Sunday funnies

Quote of the Day:

"One more, and he gets to bang the gavel."

Jon Stewart, on Karl Rove's fifth grand jury appearance

Bill Maher on Lee "Fat Bastard" Raymond

From HBO: Real Time with Bill Maher

And finally, New Rule: Democrats have to claim their rightful place as the party of environmental protection. Now...for way too long, Republicans have been getting away with rolling their eyes when anyone mentions the planet. You know, as if it's "Smurf Forest" we're talking about instead of the one and only place we can survive!

Now, tomorrow is Earth Day, when President Bush gets his picture taken in front of a tree and Dick Cheney shoots whatever flies out of it. And, as despicable as this administration's record on the environment is, it never was their issue. But Al Gore made a living in the Senate talking about the environment. He makes a living talking about it now. It's just when he was running for president that he shut up. And that's why Democrats keep losing. They don't stand up for what they believe in, yes, like "girly-men", from making the counter-argument. "

How can we explain climate change in a 30-second campaign ad?" Oh, I don't know. How about this: "The Republicans want your children to die." There, I did it with 28 seconds left. Is that scaring us? Well, somebody ought to. How come the Republicans can pick seemingly bogus, random issues like activist judges and boys kissing, and Mexicans pouring over our borders, and get everyone all worked up about it, and the Democrats can't figure out how to demagogue Armageddon?

Hey...you know what else is pouring over our borders? Greenland. You know, Republicans do a lot of things badly, like plan wars and balance budgets and...dance. But they sure understand that the winner in an election is the one who scares the most crap out of the voters. "Gay marriage!" "Terror alerts!" "The war on Christmas!" How long before Janet Jackson's tit strikes again?! And it's a lot bigger now.

But the environment is real. You can smell it. In parts of Houston, you can grab hunks of it with your hands and use it to lube your car! And if there is a single face you might want to use to personify this evil, he was in the news this week: the retiring and handsomely-compensated chairman of Exxon Mobil, Lee "Fat Bastard" Raymond.

If Lee looks like he's been eating the earth, he has. Even worse, his company has been paying for fake science to confuse people into thinking global warming was still too iffy to act on. You know, if the Democrats can't make this prick into their Willy Horton, they are so pathetic, they might as well go ahead and nominate for president that nice blonde lady who married Bill Clinton. You'll thank me in a year.

Ladies and gentlemen, I literally fear for my kids' future, and I don't even have kids. Glacier National Park in Montana, you know, named for its glaciers, had 150 glaciers when they opened. It's got 26 left today. If we don't take care of places like Montana, we're going to faced with an even bigger problem: gay married men with absolutely no place to go fishing.

All right, that's our show ... Thank you.

Rove Indictment Imminent

Truthout.org is reporting "Breaking New" regarding Karl Rove and a possible indictment. The first thought that comes to mind is: 'from Truthout's lips to God's ear.'
___________________________

Fitzgerald to Seek Indictment of Rove

By Jason Leopold
t r u t h o u t Report
Friday 28 April 2006

Despite vehement denials by his attorney who said this week that Karl Rove is neither a "target" nor in danger of being indicted in the CIA leak case, the special counsel leading the investigation has already written up charges against Rove, and a grand jury is expected to vote on whether to indict the Deputy White House Chief of Staff sometime next week, sources knowledgeable about the probe said Friday afternoon. (full story)

Bush to Nation: 'What Gas Problem?'

The president today announced that he rejects imposing a windfall tax on oil company profits. He claims there is no evidence of price gouging of consumers. I would be curious as to how he would define what they are doing, given there is no shortage of oil and no apparent reason for prices to continue to climb.

Bush claims that instead of a tax, the oil industry should reinvest its recent gains into finding and producing more energy. It's a nice thought, but the reality would be they would then have even MORE gas that they could charge $3.00 a gallon or more for. So, where does it end?

I have another suggestion. Instead of a tax, why not set a price and require all oil companies to offer their product at that price for at least the next year. The Associated Press is reporting that Exxon-Mobil, the nation's biggest oil company, said its earnings climbed by 7 percent to $8.4 billion during the January-March period.

If that's the case, then let's set the maximum price at a figure that is discounted by at least one and a half times that percentage increase. In other words, take the 7 percent increase and add 3.5 percent to that. That would mean oil companies would immediately have to discount their gasoline prices by at least .315 cents per gallon.

