's a start.
The recent glut of ear-mark spending, and the energy, port-border security, and illegal alien debates, have ripped the scab off of the conservative veneer of the Bush administration. Left exposed is a rancid bought and sold government of business, religious and oil interests... and new-found Democrat-legislator friends eager for their share.
As Mark Helprin points out in his Washington Post editorial today, "the essence of the illegal-immigrant question, muddled though it may be by sophistry and peripheral claims, is the importation of labor."
With the Bush administration, nothing is as presented. Scratch just beneath his "initiatives" and you'll find the big three benefiting.
We are not longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.... but a government of the ignored, by the corrupt politicians, and for the special interests.
But we, the great ignored, can change that in November with a big-broom House/Senate-cleaning.
It is way past time to reward those who act on the principles you hold dear, and to give the boot to those who promise but don't try to deliver.
Let's face it, there is no such thing as a "compassionate conservative" as Dubya styled himself in 2000. And his base is at last taking off the rose-colored glasses and facing the fact that he "talked like a conservative to win our votes but never governed like a conservative."
That's a start.
The recent glut of ear-mark spending, and the energy, port-border security, and illegal alien debates, have ripped the scab off of the conservative veneer of the Bush administration. Left exposed is a rancid bought and sold government of business, religious and oil interests... and new-found Democrat-legislator friends eager for their share.
As Mark Helprin points out in his Washington Post editorial today, "the essence of the illegal-immigrant question, muddled though it may be by sophistry and peripheral claims, is the importation of labor."
With the Bush administration, nothing is as presented. Scratch just beneath his "initiatives" and you'll find the big three benefiting.
We are not longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.... but a government of the ignored, by the corrupt politicians, and for the special interests.
But we, the great ignored, can change that in November with a big-broom House/Senate-cleaning.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Senators Flip Flop on English
You can't turn your back on these Senators for a moment..... they have managed to snatch public relations defeat from the jaws of victory! They amended yesterday's "English is our national language" amendment to English is the "common and unifying language" of the United States.
What's that? Isn't English our national language? Whose toes are you trying to avoid?
All Democrats voted for that cop-out language, as well as fourteen Republicans.... here's the GOP list:
Sam Brownback, Lincoln Chafee, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Mike DeWine, Pete Domenici, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Hagel, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, George Voinovich, John Warner.
McCain, you've regained your title as "Panderer in Chief." Must be a lot of Hispanic votes in Arizona.
The Senate must still meet with the House to work out the exact immigration reform bill..... so there is still hope they won't deny us our language heritage. English is our national language. Say so in this legislation... proudly.
What's that? Isn't English our national language? Whose toes are you trying to avoid?
All Democrats voted for that cop-out language, as well as fourteen Republicans.... here's the GOP list:
Sam Brownback, Lincoln Chafee, Norm Coleman, Susan Collins, Mike DeWine, Pete Domenici, Lindsey Graham, Chuck Hagel, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, Arlen Specter, George Voinovich, John Warner.
McCain, you've regained your title as "Panderer in Chief." Must be a lot of Hispanic votes in Arizona.
The Senate must still meet with the House to work out the exact immigration reform bill..... so there is still hope they won't deny us our language heritage. English is our national language. Say so in this legislation... proudly.
Tiptoeing Through Two Lips
The Senate yesterday continued tiptoeing through the minefield of immigration reform.
In a voter-pleasing move, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced a bill stating in part "English is the national language of the United States," and that prospective citizens "demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the English language for usage in everyday life."
This amendment to the immigration overhaul bill passed by 63 to 34, with all Republicans voting for it except Pete Domenici (R-NM), and all Democrats voting against except for eleven, most notably Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV).....the eleven yeas were Senators Baucus, Byrd, Carper, Conrad, Dorgan, Johnson, Landrieu, Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, Pryor.
Raul Gonzalez of the National Council of La Raza (The Race) was alarmed at this English-language vote. "For us, this is a tough issue to bring back to the community." His community..... La Raza is the largest Hispanic organization in the U.S. They advocate mass immigration and full amnesty. Gosh.... I heard they wanted to assimilate into our USA community. Isn't that why President Bush and our lawmakers are breaking all the rules to accommodate them?
The GOP Senate, evidently fearful that this feel-good English amendment wasn't enough red meat for their restless religious conservative supporters, had Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) place on the Senate Legislative Calendar (No. 435) a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution... yes, we're back to those games again... called the "Marriage Protection Amendment."
It reads: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the Constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
At a time in our national history when our very survivability is at stake, time and precious monetary resources are going to once again be wasted by our lawmakers trying to amend the Constitution.... a cheap attempt to mollify and distract an alarmed and largely disaffected nation from their failures and inaction.
