the liars are at it again

Swift Boat Vets Reunite To Discuss ‘The Left’s Repeated Campaign Against The American Soldier’
(Think Progress)

just wow...

Laura Bush: Much Of Iraq Is ‘Stable,’ There’s Just ‘One Bombing A Day That Discourages Everybody’
(Think Progress)

condi's godwin!

Condi Rice on revoking the 2002 Iraq authorization:

“It would be like saying that after Adolf Hitler was overthrown, we needed to change then, the resolution that allowed the United States to do that, so that we could deal with creating a stable environment in Europe after he was overthrown.” Keith Olbermann has promised a special comment tonight on Rice’s statement.

(Think Progress)

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What a bizarre non-sequitor! Does this make any kind of sense to anyone at all?

Go to the link to see Olbermann's video.

the WH view on diplomacy

White House ‘Reprimanded Swiss Ambassador’ For Delivering 2003 Iranian Offer For Negotiations
(Think Progress)
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So, even considering the offer of negotiations is worthy of a reprimand?!
Too bad that f'k'ing up isn't worthy of one in this administration...

because we can't count on bush to help the world

Western states to bypass Bush on climate. The governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington today announced they will “work together to reduce greenhouse gases, saying their region has suffered some of the worst of global warming with recent droughts and bad fire seasons.” The Western Regional Climate Action Initiative will “develop a regional target to lower greenhouse gases and create a program aimed at helping businesses reach the still-undecided goals.”

(Think Progress)
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Hopefully, more states will follow suit, since we obviously won't get any help from the feds as long as bush is still in the WH.
Man, wouldn't it be something to have a president who was trying to help us rather than murder us all?

outrageously blatant lie

White House: U.S. Invaded Iraq ‘Under U.N. Authorization’
(Think Progress)
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Man, these assholes really think that we are all complete and utter morons with no memory cells at all!
Their unbridled arrogance sickens me...

Dems continue to try to do the right thing, despite repug obstruction

Senate to debate homeland security bill

WASHINGTON - A Senate drive to approve homeland security legislation could lead to a clash with the White House over airport screeners and standardized drivers' licenses.

The Senate planned to begin debate on Tuesday. The legislation would improve rail and aviation security, provide funds for state and local emergency communications systems, improve intelligence sharing between federal, state and local officials, and expand a visa waiver benefit for favored countries.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told the Senate on Monday that it is time to implement the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 commission. The panel issued a report card on the status of its recommendations last year, and Reid said any child would be embarrassed to take home those marks.

"It included 12 Ds, five Fs and two incompletes," Reid said.

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endless horror

Ramadi bombing kills 18, mostly children

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A car bomb exploded Tuesday near a park popular with young soccer players, killing at least 18 boys in a city west of Baghdad known as a center of the Sunni insurgency, police said.

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An odd addition to this story from Americablog

waste of lives

Cheney OK after Afghan blast; 23 killed

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber attacked the entrance to the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan on Tuesday during a visit by Vice President Dick Cheney, killing up to 23 people and wounding 20.

Cheney was unhurt in the attack, which was claimed by the Taliban and was the closest that militants have come to a top U.S. official visiting Afghanistan. At least one U.S. soldier, an American contractor and a South Korean soldier were among the dead, NATO said.

Cheney said the attackers were trying "to find ways to question the authority of the central government." The Taliban said Cheney was the target.

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this week's Top Ten Conservative Idiots

from Democratic Underground

disgusting

GOP didn't investigate Walter Reed to prevent embarrassing Bush

Think Progress has a post with video that says everything we need to know about the GOP:

On NBC’s Meet the Press today, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) argued that the Senate Armed Services Committee did not conduct oversight of the treatment at military facilities in recent years because “they did not want to embarrass the President.”

Support Bush, not the troops is the GOP's new mantra.

(Americablog)

the way bush handles his war on terror

Bush/Cheney ignoring the war on terror -- again

George Bush and his cronies are constantly puffing out their chests and talking tough about Iraq and terror. Dick Cheney invoked al Qaeda in a vicious attack on leading Democrats. They're sounding like they did in 2002. Same language, same threats -- but it's mostly just for political purposes. Bush and Cheney should be thinking back to 2001 when they ignored Bin Laden and al Qaeda the first time. Frank Rich shows us that it is 2001 all over again:

The White House doesn’t want to hear it now, either. That’s why terrorism experts are trying to get its attention by goingpublic, and not just through The Times. Michael Scheuer, the former head of the C.I.A. bin Laden unit, told MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann last week that the Taliban and Al Qaeda, having regrouped in Afghanistan and Pakistan, “are going to detonate a nuclear device inside the United States” (the real United States, that is, not the fictional stand-in where this same scenario can be found on “24”). Al Qaeda is “on the march” rather than on the run, the Georgetown University and West Point terrorism expert Bruce Hoffman told Congress. Tony Blair is pulling troops out of Iraq not because Basra is calm enough to be entrusted to Iraqi forces — it’s “not ready for transition,” according to the Pentagon’s last report — but to shift some British resources to the losing battle against the resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.

This is why the entire debate about the Iraq “surge” is as much a sideshow as Britney’s scalp. More troops in Baghdad are irrelevant to what’s going down in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The surge supporters who accuse the Iraq war’s critics of emboldening the enemy are trying to deflect attention from their own complicity in losing a bigger battle: the one against the enemy that actually did attack us on 9/11. Who lost Iraq? is but a distraction from the more damning question, Who is losing the war on terrorism?

The record so far suggests that this White House has done so twice.

Twice.

Note to the media: Just because Bush says he's fighting the war on terror, doesn't mean it's true. Yesterday, the Army's Chief of Staff said of capturing or killing Bin Laden, "I don't know that it's all that important, frankly."

Frankly, that was the attitude of George Bush and Dick Cheney back in 2001. Look where that got us.

