shows where bush has brought us

when Congressmen have to request that the president doesn't lie in his SOTU address!
Echidne reports...

how is it...

...that this president has the lowest poll numbers conceivable, that no one approves of what he is or has done, that everyone thinks that he has done a bad job with everything from Iraq to Katrina to the budget/economy to security to personal rights to civil rights to domestic spying to damn near every freaking thing and yet the Dems are still afraid to oppose him?!?!?!?!
The Dems are the opposition party! Their job should be opposing an unpopular president and his unpopular policies, yet they seem to think that it will make them look bad if they do!
The president has won yet again - his extremist nominee that most of the American public does not agree with gets on the Supreme Court - and the Dems didn't even present a united front against him!
We should be turning this country around and we should be riding high on unpresidented popularity and we should be talking about impeachment, about cleaning up the government, about taking over every branch, about making this country great again, and yet we can't even filibuster a nutjob nominee!!!
damn, this is pathetic....

more homophobe nutcases

Pandagon reports that anti-gay wackos are against schools displaying this sign due to the fact that it promotes tolerence for homosexuals and doesn't try to shame kids into being someone that they are not!

absolutely insane!

Pandagon reports that some nutjobs are claiming that AOL's new advertising campaign takes the lord's name in vain, for - i kid you not - saying "I am"!!!
Well, I guess when you have the president, congress and Supreme Court all on your side, you have to really search for something to be outraged about!

more on bush's horrendous health care plan

From Think Progress:
The Truth About Health Savings Accounts
and also the Talent Show:
Saving What You Don't Have
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As usual, this plan will help the ultra-rich and screw the rest of us.
What a man of the people!

gonzales & domestic spying

Gonzales lied to the Senate last year about illegal spying

Kind of hard to claim you have the Senate's consent when you outright lie to them.

Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) charged yesterday that Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales misled the Senate during his confirmation hearing a year ago when he appeared to try to avoid answering a question about whether the president could authorize warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens.

In a letter to the attorney general yesterday, Feingold demanded to know why Gonzales dismissed the senator's question about warrantless eavesdropping as a "hypothetical situation" during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in January 2005. At the hearing, Feingold asked Gonzales where the president's authority ends and whether Gonzales believed the president could, for example, act in contravention of existing criminal laws and spy on U.S. citizens without a warrant.

Gonzales said that it was impossible to answer such a hypothetical question...

(Americablog)

because he hasn't f'k'd over the economy enough yet

Bush Budget Calls for Renewal of Tax Cuts
WASHINGTON - President Bush will renew his call for personal accounts within Social Security and ask Congress to renew tax cuts and curb the growth in benefit programs like Medicare and Medicaid in his 2007 budget request next week, according to administration officials.

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He won't be happy until his ultra-rich friends have all of the money and the rest of us are in the poorhouse! Damn, it would be nice to have a president who gave a shit about the average people of this country.

more on bush's economy

Wages Up by Smallest Amount in Nine Years
WASHINGTON - Wages and benefits paid to civilian workers rose last year by the smallest amount in nine years, the government reported Tuesday.

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His policies will destroy this country before he is out of office.

sad

Coretta Scott King Dies at 78
ATLANTA - Coretta Scott King, who turned a life shattered by her husband's assassination into one devoted to enshrining his legacy of human rights and equality, has died at the age of 78.

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say goodbye to your rights

Senate Confirms Alito to Supreme Court
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If liberal-leaning blogs suddenly start disappearing, you'll know why....

Y'know, the media really, really wanted this to happen. I'm not sure what they think is in it for them, but the biased reports since his nomination are overwhelming. Even this article talks about "fierce" opposition, though any opposition was tepid, at best. And, once again, they bring up the crying event that his wife staged during the hearings.

Damn, it would sure be nice if there was anything even resembling a liberal media in the country.....
(More on that topic here)

more on bush's "booming" economy

Kraft Foods to Eliminate 8,000 Jobs
CHICAGO - Kraft Foods Inc., the nation's largest food manufacturer, said Monday it would eliminate 8,000 more jobs, or about 8 percent of its work force, and close up to 20 production plants as it broadens an ongoing restructuring effort.

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they don't even WANT to win!

Filibuster killed, 72 to 25

The Republicans needed 60 votes to kill the filibuster. They got 72. According to CNN, about 17 Democrats broke ranks with Kerry and Kennedy and voted against the filibuster.

(Americablog)
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Why do the rest of us even try when the politicians obviously do not care about winning anything?!
Makes me sick.....
Those 17 better be voted out of office this year!!!
Newshounds lists the traitors

this week's Top Ten Conservative Idiots

From Democratic Underground

more Katrina incompetence

FEMA Response Inadequate, Documents Show
WASHINGTON - As Hurricane Katrina victims waited for help in flooded houses or in looted neighborhoods, hundreds of trucks, boats, planes and federal security officers sat unused because FEMA failed to give them missions, newly released documents show.

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If bush believed in having qualified people in positions of power, then things would have been very different. Of course, he doesn't care how many people die because of his favoritism....

gays and the miitary

Army to Investigate Gay Porn Allegations
RALEIGH, N.C. - Army officials are investigating allegations that members of the celebrated 82nd Airborne Division appear on a gay pornography Web site, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Authorities at Fort Bragg have begun an inquiry into whether the paratroopers' actions violated the military conduct code.
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"We are concerned about the privacy and rights of each trooper involved and that they are treated with dignity and respect," Hannah said.

Maj. Todd Vician, a Defense Department spokesman in Washington, said the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy states that "homosexual orientation alone is not a bar to service, but homosexual conduct is incompatible with military service."

"We define homosexual conduct as homosexual acts or verbal or nonverbal communication that a member is homosexual," Vician said.

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The policy is still absurd - you can be gay as long as you don't say that you are gay - but I can understand that being involved in a gay porn web site could be considered inappropriate behavior!
Is Jeff Gannon involved somehow?!

maybe the troops should have some, too?

Body Armor Likely Saved ABC News Pair
NEW YORK - ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff, seriously hurt by a roadside bomb in Iraq, has shown signs of improvement and may be airlifted to the United States as soon as Tuesday, the network's news president said Monday.

A hospital official said body armor likely saved the journalist's life.

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This is yet another horrible event in Iraq, but it brings home the point that our troops should have the same protection that our reporters have, and that they shouldn't be penalized for buying their own armor.

bush silencing science

Americablog reports here and here, as evidence mounts that bush is actually the anti-christ, determined to bring about the end of the world....

bush out-of-touch, as usual

Bush thinks we're "over-insured"

Bush is preparing to address health care in the State of the Union. That won't be good. Josh Marshall explains why:

But the core premise of the policies the president is about to lay out is that Americans are over-insured when it comes to health insurance. Over-insured. Got too much insurance.

These aren't my words. These are the words used by the conservative policy-wonks who came up with the president's proposals. Just hop over to Google and start googling the phrase 'over insured' along with 'health' and 'conservative'. This what they think; and what the president thinks. It's why he's behind these ideas.

So the president thinks the problem is that people have too much health insurance. People are over-insured.

Now, maybe in the circles in which the President travels, people are over-insured. But, that's not true in most of America. If anything, we're over-insurance companied. The insurance companies suck up our time and our resources to prevent adequate health care, not deliver it.

Bush is on the side of the insurance companies. Every step he takes on health care will benefit them, not the rest of us.

(Americablog)
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This is one of the most absurd of all of his absurd statements!
How anyone other than multi-millionaires ever voted for this clown, I'll never know....

more on bush & blair conspiring for war in Iraq no matter what

New UK book: Bush and Blair conspired for war in Iraq

The Mail on Sunday today is reporting that a book due out this week has more information on Bush and Blair's interest in going to war, regadless of what they said publicly. It doesn't come as much of a surprise, but the facts seem to be increasingly slipping out. When the book hits the street later this week, Blair and Jack Straw should be put back on the defensive.

