One person's plea for sanity and the continuation of the human race in an insane world.
posted by rich at 9:34 PM
Rush gains from elderly tax break.
A Florida tax measure “meant to protect the elderly from being taxed out of their homes also has let Florida’s wealthiest reap big tax breaks.” One major beneficiary has been Rush Limbaugh, who raked in a “tax break of about $224,000.”
posted by rich at 9:29 PM
Senior Bush Appointee Rejected Scientists’ Recommendations In Favor Of Industry Positions
Julie MacDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, has consistently “rejected staff scientists’ recommendations to protect imperiled animals and plants under the Endangered Species Act.” A civil engineer with no training in biology, she has overruled and disparaged the findings of her staff, instead relying on the recommendations of political and industry groups.
posted by rich at 9:26 PM
Stories on global warming are banned
at two local television stations in Maine. Michael Palmer, the general manager, told employees in an e-mail that they were not allowed to cover climate change stories because he placed them “in the same category as ‘the killer African bee scare‘ from the 1970s or, more recently, the Y2K scare when everyone’s computer was going to self-destruct.”
posted by rich at 9:22 PM
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posted by rich at 7:18 PM
Summary: Despite widespread reports of the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, Bill O'Reilly baselessly claimed that it is a "myth" that "Afghanistan's going backwards" and declared that "the Bush administration has won a victory in Afghanistan." O'Reilly also asserted that "10 years ago, nobody [had] even heard of" Iraq; in fact, the United States led a coalition against Iraq in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
posted by rich at 7:11 PM
posted by rich at 7:05 PM
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----WASHINGTON - Sentencing for former Bush administration official David Safavian was set for Friday, another election-season reminder of the Jack Abramoff scandal.It was the first jury conviction handed down in the Abramoff case, and prosecutors sought a three-year prison sentence. Safavian says that would be unfair and is asking for house arrest or probation.Abramoff is cooperating with an FBI corruption investigation. He has admitted using gifts to influence lawmakers.The investigation snared its first congressman this month when Rep. Bob Ney R-Ohio, pleaded guilty to covering up expensive gifts and trips from Abramoff. He admitted taking trips, tickets, meals and campaign donations from Abramoff in return for official actions on behalf of his clients.Two former aides to Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader, have also pleaded guilty, as has Ney's former chief of staff.Additionally, Roger Stillwell, a former Interior Department official, pleaded guilty in August to a misdemeanor charge for not reporting tickets he received from Abramoff.
posted by rich at 6:58 PM
WASHINGTON - The White House said Friday that Vice President Dick Cheney was not talking about a torture technique known as "water boarding" when he said dunking terrorism suspects in water during questioning was a "no-brainer."Human rights groups said Cheney's comments amounted to an endorsement of water boarding, in which the victim believes he is about to drown."You know as a matter of common sense that the vice president of the United States is not going to be talking about water boarding. Never would, never does, never will," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said. "You think Dick Cheney's going to slip up on something like this? No, come on."In an interview Tuesday with WDAY of Fargo, N.D., Cheney was asked if "a dunk in water is a no-brainer if it can save lives."The vice president replied, "Well, it's a no-brainer for me but for a while there I was criticized as being the vice president for torture. We don't torture. That's not what we're involved in."Peppered with questions about the remarks, Snow said Cheney did not interpret the question as referring to water boarding and the vice president did not make any comments about water boarding. He said the question put to Cheney was loosely worded.The administration has repeatedly refused to say which techniques they believe are permitted under the new law. Asked to define a dunk in water, Snow said, "It's a dunk in the water."Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said in a statement, "What's really a no-brainer is that no U.S. official, much less a vice president, should champion torture. Vice President Cheney's advocacy of water boarding sets a new human rights low at a time when human rights is already scraping the bottom of the Bush administration barrel."Human Rights Watch said Cheney's remarks were "the Bush administration's first clear endorsement" of water boarding.
posted by rich at 6:54 PM
OH-01: NRCC Ad Says Dem Cranley Favors Tasering Kids!
This is a good one. The NRCC has a new ad up attacking Dem House candidate John Cranley for...being in favor of tasering kids! It's true: The ad slams Cranley -- who's challenging incumbent GOP Rep. Steve Chabot -- for siding with the Cincinnati police department when a local pol pushed to change PD policy to make it illegal to taser kids under 11. Cranley opposed the change, saying that in the rare cases a young kid (wielding a knife, for example) needs to be subdued it's better to taser him then shoot him. Hence the NRCC ad accusing Cranley of wanting to shock this 7-year-old girl in pigtails.
posted by rich at 6:51 PM
Bush Reserves Right To Repeat Katrina Failures
In yet another egregious executive-power grab, President Bush asserted his right last week via signing statement to ignore a Congressional mandate that the next FEMA Director have at least five years of disaster response experience. You would think after the Brownie debacle during Katrina last year the President would be eager to appoint someone with qualifications exceeding Arabian horse show judge to lead the nations emergency response efforts. Sadly, no. Because, after all, his unchallenged powers as Decider-In-Chief are far more important than competence and keeping Americans safe. I think the only thing worse that W's judgment is Bob's tie.
posted by rich at 6:43 PM
(Americablog)
Mark Foley scandal grows - Former House Clerk says GOP Rep. Kolbe was a problem as well, apparently this was known for years
So now we have a potential cover-up of two GOP members of Congress who were "overly-friendl" with Pages.A source close to former House Clerk Jeff Trandahl told ABC News that Arizona Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) was one of a small number of "problem members" of Congress who page program supervisors complained spent too much time socializing with pages, taking them to dinner or sporting events outside of official duties.