(Americablog)

still more on bush's economy

16 million Americans living in "deep or severe poverty"

Just as a select few executives are hitting highs never seen before, millions of others are dropping to depths not seen in decades. Even more predictably the negative growth has accelerated during the Bush years.

Based on the latest available US census data from 2005, the McClatchy Newspapers analysis found that almost 16 million Americans live in "deep or severe poverty" defined as a family of four with two children earning less than 9,903 dollars -- one half the federal poverty line figure.

For individuals the "deep poverty" threshold was an income under 5,080 dollars a year.

"The McClatchy analysis found that the number of severely poor Americans grew by 26 percent from 2000 to 2005," the US newspaper chain reported.

"That's 56 percent faster than the overall poverty population grew in the same period," it noted.

The surge in poverty comes alongside an unusual economic expansion.

"Worker productivity has increased dramatically since the brief recession of 2001, but wages and job growth have lagged behind. At the same time, the share of national income going to corporate profits has dwarfed the amount going to wages and salaries," the study found.

Well, at least our corporate executives are doing better than ever and that's all that really counts, right?

(Americablog)

no one is conservative enough for the nutjobs

Secret club of right wingers and theocrats can't find a GOP candidate to love

Life's tough these days for the hard core leaders of the hard core right wing. They're having a hard time anointing the next GOP nominee. They've been huddling at a top-secret meeting in Florida trying to find someone to love:

The event was a meeting of the Council for National Policy, a secretive club whose few hundred members include Dr. James C. Dobson of Focus on the Family, the Rev. Jerry Falwell of Liberty University and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. Although little known outside the conservative movement, the council has become a pivotal stop for Republican presidential primary hopefuls, including George W. Bush on the eve of his 1999 primary campaign.

But in a stark shift from the group’s influence under President Bush, the group risks relegation to the margins. Many of the conservatives who attended the event, held at the beginning of the month at the Ritz-Carlton on Amelia Island, Fla., said they were dismayed at the absence of a champion to carry their banner in the next election.

Many conservatives have already declared their hostility to Senator John McCain of Arizona, who once denounced Christian conservative leaders as “agents of intolerance,” and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York, a liberal on abortion and gay rights issues who has been married three times.

But many were also deeply suspicious of former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts; the council has been distributing to its members a dossier prepared by a Massachusetts conservative group about liberal elements of his record on abortion, stem cell research, gay rights and gun control. Mr. Romney says he has become more conservative.

So, try as they might, apparently, McCain, Giuliani and Romney can't pander enough to the wingers.

This AP article about Romney's polygamist ancestors probably won't help him with the theocrats. And, a new Quinnipiac poll that Josh Marshall posted showing homo-loving, anti-gun, pro-choice Rudy with a big lead is probably making some heads explode down there at the secret club meeting in Florida.

(Americablog)
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I saw something about this in the paper this morning and i couldn't believe that there are people so right-wing that these guys aren't conservative enough for them! Sorry guys, some of us don't want a dictatorship or a theocracy, so you're not gonna get what you really want...

still more on bush's version of "supporting the troops"

Bush and Rumsfeld broke the Army. Now, they're breaking the lives of soldiers.

Never, ever should anyone in the Bush Administration be allowed to utter the phrase "we support the troops." This week, we saw just how the Bush Administration has neglected and abused the troops who were injured in the Bush-led war. The Washington Post series on Walter Reed has exposed the brutal treatment experienced by injured U.S. soldiers and their families at the hands of the Bush-led government that sent them to war. Unfortunately, Walter Reed, the flagship medical facility in the Army, is just the tip of the iceberg.

Columnist Ann McFeatters visited Walter Reed this week. She isn't buying the spin from the military leaders:

But the point is that crumbling infrastructure, inhumane bureaucracy and inadequate treatment for mental disorders have been known about for years and have been permitted to continue.

The month before The Post’s series ran, a conference on “quality of life” problems faced by soldiers, their families and civilian staff at Walter Reed found a long list of “issues.” They included: soldiers not getting benefits to travel as scheduled; lack of direction for emergency family care; unequal benefits based on the locale where a soldier is injured and not on the extent of injuries; and no overall plan to help wounded warriors through their convalescence.

While the Army is responsible for Walter Reed, there is a larger problem. And, that starts at the top.

Given that Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld had no real plans for the post-war period, it's not a surprise that the care of our soldiers never registered with them. "Support the troops" makes a great slogan. But, as we all know, actions speak louder than words with that crowd. McFeatters nails the situation:

When former defense chief Donald Rumsfeld and President Bush were planning the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, did they never think to determine how the wounded would be helped? Did they not know that today’s injured soldiers are dealing with far more horrific injuries than in the past because battlefield medicine keeps more of them alive?

Walter Reed is supposed to close in 2011. But facilities to handle its patients have not been built, renovated or expanded. Funds may not be scarce for cool new weapons, but they are exceedingly scarce for real soldiers.

If the Army is broken, as many believe, Rumsfeld and Bush broke it. And fixing it is proving more difficult than fixing the courageous soldiers the administration sent to war and who came back broken.

Bush's administration broke the Army. They're breaking the lives of wounded soldiers. Ultimately, they're breaking this country. Aren't we really better than all of this?

Thanks to (Army Vet) John in Boston for the heads up on this one.

(Americablog)

because this administration doesn't care about the real terrorists

Top Pentagon official says getting Bin Laden -- who has "re-established significant control" over Al Qaeda -- is no big deal

Wow. Seriously. Osama Bin Laden launched an attack on the U.S. that killed 3,000 people. Looks like the Bush Administration is prepared to let him get away with it. The U.S. Army's highest ranking officer said getting the terrorist who led the attack is not that important. What kind of message does that send to the terrorists?

Earlier this week, The NY Times reported that Bin Laden and his allies have "re-established significant control" over a resurgent Bin Laden:

American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.