Immediately afterwards, the two leaders gave a Press conference in which a nervous-looking Mr Blair claimed the meeting had been a success. Mr Bush gave qualified support for going down the UN route. But observers noted the awkward body language between the two men. Sands' book explains why. Far from giving a genuine endorsement to Mr Blair's attempt to gain full UN approval, Mr Bush was only going through the motions. And Mr Blair not only knew it, but went along with it.

The description of the January 31 meeting echoes the recent memoirs of Britain's former ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer.

Meyer, who was excluded from the private session between Blair and Bush, claimed the summit marked the culmination of the Prime Minister's failure to use his influence to hold back Mr Bush.

In view of Sands' disclosures, Blair had every reason to look awkward: he knew that despite his public talk of getting UN support, privately he had just committed himself to going to war no matter what the UN did.

(Americablog)

bush/abramoff connections

Even GOPers want Bush to fess up on Abramoff dealings

Last week, the Washington Post ran a scathing editorial about the Bush/Abramoff scandal. They noted that White House press secretary Scott McClellan considered requests for information about the interactions between the President and Jack Abramoff (who was one of the Bush campaign's leading fundraisers) as "partisan politics." Well, Scottie, it's not so partisan anymore. Your people want you to release the records:

Republican lawmakers said Sunday that President Bush should publicly disclose White House contacts with Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist who has pleaded guilty to felony charges in an influence-peddling case.

Releasing the records would help eliminate suspicions that Abramoff, a top fundraiser for Bush's re-election campaign, had undue influence on the White House, the Republicans said.

"I'm one who believes that more is better, in terms of disclosure and transparency," said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. "And so I'd be a big advocate for making records that are out there available....Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., who appeared with Thune on "Fox News Sunday,", said all White House correspondence, phone calls and meetings with Abramoff "absolutely" should be released."

The longer that White House holds out, the shadier it looks. But is no wonder the Bushies are worried. We learned this weekend that Bush appointee David Safavian tipped off Abramoff about an impending action by the government against one of his clients:

The document, filed Friday by federal prosecutors, asserts that David H. Safavian, the former chief of the General Services Administration who is under indictment, learned in November 2003 that four subsidiaries of Tyco were about to be suspended from obtaining government work. The filing, which was reported on Saturday by The Washington Post, said Mr. Safavian told Mr. Abramoff of the impending suspensions, along with some of the confidential discussions within his agency involving the issue.

Clearly, Jack Abramoff benefited from his relationship with the Bush White House. That's why they're trying so hard to cover it up.

(Americablog)

another frist flip-flop

Frist: Gov't Unwanted in End-Of-Life Cases
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Great quote from the article:

Frist was later mocked as having made a diagnosis from his office using a video screen. "I didn't make the diagnosis," Frist said Sunday. "I raised the question of whether or not she was in a persistent vegetative state."

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No, you did not "raise the question" - you stated with authority that she was not in a vegetative state.
I know that repugs tend to have short memories, but they shouldn't expect the rest of us to do so, as well!

felons going hunting - great idea!

Felons, Parolees Getting Hunting Licenses
HELENA, Mont. - Hundreds of people barred from having guns because they are felons on parole or probation are still able to get hunting licenses in Montana with no questions asked, an Associated Press investigation found.

Montana may not be alone. While nearly all states ban felons from possessing guns, only a handful — including Rhode Island and Maine — keep them from receiving hunting permits, and just a few others — such as Illinois and Massachusetts — require hunters to show both a hunting license and a firearms license.
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The AP examination of Montana hunting and corrections records shows at least 660 felons on parole or probation received tags in the past year. The findings are based on a comparison of unique first, middle and last names, along with other identifiable information, that appeared in databases of both hunters and felons.
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With millions of hunters in the U.S. — nearly 270,000 in Montana alone —authorities in many states say it simply would be too difficult to check if felons are getting hunting tags.

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So, why is it that the only "right" that the conservative nutjobs want to make sure that eeryone has - no matter who - is the right to own a gun?!
It's OK for felons to have guns, but not ok for gays to marry or women to have the right to choose what to do with their own body?!
And the excuse is that it would be too much trouble?!? Why hasn't there been a procedure in place already?!

stillmore bush incompetence in Iraq

Audit: U.S.-Led Occupation Squandered Aid
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Iraqi money gambled away in the Philippines. Thousands spent on a swimming pool that was never used. An elevator repaired so poorly that it crashed, killing people.

A U.S. government audit found American-led occupation authorities squandered tens of millions of dollars that were supposed to be used to rebuild Iraq through undocumented spending and outright fraud.

In some cases, auditors recommend criminal charges be filed against the perpetrators. In others, it asks the U.S. ambassador to Iraq to recoup the money.
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"Tens of millions of dollars in cash had gone in and out of the South-Central Region vault without any tracking of who deposited or withdrew the money, and why it was taken out," says a report by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, which is in the midst of a series of audits for the Pentagon and State Department.

Much of the first audit reports deal with contracting in south-central Iraq, one of the country's least-hostile regions. Audits have yet to be released for the occupation authority's spending in the rest of Iraq.

The audits offer a window into the chaotic U.S.-led occupation of Iraq of 2003-04, when inexperienced American officials — including workers from President Bush's election campaign — organized a cash-intensive "hearts and minds" mission to rebuild Iraq's devastated economy.

But the corruption and incompetence documented in the reports reveal that much of the effort, however well-intentioned, was wasted.

The failure of the rebuilding effort has been borne out most vividly by the rise of a virulent anti-American insurgency that has claimed most of the 2,237 U.S. military lives lost since the war began.
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One report describes mismanagement of more than 2,000 small contracts in south-central Iraq worth $88 million. Occupation staffers or those they supervised handed out millions to companies that never submitted required competitive bids or that were paid for unfinished work.

Other examples cited in the reports:

_Only a quarter of $23 million entrusted to civilian and military project and contracting officers to pay contractors ever found its way to those contractors.

_One contractor was paid $14,000 on four separate occasions for the same job.

_Of $7.3 million spent on a police academy near Hillah, auditors could account for just $4 million. They said $1.3 million was wasted on overpriced or duplicate construction or equipment not delivered. More than $2 million was missing.

_U.S. personnel "needlessly disbursed more than $1.8 million" of the estimated $2.3 million spent for renovating the library in the Shiite holy city of Karbala.

_The library contractor delivered only 18 of 68 personal computers called for and did not install Internet wiring or software. The computers worked only as stand-alones.

_The U.S.-led security transition command spent $945,000 for seven armored Mercedes-Benzes that were too lightly armored for Iraq. Auditors were able to account for only six of the cars.

_At one point, several paying agents kept cash inside the same filing cabinet in the Hillah vault. One agent took $100,000 from another's stack of cash to clear his own balance. "This was only discovered because the other paying agent had to make a disbursement that day and realized that he was short cash," the report says.

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Wouldn't it be nice if someone - anyone - of bush's people were not totally corrupt and were slightly competent?! Has anything - literally anything?! - gone right that bush's people were in charge of?

descending?!

Sunni Leader: Iraq Descending Into Turmoil
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's top Sunni Arab political leader accused Shiite-dominated security forces Sunday of pursuing a strategy of sectarian "cleansing" in Baghdad and said he opposed giving key Cabinet posts to Shiites — a stance likely to further inflame tensions.

Iraq's ceaseless violence killed at least 20 people, including 13 Iraqi policemen and soldiers. Three Iraqis were killed in a spate of church bombings bearing the hallmarks of Sunni insurgent attacks.

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It seems like "turmoil" is a pretty tame word to be using!

can't imagine how this could happen under this administration!

Study Finds Rich-Poor Income Gap Growing
ALBANY, N.Y. - The disparity between rich and poor is growing in America as the federal minimum wage has remained flat for years, union membership has declined and industries have faced global competition, according to a study released Thursday.