The result would be that gasoline at $3.00 per gallon would then sell for $2.685 per gallon. That seems more than fair to me.

Bush, a former Texas oilman, said Congress needs to provide regulatory relief so refineries can be expanded and new ones built. His answer is to the rising costs also include, temporarily halting the filling of the government's emergency petroleum reserve and easing environmental standards on gasoline additives.

It's all becoming clearer now ... get rid of the regulations that protect the environment so that IF the oil companies do decide to bring the price down, they still earn an additional profit from a reduction in production costs.

Good Grief ...

o

Another Snow Job? FOX News Pundit Hired as White House Press Secretary

In what can best be described as a laterial move, FOX News commentator Tony Snow will replace Scott McClellan as White House Press Secretary. The conservative pundit's selection was officially announced today.

Snow was asked about the position earlier in the week, but declined to say whether he had been offered the White House job. The Associated Press reports: "Republicans close to the White House said the press secretary's job had been offered to Snow and that he had accepted. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of Bush's dislike of news leaks."
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White House to Hire Fox Pundit as Press Secretary
Conservative Commentator Tony Snow Will Become Bush's Chief Spokesman

By TERENCE HUNT, AP
April 26, 2006

WASHINGTON (April 26) - Conservative pundit Tony Snow will be named White House press secretary, Republican officials said Tuesday night, in the latest move in President Bush's effort to remake his troubled White House. (full story)

Is it too late to get the passion back in politics?

I don't always agree with Joe Klein, but this time I think he has hit the nail on the head! Klein's 'web exclusive' article on Time.com basically says the problem with politics today is consultants. I couldn't agree more!

Klein begins by recounting the night Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and how presidential candidate Robert Kennedy responded. I was living in Indiana at the time, and remember the speech.

"On the evening of April 4, 1968, about an hour after Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, Robert F. Kennedy responded with a powerfully simple speech, which he delivered spontaneously in a black neighborhood of Indianapolis. Nearly 40 years later, Kennedy's words stand as an example of the substance and music of politics in its grandest form and highest purpose -- to heal, to educate, to lead. . .

"Kennedy, who was running for the Democratic presidential nomination, had a dangerous job that night. His audience was unaware of King's assassination. He had no police or Secret Service protection. His aides were worried that the crowd would explode as soon as it learned the news; there were already reports of riots in other cities. His speechwriters Adam Walinsky and Frank Mankiewicz had drafted remarks for the occasion, but Kennedy rejected them. He had scribbled a few notes of his own. "Ladies and gentlemen," he began, rather formally, respectfully. "I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening because I have some very sad news ..." His voice caught, and he turned it into a slight cough, a throat clearing, "and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.

"There were screams, wailing -- just the rawest, most visceral sounds of pain that human voices can summon. As the screams died, Kennedy resumed, slowly, pausing frequently, measuring his words: "Martin Luther King ... dedicated his life ... to love ... and to justice between fellow human beings, and he died in the cause of that effort." There was near total silence now. One senses, listening to the tape years later, the audience's trust in the man on the podium, a man who didn't merely feel the crowds pain but shared it. And Kennedy reciprocated: he laid himself bare for them, speaking of the death of his brother -- something he'd never done publicly and rarely privately -- and then he said, "My favorite poem, my favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote, 'Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart,'" he paused, his voice quivering slightly as he caressed every word. The silence had deepened, somehow; the moment was stunning. "'Until ... in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.'"

"Listen to Kennedy's Indianapolis speech and there is a quality of respect for the audience that simply is not present in modern American politics. . ."

There was no violence in Indianapolis that night. The crowd that had gathered to hear Kennedy speak simply went home quietly to reflect on what had happened. The grace with which they handled the tragedy was a testament to all that Dr. King stood for.

One need not romanticize the good-old-days above what they were, but I'd take an honestly delivered speech -- such as the one delivered that night by Robert Kennedy -- over a homogenized 'let's-make-sure-we-use-the-target-words-that-polled-well' speech any day of the week!

Unskilled Worker Problem

o

How Democrats could strengthen their base

Have you heard the old saying "dance with the one that brung ya?" Well, the Democrats seem to have forgotten it. They seem to be dancing further away from their base with each passing day.

Women, people of color, labor, and environmentalists are major components of the Democratic base, yet the leadership seems increasingly willing to back away from issues key to each of these constituencies.