posted by rich at 6:11 PM
MEXICO CITY - A trail of 13 fossilized footprints running through a valley in a desert in northern Mexico could be among the oldest in the Americas, Mexican archeologists said.The footprints were made by hunter gatherers who are believed to have lived thousands of years ago in the Coahuila valley of Cuatro Cienegas, 190 miles (306 kms) south of Eagle Pass, Texas, said archaeologist Yuri de la Rosa Gutierrez of Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History."We believe (the footprints) are between 10,000 and 15,000 years old," De la Rosa said in a news release Wednesday. "We have evidence of the presence of hunter gatherers in the Coahuila desert more than 10,000 years ago."De la Rosa said there have only been initial tests to find the age of the prints and more tests will be carried out both in Mexico and at a laboratory in Bristol in Great Britain.The oldest discovered footprints in the Western hemisphere are in Chile, and are believed to be 13,000 years old. There 6,000-year old footprints in the U.S. state of California, in Brazil and in Nicaragua.The age of the Mexican footprints is dwarfed by those found in Africa. The oldest known hominid foot marks are in Laetoli, in Tanzania, and are believed to have been made 3.5 million years ago.The Cuatro Cienegas footprints were discovered in May embedded in a white rock called travertine, it said in the news release.Each footprint is 10 inches (27 cm) long and under an inch (2 cm) deep. They spread over a distance of 30 feet (10 meters).It is likely they were imprinted in mud and preserved by some rapid change in the environment, said Arturo Gonzalez, director of the Desert Museum, in the Coahuila state capital of Saltillo."There must have been a natural phenomenon to rapidly cover them so they were not rubbed out and were perfectly preserved," Gonzalez said.
posted by rich at 6:00 PM
CORNWALL, Pa. - Sen. Rick Santorum, who has been trailing his opponent for months, accused Democrat Bob Casey on Thursday of being unqualified for the Senate "at a very critical time in our nation's future."
posted by rich at 5:59 PM
LAY KUNDI, Afghanistan - Dozens of civilians were killed during NATO airstrikes in a volatile area of southern Afghanistan that was once the heartland of the Taliban, the Afghan government and villagers said Thursday.NATO said a preliminary review found only 12 civilian deaths, but the Afghan Interior Ministry and local officials estimated between 40 and 85 civilians were killed in fighting in three separate villages.If the death toll given by local leaders and residents from Tuesday's fighting is confirmed, it would be the highest from an operation involving Western forces since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.
posted by rich at 5:57 PM
DALLAS - Oil industry behemoth Exxon Mobil's earnings rose to $10.49 billion in the third quarter, the second-largest quarterly profit ever recorded by a publicly traded U.S. company. Its shares briefly rose to a 52-week high.
posted by rich at 5:56 PM
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The number of American troops killed in Iraq in October reached the highest monthly total in a year Thursday after four Marines and a sailor died of wounds suffered while fighting in the same Sunni insurgent stronghold.The U.S. military said 96 U.S. troops have died so far in October, the most in one month since October 2005, when the same number was killed. The spike in deaths has been a major factor behind rising anti-war sentiment in the United States, fueling calls for President Bush to change tactics.
posted by rich at 5:55 PM
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Snow: With Black Candidates, ‘There Is Always An Attempt…To Attribute Something To The Race Card’(Think Progress)A recent ad by the Republican National Committee targeting Rep. Harold Ford (D-TN) was criticized by various parties, including former Republican senator William Cohen, as a “very serious appeal to a racist sentiment.”
As Nitpicker noted, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked on Tuesday if he thought the ad was racist. Snow said no, then claimed:
I mean, maybe I’m just quaint in this day and age. But no, I think there is always an attempt when you have got an African-American candidate to try to attribute something to the race card.
The ad is still being shown. The Tennessean reported yesterday that the ad “will continue airing in the Chattanooga area, despite the head of the Republican National Committee’s statement today that the ad was off the air.”
posted by rich at 5:45 PM
posted by rich at 5:41 PM
Bush’s ‘Fence Bill’ Doesn’t Actually Create Fence
owing to anti-immigration hardliners in the House, President Bush today held a White House ceremony celebrating the signing of the “Secure Fence Act.” Bush told reporters, “The bill authorizes the construction of hundreds of miles of additional fencing along our southern border.”Bush is right, the bill does “authorize” the constrution of a new fence. But that doesn’t mean the bill pays for it. As the Washington Post reported earlier this month:
No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.
… [S]hortly before recessing late Friday, the House and Senate gave the Bush administration leeway to distribute the money to a combination of projects — not just the physical barrier along the southern border. The funds may also be spent on roads, technology and “tactical infrastructure” to support the Department of Homeland Security’s preferred option of a “virtual fence.”
The “Secure Fence Act” has everything to do with motivating the right-wing base, and nothing to do with securing America’s borders or passing comprehensive immigration reform.
(Think Progress)
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This is almost funny! Does anyone at all believe his bs anymore?
posted by rich at 5:37 PM
Nevada Republican Jon Porter refuses to release records to prove he didn't make illegal fundraising calls from office - new email evidence arises
And not only is there a former staffer alleging that Porter broke the law, but the newspaper now has internal staff emails that back up the charge.
Las Vegas Sun:Rep. Jon Porter refused Tuesday to release phone records or copies of his daily schedule, even though his office says the documents would disprove charges by a former aide that the congressman made dozens of illegal fundraising calls from his government offices....
Porter is seeking his third term in Washington as representative of Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, which includes most Las Vegas suburbs. He is locked in a tight race with Democrat Tessa Hafen, a former press secretary for Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev .
The Cook Political Report, a respected Washington analytical newsletter, now rates the race as a tossup - a change from the "leaning Republican" classification it has held much of the year.
posted by rich at 7:13 AM
N.J. court opens door to gay marriage
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey's highest court opened the door Wednesday to making the state the second in the nation to allow gay marriage, ruling that lawmakers must offer homosexuals either marriage or something like it, such as civil unions.In a ruling that fell short of what either side wanted or feared, the state Supreme Court declared 4-3 that homosexual couples are entitled to the same rights as heterosexual ones. The justices gave lawmakers 180 days to rewrite the laws.