That disturbing report makes sense now that we know our leaders don't think capturing Bin Laden is worth the effort according to a report in today's Washington Post:

The Army's highest-ranking officer said Friday that he was unsure whether the U.S. military would capture or kill Osama bin Laden, adding, "I don't know that it's all that important, frankly."

"So we get him, and then what?" asked Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the outgoing Army chief of staff, at a Rotary Club of Fort Worth luncheon. "There's a temporary feeling of goodness, but in the long run, we may make him bigger than he is today.

"He's hiding, and he knows we're looking for him. We know he's not particularly effective. I'm not sure there's that great of a return" on capturing or killing bin Laden

The Bush Administration didn't take Bin Laden seriously in early 2001. They're not taking him seriously now.

Instead, Bush and Cheney only invoke Bin Laden and al Qaeda for their own warped political purposes. Just this week, Dick Cheney had the audacity to bring up al Qaeda in yet another partisan political attack on Democrats. What a fraud. If Bush and Cheney had done their jobs, al Qaeda wouldn't be a force anymore. Instead, the Bush Administration has enabled and emboldened the terror network. Now, apparently, it's Bush policy to let Bin Laden get away with the mass murder of Americans. Beyond shocking.

Bush and Cheney have not only enabled Bin Laden, they've made him a legend.

(Americablog)

Go Obama!

Obama targets Cheney

Time to bring Cheney back to the real world.

Obama, speaking at a massive outdoor rally in Austin, Texas, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair's decision this week to withdraw 1,600 troops is a recognition that Iraq's problems can't be solved militarily.

"Now if Tony Blair can understand that, then why can't George Bush and Dick Cheney understand that?" Obama asked thousands of supporters who gathered in the rain to hear him. "In fact, Dick Cheney said this is all part of the plan (and) it was a good thing that Tony Blair was withdrawing, even as the administration is preparing to put 20,000 more of our young men and women in.

"Now, keep in mind, this is the same guy that said we'd be greeted as liberators, the same guy that said that we're in the last throes. I'm sure he forecast sun today," Obama said to laughter from supporters holding campaign signs over their heads to keep dry. "When Dick Cheney says it's a good thing, you know that you've probably got some big problems."

(Americablog)

the whore returns

Jeff Gannon sighting.

At the National Press Club yesterday for the press roundtable

(Think Progress)

coalition of the leaving

Coalition no longer willing. When Britain and Denmark withdraw their troops from the U.S.-led coalition, just 22 nations will continue to have a presence in Iraq. Forty-nine nations originally made up the coalition.

(Think Progress)

Don’t forget Lithuania. Lithuania is “seriously considering” withdrawing its 53 troops from Iraq, a Defense Ministry spokeswoman said Wednesday. “It was the first time that Lithuania, a staunch U.S. ally, indicated it would reduce its commitment in Iraq.”

(Think Progress)

Blair to announce U.K. troop withdrawal from Iraq. BBC reports: “Tony Blair is expected to announce a timetable for the withdrawal of UK troops from Iraq. The prime minister is due to make an announcement in the House of Commons on Wednesday in which he is expected clarify the details. Mr Blair is expected to say hundreds of troops will return from Basra within weeks with more to follow later. Some 7,000 UK troops are currently serving in Iraq and about 1,500 are expected to return within weeks.”

(Think Progress)

fighting back

When Fox attacks. Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films, the creators of Outfoxed, have launched a new site — FoxAttacks.com — to “give you the information and tools you need to hit Fox where it hurts.”

(Think Progress)

another horrific milestone

Report: Ninth helicopter downed in Iraq. Yet another U.S. helicopter has been downed by insurgent attacks in Iraq, according to Arab media reports being investigated by the Pentagon. If confirmed, it will be the ninth helicopter downed in Iraq since January 20. More here.

(Think Progress)

Minnesota leading the way

Minn. raises bar on renewable energy use

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota put its faith in a future fueled by renewable energy Thursday as the governor signed a law requiring utilities to generate a quarter of their power from renewable sources such as wind, water and sun by 2025. Considering where Minnesota stands now — about half the power produced in the state is from coal, and only 5 percent from renewable sources — the move is the most aggressive in the country, analysts say.

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scary

Report says nuclear work ongoing in Iran
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Not that I necessarily believe that this is true, but it could be used as another excuse for more war....

cheney thinks that the majority of Americans "validate the al-Qaida strategy"

Cheney slams Iraq plan advocated by Dems

WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday harshly criticized Democrats' attempts to thwart President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq, saying their approach would "validate the al-Qaida strategy." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi fired back that Cheney was questioning critics' patriotism.

"I hope the president will repudiate and distance himself from the vice president's remarks," Pelosi said. She said she tried to complain about Cheney to President Bush but could not reach him.

"You cannot say as the president of the United States, 'I welcome disagreement in a time of war,' and then have the vice president of the United States go out of the country and mischaracterize a position of the speaker of the House and in a manner that says that person in that position of authority is acting against the national security of our country," the speaker said.

The quarrel began in Tokyo, where Cheney used an interview to criticize Pelosi and Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., over their plan to place restrictions on Bush's request for an additional $93 billion for the Iraq war to make it difficult or impossible to send 21,500 extra troops to Iraq.

"I think if we were to do what Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Murtha are suggesting, all we will do is validate the al-Qaida strategy," the vice president told ABC News. "The al-Qaida strategy is to break the will of the American people ... try to persuade us to throw in the towel and come home, and then they win because we quit."

In the interview, Cheney also said Britain's plans to withdraw about 1,600 troops from Iraq — while the United States adds more troops — was a positive step. "I look at it and see it is actually an affirmation that there are parts of Iraq where things are going pretty well," the vice president said.

Pelosi, at a news conference in San Francisco, said Cheney's criticism of Democrats was "beneath the dignity of the debate we're engaged in and a disservice to our men and women in uniform, whom we all support."

"And you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to call the president and tell him I disapprove of what the vice president said," Pelosi said. "It has no place in our debate." Bush had previously urged her to call him when a member of his administration stepped over the line by questioning Democrats' patriotism, she said.