An example of this is Bob Casey, Jr.'s senate campaign in Pennsylvania. There are a number of individuals who polling data indicate could defeat Sen. Rick Santorum, so why did the party choose to support Casey -- who opposes abortion rights for women?

I think it's because they listen to the wrong polling companies and strategists.

The New York Times, in Senate Campaign Tests Democrats' Abortion Tack, reports:

"... Democratic strategists have argued that the party must find a way to signal tolerance to opposing views on this issue, and sensitivity to conflicting values."

The report goes on to say:

"This tension between principle and pragmatism is apparent across the landscape of the Democratic Party this year, weighing on issues that include the war in Iraq and same-sex marriage. Party strategists are trying to piece together enough winning races to take control of the House and Senate, which means paying close attention to swing voters in the middle. But that strategy angers some on the party's left, most vocally in the blogosphere, who argue that the times demand more than a careful centrism."

To strengthen their base Democrats must remain true to core issues. Abortion rights is a core issue, as indicated by turnout for the 2004 March for Women's lives. Pictured above are the 1.25 million who attended the march.

It is very likely that Santorum will lose in November. It's also likely that a Democrat who supports abortion could have defeated him. What will be tragic is if Democrats think it's a good strategy to back anti-abortion candidates in future races.

The Republican 'Gay Agenda' ... demonizing for votes!

For anyone not paying attention there is one clear sign this is an election year ... conservative Republicans are talking about "gay marriage." It's amazing that conservative voters haven't yet caught on that the Republican party doesn't really want to outlaw marriage between same-sex couples anymore than they want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. They need these issues to scare people to the polls!

Couples have been legally marrying in Massachusetts for more than a year, and the earth hasn't stopped spinning. Divorce among heterosexual couples hasn't spiked. "Traditional marriage" is still intact. In other words ... nothing has really changed, except for the fact that loving same-sex couples can now have their unions legally recognized. Their children can now have the same legal protections as children from unions between men and women.

The latest shot in the 'cultural war' comes from about 50 prominent religious leaders, including seven Roman Catholic cardinals and about a half dozen archbishops, who have signed a petition in support of a constitutional amendment blocking same-sex marriage.

What makes this announcement different from 2004 is the inclusion of prominent Catholic leaders.

The report in The New York Times, A Religious Push Against Gay Unions, contains these key paragraphs:

"Organizers of the petition said it was in part an effort to revive the groundswell of opposition to same-sex marriage that helped bring many conservative voters to the polls in some pivotal states in 2004. The signers include many influential evangelical Protestants, a few rabbis and an official of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

"The campaign comes as many in the Republican Party are increasingly worried that their core supporters may stay away from the polls this year because they are demoralized by the war in Iraq and other matters. Senate Republican leaders have scheduled a vote on the proposed amendment in June, partly as a means of rallying conservatives.

"No one expects the measure to pass this year. But drives to amend state constitutions to ban same sex-marriage proved powerful incentives to turning out conservative voters in Ohio and elsewhere in 2004. At least two states with contested Senate races — Tennessee and Pennsylvania, where Mr. Santorum is seeking re-election against a Democrat who also opposes abortion rights — are debating constitutional bans on same-sex marriage this year."

What Republicans fail to realize is that many Catholics part company with the church hierarchy when it comes to issues like same-sex marriage, stem cell research, birth control and even on abortion. We will have to wait until November to find out whether or not this tired old strategy will work once again.

Signs Point to Rove Indictment

Think Progress has posted a link from MSNBC indicating a Rove indictment by special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald likely.

Three key points:

1. The latest court documents, for the first time, name Rove as a subject of the investigation.

2. The court documents go out of their way to say that Rove will not be called as a witness in Scooter Libby’s trial, even though Rove is a key part of the narrative. Shuster notes that this is done when prosecutors want to “leave open the possibility of later charging that particular subject in a separate case.”

3. Rove is referred in court documents as “Official A.” Shuster says “in every single case we have found, Keith, that prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald when he designates somebody as Official A in an indictment, that person eventually does get indicted themselves.”

How much more evidence does Congress need to begin impeachment hearings?

Republicans in Congress are distancing themselves from the Bush Administration, which is sinking under the weight of lies and corruption. They could do the entire country a favor if they would simply begin impeachment hearings against what will go down in history as the most corrupt administration ever!

