this doesn't sound particularly "radical"

Radical cleric blames U.S. for Iraq woes

BAGHDAD - The radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a scathing attack on the United States on Friday, following one of the country's bloodiest days, blaming Washington for Iraq's troubles and calling for a mass demonstration April 9 — the fourth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad.

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making progress now that obstructionist repugs are out of the way

Mass. gov. seeks stem cell rule reversal

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick said Friday he will push to reverse stem cell research restrictions imposed by his predecessor, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney.

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but bush says we don't torture!

Suspect at Guantanamo claims torture

WASHINGTON - A suspected Saudi terrorist told a military hearing that he was tortured into confessing that he was involved in the bombing of the USS Cole, according to a Pentagon transcript released Friday.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent, said he made up stories that tied him to the Cole attack, which killed 17 U.S. sailors and nearly succeeded in sinking the $1 billion destroyer in Aden harbor, Yemen.

"From the time I was arrested five years ago, they have been torturing me. It happened during interviews. One time they tortured me one way, and another time they tortured me in a different way," al-Nashiri said, according to the transcript. "I just said those things to make the people happy. They were very happy when I told them those things."

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Don't you wish that we still lived in a country where we would have reason to doubt these types of accusations?

photo op time!

Bush to visit with troops at Walter Reed

WASHINGTON - President Bush carries a promise of better treatment for neglected war veterans on a tour of Walter Reed Army Medical Center Friday, but critics questioned the timing of the visit six weeks after shoddy conditions were exposed there.

Bobby Muller, president of Veterans for America, said Bush isn't going to see areas of the hospital most in need of change. He cited Ward 54, where soldiers are suffering from acute mental health conditions, and outpatient holding facilities where soldiers see long waits to get processed out of the Army.

"Walter Reed is not a photo-op," Muller said. "Walter Reed is still broken. The DoD health care system is still broken. ... Our troops need their commander in chief to start working harder for them."

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because the Dems are trying to create a better country

Dem budget plan boasts boost to security

WASHINGTON - A budget plan promising spending increases for education, health care and national security neared House passage Thursday as Democrats pressed their first budget plan since regaining control of Congress.

Meanwhile, Republicans regrouping from their loss of a majority in last year's election faced a difficult vote Thursday on whether to cut Medicare to help finance renewal of President Bush's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

The Democratic plan predicts a sizable surplus in five years, but only if Bush's tax cuts expire in 2010 as scheduled. Democrats said the $2.9 trillion plan for next year would point the way to a surplus after years of red ink under Bush and a GOP-controlled Congress.

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So, the Dems will be able to balance the budget unless the repugs continue to screw the rest of us so that they can give their tax cuts to the rich. Hopefully, the Dems will prevail!

Dems continuing to do the right thing

Senate OKs Iraq troop withdrawal bill

WASHINGTON - The Democratic-controlled Senate ignored a veto threat and voted Thursday for a bill requiring President Bush to start withdrawing combat troops from Iraq within four months, dealing a sharp rebuke to a wartime commander in chief.

In a mostly party line 51-47 vote, the Senate signed off on a bill providing $122 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also orders Bush to begin withdrawing troops within 120 days of passage while setting a nonbinding goal of ending combat operations by March 31, 2008.

The vote came shortly after Bush, in a move that his aides said was unprecedented, invited all House Republicans to the White House to appear with him in a sort of pep rally to bolster his position in the continuing war policy fight.

"We stand united in saying loud and clear that when we've got a troop in harm's way, we expect that troop to be fully funded," Bush said, surrounded by Republicans on the North Portico, "and we got commanders making tough decisions on the ground, we expect there to be no strings on our commanders."

"We expect the Congress to be wise about how they spend the people's money," he said.