The report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute, both liberal-leaning think tanks, found the incomes of the poorest 20 percent of families nationally grew by an average of $2,660, or 19 percent, over the past 20 years. Meanwhile, the incomes of the richest fifth of families grew by $45,100, or nearly 59 percent, the study by the Washington-based groups said.

Families in the middle fifth saw their incomes rise 28 percent, or $10,218.

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Boy, can you think of any policies under this administration that would cause this?!?!
Maybe someday America will once again help the people who really need the help, rather than just helping the ultra-rich get even richer.....
And nice how the article has to say that these institutes are "liberal leaning", even though they are obviously simply reporting facts and anyone with eyes can see that this trend is occuring.

bush's version of "supporting the troops"

Army forces 50,000 soldiers into extended duty

harry does the right thing - again!

Reid To Support Alito Filibuster Despite Likely Failure
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Nice "liberal media" spin on this! The media is determined to get Alito confirmed no matter how extremist he is or how many people don't want him! How many stories have there been already on the "fact" that there wouldn't be a filibuster and that Alito will "definitely" be confirmed and on & on?
How about they just report on the facts for a change and the fact is that no one knows for sure what will happen yet?

bush's billionth (conservative estimate) flip-flop

Carpetbagger reports that after deriding Kerry throughout the 2004 campaign, they have stolen his ideas. How much ya wanna bet that they screw it up totally?

more un-American activities by Americans

Un-American Jailing of Wives of Insurgents in Iraq

I'm not usually one to question the tactics of the military - they are on the ground, I'm not. This, however, just can't be defended in any way. From AP via Yahoo:

"The U.S. Army in Iraq has at least twice seized and jailed the wives of suspected insurgents in hopes of 'leveraging' their husbands into surrender, U.S. military documents show.

In one case, a secretive task force locked up the young mother of a nursing baby, a U.S. intelligence officer reported. In the case of a second detainee, one American colonel suggested to another that they catch her husband by tacking a note to the family's door telling him 'to come get his wife.'

The issue of female detentions in Iraq has taken on a higher profile since kidnappers seized American journalist Jill Carroll on Jan. 7 and threatened to kill her unless all Iraqi women detainees are freed."

This tactic is un-American and should be rejected by both Democrats and Republicans with equal disgust.

(Americablog)

boggles the mind!

Bush CUTTING Army Reserve, National Guard

As Katrina showed, the National Guard is already stretched thin in doing the job that it was designed for - protecting the nation. War abroad may be protecting the nation by proxy, but it leaves you short-handed at home. So after years of war in Iraq and nothing but more of the same to come, what does George Bush decide? He decides, I kid you not, to cut the size of the Army Reserve AND National Guard. From AP:

President Bush will use his new budget to propose cutting the size of the Army Reserve to its lowest level in three decades and stripping up to $4 billion from two fighter aircraft programs.

The proposals, likely to face opposition on Capitol Hill, come as the Defense Department struggles to trim personnel costs and other expenses to pay for the war in Iraq and a host of other pricey aircraft and high-tech programs. Bush will send his 2007 budget to Congress on Feb. 6.

The proposed Army Reserve cut is part of a broader plan to achieve a new balance of troop strength and combat power among the active Army, the National Guard and reserves to fight the global war on terrorism and to defend the homeland.

The Army sent a letter to members of Congress on Thursday outlining the plan. A copy was provided to The Associated Press.

Why the hell would one want to cut the Reserve during war time? Well the answer is because they gave up:

Under the plan, the authorized troop strength of the Army Reserve would drop from 205,000 — the current number of slots it is allowed— to 188,000, the actual number of soldiers it had at the end of 2005. Because of recruiting and other problems, the Army Reserve has been unable to fill its ranks to its authorized level.

Army leaders have said they are taking a similar approach to shrinking the National Guard. They are proposing to cut that force from its authorized level of 350,000 soldiers to 333,000, the actual number now on the rolls.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Because you can't recruit (oh, I wonder why?) your answer is to CUT the size of the military at a time war? WTF!! Tax cuts stay, we don't need more money in a time of war!

Democrats there is a HUGE, ENORMOUS and MASSIVE opportunity for you here. A sustained campaign by the nation's Democratic Governors opposing the National Guard cuts paired with a plan in the House and Senate to repeal the tax cuts for the wealthy to pay for the war in Iraq could reap you enormous political hay in the future. In one move you go from being a party on the defensive in national security to the offense. You don't get handed a whole lot of opportunities like that. Pick a spokesperson now - only ONE and get them on TV as THE point person on this issue - and get a sustained PR campaign plan ready that you can launch after Alito. It'd be the right next move. Filibusterer Alito through the State of the Union and then move on to this and pretty soon it will be Spring, right in time to begin the 2006 cycle with a weaker opponent...

(Americablog)

bush's pals are everywhere

'Bring New Orleans Back' Commissioner's Campaign Contributions:94% Went to
Republicans
"The mission of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission is to work with the mayor to create a master plan by the end of the year that rebuilds New Orleans culturally, socially, economically, and uniquely for every citizen." They recently unveiled their plan which is controversial and has been met with criticism as has the role of commissioner Joseph Canizaro. Joseph Canizaro is a real estate developer who has made large contributions to Bush.

(Scout Prime)

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Man, the people who contributed to bush sure got their moneys' worth! It seems like everything is for sale if you're a repug!

fired for not doing your job! what a concept!

Pharmacists Sue Over Birth Control Policy
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Four pharmacists who refused to sign a pledge promising to dispense the morning-after birth-control pill sued Walgreen drug stores Friday, alleging they were illegally fired.

The lawsuits accuse Walgreen Co. of violating the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act. The pharmacists were being represented by the American Center for Law and Justice, a public-interest group founded by evangelist Pat Robertson.

A new state rule requires pharmacies that sell federally approved contraceptives to fill prescriptions for emergency birth control "without delay" if they have the medication in stock. The rule is being challenged in federal court.

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So, Pat Robertson is trying to say that by Walgreen's obeying the law and making their employees do their jobs, they are somehow breaking the law! Whew!
It's pretty damn simple - if you don't want to dispense prescribed medication, then don't become a pharmacist!

democracy in action!

Fatah Activists Demand Change in Party
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Fatah activists marched to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' compound, police briefly stormed the parliament building in Gaza and security forces clashed with Hamas gunmen on Saturday as the long-ruling party lashed out in anger for its devastating election loss.

Fears over the future of the security forces under a Hamas-led government added to the chaos.

Most of the 58,000 security officers are allied with Fatah and worry that they will lose their jobs. The Islamic militant group, which won a majority in Wednesday's parliamentary vote, has its own armed force of about 5,000 gunmen in the Gaza Strip.
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President Bush said Friday in a television interview with "CBS Evening News" that the United States would cut aid to the Palestinian government unless Hamas abolishes the militant arm of its party and stops calling for the destruction of Israel.

Hamas is listed as a terror organization by the United States and the European Union. If the group fails to change its ways, Bush said, "we won't deal with them."

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So much for bush's dreams of democracy in the middle east! Now it happened and he doesn't like and so he is going to ignore it!
Apparently, the Palestinians only want democracy if they agree with the results! (Sounds like repugs to me!)

more IOKIYAR

from Media Matters
but damn, is our media "liberal"!!

coulter thinks that murder is a joke

what a sicko
yes, I realize that her whole schtick is to say the most "outrageous" and "controversial" and downright absurd things that come into her mind, but you would think that someone would reign in her innumerable calls for violence and murder. like it or not, she is a major media figure - she should have some limits.
why is violence the only answer for conservatives? How many have called for the murder of people that they don't agree with - coulter, hannity, robertson, limbaugh - the list goes on & on. Gawd forbid they actually try to convince people that their point of view is correct - it's easier to simply kill the opposing view!

well, i feel better now!