There is certainly enough evidence. And who knows, it might be a way for some of the more moderate Republicans to save their seats! We are now learning there is further evidence that the White House knew there were no WMD in Iraq.

Reuters is reporting:

The CIA had evidence Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction six months before the 2003 US-led invasion but was ignored by a White House intent on ousting Saddam Hussein, a former senior CIA official said, according to CBS.

There hasn't been this much evidence to justify impeachment since the Nixon administration.

When does a Leak become a FLOOD? ... add Condoleezza Rice to the list of 'alleged' leakers

Lawyer: Rice Allegedly Leaked Defense Info

By MATTHEW BARAKAT
The Associated Press
Friday, April 21, 2006

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaked national defense information to a pro-Israel lobbyist in the same manner that landed a lower-level Pentagon official a 12-year prison sentence, the lobbyist's lawyer said Friday.

Prosecutors disputed the claim.

The allegations against Rice came as a federal judge granted a defense request to issue subpoenas sought by the defense for Rice and three other government officials in the trial of Steven Rosen and Keith Weissman. The two are former lobbyists with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee who are charged with receiving and disclosing national defense information. (full story)

Holy Cow Batman . . . FOX News has Bush Approval at 33%

Gloomy Economic Views; Bush Approval at New Low

By Dana Blanton
FOX News Poll
Thursday, April 20, 2006

NEW YORK — More Americans disapprove than approve of how George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld and Congress are doing their jobs, while a majority approves of Condoleezza Rice. President Bush’s approval hits a record low of 33 percent this week, clearly damaged by sinking support among Republicans.

Opinions are sharply divided on whether Rumsfeld should resign as secretary of defense. In addition, views on the economy are glum; most Americans rate the current economy negatively, and twice as many say it feels like the economy is getting worse rather than better. These are just some of the findings of the latest FOX News national poll. (full story)

Bush to Nation: "I decide what is best"

The departure of Scott McClellan should come as no big surprise. The image that comes to mind for me is of the British game show host point to him and saying, "you are the weakest link." Of course we all know who is actually the weakest link, but Karl Rove and Dick Cheney haven't yet figured out how to "fire" George W. Bush!

The event that followed the announcement McClellan was leaving could sum up the President's current predicament. The Associate Press reports:

Bush patted McClellan on the back and they walked together across the South Lawn to the president's helicopter to begin a trip to Alabama. But the aircraft couldn't get off the ground because its radio failed, and they had to take a motorcade to the airport.

Bush isn't listening to us, and certainly isn't speaking to us ... and his second term is definitely grounded!

Karl Rove's move isn't completely unpredictable, but I do question the true motive. Is he giving up his responsibilities as chief policy coordinator to focus on the upcoming mid-term elections ... or to prepare for his eventual trip to the 'big house!' It's only a matter of time before his shenanigans catch up with him. And I can't wait to see Rove in an orange jump suit!

If Bush were smart -- I'll stop laughing in a minute -- he would listen to his Generals and fire Donald Rumsfeld. Think about it for a moment -- the problems Bush is facing right now can pretty much be linked directly to the war in Iraq. If the situation in Iraq were better, Bush's approval rating wouldn't be hovering around the mid-30's.


Retired Maj. Gen. John Batiste thinks: "It would be wonderful to have a secretary of defense who understood teamwork, who didn't lead through intimidation."

And Retired Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack commented: "I really believe that we need a new secretary of defense because Secretary Rumsfeld carries way too much baggage with him."

It seems the only guy still talking the party line is former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Richard Myers who said: "When you judge Secretary Rumsfeld, you're also judging the commander-in-chief, because that's the chain of command. And that's just not appropriate."

What Myers is forgetting is that it's not just our right, but our responsibility as American citizens to question -- and yes 'judge' -- our leaders.

Bush House of Cards Continues to Fall -- McClellan OUT

McClellan Out as White House Press Secretary

By NEDRA PICKLER, AP
April 19, 2006

WASHINGTON (April 19) - White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Wednesday he is resigning, continuing a shakeup in President Bush's administration that has already yielded a new chief of staff and could lead to a change in the Cabinet.

Appearing with Bush on the White House South Lawn just before the president boarded a helicopter at the start a trip to Alabama, McClellan, who has parried especially fiercely with reporters on Iraq and on intelligence issues, told Bush: "I have given it my all sir and I have given you my all sir, and I will continue to do so as we transition to a new press secretary."