---
So when bush finally gets a reprimand on the disaster that he has created in Iraq, how does he response? With a publicity stunt/photo op! That will show them!!
Of course, he continues to lie by implicating that this bill will not fund the troops. In fact, it seems to fund them better than bush would! It simply offers real, achievable benchmarks for success and a time that we need to accomplish those goals.
In other words, it is an actual plan, instead of the "stay the course" idiocy of this president.

caught in another lie

Aide: Prosecutors fired over priorities

WASHINGTON - Eight federal prosecutors were fired last year because they did not sufficiently support President Bush's priorities, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' former chief of staff said Thursday, a standard that Democrats called "highly improper."

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Gee, "highly improper"? Ya think?! What the hell else would it be?! Why else would Gonzales have lied about it previously?!

interesting

San Francisco passes plastic-bag ban

SAN FRANCISCO - City leaders approved a ban on plastic grocery bags after weeks of lobbying on both sides from environmentalists and a supermarket trade group. San Francisco would be the first U.S. city to adopt such a rule if Mayor Gavin Newsom signs the ban as expected.

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I never liked these plastic bags when they first were introduced - they're not as efficient as the larger paper bags - so it will be interesting to see if this catches on.

anarchy

Police gun down dozens over Iraq blasts

BAGHDAD - Shiite militants and police enraged by massive truck bombings in Tal Afar went on a revenge spree against Sunni residents in the northwestern town Wednesday, killing as many as 60 people, officials said.

The gunmen roamed Sunni neighborhoods in the city through the night, shooting at residents and homes, according to police and a local Sunni politician.

Witnesses said relatives of the Shiite victims in the truck bombings broke into the Sunni homes and killed the men inside or dragged them out and shot them in the streets.

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I sure can't blame the Iraqis for hating us for what we have done to their country.
It is impossible to imagine what these people are going through...

i would hope so!

Foley page investigation continues

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Six months after resigning from Congress, former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley remains under criminal investigation for sexually explicit Internet communications with underage boys but has not been charged, authorities said Wednesday.

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Damn, i hope they book this pervert and throw away the key!

because he couldn't possibly do something that is right

Bush maintains veto vow over Iraq pullout

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Bush warned lawmakers Wednesday that he would veto any timetable for withdrawing US troops from Iraq, a move he said would have "disastrous" consequences.

"What is clear is that the consequences of imposing such a specific and random date for withdrawal would be disastrous," Bush said as the Senate was poised to vote on the issue.

If the bill became law, "our enemies in Iraq would simply have to mark their calendars," Bush said. "If we cannot muster the resolve to defeat this evil in Iraq, America will have lost its moral purpose in the world."

---
Of course the idiots condemning this bill continually ignore the fact that there are very specific and achievable benchmarks that have to be met before the military would leave.
But, if they said that, then they couldn't maintain their faux outrage and wouldn't have any ammunition to spur on their moronic followers.

just..wow...

“GO BACK TO AFRICA AND DO YOUR GAY VOODOO LIMBO TANGO AND WANGO DANCE AND JUMP AROUND AND PRANCE AND RUN ALL OVER THE PLACE HALF NAKED THERE.” — U.S. Army recruiter Sgt. Marcia Ramode, using her military email address to respond to Jersey City resident Corey Andrew, after Ramode learned Andrew was gay.

(Think Progress)

you can't blame them

Bob Novak writes, “With nearly two years remaining in his presidency, George W. Bush is alone. In half a century, I have not seen a president so isolated from his own party in Congress. … The saving grace that some Republicans find in the dispute over U.S. attorneys is that, at least temporarily, it draws attention away from debate over an unpopular war.”

(Think Progress)

because he loves his torture palace

Bush to keep Gitmo open to 2009.

“The U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay will likely remain open for the rest of George W. Bush’s presidency, because it will take time to conduct the legal proceedings of the detainees there, the White House said on Friday.”

From today’s press briefing:

Q: So, realistically, are you saying that Guantanamo Bay will not be shut down before the end of his presidency?

SNOW: I doubt it, no. I don’t think it will.

(Think Progress)

Dems actually supporting the troops

House approves redeployment. With a 218-212 vote, the House passed the U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act, which calls for the redeployment of troops out of Iraq by 2008.

(Think Progress)
---
and this is how bush "supports the troops":

Bush promises to veto House Iraq bill.