Later, Pelosi said she had tried to reach the president but was only able to get through to White House chief of staff Josh Bolten.

Bolten said he was certain no one was questioning her patriotism or commitment to national security, she told reporters.

"I said to him perhaps when he saw what the vice president said he might have another comment," Pelosi said. White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said Cheney "was not questioning anyone's patriotism." But she said Bush and Cheney believe that Pelosi and Murtha's "position to immediately pull out our troops would be harmful to our national security and that it is the wrong strategy to pursue."

As for Cheney's assertion that the partial British pullout is a sign that things are going well in Iraq, Pelosi said: "If it's going so well, we'd like to withdraw our troops as well."

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Service Committee, said Britain's withdrawal, coupled with a Denmark's announcement to pull out its 460 troops by August, "accelerates the breakup of the coalition in Iraq."

He said the United States should reduce its forces "as a way of pressuring the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future and to reach the political settlements that are essential to end the sectarian violence and defeat the insurgency."

Administration leaders, however, said Britain's decision was good news.

"The British have done what is really the plan for the country as a whole, which is to transfer security responsibility to the Iraqis as the situation permits," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a news conference in Berlin, where she was in meetings on the Mideast peace process.

National security adviser Stephen Hadley, at NATO headquarters in Brussels, said the decision "reflects the progress that has been made on the ground in Basra and in the south," where British troops were stationed.

"So this is basically a good news story, an indication that progress is being made, and that events on the ground permit this kind of adjustment in forces," Hadley said. Still, he acknowledged the violence in Baghdad and said, "I'm not saying this is an unalloyed picture of progress."

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Cheney truly is living in another reality - not even fellow repugs agree with his nonsense any longer!
His lies are really becoming too much, though. Claiming that a vast majority of Americans want to help al-Qaida is sickening in the extreme.

More from Think Progress:
White House Stands Behind Cheney’s Attacks On Murtha And Pelosi

Dems just acting like repugs

Obama, Clinton rivalry flares over donor

WASHINGTON - The rival presidential campaigns of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama traded accusations of nasty politics Wednesday over Hollywood donor David Geffen, who once backed Bill Clinton but now supports his wife's top rival.

The Clinton campaign demanded that Obama denounce comments made by the DreamWorks movie studio founder, who told New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd in Wednesday's editions that while "everybody in politics lies," the former president and his wife "do it with such ease, it's troubling."

The Clinton camp also called on Obama to give back Geffen's $2,300 contribution.

Campaigning in Iowa, Obama refused.

"It's not clear to me why I'd be apologizing for someone else's remark," the Illinois senator said.

For her part, New York Sen. Clinton sidestepped questions, leaving the issue to her aides to discuss.

"I'm just going to stay focused on my campaign and I'm going to run a positive campaign about the issues that affect the people in our country," she told The Associated Press in an interview in Nevada. She was participating a candidate forum in Carson City.

The Clinton team seemed eager to continue the attack. With Obama in Iowa, aides arranged for former Iowa attorney general Bonnie Campbell to criticize him in a conference call with reporters.

In the newspaper interview, Geffen also said Bill Clinton is "a reckless guy" and he does not think Hillary Clinton can bring the country together during a time of war, no matter how smart or ambitious she is.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs added another criticism of Clinton.

"It is also ironic that Senator Clinton lavished praise on Monday and is fully willing to accept today the support of South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford, who said if Barack Obama were to win the nomination, he would drag down the rest of the Democratic Party because 'he's black,'" Gibbs' statement said.

Ford later apologized. The Clinton campaign said it disagreed with Ford, but the senator has embraced his support.

Another Democratic presidential candidate, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said at the candidate forum that Obama should denounce Geffen's comments. "We Democrats should all sign a pledge that we all be positive," Richardson said.

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I hate seeing the Dems participating in this silly in-fighting. This does no one (except maybe the repugs) any good and is simply divisive.

Wednesday Beagle Blogging

I don't get much time to spend on this blog anymore, so i'm posting this while i can cuz it's such a good pic of Harley!

Barack in Las Vegas

On Sunday, February 18, Barack made an appearance in Las Vegas in front of a crowd of about 3500 cheering people in an outdoor amphitheater on a beautiful afternoon.

I have actually never attended a political rally before and was impressed by the media savy that was shown by Obama’s team. A live band performed before his appearance, hand painted signs were passed out (no one was allowed to bring their own signs in) along with professional banners, children were brought on stage waving banners to pump up the crowd, a young speaker from UNLV introduced Obama (intimating that the youth of America are getting involved and are backing this man) and the man himself walked through the crowd before and after, shaking hands and signing books.

His speech covered the basics that you would expect from a Democrat – or any sane politician these days - the war in Iraq, education, health care, security, energy independence, etc. Seeing as this was basically an introductory speech, he didn’t go into details about any of the issues and he steered away from anything particularly confrontational or controversial, such as abortion or gay rights, but he is a great speaker and has the right ideas. He is certainly charismatic and it doesn’t hurt that he is a handsome man – as the women in the audience were happy to attest! I know that people always used to say that bush was considered someone that you would have a drink with. I never saw that myself - I don't drink with obnoxious meatheads - but Barack is someone that I could see just about anyone sitting down with and actually having a conversation. He does seem like a man of the people.

I wish I could say that I had confidence that the American public would not let race be an issue in deciding on a political candidate, but I know that there is still far too much prejudice in this land. Regardless, from what I know so far, I do believe that Barack could be a good president. Whether the public will allow him the chance is still up in the air. But the faithful in Las Vegas believe in him!

Lots of news reports on the event here, here, here and here.

more conservative flip-flops

House Anti-Murtha Leader Flip-Flops To Attack Iraq Plan
(Think Progress)

WTF?

Right-Wing Radio Host: Teachers Unions Are ‘Much More Dangerous’ Than Al Qaeda
(Think Progress)

makes sense in bush-world!