The ruling is similar to the 1999 high-court ruling in Vermont that led the state to create civil unions, which confer all of the rights and benefits available to married couples under state law.
"Although we cannot find that a fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists in this state, the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our state Constitution," Justice Barry T. Albin wrote for the four-member majority.
The court said the Legislature "must either amend the marriage statutes to include same-sex couples or create a parallel statutory structure" that gives gays all the privileges and obligations married couples have.
The three dissenters argued that the majority did not go far enough. They demanded full marriage for gays.
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Wow! Dig that last line! No one opposed the idea - just how to implement it!
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Americablog has a bit more negative view of the ruling.
posted by rich at 6:00 PM
Ind. Rep. accuses Democrats of 'agenda'
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - An embattled Indiana congressman has launched a new campaign ad that warns a vote for his Democratic opponent could trigger a shift in House leadership and advance a "homosexual agenda."
posted by rich at 5:57 PM
posted by rich at 5:51 PM
CONCORD, N.H. - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says if Republican candidates want to succeed on Election Day, they should turn their focus away from the Iraq war.
"The challenge is to get Americans to focus on pocketbook issues, and not on the Iraq and terror issue," Frist said in an interview with the Concord Monitor on Tuesday.Frist suggested that Republicans remind voters of subjects like tax cuts and lower gas prices, the result, he said, of the energy bill passed by Congress last year.---Frist suggested two issues that Republicans should use to highlight their differences with Democrats: homeland security and taxes. He criticized Democratic opposition to renewing the Patriot Act as "not equipping the government and military with the best tools to defeat terrorists." He also said proposals by Democrats to repeal tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans would be a drain on all taxpayers.
posted by rich at 5:46 PM
posted by rich at 6:44 PM
$6,300.
Amount U.S. taxpayers will end up paying for every additional second spent in Iraq.
posted by rich at 6:42 PM
posted by rich at 6:40 PM
Scandals in 2 states may affect Ky. race
COVINGTON, Ky. - To the north of this river town, Ohio Gov. Bob Taft has pleaded no contest to ethics violations. To the south, Kentucky Gov. Ernie Fletcher has acknowledged that people working for him may have wrongly rewarded political supporters with jobs. Two states, two damaged administrations, and two Republican governors.Voters along the Kentucky side of the Ohio River have been buffeted by Republican political scandals locally as well as nationally to the point that some in the 4th Congressional District are ready for a change.
"I'd be voting for Clem Kadiddlehopper if he were the Democratic candidate," said Randall Buys, a northern Kentucky accountant who is also dissatisfied with President Bush's handling of the Iraq war.
posted by rich at 6:37 PM
Chicago voter info vulnerable to hackers
CHICAGO - The city is investigating a security glitch in its elections Web site that hackers could have used to swipe Social Security numbers and the personal information of about 1.3 million voters, officials said.
posted by rich at 6:28 PM
U.S. says more GIs may be needed in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two weeks before U.S. midterm elections, American officials unveiled a timeline Tuesday for Iraq's Shiite-led government to take specific steps to calm the world's most dangerous capital and said more U.S. troops might be needed to quell the bloodshed.
posted by rich at 6:23 PM
posted by rich at 6:45 PM
Abramoff gets a desk at the FBI.
U.S. News reports that fallen lobbyist Jack Abramoff “spends up to four hours a day detailing his shady business to agents eager to nail more congressmen in the scandal. And when cooperative witnesses spend that much time inside, they get a desk.” Federal officials are also hoping to place him in a nearby prison after he is sentenced.
posted by rich at 6:43 PM
posted by rich at 6:38 PM
Blood money row as OJ 'admits' killings
ELEVEN years after O J Simpson walked free from America’s most controversial murder trial, the former star athlete is at the centre of a row over reports that he is being paid $3.5m for an autobiography in which he describes how he “hypothetically” might have murdered his ex-wife and her male friend.Relatives of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, the two victims of the 1994 double murder that made headlines around the world, expressed disgust and frustration that Simpson might be continuing to profit from a crime that most Americans are convinced he committed, despite his notorious acquittal.
“If this is true, that is blood money and it’s evil and disgusting,” said Denise Brown, the sister of Simpson’s former wife who has become a prominent campaigner against domestic violence. “Any company that actually pays him for this is just as bad as he is.”
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This scumbag is beyond the beyond! How can he have the gall and the utter contempt for the entire human race to do something like this?
This boggles the mind.....
posted by rich at 6:32 PM
I've read so many "Republicans are in trouble" articles that they're starting to take on an almost jazz-like quality. Journalists, bloggers, and pundits are riffing on poll numbers and conventional wisdom the way musicians improvise on a melody. There's so many familiar themes being weaved together like Foley, Abramoff, Iraq, and Katrina that you'd think it would get repetitive after a while, but I gotta admit that it's a pretty damn catchy tune.
But, it's sad when a major media outlet like Newsweek is consumed with playing the same song that they end up burying a lede like this (via Digg):
Other parts of a potential Democratic agenda receive less support, especially calls to impeach Bush: 47 percent of Democrats say that should be a “top priority,” but only 28 percent of all Americans say it should be, 23 percent say it should be a lower priority and nearly half, 44 percent, say it should not be done. (Five percent of Republicans say it should be a top priority and 15 percent of Republicans say it should be a lower priority; 78 percent oppose impeachment.) Rolling back some of the Bush tax cuts would be contentious too: 38 percent of Americans say the Dems should make that a top priority; 28 percent say it should be a lower priority; and 28 percent say it shouldn’t be done at all.Now wait a second...doesn't 28% plus 23% equal 51%? I'd think that a poll showing the majority of Americans favor impeaching the President would be pretty newsworthy, especially considering that this far exceeds the numbers of a President that actually was impeached. If the majorities favoring impeachment and repealing Bush's tax cuts is how Newsweek defines "less support", then the GOP is in a lot more trouble that I thought. I still can't bring myself to start celebrating before the polls even open, but it's nice to hear.
posted by rich at 6:30 PM
Ex-aide alleges Porter made illegal fundraising calls
Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., made dozens of campaign fundraising phone calls last spring from his district and Washington, D.C., offices, according to a former Porter staffer and e-mails obtained by the Sun.