(Think Progress)
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and the Dems fight back against the "liberal media":

Obey Hits Back Against Washington Post’s Smearing of House Iraq Bill

This afternoon, the House passed the U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act. The bill expands funding for veterans health care, requires the Iraqi government to meet certain benchmarks of progress, and calls for the strategic redeployment of all U.S. troops out of Iraq by 2008.

This morning, the Washington Post editorial board, who in 2003 called the Iraq War “an operation essential to American security,” smeared the House plan as “an unconditional retreat.”

Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI) responded on the House floor. “Let me submit to you the problem we have today is not that we didn’t listen enough to people like the Washington Post,” Obey said. “It’s that we listened too much.” Obey concluded, “And I would say one thing, those of us who voted against the war in the first place wouldn’t have nearly as hard a time getting us out of the war if people like The Washington Post … hadn’t supported going into that stupid war in the first place.”

(Think Progress)

not exactly news

Gates admits U.S. military not ready for new conflict.
(Think Progress)
----
...but still surprising that they are admitting it.

yeah, this is the person who should be in charge!

Charged With Leading Ethics Inquiry Into Firings, Cornyn ‘Doesn’t See What Hubbub Is All About’
(Think Progress)

and what would make anyone believe this?

O’Donnell Tells Leahy: ‘You’re Going To Get The Truth From Karl Rove’
(Think Progress)
---
Oh that crazy "liberal media"!

this week's Top Ten Conservative Idiots

from Democratic Underground

a corrupt repug? what a surprise!

Ex-Reagan budget director charged

NEW YORK - David Stockman, a former top budget official in the Reagan White House, and three other people were charged Monday in an alleged securities fraud case that embroiled one of North America's largest auto parts companies before it collapsed into bankruptcy.

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this is just plain weird

Woman has crocodiles strapped to body

JERUSALEM - A woman with three crocodiles strapped to her waist was stopped at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after guards noticed that she looked "strangely fat," officials said Monday.

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bush will probably give him a medal

White House backs AG as support wanes

WASHINGTON - The White House stood by Alberto Gonzales on Monday, even as support for the embattled attorney general erodes on Capitol Hill amid new questions about his honesty.

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That's pretty funny - "questions about his honesty"!
It's been proven that he lied. But, nothing that this administration likes better than people who will lie for them.

From Think Progress:

BREAKING: Gonzales Approved Firings Of U.S. Attorneys

ABC News reports: “New documents show Gonzales approved firings of U.S. attorneys, contradicting earlier claims he was not closely involved.”

---

And more from Think Progress:

Right-wing blogosphere drops Gonzales.

The Carpetbagger Report looks at conservative blogs, who, like conservative lawmakers, no longer support Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.

UPDATE: Flashback: Right-wing blogs initially dismissed the prosecutor purge as an “alleged scandal” and a “silly little, manufactured kerfluffle.”

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no one has ever deserved it more

Senator: Some see impeachment as option

WASHINGTON - With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush's own party said Sunday.

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more religious silliness

God-fearing villagers snub "satanic" bar codes

(Reuters) - A hundred residents of a Russian village have refused to switch to new passports because they believe the documents' bar codes contain satanic symbols, state television reported Wednesday.

"We believe these new passports are sinful," Valentina Yepifanova, an elderly resident of the village Bogolyubovo, told Rossiya television as she clutched an old, tattered passport she said she wanted to keep.

"They have these bar codes and people say they contain three sixes. We are against that."

Some residents of Bogolyubovo, which means "God-loving" in Russian, have also stopped collecting their pensions at the local post office because the payment slips also have bar codes that might contain the mark of the devil, Rossiya TV reported.

good job!

Senate panel OKs subpoenas for key aides

WASHINGTON - A Senate panel, following the House's lead, authorized subpoenas Thursday for White House political adviser Karl Rove and other top aides involved in the firing of federal prosecutors.

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Edwards will run despite wife's cancer

Edwards will continue presidential run

CHAPEL HILL , N.C. – John Edwards said Thursday his wife's cancer has returned, but said he will continue his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination.