Indicted CIA official was in charge of ethics. Kyle “Dusty” Foggo, the former high-ranking CIA official who was indicted in an offshoot of the case of Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, once oversaw ethics at the CIA. He “served two years as a ‘deputy ethics official’ and sat through ethics training eight times,” but at times suggested that ethics reporting requirements were burdensome.

(Think Progress)

even more on bush's views on our troops

Iraq war amputee denied photo-op with Bush. “‘Are you telling me that I can’t go to the ceremony ’cause I’m an amputee?‘” asked David Thomas, an Iraq war veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart. Thomas was told he could not wear shorts to attend a ceremony with President Bush because the media would be there, and shorts were not advisable because the amputees would be seated in the front row. David responded, “I’m not ashamed of what I did, and y’all shouldn’t be neither.” When the guest list came out for the ceremony, his name was not on it. John Aravosis tracks other cases of disgraceful treatment toward veterans.

(Think Progress)
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Gawd forbid that anyone see the results of bush's insane and useless war.

politics over-riding self-preservation

‘Proud’ Polluter Sean Hannity Launches Pathetic Smear Attack Against Al Gore
(Think Progress)
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It is pretty incredible that the wacko conservatives would rather the entire world be destroyed than admit that someone on the "other side" is right about anything.

thanks, bush!

Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda regaining power. “Senior leaders of Al Qaeda operating from Pakistan have re-established significant control over their once battered worldwide terror network and over the past year have set up a band of training camps in the tribal regions near the Afghan border,” the New York Times reports. “American officials said there was mounting evidence that Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, had been steadily building an operations hub in the mountainous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan. Until recently, the Bush administration had described Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahri as detached from their followers and cut off from operational control of Al Qaeda.”

(Think Progress)

more libel from Snow

Snow: Politicians Warning Of Iran War ‘May Be Trying To Protect Iran’
(Think Progress)

more on bush's version of "supporting the troops"

Injured U.S. troops held in revolting conditions.

The Washington Post reports:

Behind the door of Army Spec. Jeremy Duncan’s room, part of the wall is torn and hangs in the air, weighted down with black mold. When the wounded combat engineer stands in his shower and looks up, he can see the bathtub on the floor above through a rotted hole. The entire building, constructed between the world wars, often smells like greasy carry-out. Signs of neglect are everywhere: mouse droppings, belly-up cockroaches, stained carpets, cheap mattresses.

This is the world of Building 18, not the kind of place where Duncan expected to recover when he was evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from Iraq last February with a broken neck and a shredded left ear, nearly dead from blood loss. But the old lodge, just outside the gates of the hospital and five miles up the road from the White House, has housed hundreds of maimed soldiers recuperating from injuries suffered in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

AmericaBlog has more.

(Think Progress)

another administration flip-flop

Tony Snow Backtracks: ‘Of Course’ Things Have Gone Wrong In Iraq
(Think Progress)

can someone remind me why America is supposed to be better than a dictatorship?

Court: Detainees can't challenge cases

WASHINGTON - Guantanamo Bay detainees may not challenge their detention in U.S. courts, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling upholding a key provision of a law at the center of President Bush's anti-terrorism plan.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that civilian courts no longer have the authority to consider whether the military is illegally holding foreigners.

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what credibility?

Prosecutors attack Libby's credibility

this actually sounds very reasonable to me

Iran sets condition to halt nuke program

TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Tuesday said his country was ready to stop its enrichment program and return to talks provided Western nations also stopped their own. Ahmadinejad told a crowd of thousands in northern Iran one day ahead of a U.N. Security Council deadline that it was no problem for his country to stop, but that "fair talks" demanded a similar gesture from the West.

"That ... we shut down our nuclear fuel cycle program to let talks begin. It's no problem. But justice demands that those who want to hold talks with us shut down their nuclear fuel cycle program too. Then, we can hold dialogue under a fair atmosphere," Ahmadinejad said.

The White House dismissed Ahmadinejad's call.

"Do you believe that's a serious offer?" White House press secretary Tony Snow asked. "It's pretty clear that the international community has said to the Iranians, `You can have nuclear power but we don't want you to have the ability to build nuclear weapons.' And that is an offer we continue to make."

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I have a hard time believing that Snow, a spokesperson for the president, can be that condescending and snarky towards another world leader, especially when that person is making a reasonable request. But, of course, I do believe it because of the administration and their "fuck you" attitude towards the rest of the world.

interesting background on Obama

Obama got start in civil rights practice

another McCain flip-flop

McCain: Rumsfeld was one of the worst

BLUFFTON, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Monday the war in Iraq has been mismanaged for years and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will be remembered as one of the worst in history.

--

The comments were in sharp contrast to McCain's statement when Rumsfeld resigned in November, and failed to address the reality that President Bush is the commander in chief.

"While Secretary Rumsfeld and I have had our differences, he deserves Americans' respect and gratitude for his many years of public service," McCain said last year when Rumsfeld stepped down.

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McCain going for the wackos

McCain defends Christian outreach effort

VERO BEACH, Fla. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is defending his outreach to conservative Christians, arguing that his effort is not political pandering to win the GOP nomination.

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another cool find

3,000-year-old tombs are found in Egypt

SAQQARA, Egypt - Archeologists unveiled Tuesday the tombs of a Pharaonic butler and scribe that had been buried in the sand for more than 3,000 years.

The tombs, along with the painted coffins of a priest and his girlfriend, were discovered early this year at Saqqara near the famous Step Pyramid of King Djoser — the oldest of Egypt's more than 90 pyramids.

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this week's Top Ten Conservative Idiots

from Democratic Underground

he's really grasping at straws now

Bush compares Revolutionary, terror wars
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This is too absurd to even try to critique!

didn't i see this in several movies?

U.N. urged to take action on asteroid threat
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But maybe that tired old move plot would work in real life, and the people of the world would work together to fight a common threat. But, i'm not holding my breath...