Bush said McClellan had "a challenging assignment." (full story)
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NOTE: Yes, McClellan did have a "challenging assignment" -- it's tough to lie with a straight face.

Was woman drugged and then assaulted?

Two Duke lacrosse players have been arrested in connection with the alleged rape of a 27-year-old woman. Two women were hired to perform as an exotic dancers at an off-campus party held March 13 by members of the team. The second woman said the accuser was "talkative and friendly and smiling" earlier in the night and incoherent later.

Was she drugged and then raped?

It's a scenario that happens to far too many young women on college campuses across the nation. This case has drawn national attention to Duke and Durham while underscoring issues of class and race between the private university and the city, which is largely middle class with a population that is about 45 percent black.

The accuser is Black, and the two men charged are white.

The New York Times reports:

Police initially thought the accuser was intoxicated but later took her to the Duke University Hospital emergency room. She had "signs, symptoms, and injuries consistent with being raped and sexually assaulted vaginally and anally," according to a district attorney's affidavit.

One of the men charged, Collin Finnerty of Garden City, N.Y., has a previous history of violence. According to the Times:

Mr. Finnerty had been arrested with two teammates from his high school lacrosse team in the Georgetown section of Washington on Nov. 5, after a man told police at 2:30 a.m. that they "had punched him in the face and body, because he told them to stop calling him gay and other derogatory names," according to court records.

It would appear that Mr. Finnerty is misogynist and homophobic -- traits that often go hand-in-hand. Finnerty and Reade Seligmann of Essex Fells, N.J., the other man charged, will have their day in court.

One can only hope that the young woman receives the justice she deserves for surviving this horrible incident.

We The People ...

Thundering silence from Washington

Portsmouth Herald Editorial
4-17-2006

The basic facts of the now-infamous Election Day phone-jamming episode are not in dispute. On Nov. 5, 2002, New Hampshire Republicans used a Virginia telemarketing company to tie up telephone hot lines for about 90 minutes to thwart get-out-the-vote efforts by state Democrats and a firefighters union in Manchester.

At stake was a U.S. Senate seat and possibly control of the closely divided legislative body. Republican John E. Sununu, then the 1st District member of Congress, defeated Gov. Jeanne Shaheen by about 20,000 votes.

A major federal investigation into this disgraceful episode has yielded three convictions, including two GOP officials - former state GOP executive director Charles McGee and James Tobin, at the time the New England political director for the Republican National Committee.
Tobin, who was President Bush’s New England chairman before stepping down in 2004 when he became a target of the investigation, has appealed his conviction.

What we don’t have is the complete story - namely, just how high the chain of command went in this electronic-mugging operation.

[snip]

Is it too much to ask for Sen. Sununu to call for full and absolute disclosure? Or the same from Sen. Judd Gregg, his Republican colleague who also represents us?

Is it too much to ask the White House and the RNC to do what they can to resolve remaining questions? Are we to believe that a White House obsessed with control and discipline knew nothing about the scheme?

It probably is too much to ask from a party that controls everything in Washington, but increasingly gives the perception that it holds itself accountable to no one, including "We the People." (full story)

Why Racial Profiling is Not Only Wrong, but Won't Work

Terrorists Recruiting 'White Muslims'

By WILLIAM J. KOLE,Associated Press Writer
April 17, 2006

SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina - His code name was Maximus, and he held secret meetings in a shabby room at the Banana City Hotel on the outskirts of Sarajevo.

Bosnian police put him under surveillance, and in a raid last fall on his apartment on Poligonska Street, authorities seized explosives, a suicide bomber belt and a videotape of masked men begging Allah's forgiveness for what they were about to do.

What they planned, investigators believe, was to blow up a European embassy. But compounding their concern, they say, was the ringleader's background: Maximus turned out to be Mirsad Bektasevic, a 19-year-old Swedish citizen of Serbian origin with ties to a senior al-Qaida operative.

Terrorists have been working to recruit non-Arab sympathizers -- so-called "white Muslims" with Western features who theoretically could more easily blend into European cities and execute attacks -- according to classified intelligence documents obtained by The Associated Press. (full story)

Sunday Funnies

o

Prayer and Politics

It was recently reported by a variety of media outlets that praying for the sick doesn't really help them get better. The report indicated it could actually make someone feel worse!

I wonder if the same is true in politics?

Religious right advocates across the nation are surely praying for Sen. Rick Santorum -- and with every passing day his chances of winning re-election look worse!