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the House now doing its job

House OKs subpoenas for top Bush aides

WASHINGTON - A House panel on Wednesday approved subpoenas for President Bush's political adviser, Karl Rove and other top White House aides, setting up a constitutional showdown over the firings of eight federal prosecutors.

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Gore continues to talk sense

Gore urges fast action on global warming

WASHINGTON - Al Gore, a Democratic favorite for the presidency despite pronouncements that he's not running, spoke out on his signature issue Wednesday, warning of a "true planetary emergency" if Congress fails to act on global warming.

In a return he described as emotional, Gore testified before House panels that it is not too late to deal with climate change "and we have everything we need to get started." By turns folksy and prescriptive, he urged the Democratic-controlled Congress to adopt an immediate freeze on greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

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religion fighting bigotry for a change

Episcopal bishops reject ultimatum

NEW YORK - Episcopal bishops meeting privately in Texas have rejected demands from the world's Anglicans that they provide an alternate leader for conservatives who oppose ordaining gays — a move that brings the church to the brink of expulsion from the Anglican Communion.

In the strongest and most direct language yet defending their support for gay relationships, the bishops said that accepting a second leader for traditionalists would violate Episcopal church law and the founding principles of the church.

"We cannot accept what would be injurious to the church and could well lead to its permanent division," the bishops said in the resolution.

Last month, Anglican leaders emerged from a meeting in Tanzania with an ultimatum for the U.S. denomination. They gave Episcopalians until Sept. 30 to unequivocally pledge not to consecrate another partnered gay bishop or authorize official prayers for same-sex couples. Otherwise, they said, the church risked a much-reduced role in the 77 million-member Anglican Communion.

As part of the plan, the Episcopalians were told to accept a "primatial vicar" for conservatives who said they could not accept U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori because of her acceptance of gay relationships and liberal theology.

While the bishops addressed that issue in their resolution, they did not directly stake out a position on the Anglican demand about other gay bishops.

However, Episcopal leaders noted that they had previously met requests not to approve another bishop in a same-sex relationship "at great cost to many, not the least of whom are our gay and lesbian members," only to have Anglican leaders say the pledges weren't sufficient.

The resolution expressed the bishops' desire to remain the U.S. representatives of the communion and said there was an "urgent need" to meet personally with the Anglican spiritual leader, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the Anglican bishops who advise him.

The Episcopal leaders also acknowledged that their actions could get them kicked out.

"If that means that others reject us and communion with us, as some have already done, we must with great regret and sorrow accept their decision," they said.

Anglicans have been debating for years how to interpret Scripture on salvation, truth and sexuality. Those divisions reached the breaking point in 2003 when Episcopalians consecrated the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire.

The bishops, meeting near Houston, planned a news conference Wednesday afternoon to explain their decision.

---

another story that i wouldn't believe if it wasn't the bush administration

Did White House officially embrace Holocaust Revisionist?


UPDATE: White House is lying, religious right preacher says


Religious right leader says he has video proof that White House lied about him not being their "special envoy" for homophobia

(All from Americablog)

what is up with the rampant bigotry?

IHOP kicks out lesbian couple for friendly kiss

As the article notes, there is no federal law prohibiting discrimination against gay people in public accommodations, employment, or anything else. Discrimination against gay Americans is 100% legal under federal law, and in most states. It's a fact. More from the Kansas City Star.

(Americablog)
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It is astounding that this kind of prejudice still exists...

rude and testy

Tony Snow ‘Defensive’ On Iraq Anniversary, Tells CNN’s Ed Henry To ‘Zip It’

President Bush will address the fourth anniversary of the Iraq invasion in a speech today at the White House.

During this morning’s press gaggle, Tony Snow told reporters that Bush will use the speech to attack the House plan for Iraq as a “recipe for defeat” that would “provide a victory for the enemy.”

CNN’s Ed Henry told Snow that since he was attacking the House plan, he should explain the Bush administration’s “recipe for success.” According to Henry, Snow “tried to turn it around on me,” asking Henry what his recipe for success was. When Henry objected to Snow’s question, Snow told him to “zip it.”