Let’s all breathe a sigh of relief.
“Our government is not corrupt, lobbyists are not bribing people, and members of Congress are not being bought for campaign contributions,” says Paul Miller, head of the American League of Lobbyists. Well that pretty much settles it.

(Think Progress)

the never ending saga of the "liberal media"

Think Progress reports that, once again, the media is attempting to deceive the public about the republican/abramoff scandal. As it has been proven over and over and over and over, ONLY repugs took money from Abramoff - period!!!! Yes, some Dems took money from abramoffs clients - the ones that he was cheating!!! - but not the tainted money from abramoff.
Will there EVER be an acurate story on this in the media?!
And I wonder why the Dems aren't doing better politically now....

Americans want bush to come clean

Americans think the Bush/Abramoff links are relevant

Yesterday, during his press conference, Bush was dismissive answering questions about Jack Abramoff. His talking point for that issue was "not relevant." Today, the Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that for most Americans, the Bush/Abramoff connection is quite relevant:

A strong bipartisan majority of the public believes President Bush should release records of meetings between disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and White House staffers despite administration claims that media requests for details about those contacts amount to a "fishing expedition," according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

The survey found that three in four--76 percent--of all Americans said Bush should disclose contacts between aides and Abramoff while 18 percent disagreed. Two in three Republicans joined with eight in 10 Democrats and political independents in favoring disclosure, according to the poll.

By refusing to release records and photos, the White House looks like they are hiding something. They probably are.

(Americablog)
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Why aren't the Dems pounding on this issue?!?! What are they so afraid of?!?! Of making the president look bad?! I swear to gawd, the Dems have got to be working with the repugs in an effort to destroy this country....

well, no f'king sh*t!!!

State of the Union? Not so good, most say
A USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken last weekend and interviews across the country this week found most Americans pessimistic about the economy, divided on the war and doubtful that Bush has the best plan to address the issues that matter most to them - among them health care and corruption.

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How is it that the Dems are not wiping the floor with the repugs these days? How are we (and the country) continually losing to them?! Sure, the overwhelmingly conservative media who just regurgitates repug talking points continuously is a big part of it, but we need a party - not just a couple of members - that are willing to stand up for Americans and put a stop to the downward spiral that the repugs have put us in!
I have never been more disgusted or revolted in our country and its "leaders"....

let's just roll over and play dead

if we can't get a filibuster on this radical, extremist nutjob despite the fact that he is FAR out of the mainstream and the majority of Americans oppose everything that he stands for and the fact that the president's ratings are at a record low, then we might as well just give up entirely, because we are never going to get anything done again.
This is truly, totally, fucking pathetic!
We are in the majority and we still can't win!
Let's just flush this whole country down the drain cuz it ain't America anymore....

priorities

OK, so a nobody lying in a book is a huge scandal that makes headlines day after day, but bush lying about the war, about spying on Americans, about damn near every single thing, and no one cares!
Priorities people! What's that, there's another missing white woman?!?!

Friday Beagle Blogging!

No new pix this week, so here's several oldies!

John Kerry's filibuster petition

Sign the filibuster petition

Kerry continuing to stand up for what he believes in

Kerry wants a filibuster
(Americablog)
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I wish - and hope - that we have more Dems with spines! I keep reading in our "liberal media" that Alito is as good as confirmed and there would never be a filibuster and on & on - and some Dems are spouting these defeatist lines themselves. Alito is the poster boy for the filibuster! If they don't do it, then I think that we need to start a new party that is made up of people who are willing to stand up for their - and America's - ideals!

our "liberal media" at it again

Think Progress shows that the media never gives up on the repug talking points. Thank goodness that Dean continues to hold steady and never falter in telling the truth about the Abramoff-repug scandal.

chris matthews lying again!

He is now claiming that a 100% accurate liberal ad is lying.
Wouldn't it be nice if the repugs ever used to truth to make their point?
Oh, that's right, they couldn't make their point if they told the truth!

lying hypocrits (i gotta find more adjectives for repugs!)

This is huge. In 2002, Bush administration OPPOSED legislation to make it easier to wiretap under FISA

The Bush Administration opposed legislation that would have given them the very power they now claim they needed, power they now claim they didn't have under FISA. It's because they didn't have this power, they now claim, that they had to break the law and spy without a warrant. But this law would have given them much of the legal power they wanted. Yet they said they didn't need it, and worse yet, that the proposed legislation was likely unconstitutional. But now we know they did it anyway.

And it was all discovered by a blogger, and now it's a big story in Thursday's Washington Post and LA Times. Amazing.

And when you read through the story, below, note what the administration NOW says. They claim the new legislation wouldn't have gone far enough. Really? First, the administration said at the time that the legislation went too far and wasn't needed, so bull.

Second, the Bush administration now is changing their story and claiming that they opposed the legislation because it wouldn't have permitted them to snoop as much as they wanted. But back in 2002 the Bush people said that even the lesser-snooping-power in the proposed legislation was likely unconstitutional. So if the lesser power was likely unconstitutional, imagine how unconstitutional Bush's ACTUAL domestic spying program was and is? A program that by the Bush administration's own admission went (and goes) far beyond what the proposed proposed law would have allowed.

And what's more, the proposed legislation that the Bush administration thought might be unconstitutional, that law applied only to the Bush administration spying on foreigners, NOT Americans. If it was likely unconstitutional for them to use the proposed law to spy on foreigners, imagine how unconstitutional that law would have been had it been applied to Americans? But the Bush warrantless spying WAS on Americans, and by their own admission went FAR beyond the proposed unconstitutional law.

So Bush chose to break the law when he had an alternative. And what's worse, this suggests that Bush feared the Supreme Court would never let him spy on Americans the degree to which he wanted, the court would find it unconstitutional, so that's why Bush never sought the change in the law proposed in 2002 - Bush thought it would have been struck down by the Supreme Court. So Bush chose to break the law in order to circumvent the Supreme Court enforcing the US Constitution.

This is huge.

Glenn, the blogger who broke this, makes one more important point:

And its claim that Congress knew of and approved of its FISA-bypassing eavesdrop program is plainly negated by the fact that the same Congress was debating whether such changes should be effectuated and then refused to approve much less extreme changes to FISA than what the Administration secretly implemented on its own (and which it now claims Congress authorized).

(Americablog)
And more from Think Progress

lying through his teeth

Bush Confident Warrantless Wiretaps Legal
WASHINGTON - President Bush defended anew his program of warrantless surveillance Thursday, saying "there's no doubt in my mind it is legal." He suggested that he might resist congressional efforts to change it.

"The program's legal, it's designed to protect civil liberties, and it's necessary," Bush told a White House news conference.

Democrats have accused the president of breaking the law in allowing eavesdropping on overseas communications to and from U.S. residents, and even some members of his own party have questioned the practice.

Asked if he would support efforts in Congress to give him express authority to continue the program, Bush cited what he said was the extreme delicacy of the operation.

"It's so sensitive that if information gets out about how the program works, it will help the enemy," Bush said. "Why tell the enemy what we're doing?"

"We'll listen to ideas. If the attempt to write law is likely to expose the nature of the program, I'll resist it," the president said.

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All that anyone is asking is that he obeys the law and gets a warrant when spying on Americans! So, now he is saying that he is protecting our civil liberties by invading our privacy?!?! And how will the demand that he obeys the law and gets a warrant "expose the nature of the program" to our enemies?!

but not enough to raise the threat level

Bush: Bin Laden Should Be Taken Seriously
FORT MEADE, Md. - President Bush, defending the government's secret surveillance program, said Wednesday that Americans should take Osama bin Laden seriously when he says he's going to attack again.