The Washington Post reports: Santorum Facing Multiple Obstacles In Reelection Bid

They start with the sagging, 38 percent approval rating of President Bush, to whom Santorum is closely tied. Pennsylvanians also say Santorum has suffered self-inflicted wounds since 2000, when he won reelection despite the belief of some that he is too conservative for this centrist state. He published a book that seemed to slight public schools and mothers who work outside the home. He endured widespread criticism when it was learned in 2004 that Pennsylvania paid about $70,000 through an online program to educate his children at their home in Leesburg.

Bill Maher on Scapegoat and "War on Christians"

Is Iran Next?

o

General Discontent With Rumsfeld Growing

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From left, Major General Paul D. Eaton, General Anthony C. Zinni, Lieutenant General Gregory
Newbold, Major General John Batiste, Major General John Riggs and Major General Charles H. Swannack Jr.

More Retired Generals Call for Rumsfeld's Resignation

By David S. Cloud and Eric Schmitt
The New York Times
Friday 14 April 2006

Washington - The widening circle of retired generals who have stepped forward to call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's resignation is shaping up as an unusual outcry that could pose a significant challenge to Mr. Rumsfeld's leadership, current and former generals said on Thursday.

Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr., who led troops on the ground in Iraq as recently as 2004 as the commander of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, on Thursday became the fifth retired senior general in recent days to call publicly for Mr. Rumsfeld's ouster. Later in the day, another retired general, Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper, joined in the fray.

"We need to continue to fight the global war on terror and keep it off our shores," General Swannack said in a telephone interview. "But I do not believe Secretary Rumsfeld is the right person to fight that war based on his absolute failures in managing the war against Saddam in Iraq." (full story)

Justice Antonin Scalia: The Definition of Arrogance

You've heard the old joke -- look up the word 'arrogance' in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of [fill in the blank]. Well, the latest name that could easily fill that space is US Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.

Speaking recently in Hartford, Scalia admonished anyone who dare question whether or not he could be impartial to "get a life." The exact quote was "For Pete's sake, if you can't trust your Supreme Court justice more than that, get a life."

My question to Scalia is: 'What have you ever done that would make progressives think they could trust you?'

Scalia refused to recuse himself from a case involving his hunting buddy, Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Associate Press reports:

Scalia, addressing an audience at the University of Connecticut's law school on Wednesday, said recusing himself from the 2004 case - which focused on an energy task force that Cheney led - would only have given fuel to newspaper editorial writers and other detractors who have said he is too close to the vice president.

"I think the proudest thing I have done on the bench is not allowed myself to be chased off that case," Scalia said.

The case in question involved Cheney's request to keep private the details of closed-door White House strategy sessions that produced the administration's energy policy.

The administration fought a lawsuit brought by watchdog and environmental groups that contended that industry executives, including former Enron chairman Ken Lay, helped shape that policy. The Supreme Court upheld the administration position on a 7-2 vote.

Scalia refused to recuse himself from the case, rejecting arguments by critics who questioned his impartiality because of a hunting vacation that he took with Cheney while the case was pending.

When Bush Lied, Americans Died

Evidence continues to mount that Bush knew there were no WMD in Iraq when he ordered the bombing to begin.
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Report Raises New Questions on Bush, WMDs

By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer
Apr 12, 2006

WASHINGTON - The White House faced new questions Wednesday about President Bush's contention three years ago that weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.

The Washington Post reported that a Pentagon-sponsored team of experts determined in May 2003 that two small trailers were not used to make biological weapons. Yet two days after the team sent its findings to Washington in a classified report, Bush declared just the opposite. (full story)

She's back ...

I've been in Atlanta, San Francisco and Cleveland over the past few days. It's amazing to get outside the beltway and realize that people are just as 'pissed off' by what is going on in this country as I am.

When you choose to live in the Washington, DC area it is to be expected that you will follow current political news and events. And given the feedback I heard from this last series of trips folks around the country are not pleased with the people leading this country.

I can't wait to see what is going to happen in November!

Republican-Led Congress Looking Foolish

The talking heads are at it again ... doing their best to cover the President's butt. With everything this president has done -- lying to take the country to war, running up a national debt of epic proportion, botching the response to hurricane Katrina, and now leaking classified information for political gain -- it makes one wonder how much more damage does this president have to do before the pundits and political leaders get angry enough to do something about it?