The former staffer, Jim Shepard, a 10-year veteran of Capitol Hill who worked briefly for Porter this year, said he witnessed Porter making the calls on at least five different dates last spring. Such calls would violate federal election laws and House ethics rules.
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posted by rich at 5:48 PM
President George W. Bush appointed former energy executive Richard Stickler to head the federal mine safety agency on Thursday, even though the U.S. Senate rejected Stickler's nomination twice in two months.
[..]Sen. Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Democrat, originally put a hold on the nomination for three months and it was automatically rejected when the Senate adjourned for its August recess. Bush then renominated him in September, but the Senate once again refused to act before it left for the pre-election recess.
Byrd and fellow Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts have said that Stickler, who worked for Massey Energy and the former Bethlehem Steel, puts industry interests ahead of safety concerns. The United Mine Workers of America have also opposed the appointment. Read full article here.
UPDATE: Yahoo reports a coal mine explosion in Pennsylvania has killed one
(Crooks and Liars)
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That's a unifier for ya!
Just goes to show once again that his pals are more important than the American public.
posted by rich at 5:41 PM
Candidate linked to letter lambastes foe
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - A Republican congressional candidate whose campaign is being investigated for sending intimidating letters to Hispanic voters lashed out at his Democratic rival, saying she was fueling the uproar over the mailings.
posted by rich at 5:34 PM
posted by rich at 5:29 PM
posted by rich at 12:04 PM
John Kerry: Tightwad?What's more important - a Democratic congress or sitting on a pile of money?
Show up or shut up.
(Oliver Willis)
posted by rich at 11:54 AM
posted by rich at 11:47 AM
Praying For A Terrorist Attack
Fred Barnes is disappointed that the North Korean test wasn't bigger
The problem here is that national security isn't the leading campaign issue. And saying it should be won't make it so. What's needed is an event--a big event--to crystallize the issue in a way that highlights Republican strength and Democratic weakness. It was two events--the foiled British terrorist plot and the need to comply with a Supreme Court decision on handling captured terrorists--that led to the Republican mini-rally in September.
Of course there's little time left for a major event to occur. The North Korean bomb test wasn't big enough to change the course of the campaign. So Republicans may have to rely on their two remaining assets: They have more money than the Democrats and a voter turnout operation second to none.
Is that really ok now? Republicans are now allowed to openly wish for some sort of national security "event" that would be big enough to change the course of an election? A dirty bomb in NFL stadium maybe? That would shake things up. How about an assassination? That'd get everybody's attention.
Heck, if they can't get themselves a crisis, I guess they';ll just have to depend on making an argument to the American people and letting them decide on the basis of the republican record. It hardly seems fair, does it?
They really have no boundries these days do they?
posted by rich at 11:37 AM
All of a sudden Sean Hannity is feeling kind of bad because of the way he has attacked and smeared liberals and Democrats all these years, He's decided to speak directly from his heart and offer us some really good advice for November's election. I feel so honored. And we're all ears.
On the October 18 edition of his nationally syndicated radio program, Fox News host Sean Hannity encouraged Democratic voters to "stay home on Election Day," adding that, "your vote doesn't matter anyway." He added that Democrats should not turn out to vote "for the sake of the nation" because Democrats' votes "won't change who occupies the White House" and Democratic "candidates have absolutely no idea how to win the war on terrorism."…read on
Audio-WMP (via MM)
Yep, you got it. He graciously tells us that it's not worth our time. I thought the reason we need to stay in Iraq was because of all the Iraqis that voted. Apparently that same democracy doesn't apply to America. That's very big of him. The meeting with Bush and his talk show pals sure has fired them all up… ROFLMAO
Hannity is also working with Blackwell on another smear campaign.
(Crooks and Liars)
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Does he think that any Dems would listen to his show in the first place? And anyone who might hear him would always do the opposite of what he would advise, anyway! Does he think that Dems are as dumb as his regular listeners?
Shows how much the repugs care about democracy!
posted by rich at 11:07 AM
posted by rich at 11:02 AM
I'm going to guess this guy won't have a job much longer…
A senior U.S. diplomat said the U.S. had shown "arrogance" and "stupidity" in Iraq but was now ready to talk with any group except al-Qaida to facilitate national reconciliation.
In an interview with Al-Jazeera aired yesterday Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the state department, offered an unusually candid assessment of America's war in Iraq.
"We tried to do our best but I think there is much room for criticism because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq," he said.
"We are open to dialogue because we all know that, at the end of the day, the solution to the hell and the killings in Iraq is linked to an effective Iraqi national reconciliation.
posted by rich at 10:57 AM
Bush lied today saying "We've never been 'stay the course'"
This morning, on "This Week," George Bush said "Well, listen. We've never been 'stay the course.'" (Think Progress has the video.)