Go NJ!

Benefits for gay couples start in N.J.
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In a way, isn't it amazing that this is news? Why do we still have crazy discriminatory laws in the United States in this day & age? Kinda hard to believe that prejudice continues in the 21st century.

this is amazing!

Science finds new ways to regrow fingers

DS skewers repugs on their absurdity

Daily Show on the Absurdity of the House Debate on Iraq
(Crooks and Liars)

lots more on Nevada's corrupt govenor

Daily Glean: If Jim Gibbons can't take a kickback, the terrorists have won
(Las Vegas Gleaner)
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I still can't believe that this ass got elected. Nevada apparently loves corruption!

more ignorant bigotry

Former NBA superstar: "I hate gay people"
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NBA banishes homophobic player from All-Star event in Vegas


(Both from Americablog)
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At least the NBA acknowledges how truly awful this bigotry is.

Stephen Colbert ice cream!

New ice cream named for Stephen Colbert

NEW YORK - Stephen Colbert may have no taste for the truth, but he does have a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry's has named a new ice cream in honor of the comedian: "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream."

It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel.

Announcing the new flavor Wednesday, Ben & Jerry's called it: "The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth."

The Vermont-based ice-cream maker is known for naming its flavors after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the band Phish — which Colbert sees as a political bias.

"I'm not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda," Colbert said in a statement. "What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case."

Colbert, who spoofs flag-waving conservative pundits on his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report," is donating his proceeds to charity through the new Stephen Colbert Americone Dream Fund, which will distribute the money to various causes.

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maybe we wouldn't need them if we weren't in Iraq for no reason?

Bush tells NATO to reinforce Afghanistan

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Thursday exhorted NATO nations to send additional troops to Afghanistan and allow their soldiers already there to fight in the violent south and under other dangerous circumstances.

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go Dems!

Congress eyes getting more info released

WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats are looking at ways to strengthen open government laws and force the Bush administration to release more documents under the Freedom of Information Act.

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does someone think that this is a bad thing?

Obama has traveled world in Senate career

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama s two years in the Senate have taken him around the world, from Russia to Iraq to Kenya — an itinerary more costly to taxpayers than any other senator who took office with him.

The Illinois Democrat's travels in 2005 and 2006 cost taxpayers nearly $28,000 as he studied nuclear proliferation, AIDS, Middle Eastern violence and more.

Eight other freshmen senators took office in 2005, and about $19,200 was the most anyone spent for government-paid travel, according to reports filed with the Senate Office of Public Records.

Obama's journeys are unusual for such a junior senator, but not for someone thinking of a presidential run someday.

"Valuable or not, it's the thing they all do to show that they're knowledgeable about the world," said Stephen Hess, a George Washington University professor and former presidential aide.

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I was going to ask if learning about the world and the issues affecting everyone was supposed to be a bad thing - i guess some people think so. I wish that more politicians - including the prez - had more curiousity about the workings of the world.

Go Al!

Al Franken enters Minnesota Senate race

still more to drive IDers nutz

Scientist: Frog could be 25M years old

MEXICO CITY - A Mexican researcher announced the rare find of a tiny tree frog completely preserved in amber on Wednesday that he estimates lived about 25 million years ago.

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and they better stick to this!

Hillary stands up to Bush on Iran. “If the administration believes that any, any use of force against Iran is necessary, the president must come to Congress to seek that authority,” Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said in a Senate speech.

(Think Progress)

a lying repug - what a surprise!

'Wash Times' Columnist Uses Fabricated Abraham Lincoln Quote
(Editor and Publisher)

i wish that something like this would still surprise me

Oil lobbyist and Bush enviro lawyer share vacation home.

“Nine months before agreeing to let ConocoPhillips delay a half-billion-dollar pollution cleanup, the government’s top environmental prosecutor [Sue Ellen Wooldridge] bought a $1 million vacation home with the company’s top lobbyist,” the AP reports. “Also in on the Kiawah Island, S.C., house deal was former Deputy Interior Secretary J. Steven Griles, the highest-ranking Bush administration official targeted for criminal prosecution in the Jack Abramoff corruption probe.”

(Think Progress)

who's the twisted f'k who thought of this?

Abstinence program had students share chewing gum. “In the matter of the ‘gum game’ — the yucky attempt in Montgomery County schools to impress upon teenagers the dangers of sexual promiscuity by asking them to share a piece of gum — all involved now appear to be appalled at themselves,” the Washington Post reports. “‘It’s a disgusting, gross exercise that no adult should have asked a child to do, no matter what the purpose,’ says Brian Edwards, spokesman for the county school system, which has now banned the Pregnancy Center from public classrooms.”

(Think Progress)

what a surprise!

Siding With Big Business, Cheney Announces Bush Will Veto Workers’ Rights Bill
(Think Progress)

ignorant, offensive, bigoted repug

Rep. Westmoreland Warns That Iraqis Won’t Just ‘Go Back to Tending Sheep and Herding Goats’
(Think Progress)

the forgotten war on terror and actual terrorists

War in Afghanistan? Zzz. Yesterday’s House Armed Services Committee hearing on the war in Afghanistan “drew only the weakest of spotlights.” Despite featuring testimony from Gen. Karl Eikenberry, the outgoing commander of all NATO troops in Afghanistan, “as the hearing was set to begin, the only member of the media on hand to hear Eikenberry was a camera guy from CNN doing a pool report.” Last year was the bloodiest since the United States overthrew the Taliban in 2001, and opium production “broke all records in 2006.”

(Think Progress)

the Conservative News Network strikes again

CNN Propagates False Iran Claim That Even White House Rejects
(Think Progress)

another repug WTF moment

The Davy Crockett defense of escalation.

During today’s House debate on Iraq, Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO) debuted the Davy Crockett defense:

AKIN: Could you picture Davy Crockett at the Alamo looking at his Blackberry getting a message from Congress? “Davy Crockett, we support you. The only thing is we are not going to send any troops.” I’m sure that would really be impressive to Davy Crockett.