Since it will take two-thirds of each House, and three-fourths of the States to approve a Constitutional amendment, it really stands no chance of going forward. But..... it gives the sponsors of the bill another empty feather for their conservative war bonnets. Just so you know these panderers for who they are, here are the 29 sponsors, all Republicans, (* possible presidential candidate):
Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), Sen. George Allen* (VA), Sen. Sam Brownback* (KS), Sen. Richard Burr (NC), Sen. Tom Coburn (OK), Sen. Thad Cochran (MS), Sen. John Cornyn (TX), Sen. Mike Crapo (ID), Sen. Jim DeMint (SC), Sen. Mike DeWine (OH), Sen. Elizabeth Dole (NC), Sen. Michael Enzi (WY), Sen. William Frist* (TN), Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Sen. James Inhofe (OK), Sen. Johnny Isakson (GA), Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ), Sen. Trent Lott (MS), Sen. Mel Martinez (FL), Sen. Mitch McConnell, (KY), Sen. Pat Roberts (KS), Sen. Rick Santorum (PA), Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL), Sen. Richard Shelby (AL), Sen. Ted Stevens (AK), Sen. Jim Talent (MO), Sen. John Thune (SD), Sen. David Vitter (LA).
It is notable that Sen. John McCain, who will undoubtedly run for president, is not a sponsor. So, I must remove him as the leading candidate for "Panderer in Chief".... for now. His May keynote commencement address to Jerry "Tinky Winky is Gay" Falwell's fundamentalist Baptist Liberty University, complete with photo ops, keeps him on the panderer list.
Stay tuned to C-Span for more Senate tiptoeing today.... look for a flag amendment to the Constitution, hope it is the U.S. flag.
In a voter-pleasing move, Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced a bill stating in part "English is the national language of the United States," and that prospective citizens "demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the English language for usage in everyday life."
This amendment to the immigration overhaul bill passed by 63 to 34, with all Republicans voting for it except Pete Domenici (R-NM), and all Democrats voting against except for eleven, most notably Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV).....the eleven yeas were Senators Baucus, Byrd, Carper, Conrad, Dorgan, Johnson, Landrieu, Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson, Pryor.
Raul Gonzalez of the National Council of La Raza (The Race) was alarmed at this English-language vote. "For us, this is a tough issue to bring back to the community." His community..... La Raza is the largest Hispanic organization in the U.S. They advocate mass immigration and full amnesty. Gosh.... I heard they wanted to assimilate into our USA community. Isn't that why President Bush and our lawmakers are breaking all the rules to accommodate them?
The GOP Senate, evidently fearful that this feel-good English amendment wasn't enough red meat for their restless religious conservative supporters, had Sen. Wayne Allard (R-CO) place on the Senate Legislative Calendar (No. 435) a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution... yes, we're back to those games again... called the "Marriage Protection Amendment."
It reads: "Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the Constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman."
At a time in our national history when our very survivability is at stake, time and precious monetary resources are going to once again be wasted by our lawmakers trying to amend the Constitution.... a cheap attempt to mollify and distract an alarmed and largely disaffected nation from their failures and inaction.
Since it will take two-thirds of each House, and three-fourths of the States to approve a Constitutional amendment, it really stands no chance of going forward. But..... it gives the sponsors of the bill another empty feather for their conservative war bonnets. Just so you know these panderers for who they are, here are the 29 sponsors, all Republicans, (* possible presidential candidate):
Sen. Lamar Alexander (TN), Sen. George Allen* (VA), Sen. Sam Brownback* (KS), Sen. Richard Burr (NC), Sen. Tom Coburn (OK), Sen. Thad Cochran (MS), Sen. John Cornyn (TX), Sen. Mike Crapo (ID), Sen. Jim DeMint (SC), Sen. Mike DeWine (OH), Sen. Elizabeth Dole (NC), Sen. Michael Enzi (WY), Sen. William Frist* (TN), Sen. Orrin Hatch (UT), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (TX), Sen. James Inhofe (OK), Sen. Johnny Isakson (GA), Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ), Sen. Trent Lott (MS), Sen. Mel Martinez (FL), Sen. Mitch McConnell, (KY), Sen. Pat Roberts (KS), Sen. Rick Santorum (PA), Sen. Jeff Sessions (AL), Sen. Richard Shelby (AL), Sen. Ted Stevens (AK), Sen. Jim Talent (MO), Sen. John Thune (SD), Sen. David Vitter (LA).
It is notable that Sen. John McCain, who will undoubtedly run for president, is not a sponsor. So, I must remove him as the leading candidate for "Panderer in Chief".... for now. His May keynote commencement address to Jerry "Tinky Winky is Gay" Falwell's fundamentalist Baptist Liberty University, complete with photo ops, keeps him on the panderer list.
Stay tuned to C-Span for more Senate tiptoeing today.... look for a flag amendment to the Constitution, hope it is the U.S. flag.
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