He lied. Bush has been saying "stay the course" for years. In July of 2003, Bush was saying that exact phrase:"We're making steady progress," he said. "A free Iraq will mean a peaceful world. And it's very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course."Isn't Dick Cheney part of the Bush "we"? Just months ago, on July 21, 2006, Dick Cheney said "stay the course" was their position:"This conflict is a long way from over," Cheney said at a fundraising appearance for a GOP congressional candidate. "It's going to be a battle that will last for a very long time. It is absolutely essential that we stay the course."Unfortunately for the troops in Iraq and the Iraqi people, the Bush "stay the course" strategy was really just a political strategy. It's not working as a political strategy and it's never worked as an Iraq strategy.
Bush just lies.
posted by rich at 9:25 AM
Darwin to go online
What a cool project! As long as the theocrats currently running America don't block out the site it should provide hours/day/months of fascinating reading and listening. It is not up yet but keep trying.The project, www.darwin-online.org.uk, is being overseen by Dr John van Wyhe of Christ's College, Cambridge, Darwin's alma mater.
Consisting of 50,000 pages of searchable text and 40,000 images of original publications, a university spokesman said it was "the first-ever undertaking of its kind" and "the largest collection of Darwin's writings ever published".
posted by rich at 9:20 AM
Americans support first 100 hours agenda of the House Democrats
Two weeks ago, Nancy Pelosi unveiled the Democratic agenda for their first 100 hours in power. Newsweek's latest poll shows strong, bi-partisan support for the Democratic plan:Most worrisome for the president, should the Democrats retake one or both houses of Congress, the American public supports their proposed “First 100 Hours” agenda. An overwhelming majority says allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices directly with pharmaceutical companies should be a top priority for a Democratic Congress (74 percent, including 70 percent of Republicans); 68 percent want increasing the minimum wage to be a top priority, including 53 percent of Republicans; 62 percent want investigating impropriety by members of Congress to be a top priority; and 58 percent want investigating government contracts in Iraq to be a top priority. Fifty-two percent say investigating why we went to war in Iraq should be a top priority (25 percent say it should a lower priority and 19 percent say it shouldn’t be done.)When Pelosi announced the plan, she said she was going to "drain the swamp." It's looking more likely she'll get that chance. The Newsweek poll showed the generic numbers at 55% - 37% -- a commanding margin for the Democrats.
When the GOP loses, they will get even more ugly and more obstructionist. Clearly, the Democratic agenda resonates with the American people. They've had enough of the Republican agenda that has failed most Americans.
posted by rich at 9:11 AM
George Allen can't explain his position on Iraq. That's what the GOP defines as "flip-flopping"
Funny how this happened. Allen adopted the Bush/Rove "stay the course" political strategy. But, it's hurting him. His fellow Senator from Virginia is advocating a major policy change. But, George is trapped. He's only viewed Iraq through a political prism. Policy never mattered to George. He's a policy lightweight.
Bush even made it worse for Allen when he gave one of those terror, stay the course, speeches at an Allen fundraiser on Thursday. Froomkin wondered if it was "more than Allen wanted?" And, as noted below, both Bush and Rummy are digging in their heels.
Allen is in deep trouble in his campaign. Iraq is a political problem for the pseudo-cowboy. With no clue, Allen has started flip-flopping:Republican Sen. George Allen called for "changes in tactics" in how the U.S. is fighting the Iraq war on Friday as he continued to face questions about his morphing position on the war.Allen's real problem is that he has no core. He's a caricature.
"The situation there is one that needs adjustments, that needs changes in tactics. We need to adapt to the situation on the ground," Allen said at a campaign event Friday morning with GOP leaders of the state legislature.
posted by rich at 9:48 AM
Bush and Rummy defend their Iraq strategy -- our goal is "clear and unchanging"
Staying the course in Iraq is working for the Bush administration. They are sticking to their plan -- despite the carnage:President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday defended the U.S. strategy in Iraq, saying the ultimate goals remain unchanged despite escalating violence and increasingly somber assessments from military leaders on the ground.Had enough?
Speaking at a Washington fundraiser, Bush said the U.S. goal in Iraq "is clear and unchanging": creating a country that can govern and defend itself and "that will be an ally in the war against these extremists."
posted by rich at 9:46 AM
GOP congressman Rodney Alexander's (R-LA) office sued for sexual harassment. Congressman allegedly was informed and did nothing.
This would be the same Congressman Alexander embroiled in the Mark Foley child sex predator scandal.
From Roll Call:Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.), already enmeshed in the ex-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) page scandal, now faces a new controversy as a former staffer has sued his office for sexual harassment.
Elizabeth Scott, Alexander's former scheduler, claims that Royal Alexander, the Congressman's chief of staff, "engaged in a course of misconduct" that included "inappropriate sex-based comments, ogling and touching" and "sexual advances," according to Michael Hoare, Scott's attorney. Scott told the Congressman of his aide's alleged improper behavior but the Louisiana Republican took no action to correct the situation, Hoare said....
Scott said she was demoted from her position as scheduler to staff assistant by Royal Alexander in May 2006 when "she complained of possible sex discrimination" by him. She met with the Congressman shortly after that and informed him about the alleged improper behavior by his chief of staff, according to Hoare. Rodney and Royal Alexander are not related.
Scott eventually left the office at the end of June, saying it was "intolerable" for her to work there any longer.
posted by rich at 9:45 AM
Major new Curt Weldon (R-PA) scandal breaking
From CREW:E-mails received by CREW have prompted us to ask the Department of Justice to investigate whether Congressman Curt Weldon (R-PA) violated the law by intimidating government personnel "in the national security field" who support his opponent, Joe Sestak.