UPDATE: From commenter Mike:

I think Davy Crockett would be more impressed with the odd contraption that is sending him messages in the 1836 and why it was Congress calling when Texas wasn’t annexed until 1845.

“OMG Davy, u r on ur own, lollers ;) C-gress”

(Think Progress)

Kansas moving towards the 21st century (or at least the 20th)

Kansas approves evolution-friendly science standards. MSNBC is reporting that the Kansas school board, “long ridiculed for its resistance to teaching evolution,” today rebuffed social conservatives and approved “science guidelines that embrace Charles Darwin’s mainstream theories.”

(Think Progress)

repugs admit that Iraq is a losing issue for them and a winning issue for Dems

Leaked Letter Reveals Conservative Strategy For Iraq Debate: Don’t Talk About Iraq

This week, the House of Representatives is debating a resolution opposing President Bush’s Iraq escalation. The resolution is just 58 words long, and has only one purpose: “Disapproving of the decision of the President announced on January 10, 2007, to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq.”

But a leaked letter obtained today by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) office reveals that conservatives have formulated a strategy to avoid talking about the central question of the debate.

In the letter, leading conservative Reps. John Shadegg (R-AZ) and Peter Hoekstra (R-MI) inform their allies: “The debate should not be about the surge or its details. This debate should not even be about the Iraq war to date, mistakes that have been made, or whether we can, or cannot, win militarily.” Shadegg and Hoekstra warn, if conservatives are forced to debate “the surge or the current situation in Iraq, we lose.”

Read it:

Instead, they write, “the debate must be about the global threat of the radical Islamic movement.” The problem is they lose that debate too.

(Think Progress)

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Once again, if the debate is based on actual facts, it's bad for the repugs.

more on bush's budget

Bush Takes Budget Axe To America’s Volunteers
(Think Progress)
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So basically, if it is a good program that helps anyone (other than big businesses), bush is cutting it in his budget.
Sounds about right for this scumbag...

wow - the media doing their job

In Heated Exchanges, Reporters Press Snow To Justify Iran Claims

At today’s White House press briefing, Press Secretary Tony Snow faced intense questioning over administration claims that Iranians have smuggled weapons into Iraq with “the approval of senior Iranian officials.” Yesterday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Peter Pace seemed to contradict this claim, saying that he has not seen evidence that the Iranian government “clearly knows or is complicit” in the weapons smuggling.

CNN’s Ed Henry pressed Snow: “When the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff seems to be saying something different than the White House, does that raise questions about how solid this evidence is?” But Snow insisted that the White House and Pace were “not on separate pages.”

Later, Henry accused Snow of repeatedly “changing what my question is.” Snow said, “No, no, I’m trying to clarify your question,” but Henry interrupted. “I don’t need it clarified. I’m trying to tell you — I know what my question is, and basically, [Pace is] saying that he doesn’t see evidence that the Iranian government is clearly behind it. That’s my — I’ve asked that three or four times, you haven’t answered that.”

(Think Progress)

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And, Snow continues to do his job - lying to our faces.

i would've been surprised if he did

Cheney won’t testify. Reversing course, attorneys for former White House aide Scooter Libby say they no longer plan to call Vice President Dick Cheney to testify in the CIA leak trial. The AP reports, “Defense attorney Theodore Wells said he advised Cheney’s lawyer over lunch that his testimony would not be needed. Wells also said he planned to rest his case without calling Libby.”

(Think Progress)

even Exxon admits global warming is real - tho they don't want to do anything about it

Exxon finally admits global warming is real. Exxon Mobil Chairman Rex Tillerson told a world energy conference today that “there is no question that the world’s climate is getting warmer,” but “didn’t offer specific actions that nations should adopt to combat climate change.” While Exxon has recently embarked on a campaign to “soften” its public image on global warming.

(Think Progress)

more devastation in New Orleans

Tornado hits New Orleans area; 1 dead

NEW ORLEANS - A powerful storm and likely a tornado hit the New Orleans area early Tuesday, killing an elderly woman, injuring at least 16 other people, and damaging dozens of business and homes in a region still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

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more good news from North Korea

N. Korea agrees to nuclear disarmament

BEIJING - North Korea agreed Tuesday to shut down its main nuclear reactor and eventually dismantle its atomic weapons program in exchange for millions of dollars in aid, just four months after the communist state shocked the world by testing a nuclear bomb.

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Dems continue to work on the Iraq war

House begins debate on Iraq war

WASHINGTON - Almost four years into the Iraq war, the House began a historic and emotional debate Tuesday on whether President Bush's decision to add more U.S. troops to the bloody conflict is a mistake that has to be reversed.

Democrats won control of Congress in last November's elections and were determined to pass a resolution disapproving of the president's decision to deploy more than 20,000 additional combat troops.

"This is the debate that many of us have yearned for for four years," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y.

The measure, expected to be approved by the House on Friday, was nonbinding. But the message was unmistakable, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who maintained that Bush's policies "have not worked, will not work and must be changed."

Republicans, in the minority for the first time in 12 years, issued emotional warnings of the consequences of undermining the president's policies in Iraq. "We will embolden terrorists in every corner in the world. We will give Iran free access to the Middle East," said Republican leader John Boehner, R -Ohio. "And who doesn't believe the the terrorists will just follow our troops home?"

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The repugs really need some new talking points. It must be embarassing even to themselves to spout this idiotic nonsense still.

hope this will help

Iraq: Borders with Syria, Iran to close

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq will close its borders with Syria and Iran for 72 hours as part of the drive to secure and pacify Baghdad, the Iraqi commander of the crackdown said Tuesday, hours after a suicide bombing in a mainly Shiite neighborhood killed at least 15 people.

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WH admits that bush is trying to provoke Iran

U.S. sending third carrier strike group to Gulf.