(Think Progress)
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Pretty damn obnoxious reply to a very reasonable question.
Guess it must be pretty damn hard to continue to defend this insanity of a war.

because they do not believe in accountability

White House hopes Gonzales will stay on

WASHINGTON - Amid bipartisan calls for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation in a scandal over dismissals of eight federal prosecutors, the White House said Monday, "We hope he stays."

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this can't come as a surprise

Poll: Fear, anger, stress grip Iraqis

WASHINGTON - The optimism that helped sustain Iraqis during the first few years of the war has dissolved into widespread fear, anger and distress amid unrelenting violence, a survey found.

--

_The number of Iraqis who say their own life is going well has dipped from 71 percent in November 2005 to 39 percent now.

_About three-fourths of Iraqis report feelings of anger, depression and difficulty concentrating.

_More than half of Iraqis have curtailed activities like going out of their homes, going to markets or other crowded places and traveling through police checkpoints.

_Only 18 percent of Iraqis have confidence in U.S. and coalition troops, and 86 percent are concerned that someone in their household will be a victim of violence.

_Slightly more than half of Iraqis — 51 percent — now say that violence against U.S. forces is acceptable — up from 17 percent who felt that way in early 2004. More than nine in 10 Sunni Arabs in Iraq now feel this way.

_While 63 percent said they felt very safe in their neighborhoods in late 2005, only 26 percent feel that way now.

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It is impossible for those of us lucky enough to have never lived through something like this to imagine what life must be like in Iraq.
Bush has created an entire country that has no reason to do anything but hate America and everyone who lives here.
It is just sickening what he has done to our reputation and to our safety.

horrible

Bomb kills 8 at Baghdad Shiite mosque

BAGHDAD - An explosion at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad killed at least eight worshippers Monday, the fourth anniversary of the start of the war, while a series of car bombs struck the oil-rich city of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, killing 12, police said.

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most of us do not have unlimited patience

Bush pleads for patience in Iraq war

WASHINGTON - With Democrats pushing for an end to the Iraq war now entering its fifth year, President Bush pleaded for more patience Monday, saying success is possible but "will take months, not days or weeks."

---
Bush has already said that we will stay in Iraq as long as he is president - he has no plans for ending the war at all. He will leave it for the next prez to fix. The lies and excuses will continue for years still.

the latest on the WH outing a covert CIA agent

Plame: My cover was 'recklessly' abused

WASHINGTON - Valerie Plame, the CIA operative at the heart of a political scandal, told Congress Friday that senior officials at the White House and State Department "carelessly and recklessly" blew her cover to discredit her diplomat-husband.

Plame, whose 2003 outing triggered a federal investigation, said she always knew her identity could be discovered by foreign governments.

"It was a terrible irony that administration officials were the ones who destroyed my cover," she told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"If our government cannot even protect my identity, future foreign agents who might consider working with the Central Intelligence Agency and providing needed intelligence would think twice," Plame said in response to a question.

The hearing was the first time Plame has publicly answered questions about the case, which led to the recent perjury and obstruction of justice conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's former top aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

Her appearance was a moment of gripping political theater as Democrats questioned whether the Bush administration mishandled classified information by leaking her identity to reporters. No one has been charged with leaking her identity.

"It's not our job to determine criminal culpability, but it is out job to determine what went wrong and insist on accountability," Committee Chair Henry Waxman, D-Calif., said at the outset of the hearing.

The man who led the criminal investigation, Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, was not on the witness list. He told lawmakers Wednesday that federal law prohibited him from offering his thoughts on the case.

Nobody from the White House involved in the leak was scheduled to testify. Neither were officials from the State Department.

Plame sat alone at a witness table and fielded questions about her CIA career and the disclosure of her name in July 2003 in a syndicated newspaper column. She says she was outed as retaliation against her husband, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who criticized the administration's prewar intelligence on Iraq.

"My name and identity were carelessly and recklessly abused by senior officials in the White House and State Department," Plame testified. "I could no longer perform the work for which I had been highly trained."