The first e-mail describes a "hit list" compiled of Weldon opponent's supporters. In addition, that e-mail notes the Weldon said something to the effect of "If they don't think there will be retribution before or after the election, they're kidding themselves." The second e-mail states that Weldon had his staff contact Navy personnel to get information on [his Democratic opponent Joe] Sestak.
posted by rich at 9:43 AM
White House spokesman defends Condi Rice calling gay man's mother his "mother in law"
White House spokesman Tony Snow just said the following at today's White House press briefing:REPORTER: At the swearing in of Mark Dybul as an AIDS ambassador, Secretary of State Rice referred to the mother of a gay partner as "mother in law," and my question, how does this adhere to the President's belief and policy that marriage is between one man and one woman?Note that Snow didn't just say that Condi said what she said, and leave it that. Snow went one step further and decided to defend what Condi said. He said that Condi showed "due deference" by treating the gay couple as married. That's a value judgment that Snow is making. And the values he's supporting are the values of a gay married couple over the values of homophobe Jerry Falwell and the men at the Concerned Women for America.
WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN TONY SNOW: The secretary said what she said and she was showing due deference to the people involved.
While I'm certainly pleased that George Bush's White House stands behind a cabinet secretary recognizing the validity of a gay marriage, I can't see how the religious right bigots are going to find this a very comforting response, to say the least.
It's one thing for Condi Rice to recognize a gay marriage on television in front of Laura Bush (and it's difficult to believe that Mrs. Bush wasn't in on the whole thing), but it's quite another for the White House to then have the chance to "fix" things, and instead, choose to defend what could have been written off as "her personal opinion" or a "slip of the tongue."
I think the White House, and the Republicans at large, have decided that they need to make a choice in these final weeks before the election. Do they embrace the Terri Schiavo wing of the party or the Mary Cheney wing?
And the Marys just won.
posted by rich at 9:41 AM
Diebold voting machine code mailed to legislator
Nothing to see here, keep moving. Diebold machines are completely safe, so they keep telling us. Can someone please stick a fork in those damned machines so we can move on. The experiment with Diebold has failed so it's time to find another solution with another company who wants to be serious about modern democracy because Diebold seems unable and/or unwilling to protect their code or build serious products for e-voting. Their close ties to the GOP are also reason for concern since we still live in a two party system. It's been an expensive experiment - something the GOP really likes - but it is time to look elsewhere for a solution.Diebold Election Systems Inc. expressed alarm and state election officials contacted the FBI yesterday after a former legislator received an anonymous package containing what appears to be the computer code that ran Maryland's polls in 2004.
Cheryl C. Kagan, a longtime critic of Maryland's elections chief, says the fact that the computer disks were sent to her - along with an unsigned note criticizing the management of the state elections board - demonstrates that Maryland's voting system faces grave security threats.
posted by rich at 9:38 AM
posted by rich at 5:55 PM
The Paranoid StyleI'll have more on this later, but Rush Limbaugh is seeing a conspiracy between the media and the left.
I was talking about this just last night with John Kerry and Brian Williams as we plotted the next couple weeks of media coverage... Oh, but I've said too much.Now, if I read this right, it sounds to me like the old media has conference calls every day with Howard Dean and George Soros where the strategery is discussed. Now, I have said in the past, long ago, in discussing media bias, that I don't think that the old media and the drive-bys got together and had their conference calls in the morning to decide what news was going to be and how it was going to be reported, what wasn't going to be news and all that, I said because they don't have to. They basically think the same, they see things the same, and I think if they do get together it's in the bar after work over adult beverages where such unified phrases as gravitas and other things happen to spread throughout the Drive-By Media.
posted by rich at 5:53 PM
NYC to look for more remains at WTC site
NEW YORK - The city said Friday that it will search parts of the World Trade Center site again for remains of the Sept. 11 dead after several bones were pulled out of an abandoned manhole — a discovery that stirred up new fury and disbelief among victims' families.
posted by rich at 5:51 PM
posted by rich at 5:44 PM
Bush to consult on changing Iraq tactics
WASHINGTON - President Bush acknowledged Friday that "it's tough" in Iraq and said he would consult with American generals to see if a change in tactics is necessary to combat the escalating violence.
Seventy-four American troops have died in Iraq in October, likely to become the deadliest month for U.S. forces in nearly two years.
---"We are constantly adjusting our tactics so we can achieve the objectives and right now, it's tough," the president said. "It's tough on the families who've lost a loved one. It's tough for our citizens who look at it on TV. It's hard on the Iraqis. They've lost a lot of life."
He declined to say, though, whether he thought a change in tactics was necessary.
---
Later, at a fundraiser in Washington for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, he railed against Democrats who criticize the war in Iraq.
Calling the Democrats the party of "cut and run," Bush said: "The voters out there need to ask the question, `Which political party will support the brave men and women who wear our uniform when they do their job of protecting America? Which political party is willing to give our professionals the tools necessary to protect the American people? Which political party has a strategy for victory in this war on terror?' "
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He worst fear is that people honestly ask those questions, because the honest answer is the Dems - by a huge margin - and they have proved this over and over.
Bush and his party are abject failures at each and every one of those issues and an objective viewer can easily see that.
posted by rich at 5:38 PM
The Shiite militia run by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr seized total control of the southern Iraqi city of Amarah on Friday in one of the boldest acts of defiance yet by one of the country's powerful, unofficial armies, witnesses and police said…read on
posted by rich at 5:35 PM
Fox News Falsely Claims Media Have Ignored Sen. Reid’s Land DealFox News is arguing that the media are “ignoring questions about Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-NV) land deal.”
On Tuesday, Fox News host Sean Hannity told right-wing pundit Bob Novak that “you don’t see as much in the newspapers about this [the Reid land deal], Bob Novak, and I wonder if it would be the same if it was a Republican.” Bob Novak agreed, calling it “one of those strange things.”But in reality, the media have extensively covered the Reid land deal, while ignoring the $207 million earmark House Speaker Dennis Hastert inserted into the 2005 highway bill that greatly increased the value of his property in Illinois:
– CNN has devoted 50 times as much coverage to Reid’s case as to Hastert’s.