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"Be very afraid! Be so damn afraid that you will beg me to take away your rights! I'm going to go ahead and do whatever I damn well please no matter what, but it's nice to have the illusion that I'm doing it for a reason!"
If he is a serious threat, then maybe we should try to - oh i dunno - get him maybe?!?!?!
If his threats are serious, maybe we should - oh i dunno - prepare ourselves this time?!?
Spying on Americans does not help make us safer. We would be safer if we were fighting al Qaida, instead of Iraqis and instead of creating more terrorists in Iraq.
What a freakin' clown.....

McClellan lying about domestic spying

First Draft reports on the new, pathetic attempt at deflection from the truth about the administration spying on Americans without warrants. Apparently, if a call is made or received by an American from America to or from someone in another country, then the American gives up their citizenship by making or receiving that call! McClellan actually says that it is not spying on Americans if that American is communicating with someone in another country! And he is extremely condensending as he says this!
This really has to be one of the worst defenses I have ever heard!

still more repug corruption

Pssst, Rick. You Have Some AbramOffal On Your Chin!
When it was revealed last week that Texas Governor Rick "Good Hair" Perry's administration had awarded a lucrative contract to an Abramoff-connected firm that refused to meet with Texas Democrats in Congress Perry's spokesman claimed that Cassidy & Associates had won the contract by submitting the lowest bid.

It turns out that was a lie.

When the state approved hiring a lobbying firm with close ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff in 2004, it rejected competing bids that met more of its selection criteria and cost less, according to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman.

What the winning firm, Cassidy & Associates, did have was access, all the way to presidential aide Karl Rove, according to memos and e-mails obtained through a Texas open records request.

And despite the lower marks the firm received when state officials reviewed the bids, staff members from state agencies tapped to choose a lobbyist eventually awarded the firm a $15,000-a-month contract to lobby Congress.

(First Draft)

that's cooperation!

Bush Mine Safety Administrator Walks Out of Senate Hearing
On Monday, the Bush administration’s top mine safety official, David Dye, appeared before a Senate subcommittee to explain the administration’s response to the Sago mining disaster. Specifically, senators wanted to know why mine safety has been consistently underfunded under President Bush, and why regulations have been rolled back or weakly enforced.

Unfortunately, David Dye has a busy schedule. After an hour of questioning, Dye announced he had “some really pressing matters” to attend to, and asked to leave the hearing. Committee chairman Arlen Specter (R-PA) urged him not to: “Your presence will be required here for at least one more hour.”

But Dye insisted:

We have been diverted, dealing with these matters. We were happy to prepare for the hearing, but we really need to get back and attend to all this. There’s 15,000 mines in the United States, and we’ve got some really pressing matters.

The New York Times describes what occured next:

After Mr. Specter added, “That’s the committee’s request, but you’re not under subpoena,” Mr. Dye got up and walked out.

“I can’t recollect it ever happening before,” Mr. Specter said of the departure. “We’ll find a way to take appropriate note of it.”

---
Must be nice to be able to leave whenever things aren't going your way!
This guy has certainly learned from his boss!

why do they refuse to ask anyone to join the military?

Santorum's Yellow Elephant Speech
Santorum:
"And yet we have brave men and women who are willing to step forward because they know what's at stake. They're willing to sacrifice their lives for this great country. What I'm asking all of you tonight is not to put on a uniform. Put on a bumper sticker. Is it that much to ask? Is it that much to ask to step up and serve your country?"

---
This is getting absurd! Why do the war-mongers refuse to ask their supporters to join the military when there is such a great need currently?

the liberal media myth and politics

Explained by Peter Daou at Salon

even conservatives telling bush to come clean!

Washington Post, in rare moment of clarity, admonishes Bush for not coming clean about Abramoff

Hey,even a broken clock is right two times a day:

It's undisputed that Mr. Abramoff tried to use his influence, and his restaurant and his skyboxes and his chartered jets, to sway lawmakers and their staffs. Information uncovered by Mr. Bush's own Justice Department shows that Mr. Abramoff tried to do the same inside the executive branch.

Under these circumstances, asking about Mr. Abramoff's White House meetings is no mere exercise in reportorial curiosity but a legitimate inquiry about what an admitted felon might have been seeking at the highest levels of government. Whatever White House officials did or didn't do, there is every reason to believe that Mr. Abramoff was up to no good and therefore every reason the public ought to know with whom he was meeting.

(Americablog)

unending corruption

Earle Probes Possible Cunningham-DeLay Tie
SAN DIEGO - The Texas prosecutor targeting Rep. Tom DeLay has issued a second round of subpoenas to businessmen here seeking records surrounding donations to the former Republican leader and disgraced former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham.

---

criminals refusing to leave Congress

Embattled Rep. Ney to Seek Re-Election
WASHINGTON - Undaunted by speculation within his own party that he may have to quit Congress because of a corruption probe, Rep. Bob Ney announced Wednesday he's running for re-election.

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scarily pissing off the world

U.S. Threatens India Nuclear Deal
NEW DELHI - A landmark nuclear deal between India and the United States will "die" in Washington if New Delhi supports Iran at the upcoming meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.

---

google censorship

Google Agrees to Censor Results in China
SHANGHAI, China - Google Inc. launched a search engine in China on Wednesday that censors material about human rights, Tibet and other topics sensitive to Beijing — defending the move as a trade-off granting Chinese greater access to other information.

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This is a scary precedent. How long before we have the same thing here in America?

our "liberal media" on Alito

Nominee Has Enough Votes as Senate Begins Debate
WASHINGTON (Jan. 25) -- Senate Majority Leader Sen. Bill Frist pronounced Supreme Court candidate Samuel Alito "exceptionally qualified" Wednesday at the outset of debate that seemed little more than rhetorical prelude to confirmation.

---
This entire article basically says that Alito is as good as confirmed and there's no way that the Dems will use the filibuster. Nice of our media to read our Senators' minds and tell us what they are thinking!
If they don't use the filibuster on this extremist nominee - which, despite what the media is reporting, a large percentage of the public does NOT agree with - then there is no reason to have it at all.
If this prediction comes true, say goodbye to our rights as we know them!

anyone feel a draft coming?

Deployments Stretching Army, Study Finds
WASHINGTON (Jan. 25) - Stretched by frequent troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has become a "thin green line" that could snap unless relief comes soon, according to a study for the Pentagon.

Andrew Krepinevich, a retired Army officer who wrote the report under a Pentagon contract, concluded that the Army cannot sustain the pace of troop deployments to Iraq long enough to break the back of the insurgency. He also suggested that the Pentagon's decision, announced in December, to begin reducing the force in Iraq this year was driven in part by a realization that the Army was overextended.

---
And just wait until bush does something stupid (again) and we get into a conflict with Iran....

WH blocking yet another investigation

Senators Say White House Blocking Katrina Inquiry
WASHINGTON (Jan. 25) - The White House is crippling a Senate inquiry into the government's sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina by barring administration officials from answering questions and failing to hand over documents, senators leading the investigation said Tuesday.

In some cases, staff at the White House and other federal agencies have refused to be interviewed by congressional investigators, said the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In addition, agency officials won't answer seemingly innocuous questions about times and dates of meetings and telephone calls with the White House, the senators said.

---
Anyone with eyes and ears knows that the administration didn't give a f'k about what happened during Katrina - hell, bush couldn't even be bothered to even acknowledge that it happened until - what - 3, 4 days after the levees broke? "Heckuvajob" Brownie was more worried about his dinner than the evacuees. There was nothing that this administration did right in the biggest natural disaster in this country in decades.

still more chris matthews right-wing propaganda

This time lying about Tom DeLay.
From Think Progress

hannity lies for bush - what a surprise!