Plame said she had no role in sending her husband on a CIA fact-finding trip to Niger. Wilson said in a newspaper column that his trip debunked the administration's pre-war intelligence that Iraq was seeking to buy uranium from Africa.

"I did not recommend him. I did not suggest him. There was no nepotism involved. I did not have the authority," she said.

Wilson has written a book, and Plame is working on one, "Fair Game," although it has had a troubled history. In May 2006, the Crown Publishing Group announced it would publish her book, a deal reportedly worth seven figures. But the two sides could not agree on a final contract, and two months later an agreement was announced with Simon & Schuster.

Plame's book is subject to a mandatory review by the CIA. On Thursday, Simon & Schuster spokesman Adam Rothberg would say only that the book was "in progress," and that publication was expected soon.

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Americans are wising up

78: Percentage of Americans who “do not think the Bush administration has done enough to care for [Iraq war] veterans,” a new CBS/NYT poll shows. “A majority of Republicans agree with all Americans overall on this issue.”

(Think Progress)

Dems still doing good for America

The Senate voted 60-38 to approve legislation “to implement many of the remaining reforms suggested by the Sept. 11 commission.” Ten Republicans crossed party lines to approve the measure; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) skipped the vote to fundraise in California. Bush has threatened to veto the bill “over a provision to expand the labor rights of 45,000 airport screeners.”

(Think Progress)

the WH hiding things? Say it isn't so!

White House Signals It Will Fight To Block Rove Testimony
(Think Progress)

more on this admin screwing new orleans

Corps placed faulty pumps in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - The Army Corps of Engineers, rushing to meet President Bush's promise to protect New Orleans by the start of the 2006 hurricane season, installed defective flood-control pumps last year despite warnings from its own expert that the equipment would fail during a storm, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The 2006 hurricane season turned out to be mild, and the new pumps were never pressed into action. But the Corps and the politically connected manufacturer of the equipment are still struggling to get the 34 heavy-duty pumps working properly.

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i just can't believe that this administration is being secretive!

House presses on open government agenda

WASHINGTON - The House Wednesday pressed forward on bills to open government records to the public and protect whistleblowers, brushing aside White House warnings that the bills faced opposition and in some cases a veto.

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the majority of Americans are wising up

POLL: Americans Overwhelmingly Believe President Bush Should Not Pardon Libby
(Think Progress)
---
Check out the entire story to see where the "liberal media" baselessly contradicts this poll.

truly sick

North Dakota considers hardline abortion ban. Legislators in North Dakota are set to take up legislation that would ban all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest. The bill passed the House 61-26 in January, and will be debated in the Senate this week. Feministing has details.

(Think Progress)

yeah, that's a legitimate comparison

O’Reilly Compares Nevada Debate Opponents To Nazis
(Think Progress)
These repugs sure do love their nazis!

a majority of Americans agree with the Dems

58: Percentage of Americans who “want to see U.S. troops leave Iraq either immediately or within a year,” a CNN poll shows. A majority of Americans “would rather have Congress running U.S. policy in the conflict than President Bush,” and believe that Congress “should block funding” for the escalation.

(Think Progress)

gonzales lied? what a surprise!

Gonzales Lied Under Oath, Said All Bush-Appointed Attorneys Would Be ‘Senate-Confirmed’
(Think Progress)

has there ever been a more corrupt administration?

Schumer Renews Call For Gonzales To Resign, Says Chief Of Staff ‘May Have Obstructed Justice’
(Think Progress)

i'm surprised that it is this high

18 percent: Dick Cheney’s favorability rating. Ana Marie Cox responds: “If he had feelings, I’m sure they’d be hurt by this.”

(Think Progress)

Go Nancy!

Pelosi: ‘We Don’t Need Moral Judgment From The Chairman Of The Joint Chiefs’

At a press conference today, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) responded to yesterday’s remarks by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Peter Pace calling homosexuality “immoral” and comparing it to adultery.