– According to a Lexis-Nexis database search, Fox News has mentioned the Reid land deal nine times, but has brought up the Hastert deal just three.
posted by rich at 5:29 PM
Rumsfeld inspired by God.
“The top US general defended the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today, saying it is inspired by God. ‘He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country,’ said Marine General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”
posted by rich at 5:27 PM
EXCLUSIVE: Lewis Falsely Implies Mass Suspension Of Committee Investigators Was ‘Bipartisan’
Powerful House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jerry Lewis (R-CA) has abruptly suspended the contracts of “60 investigators who had worked for his committee rooting out fraud, waste and abuse, effective immediately.” The investigators were “brought on to handle the extraordinary level of fraud investigations facing the panel.”Lewis is currently under federal investigation over corruption charges reportedly uncovered during the Duke Cunningham investigation. He has spent nearly $800,000 in legal fees since May.
Lewis’ spokesman yesterday tried to portray the suspensions as part of a bipartisan review that occured with the support of the committee’s ranking member Rep. David Obey (D-WI):
Committee spokesman John Scofield said Thursday that the contracts were not renewed because the panel is conducting a “bipartisan review” of the unit’s staff.
“Frankly, the work we’ve been getting as of late has not been that good,” Scofield said. “There is nothing sinister going on.”
Scofield said the review has the backing of ranking Democratic House appropriator David R. Obey of Wisconsin.
But a source tells ThinkProgress that while Committee Democrats agreed that there were problems with the investigative staff that needed to be addressed; committee Democrats had not been consulted prior to the suspension of the investigators. The source also said that problems with the investigations unit were only part of an overall issue involving the alarming deterioration of the committee’s oversight activities.
The Appropriations Committee makes decisions on nearly a trillion dollars a year in federal spending yet the diligence with which the committee monitors the use of those funds has declined steadily over the past decade, with the administrative problems of the Surveys and Investigations unit being only part of a much larger problem. In 2003, Lewis personally intervened to block a committee review of the Pentagon’s Office of Special Plans that was responsible for a great deal of the misinformation used by the administration to justify the invasion of Iraq.
(Think Progress)
posted by rich at 5:24 PM
President Bush recess-appointed former coal industry executive Richard Stickler to head the Mine Safety and Health Administration. The Senate had twice refused to confirm him “because of his troubling mine safety record — the mines he managed from 1989 to 1996 incurred injury rates double the national average.”
---
In 1995, just three days into her tenure as Secretary of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department, Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) removed a routine working file alleging that her husband had engaged in inappropriate contact with a minor. The file, uncovered only recently, reports that Wilson’s husband touched a then-16 year old boy “in a manner that was not welcome.” Wilson sat on the Congressional Page Board and currently serves on the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children’s caucus.
posted by rich at 5:21 PM
John McCain: I think gay marriage should be allowed, but not legal
Fanny Dooley likes gay people, but hates homosexuals.
Andy Towle has the entire quote, it's classic McWaffle from McCain:"I think gay marriage should be allowed if there's a ceremony kind of thing if you want to call it that. I don't have any problem with that..."
Before your jaw drops too far, McCain went on to say "I think private ceremonies are fine. I do not think gay marriage should be legal."
posted by rich at 6:35 PM
A Vancouver soldier is one of ten killed this week by a roadside bomb in Iraq.Ron Paulson spent 14 years in the Army and then another 13 years as an inactive reservist. At 52 years old, he was called up for active duty.
When Paulson finished his service in 1992, soldiers were given a choice -- take a lump sum of $30,000 and be done, or take an annual payment of $7,000 with a catch.
He said he went for the annual [payment], but that meant he had to stay in the inactive reserve to get it, which is why he ended up getting called back in to service.
Paulson said that roadside bombs were his biggest concern. His family confirmed his death Wednesday. (emphasis added)
We're sending 52-year-old soldiers to die in Iraq."If you look at the general overall situation, they’re doing remarkably well."Dick Cheney
Rush Limbaugh Interview
October 17, 2006
posted by rich at 6:32 PM
posted by rich at 6:31 PM
Weldon: Vast Liberal Conspiracy "Is What It Is" via War & PieceRep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) is back, this time armed with hard evidence that his Democratic opponent is in cahoots with the Justice Department.
Weldon said yesterday that a retired FBI agent had "confirmed to me that a person who works on my opponent's campaign was bragging that the campaign knew three weeks ago" about the FBI's investigation into Weldon and his daughter's company. McClatchy Newspapers revealed the existence of the investigation last Friday, citing "sources with direct knowledge of the inquiry," one of them a law enforcement official.
So who's this retired agent? He's Gregory Auld, a Weldon supporter. Auld says that a man at a local gym, whom he calls "Grumpy," because he doesn't know his name, told him that three weeks ago, a guy in a Sestak T-shirt (Auld doesn't know this guy's name, either) said "something big" would happen to Weldon in three weeks. So Auld decided to check that out. He approached the Sestak-T-shirt-wearing-dude in the gym and asked if he was happy about what happened over the weekend. Auld says the guy shrugged his shoulders and replied, ""We sniffed this out two weeks ago."
The evidence could not be clearer or more damning. Or as Weldon says, "That is what it is."
And for all you doubters who think that a Republican controlled Justice Department wouldn't be involved in a liberal conspiracy to out Weldon, he's got an answer for that, too:
"You all know that bureaucrats don’t change with presidential leadership at the top. You know that, come on," he said. "Bureaucrats are in office from one administration to another, whether it’s in the CIA, or the DIA or the State Department or the Defense Department or the Justice Department, and this obviously did not start at the top. It obviously came from the bureaucracy."
via War & Piece.
(TPM Muckracker)
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Is every repug just going insane under the stress of losing this November?