Newsweek on “The Hidden War With Iran.”

At least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for,” says Hillary Mann, the administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf Affairs. …

A second Navy carrier group is steaming toward the Persian Gulf, and NEWSWEEK has learned that a third carrier will likely follow. Iran shot off a few missiles in those same tense waters last week, in a highly publicized test. With Americans and Iranians jousting on the chaotic battleground of Iraq, the chances of a small incident’s spiraling into a crisis are higher than they’ve been in years.

(Think Progress)

once again, it's ok if you're a repug

Politico’s Simon: Libby Didn’t Commit A ‘Real Crime’
(Think Progress)
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So, perjury was enough to impeach Clinton, but lying about outing an undercover CIA agent isn't a "real crime"?!
Wow!

boggling!

Kristol: Obama Is ‘The Opposite Of Lincoln,’ Would Have Been Pro-Slavery
(Think Progress)

the Dixie Chicks beat bush & company!

The Chicks win big. “The Dixie Chicks completed a defiant comeback on Sunday night, winning five Grammy awards after being shunned by the country music establishment over their anti-Bush comments leading up to the Iraq war. The Texas trio won record and song of the year for the no-regrets anthem ‘Not Ready to Make Nice.’”

(Think Progress)

frightening

Top Cheney Aide: 2007 Is ‘The Year Of Iran,’ U.S. Attack ‘A Real Possibility’
(Think Progress)

health care horror story

America, this is your health care system: “A paraplegic man wearing a soiled hospital gown and a broken colostomy bag was found crawling in a gutter in skid row in Los Angeles on Thursday after allegedly being dumped in the street by a Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center van, police said. The incident, witnessed by more than two dozen people, was described by police as a particularly outrageous case of ‘homeless dumping’ that has plagued the downtown area.”

(Think Progress)

convoluted story!

Pincus reveals Fleischer as leak source

WASHINGTON - Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer leaked the identity of a CIA operative to Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus during a 2003 phone call, Pincus testified Monday as the first defense witness in the CIA leak trial.

Pincus was one of the first reporters to learn the identity of Valerie Plame, the wife of former ambassador and prominent Iraq war critic Joseph Wilson. Pincus said he learned her identity July 12, 2003 but did not immediately write about it. Plame was outed by syndicated columnist Robert Novak two days later.

Pincus testified on behalf of Vice PresidentDick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. Libby is accused of lying and obstructing the investigation into the leak of Plame's identity.

Pincus, a veteran national security reporter, said he was talking to Fleischer for a story about weapons of mass destruction. He said Fleischer "suddenly swerved off" topic and asked why Pincus continued to write about Wilson.

"Don't you know his wife works for the CIA as an analyst?" Pincus recalled Fleischer saying.

Fleischer testified at the trial earlier that Libby had told him about Plame over lunch. Fleischer testified he leaked the information to three reporters during a presidential trip to Africa but he did not mention the Pincus conversation. In exchange for his testimony, prosecutors promised not to charge Fleischer.

Libby argues that he never discussed Plame with Fleischer. Pincus' testimony helps defense attorneys make the argument that Fleischer needed someone to blame to cover up his own leaking.

Novak, whose column triggered an FBI investigation into the leak, was also scheduled to testify Monday, attorneys said.

Novak has said that Richard Armitage, the former deputy secretary of state, and Bush aide Karl Rove were the sources for his July 2003 column.

"You're going to hear that," defense attorney Theodore Wells said in court Monday morning. "He's going to testify about that in a few hours."

Novak and Pincus are two of several journalists whom Libby's attorneys planned to call. These lawyers also are fighting hard to force NBC foreign affairs reporter Andrea Mitchell to testify about why she said that Plame's identity was "widely known" even before the Novak column was published.

Mitchell has since recanted those comments and has said that she cannot explain them.

A key dispute in the case involves Mitchell's NBC colleague, Tim Russert. Libby says Russert told him in July 2003 that "all the reporters know" Plame worked for the CIA. Russert said that never happened because he didn't know who Plame was at the time.

Prosecutors say Libby concocted the Russert story to shield him from prosecution for discussing information he had learned through official government channels.

Libby's attorneys want to show that Russert had heard that Plame worked at the CIA. Fleischer has already testified that he told NBC reporter David Gregory about her. If Libby can show that Mitchell knew, too, they think they can persuade jurors to believe Libby's account of the Russert conversation.

U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton said Mitchell can be called as a witness but he wouldn't allow Libby's attorneys to ask about her inconsistent statements.

In addition to Mitchell, attorneys have said several other journalists are expected to testify this week: New York Times managing editor Jill Abramson, Newsweek assistant managing editor Evan Thomas, and Bob Woodward and Glenn Kessler, along with Pincus, from The Washington Post.

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scary when crazed dictators make more sense than our president

Iran rejects U.S. charges on arming Iraq

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran on Monday rejected U.S. accusations that the highest levels of Iranian leadership have armed Shiite militants in Iraq with armor-piercing roadside bombs.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a televised interview that his country was opposed to conflict and bloodshed in Iraq and that problems in Iraq should be solved with dialogue, not by force.

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Dems still trying to help Iraq

House Democrats to vote on anti-war bill

WASHINGTON - House Democratic leaders circulated a nonbinding resolution Monday saying that Congress "disapproves of the decision of President George W. Bush to deploy more than 20,000 additional United States combat troops to Iraq"

The measure, expected to come to a vote by Friday, also says that "Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States armed forces who are serving or who have served bravely and honorably in Iraq."

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Because this should end:
Bombs kill at least 80 people in Iraq
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loyal to the disaster-in-chief

Romney concedes Iraq war poorly managed

DES MOINES, Iowa - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney conceded that the war in Iraq has been poorly managed and may hurt Republicans again next year, but he refused to oppose the course President Bush has charted.

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So even though he admits that Iraq is a disaster, he thinks we should still follow the moron who created the disaster?
Does that make any sense at all to anyone?!