Hannity Attacks Media for Calling Domestic Spying “Domestic Spying”
Last night on the Fox News Channel, Sean Hannity and Mary Matalin attacked the “left” and the “news media” for correctly labeling Bush’s warrantless domestic spying program:

HANNITY:This is not about domestic spying, because that’s the way it’s being portrayed by people on the left and by the news media…

MATALIN: …And just using the words “domestic spying” is how the left frames these debates. I looked this up a couple of weeks ago when this argument first started. There are 104,000 hits on references to signals intelligence, which is what this is, electronic surveillance of terrorists. There was 1.5 million references to domestic spying. People hear, “Domestic spying.” It’s completely not that.

Actually, it is. The distinction between this program and previous legal spying programs is that it is directed at people in the United States without first securing warrants.

The right-wing’s new framing of the program as merely another “Terrorist Surveillance Program” is meant to do one thing: confuse the American people.

(Think Progress)

Americans don't believe in domestic spying

58% of Americans want a special prosecutor to investigate Bush's domestic spying

Now you know why Bush is mounting such a sudden full-court press on this issue. They've lost control of the public opinion on it.

A new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll shows that 51% of Americans say the administration was wrong to intercept conversations without a warrant. The poll also showed that 58% of Americans support appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the issue. The poll of 1,006 adults was taken Friday through Sunday and has a margin of error of +/—3 percentage points.

(Americablog)

a serious art critic!

Frenchman fined for attacking urinal artwork
PARIS (Reuters) - A Frenchman who attacked and damaged "Fountain," a urinal declared a work of art by Dada pioneer Marcel Duchamp, was ordered Tuesday to pay a fine of 214,000 euros ($262,700).

A Paris court also gave Pierre Pinoncelli, 77, a three-month suspended sentence for taking a hammer to the absurdist artwork, the second time he has attacked it since 1993. The attack last month left the ceramic urinal slightly cracked.

Duchamp was a leader of the Dada movement, an avant garde "anti-art" school of the early 20th century that mocked conventional standards, and "Fountain," made in 1917 -- is considered one of the most influential artworks of its kind.

"This was a wink at Dadaism," Pinoncelli told the court in his defense. "I wanted to pay homage to the Dada spirit."

---
Gotta say that I appreciate his defense!

careful what you wish for!

Dolittle Defends Relations With Lobbyist
WASHINGTON - In his first extensive public comments about being implicated in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., said he has done nothing wrong and challenged the Justice Department to investigate him.

---

Doolittle accepted campaign money from Abramoff and used the lobbyist's luxury sports box for a fundraiser without initially reporting it. Doolittle's wife and one of his former aides also worked for the lobbyist.

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Well, I bet that he gets his wish and gets investigated! From all of the ties that he has with Abramoff, is would be surprising if he is not investigated!

literally standing up to the lies

(AP Photo: Members of the audience stand up and turn their backs on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales,... )

Gonzales Says NSA Criticism Misleading
WASHINGTON - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defended the Bush administration's domestic spying program Tuesday and suggested that some critics and news reports have misled Americans about the breadth of the National Security Agency's surveillance.

Gonzales said the warrantless surveillance is critical to prevent another terrorist attack within the United States and falls within President Bush's constitutional authority and the powers granted by Congress immediately following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
---
As he spoke, more than a dozen students stood silently with their backs turned to the attorney general. Outside the classroom where Gonzales was to speak, a pair of protesters held up a sheet that said, "Don't torture the Constitution."
---
But some members of Congress from both parties have questioned whether the warrantless snooping is legal. And many Democrats along with a number of legal experts say flatly that Bush has broken the law and has committed an impeachable offense.

Last week, Gonzales sent leaders of Congress a 42-page legal defense of warrantless eavesdropping which suggests that the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is unconstitutional if it prevents the NSA's warrantless eavesdropping.

The National Security Agency program bypassed the special FISA court Congress established in 1978 to approve or reject secret surveillance or searches of foreigners and U.S. citizens suspected of terrorism or espionage.

---
Utterly fantastic to see people protesting the bs! Gonzales is lying through his teeth and anyone who has been paying attention knows that he is. Spying on Americans is NOT a power that was granted to bush by Congress!
And is he actually saying (and expecting people to believe) that FISA is unconstitutional if it stops the president from breaking the law?!?!?!?! Man, that is some legal mangling!!!
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More from Crooks and Liars

nutjobs trying to crash small parade

Laguna Beach Parade Hit by Political Fight
LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. - For nearly 40 years, this quaint city overlooking the Pacific has united around its annual Patriots' Day Parade, a celebration of school marching bands, charities, civic groups and military personnel.

The small-town tradition, though, has become an unlikely battlefield in the national debate over illegal immigration.

The nonprofit group that runs the parade recently rejected a float sponsored by the Minuteman Project, a self-styled border patrol run by illegal immigration opponent Jim Gilchrist. Now, his group is threatening legal action on free-speech and discrimination grounds and has gone to the airwaves to criticize the city and its parade.
---
The vote sets the stage for a legal showdown in a controversy that has shaken Laguna Beach, a bohemian town of 24,000 tucked into coastal hills that is best-known for its vibrant arts scene, ocean vistas, laid-back atmosphere and prominent gay population.

The issue began when two members of the Minuteman Project who live in Laguna Beach filled out an application to enter a float in the March 4 parade on behalf of their group.

The parade committee, however, turned down the application because it found the group's participation would violate its bylaws, which ban groups with a religious or political affiliation or message. The association, which isn't affiliated with the city, puts on the show each year for about $10,000, Quilter said.

---
So, these wackos are whining because they can't crash a parade just because it would be again the parade's bylaws if they participated!! Of course, being right-wing crazies, they figure that the law doesn't apply to them, just like the president!

getting away with murder

Jury Orders Reprimand, No Jail for Soldier
FORT CARSON, Colo. - A military jury has recommended that an officer once facing up to life in prison for the interrogation death of an Iraqi general be given only a reprimand, a decision that drew applause from soldiers.

Initially charged with murder, Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr. now faces no jail time, the forfeiture of $6,000 in salary and what amounts largely to a barracks restriction for 60 days.
---
Welshofer was convicted Saturday of negligent homicide and negligent dereliction of duty for stuffing the Iraqi general headfirst into a sleeping bag and sitting on his chest.
---
Prosecutors had described Welshofer as a rogue interrogator who became frustrated with Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush's refusal to answer questions and escalated his techniques from simple interviews to beatings to simulating drowning, and finally, to death.
---
David Danzig, spokesman for New York-based Human Rights First, said he was shocked by what the thought was a too-lenient sentence.

"My concern is that it suggests the United States doesn't take these kinds of issues seriously. There's no indication anything more will be done to account for the death of this detainee who was in U.S. custody."

---
What kind of message are we sending to the Iraqis when we do something like this? This is sure to win the hearts and minds of the people! $6000 and 60 days?!?! I guess we're showing what we think an Iraqi life is worth!

this is not news

Pre-Katrina Warnings Not Heeded
WASHINGTON - Senators lambasted the Bush administration on Tuesday for failing to heed devastating predictions from a hurricane preparedness test that began a year before Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.

The top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee also accused the White House of trying to block or delay the panel's inquiry into the government's sluggish response to Katrina.

The preparedness exercise that began in July 2004, dubbed Hurricane Pam, warned that a Category 3 storm would overwhelm the New Orleans area with flood waters, killing up to 60,000 people and destroying buildings and roads. State and federal officials were concluding Pam's findings when Katrina, an actual Category 4 storm, roared ashore on Aug. 29

---

Lieberman also accused the White House of trying to stall a Senate investigation into the government's response to Katrina by failing to produce requested documents and prohibiting federal officials from answering questions. The inquiry is scheduled to be completed in March.

---
We knew about this right after Katrina hit. I guess the only reason that it is news now is that the WH is - once again - attempting to block investigations into its incompetence.

maybe its not such a great place to move to!