They are all just spouting utter nonsense!
posted by rich at 6:28 PM
O'Donnell asked congresswoman to go "on the record" with "promise" that Dems won't "make the president's final two years in office a living hell"On the October 18 edition of MSNBC News Live, MSNBC chief Washington correspondent Norah O'Donnell asked Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) to go "on the record" with a "promise" that Democrats "will not issue tens or hundreds of subpoenas to the White House when it comes to Katrina, Iraq, and a number of issues" that would "make the president's final two years in office a living hell." O'Donnell also baselessly suggested that such oversight would "mean that nothing gets done in Washington." Her comments were first noted by the weblog Firedoglake.
(Media Matters)
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This is exactly what everyone wants to happen if the Dems take over!
And, of course, the repugs would never do anything like this to any president, would they?!
posted by rich at 6:25 PM
ABC World News ignored Democratic criticism of detainee bill; NBC, CBS downplayed story altogetherSummary: In her report on President Bush's signing of the controversial detainee bill, ABC's Martha Raddatz noted Sen. Russ Feingold's general opposition to the bill but gave no indication of Feingold's specific criticism -- that the bill "allows the government to seize individuals on American soil and detain them indefinitely with no opportunity to challenge their detention in court." Nightly news broadcasts on NBC and CBS devoted little attention to the bill's signing and ignored Democratic criticism of it altogether.
posted by rich at 6:22 PM
posted by rich at 6:20 PM
posted by rich at 6:17 PM
House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO) yesterday Âsent an email to the media suggesting the agenda of his political opponents is to Âplot to establish a Department of Peace, raise your taxes and minimize penalties for crack dealers.Â
posted by rich at 6:15 PM
Judge orders release of Cheney visitor logs.
“A federal judge has ordered the Bush administration to release information about who visited Vice President Dick Cheney’s office and personal residence, an order that could spark a late election season debate over lobbyists’ White House access.”
posted by rich at 6:12 PM
Priest denies having sex with Foley
ROME - A priest acknowledged Thursday that he was naked in saunas and went skinny-dipping with Mark Foley decades ago when the former congressman was a boy in Florida, but denied that the two had sex.
---Among the activities described by Mercieca in the newspaper were massaging the boy in the nude, skinny-dipping together at a secluded lake in Lake Worth, Fla., and being nude in the same room on overnight trips while he was a priest and Foley was a parishioner.
Sarasota Herald-Tribune Executive Editor Mike Connelly said Thursday the story is accurate, including the reference to a night in which Mercieca said he was in a drug-induced stupor due to a nervous breakdown and couldn't clearly remember what happened.
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posted by rich at 6:09 PM
U.S. to rethink Baghdad peace efforts
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. military acknowledged Thursday that its two-month drive to crush insurgent and militia violence in the Iraqi capital had fallen short, calling the raging bloodshed disheartening and saying it was rethinking its strategy to rein in gunmen, torturers and bombers.
posted by rich at 6:06 PM
Calif. candidate urged to exit race
GARDEN GROVE, Calif. - Orange County Republican leaders on Thursday called for the withdrawal of a GOP congressional candidate they believe sent a letter threatening Hispanic immigrant voters with arrest.Tan D. Nguyen denied knowing anything about the letter in an interview Thursday with The Associated Press but said he fired a campaign staffer who may have been responsible for it.
County Republican Chairman Scott Baugh, however, said that after speaking with state investigators and the company that distributed the mailer, he believes Nguyen had direct knowledge of "obnoxious and reprehensible" letter. He told the AP that the party's executive committee voted unanimously to urge Nguyen to drop out of the race against Democratic U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez
posted by rich at 6:03 PM
Americans want heating assistance to poor and elderly; Republicans leadership doesn't
A little less than a year ago, Republicans in Congress slashed heating assistance to America's poor by $200 million dollars, even though heating costs were up 40 to 70 percent.
Democrats at the time pushed to raised heating assistance for the poor and elderly to $5 billion. The Republican majority, of course, won their battle against America's poor.
But, where did America's voters stand on the issue?
A new poll shows they were with the Democrats and their support for heating assistance for the poor and elderly:
Seventy-four percent of the American public believes that the federal government should provide funding for low-income families and senior citizens to pay for heating, cooling and lighting, according to a new poll released today. The poll was sponsored by The Campaign for Home Energy Assistance and conducted by Earl de Berge of Behavior Research Center. (Newswire)
posted by rich at 1:40 PM
posted by rich at 11:53 AM
Bush has a 'secret plan'?Silly reality-based community; we've been watching the Bush White House for the last three-and-a-half years thinking that the president doesn't have a plan for the war in Iraq beyond "stay the course." Sure, it looks like an endless stream of disastrous decisions, followed by intransigence in the face of tragedy, but we're not in on the behind-the-scenes details.
As TNR's Isaac Chotiner noted, embattled Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) apparently believes the administration has a secret plan that the rest of us haven't heard about.
Sen. Conrad Burns said at a debate Tuesday night that President Bush does have a plan for winning the war in Iraq, but he isn't about to share it with the world.
"He says our president don't have a plan. I think he's got one. He's not going to tell everyone in the world."
Many in the crowd, which was dominated by Tester supporters, openly laughed at Burns' claim that Bush has a plan. […]
Tester said he is not for "telling our opponents what we're going to do. The fact is, we don't know what we're going to do."
Replied Burns: "We're not going to tell you what our plan is, Jon, because you're just going to go out and blow it."
There's a good reason the audience "openly laughed" at Burns' claim. After all, if the administration really did have a plan, beyond the current "stay the course" tack, doesn't Burns believe we would have seen it by now?
Oddly enough, the last president with a "secret plan" for a war was Nixon during Vietnam. Hmm, Nixon = Bush, Vietnam = Iraq, no exit strategy = no exit strategy….
(Carpetbagger Report)
posted by rich at 10:54 AM