The framers of our Constitution gave us a tool for dealing with leaders who view themselves as above the law. The Republican-led Congress is looking really foolish for using this tool against a president who lied about having sex -- and NOT using it against a president whose lies have cost Americans their lives.

drip ... drip ... drip ... from the Leaker-in-Chief

I'm gone for 24 hours and look what happens! The revelation that George W. Bush may have authorized the leaking of classified information is astounding. And if he did it for political gain -- which is how it looks right now -- it surely rises to the level of an impeachable offense.

The Daily Kos wants to know:
Did the Leaker-in-Chief Lie To Fitzgerald?

On June 24, 2004, President George W. Bush was interviewed by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald. For 70 minutes, Fitzgerald asked the President about the circumstances surrounding the leak of classified
information ... What transpired during those 70 minutes, we don't know. But I presume that "did you leak the identity of Valerie Plame" wasn't the only question Fitzgerald asked of the President.

Crooks and Liars writes:

He's using the Brit Hume defense. It's ok to leak to defend himself. Kevin Drum says:

"Basically, Bush is saying that it's all right for him to selectively leak classified information whenever he feels it would help him politically."

I thought that was Judy Miller's job?

John at AMERICABlog thinks: The President sacrificed our safety for politics

And today, The Carpetbagger Report calls Bush: A different kind of 'CEO President'

Bush believes he can conduct warrantless searches on anyone, at any time, with no oversight. He believes he can authorize aides to leak classified information when it suits his political needs. Where are the limits? They're wherever Bush says they are.

Looks like George W. Bush has got some explaining to do -- and if the Republican-led Congress allows him to get away with this, they do too!

Why all the fuss over Cynthia McKinney -- is the US about to invade another country?

When you were growing up did you every get into an argument with your parents and they responded to you by saying "don't make a federal case out of it?" Well somebody needs to say that to the Capitol Police!

I agree with Representative McKinney when she asks if the 16 year-old pages in Congress can memorize all the faces and names of members of Congress, why can't the Capitol Police? Any just how secure is a member of Congress if the Capitol Police don't even know who they are?

If the Congresswoman were being abducted would their response be: 'Oh, it's just another Black woman having a fight with her boyfriend.' Would they even step in to intervene?

And how hard can it be to remember the women (in general) when they are only 15% of the total number -- and African American women (specifically) since there are only about a dozen or so in Congress?

And what about the Democrats in Congress, where is their support? They have run away from McKinney about as fast as they ran from Sen. Russ Feingold's call for a censure of George W. Bush.

Here is a suggestion for the Grand Jury ... in January 2005 Salon.com posted a list of 34 scandals from the first four years of George W. Bush's presidency -- why not take a look at some of those?

The shattering you hear is Katie Couric breaking the glass ceiling of nightly news!

The glass ceiling of nightly news anchor is about to shatter, as Katie Couric appears set to take the reigns at CBS. It's well past time that a woman be named solo anchor for an evening newscast.

And let's hear it for Meredith Vieira, rumored to be taking over for Katie on "Today." She is an excellent choice.

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CBS Prepares to Land a New Anchor
Katie Couric Set to Leave NBC's 'Today'

By Howard Kurtz
Washington Post Staff Writer
April 4, 2006

NBC executives expect Katie Couric to leave the "Today" show and accept an offer from CBS to become the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast on her own, with an announcement of her departure likely as early as this week, according to well-placed sources at both networks and others familiar with the negotiations.

The tentative plan is for a two-step process in which Couric first announces her departure from NBC, which would like to give her a warm send-off after a decade in which she helped make "Today" the top-rated morning program. Meredith Vieira, co-host of ABC's "The View" and host of the syndicated "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," has been offered the job of replacing Couric and is seriously considering it, some of these sources say. (full story)

Why hasn't Karl Rove been indicted?

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby -- INDICTED*

Andy Card -- RESIGNED*

Tom DeLay -- RESIGNED*

Bill Frist -- UNDER INVESTIGATION

Karl Rove -- UNDER INVESTIGATION

Dick Cheney -- LIED ABOUT WMD

George W. Bush -- LIED ABOUT WMD

Remember when Republicans promised to bring 'integrity' to Washington?

* three down, four to go!