Conservatives Win in Canadian Election
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It was a narrow win, so we'll see what happens, but let's hope they don't go insane, like the US did!

bush perverts America once again

Investigator: U.S. 'Outsourced' Torture
STRASBOURG, France - The head of a European investigation into alleged CIA secret prisons in Europe said Tuesday that evidence pointed to the existence of a system of "outsourcing" of torture by the United States, and that it was highly likely European governments were aware of it.

---
Y'know, it really wasn't all that long ago that America actually opposed things like this! It is pretty incredible that one president has been able to tear down everything that America once stood for!

why even have the filibuster if it isn't used?

Alito Nears Partisan Win on Committee Vote
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Obviously, the media continues to kiss bush's ass and push his agenda, so I hope that articles like this are just propaganda and not really what the Dems are thinking.
If they can't use the filibuster on a right-wing extremist like this, then there is no reason to have it at all!
Once again, wouldn't it be nice if there really was a liberal media that wasn't just trying to convince the public that everything that bush says and does is right and that maybe an opposing opinion might be the right opinion?

will this be the last unscripted question?!

College Sophomore Stumps President Bush
Bush was stumped during the
Q&A session of his speech today by a sophomore at Kansas State:

Q: My name is Tiffany Cooper. I’m a sophomore here at Kansas State and I was just wanting to get your comments about education. Recently 12.7 billion dollars was cut from education. I was just wondering how is that supposed to help our futures?

[snip]
Bush: Actually, I think what we did was reform the student loan program. We are not cutting money out of it.

Tiffany clearly confused Bush. Not only did he have to turn to his aide for advice, but he confused truthiness with the truth. The facts:

Student Loans: On Dec. 21, 2005, the Senate passed $12.7 billion in cuts to education programs — “the largest cut in student college loan programs in history.” Vice President Cheney cast the deciding vote in favor of the cuts. The bill also fixed the interest rate on student loans at 6.8 percent, “even if commercial rates are lower.” Despite Bush’s claims, students will be left off the program.

Pell Grants: Pell Grants have been frozen or cut since 2002; they are now stuck at a maximum of $4,050. In his 2000 election campaign, President Bush promised to increase the maximum Pell Grant amount to $5,100. “From 2004 to 2005, 24,000 students lost their Pell grants, according to a report pre-pared by the Congressional Research Service. This was the first drop in the number of students receiving the grants in several years; the number had been growing steadily since 1999.”

(Think Progress)
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I do have to admit though that this question must have been unscripted.

a new name makes it all better!

White House Follows NewsMax’s Lead
The news media has correctly described the Bush administration’s use of a “domestic spying program,” a “warrantless spying program,” “domestic eavesdropping,” and “warrantless surveillance of some U.S. citizens.”

But because the administration does not want the public to think President Bush authorized “an illegal and unnecessary intrusion into the privacy of all Americans,” they are pushing back with a new name for the program:

With congressional hearings set to begin on this issue Feb. 6, Bush kicked his administration’s new intensive public relations effort to win support for the program run by the National Security Agency. As part of that, he attempted to give it a new label - the Terrorist Surveillance Program.

The White House unveiled the name yesterday in a press release. Where would the administration get such an idea? It looks like credit goes to the right-wing internets. On New Year’s Day, the conservative news outlet Newsmax dubbed it a “terrorist surveillance program,” and a poster on RedState.org wrote last Friday, “I’m switching to ‘terrorist surveillance’ as a more appropriate moniker.”

(Think Progress)
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And, knowing Americans, will everyone forget that this is all about spying on Americans without warrants?

this week's Top Ten Conservative Idiots

From Democratic Underground

Iraqi war vets running for office

Guess which party they are? (Hint - it ain't repug!) They know who has actually supported them in this war!

more record lows for bush

36% approval ratings
I'm kinda surprised that even that many people like him these days!

Halliburton contaminating our troops

Cheney's company refused to tell US troops that they were contaminated

Time for another Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Troops and civilians at a U.S. military base in Iraq were exposed to contaminated water last year and employees for the responsible contractor, Halliburton, couldn't get their company to inform camp residents, according to interviews and internal company documents.

Halliburton, the company formerly headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, disputes the allegations about water problems at Camp Junction City, in Ramadi, even though they were made by its own employees and documented in company e-mails.

"We exposed a base camp population (military and civilian) to a water source that was not treated," said a July 15, 2005, memo written by William Granger, the official for Halliburton's KBR subsidiary who was in charge of water quality in Iraq and Kuwait....

While bottled water was available for drinking, the contaminated water was used for virtually everything else, including handwashing, laundry, bathing and making coffee, said water expert Ben Carter of Cedar City, Utah.

And funny how it's the Democrats who are chairing an investigation into this because the Republicans care more about protecting special interests than they do about the safety our troops:

The Associated Press obtained the documents from Senate Democrats who are holding a public inquiry into the allegations Monday.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who will chair the session, held a number of similar inquiries last year on contracting abuses in Iraq. He said Democrats were acting on their own because they had not been able to persuade Republican committee chairmen to investigate.

Tell me again how the Republicans love our troops? No body armor and poisoned water. This is what you people voted for?

(Americablog)
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How can anyone support the military and support this administration, which has only shown complete contempt for our troops?!

Abu Ghraib tactics came from the top

Former Abu Ghraib Guard Calls Top Brass Culpable for Abuse
Wife of Jailed Soldier Says Tactics Were in Place From Start

Stepping into the Abu Ghraib prison for the first time, Megan Ambuhl was stunned. There were naked men in dusty cells, male prisoners wearing women's underwear, others hooded and shackled in contorted positions to metal railings.

An enlisted officer giving her a tour of the U.S. facility in October 2003 pointed to a group of detainees chained to a cell. He said the bars had often "been decorated like a Christmas tree," with prisoners as ornaments.

"He explained it was a military intelligence tactic," Ambuhl said in a recent interview, speaking publicly for the first time since the Abu Ghraib prison abuse was disclosed nearly two years ago. "He said it was to break the detainees that were being interrogated. It was clear it was a military intelligence facility. As I saw it, I thought that if they were doing it, it must be all right for them to be doing it."
---
Ambuhl says she and other MPs used aggressive techniques against detainees because that is what military intelligence soldiers and civilian interrogators told her to do.

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More from Americablog

WHO sounds like bin Laden?

Americablog reports here and here
(hint - its NOT Dems!)

methinks thou doest protest too much

Bush Aide Says Abramoff Photos Coincidence
WASHINGTON - An adviser to President Bush said Monday that Bush's photographs in the company of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff amount to a coincidence and shouldn't be interpreted any more seriously than that.

"He doesn't have a personal relationship with him," White House counselor Dan Bartlett said of Bush and Abramoff, who recently pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from his lobbying practices and has pledged to cooperate with government prosecutors.

"We acknowledge he (Abramaoff) attended some Hannukuah celebrations," Bartlett said in an appearance on NBC's "Today" show.

"Any suggestions by critics or anyone else to suggest the president is doing something nefarious with Abramoff is absurd."

Bush himself has said that he doesn't recall meeting Abramoff.

Both Washingtonian and Time magazines have reported the existence of about a half-dozen photos showing the two together, however.

---
So, Abramoff raised more than $100,000 for bush's campaign and was at at least a half-dozen events, but bush never met him....
uh yeah.....sure.....

Americablog, of course, has more...

well, i would freakin' hope so!

Democrats to Press Bush on Domestic Spying
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Seeing as, you know, IT's THEIR FREAKIN' JOB!!!!!
They should be talking about impeachment if they actually took their jobs seriously!
HE BROKE THE LAW, PEOPLE!
What does it take?!

yeah, right!!