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from Truthout.com

Fitzgerald Knew Identity of Leaker From Start

By Jason Leopold t r u t h o u t Report
Monday 03 April 2006

The special counsel appointed in late December 2003 to investigate the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson found out the identity of the Bush administration official who disclosed her undercover status to syndicated columnist Robert Novak just two months after the probe began.

But in early February 2004, a month after he started the investigation, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald shifted gears and started to build a perjury and obstruction of justice case against White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby according to several attorneys close to the investigation. (full story)

It's a numbers thing ...

On Wednesday, at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning,
the time and date will be

01:02:03 04/05/06

This won't happen again for another hundred years ...
and for purists reading this, another 1,000 years!

How exciting!

BREAKING NEWS: REP. TOM DELAY WON'T SEEK RE-ELECTION

The Associated Press
April 3, 2006

WASHINGTON (April 3) - Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texan touched by a lobbying scandal that ensnared some of his former top aides and cost the Republican his leadership post, won't seek re-election to Congress, officials said Monday.

They said DeLay also is likely to resign his seat and leave Congress by the end of May.

DeLay was expected to disclose his plans Tuesday, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the congressman had not made that announcement.

Several officials said DeLay called Texas members of Congress to tell them he is dropping out of his re-election race.

"He'll resign," a former senior DeLay aide said.

Weekend round-up ...

The folks at Crooks and Liars were watching the same television programs I was this weekend. Here is a brief round-up of what we both saw:

General Zinni "I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew."

Gen. Zinni was the second guest on "Meet the Press," today and was very powerful in his observations in the run up to the war, Rumsfeld, Cheney and Bush's loyalty to his people rather than to their performance which has been appalling by his standards. Russert let him give uninterrupted answers to his questions.

Zinni: ...I heard the case being built to go to war right away- I was hearing a depiction of the intelligence that didn't fit what I knew. There was no solid proof that I ever saw that Saddam had WMD....
______________________________

John McCain just loves Falwell now

John McCain, joined Tim Russert, on MTP this morning and was challenged on a number of issue including his new found affection for Jerry Falwell.

Russert: Do you believe that Jerry Falwell is still an agent of intolerance?
McCain: No, I don't. I think that Jerry Falwell can explain how his views on this program when you have him on.

Russert actually questioned McCain pretty hard in the segment pointing out all his recent flip flops and showed that he is no longer the "maverick" that he's been portrayed to be. Russert, used Pinkerton's quote calling him a: "born-again Bushophile" to describe his relationship with the President now. McCain left the interview with this to say:

McCain: I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation.
______________________________

Dana Rohrabacher stumped on those seven minutes

One of Bill Maher's pet peeves is "the infamous seven minutes," that Bush sat frozen in the school after being notified by Andy Card that the nation was under attack.

On Real Time Friday night, Maher asked Rep. Dana Rohrabacher-if he wouldn't have criticized Bill Clinton for doing the same thing. Dana was paralyzed and left speechless. Question answered.

Visit Crooks and Liars to see the videos.

The Teflon Administration

Former US Representative Pat Schroeder first called then President Ronald Reagan the "teflon" president. No matter how far Reagan's administration pushed the legal boundaries, nothing ever seemed to stick to Ronnie!

The same seems to be true for the entire Bush administration. Never have we seen so many be so flagrant in their disregard for the truth, or the rule of law.

Bush and Cheney repeatedly said there were WMD's in making their case for war. We now know that isn't true. They claimed there was a connection between Iraq and the September 11 attacks. Another claim that we know is false. And Bush said he wanted to find out the truth about who leaked a CIA agent's name to the press, and now it seems very apparent the leak came from inside the White House.

Even with an indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, and evidence to support the charge, it seems increasingly likely the administration will dodge another bullet on this one.

The Associated Press reported that Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald "is narrowing the description of his powers in an effort to counter calls for dismissal of the criminal case he brought against Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, defense lawyers said Friday."

Why does it seem like the good guys are the ones needing to defend themselves these days?

Katherine Harris: 'A cowgirl riding alone?'

oo

Key Players Leave Rep. Harris's Campaign

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The New York Times
April 2, 2006

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., April 1 (AP) — Representative Katherine Harris's Senate campaign lost what was left of its core team when a top adviser, her campaign manager and her communications director resigned this weekend.

Ms. Harris, a Republican who is challenging Senator Bill Nelson, the Democratic incumbent, said Saturday that the campaign had already lined up people who believed in her candidacy and that she would introduce them in the coming week. (full story)