Bush to Take Unscripted Audience Questions
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And i got a bridge i can sell you, also!
This "liberal media" article fawns all over bush and claims that he has been taking unscripted questions already, but they just "happen" to be from people who adore bush and think that everything that he does is wonderful.
disgusting.....

today's unchecked horror

Three U.S. Servicemen, Three Iraqis Killed
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bush's economy

Ford Slashing Up to 30,000 Jobs by 2012
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the new Keyboard Kommando Komics

"Dial F For Freedom"

repugs rip us off yet again

Katrina evacuation bus company rips off US - close GOP ties, again

No surprise here that a no bid contract to Landstar Express America has turned out to be another big rip-off. This time, it's to the tune of $32 million. How many more times are people going to tolerate the GOP fleecing of America? It's just one big taxpayer funded feeding orgy with these people. Whether it's overbilling in a war or ripping off taxpayers, it makes no difference to them as long as their deep connections to the GOP pay off.

In this case, even Fox news had carried the initial story of the no bid contract which did not pass the sniff test before and now we see why. Check out the links to the stories from the initial no-bid, despite offers for FREE bus assistance that was ignored by FEMA. And this is the party that wants to run on wrapping itself with the flag? These people don't deserve to call themselves Americans.

Why does the GOP hate America and want to steal money from average Americans?

(Americablog)
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How long will the average American put up with this? How long before the media actually reports on these abuses?!

Michael Moore answers Chris Matthews

Check it out

the Taliban lives, despite our "best" efforts

The Taliban reconstituted

Bush has spent a lot of money -- and caused a lot of death and injury -- to wipe out the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Not happening. Does this mean we invade Pakistan?:

Two years after the Pakistani Army began operations in border tribal areas to root out members of Al Qaeda and other foreign militants, Pakistani officials who know the area say the military campaign is bogged down, the local political administration is powerless and the militants are stronger than ever.

Both Osama bin Laden, who released a new audiotape of threats against the United States this week, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are believed to be living somewhere in the seven districts that make up these tribal areas, which run for more than 500 miles along the rugged Afghan border and have been hit by several American missile strikes in recent weeks.

The officials said they had been joined by possibly hundreds of foreign militants from Arab countries, Central Asia and the Caucasus, who present a continuing threat to the authorities within the region.

The tribal areas are off limits to foreign journalists, but the Pakistani officials, and former residents who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, said the militants - who call themselves Taliban - now dispensed their own justice, ran their own jails, robbed banks, shelled military and civilian government compounds and attacked convoys at will. They are recruiting men from the local tribes and have gained a hold over the population through a mix of fear and religion, the officials and former residents said.

Bush and the White House spin machine keep saying Bin Laden is living in a cave. Bottom line is that he is living. And, it's not like he was hanging out in a villa on the beach before 2001 anyway.

Bush and Bin Laden really owe each other a lot. In a sick way, they've made each other's careers. Bush's failure to deal with Bin Laden's impending attack on the U.S. made Bin Laden a legend. And, the invasion of Iraq has generated a slew of new recruits for Al Qaeda. On the other hand, by continuing to issue threats against the U.S., Bin Laden gives Karl Rove the ability to keep pushing national security as a political weapon against Democrats. Bin Laden's message before right before the 2004 election helped at a critical time. And, let's not forget that Bin Laden has given Bush the excuse to break the law in the U.S. by illegally spying on American citizens.

(Americablog)
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I think that most intelligent people see that bush & bin Laden have helped each other immensely and neither would profit by the disappearance of the other. Hell, even I'VE said that for years and I'm far for a political genius! They are each other's boogeyman, and they like it that way.

more "liberal media" at work

MSNBC doesn't want you to know that Osama sounds like Mehlman "only less gay"

Finally someone nailed Bin Laden's real alter ego, via Crooks and Liars. Air America's Rachel Maddow revealed it during an interview with Tucker Carlson:

This is a global war on terror. This is a war for you or for us to win. You need patience...He sounds like Ken Mehlman when he's saying that only less gay. I mean this is ridiculous.

Now, you won't find that on the MSNBC transcript anymore. They "scrubbed" it...can't ever "dis" the GOPers on MSNBC...and god forbid anyone think Ken is a homo:

MADDOW: He sounds like Ken Mehlman when he‘s saying that. This is ridiculous.

CARLSON: I‘m going to blow by that comment. But I will say—you...

So, it's okay to say that Bin Laden sounds like Michael Moore and John Kerry, but it's not okay to say he sounds less gay than Mehlman.

The new news standard at NBC is that just because you say something on an NBC, doesn't mean you really said it. Remember, they scrubbed Andrea Mitchell's reference to Amanpour.

(Americablog)

can they really not find any repug that is not mired in corruption?

John Boehner for GOP Majority Leader? Can you say "back pocket of special interests"?
(Americablog)
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You would think that the repugs would at least try to find someone who is not likely to be indicted as their majority leader. But, of course, since they have to choose from a repug, I suppose that will be pretty hard to find!

we created anarchy

Insurgent Attacks Kill More Than 10 Near Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Jan. 22) - Insurgents fired rocket-propelled grenades at the home of an Iraqi police officer Sunday, killing his four young children and his brother and wounding his wife. Bombings and shootings around the country killed at least eight other people, officials said.
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More than 240 foreigners have been taken hostage, either by insurgents or gangs, since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam. At least 39 have been killed.

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What is revolting is that this really isn't even news anymore. This happens daily. When will any sort of sanity return to Iraq? The US certainly can't provide it!

John Kerry at Daily Kos

Read it!

our "liberal media" - blowjobs vs. illegal spying on Americans

Media Matters shows which our media thinks is important.
If only some brave woman would give bush a BJ, then maybe some of the treasonous acts that he & his administration have committed would be reported!

Chris Matthews thinks we are just like bin Laden!

MSNBC ratchets up attack on Iraq war opponents, compares us all to Bin Laden

In a supposed effort to explain how he was "misunderstood" for yesterday comparing Osama bin Laden to Michael Moore, MSNBC's Chris Matthews joined MSNBC's Joe Scarborough in explaining to the American public tonight that Bin Laden is channeling ALL American liberals and ALL those who have a problem with how the war in Iraq is going, including specifically John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Michael Moore.

MATTHEWS: Why is [bin Laden] doing it? Why is he trying to track what he picks up in the internet and from the media as the lingo of the left in America, like Moore? Why would he start to talk like Moore? People misunderstood what I said last night. I think he’s getting some advice from people, he’s getting some lingo, some wordage that he hears working in the United States about this thing for war profiteers and he’s jumping on every opportunity. Is that what you are saying Joe?

SCARBOROUGH: Listen, if somebody can’t look at the words that Bin Laden said last night and match them up with what Michael Moore said, with what John Kerry said on Face the Nation with he said Americans were terrorizing Iraqi women and children in their homes at night, which is what Bin Laden in effect said. What Ted Kennedy has been saying. Remember he said after Abu Ghraib that Saddam’s torture chambers were turned over to — chambers were turned over to new management, U.S. troops, that’s the same thing Bin Laden hit on.

Yes, in the eyes of MSNBC, the majority of country, and most of you reading this, have a bit too much in common with a mass murderer who killed 3,000 Americans on September 11. I wonder if MSNBC's advertisers agree that more than half of their customers are akin to Al Qaeda terrorists? I wonder how fond MSNBC's advertisers are of sponsoring fag-jokes? A line has been crossed, and enough is enough.

Crooks and Liar has the video up. Suffice it to say that a number of us are meeting this weekend. Stay tuned.

(Americablog)
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Boy, our "liberal media" really lets this administration and the conservatives have it, doesn't it?!
I actually haven't heard the entire bin Laden tape so I am not certain of the quotes that these clowns are saying are similar to what the American public is saying, but maybe, possibly it is because these things have actually happened?! Everyone knows that bush lied to get us to go to war, that we have tortured countless people, that we have terrorized innumerable Iraqi citizens, and on & on. bush is bin Laden's best recruitment tool and the entire world knows that!