“We need the most talented people, we need the language skills, we need patriotic Americans who exist across the board in our population,” Pelosi said, calling on the military to “carefully consider” reversing the ban on gay service members. “We don’t need moral judgment from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs.”

(Think Progress)

does she really think it ever went away?

Clinton: Right-wing conspiracy is back

an unfortunate compromise

Dems abandon war authority provision

WASHINGTON - Democratic leaders are stripping from a military spending bill for the war in Iraq a requirement that President Bush gain approval from Congress before moving against Iran.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and other leaders agreed to remove the requirement concerning Iran after conservative Democrats as well as other lawmakers worried about its possible impact on Israel, officials said Monday.

The overall bill — which requires that the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by Sept. 1, 2008, if not earlier — remained on schedule for an initial test vote Thursday in the House Appropriations Committee.

The measure provides nearly $100 billion to pay for two wars and includes more money than Bush had requested for operations in Afghanistan and what Democrats called training and equipment shortages. Still, House Republicans said they wouldn't support it and the White House threatened a veto.

"Republicans will continue to stand united in this debate, and will oppose efforts by Democrats to undermine the ability of General (David) Petraeus and our troops to achieve victory in the Global War on Terror," Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement.

Vice President Dick Cheney criticized supporters of the bill's withdrawal provisions, declaring in a speech Monday that they "are telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out."

Pelosi issued a written statement that said the vice president's remarks prove that "the administration's answer to continuing violence in Iraq is more troops and more treasure from the American people."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said in a statement that America was less safe today because of the war. The president "must change course, and it's time for the Senate to demand he do it," he added.

The Iran-related proposal stemmed from a desire to make sure Bush did not launch an attack without going to Congress for approval, but drew opposition from numerous members of the rank and file in a series of closed-door sessions last week.

Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said in an interview that there is widespread fear in Israel about Iran, which is believed to be seeking nuclear weapons and has expressed unremitting hostility about the Jewish state.

"It would take away perhaps the most important negotiating tool that the U.S. has when it comes to Iran," she said of the now-abandoned provision.

"I didn't think it was a very wise idea to take things off the table if you're trying to get people to modify their behavior and normalize it in a civilized way," said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y.

Several officials said there was widespread opposition to the proposal at a closed-door meeting last week of conservative and moderate Democrats, who said they feared tying the hands of the administration when dealing with an unpredictable and potentially hostile regime in Tehran.

Public opinion has swung the way of Democrats on the issue of the war. More than six in 10 Americans think the conflict was a mistake — the largest number yet found in AP-Ipsos polling.

But Democrats have struggled to find a compromise that can satisfy both liberals who oppose any funding for the military effort and conservatives who do not want to unduly restrict the commander in chief.

"This supplemental should be about supporting the troops and providing what they need," Rep. Dan Boren, D-Okla., said Monday upon returning from Iraq. Boren said he plans to oppose any legislation setting a clear deadline for troops to leave.

In his speech to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Cheney chided lawmakers who are pressing for tougher action on Iran to oppose the president on the Iraq war.

"It is simply not consistent for anyone to demand aggressive action against the menace posed by the Iranian regime while at the same time acquiescing in a retreat from Iraq that would leave our worst enemies dramatically emboldened and Israel's best friend, the United States, dangerously weakened," Cheney said.

---
Everything that this story indicates is in the Democratic bill makes perfect sense - set a timeline, properly fund the troops that are currently fighting (which is something that bush will never do - he can't actually support the troops - he can only use the catch phrase) and keep the lunatic-in-chief from starting another un-ending war for no reason.

But, of course, the repugs won't stand for a reasonable bill that the majority of Americans would agree with.

another unsurprising story

White House mulled firing all attorneys

WASHINGTON - The chief White House lawyer floated the idea of firing all 93 U.S. attorneys at the start of President Bush's second term, but the Justice Department objected and eventually recommended the eight dismissals that have generated a political firestorm two years later.

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more unrepentent bigotry

Aides: Pace won't apologize for gay remark

WASHINGTON - Senior aides to the chairman of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff said Tuesday that Marine Gen. Peter Pace won't apologize for calling homosexuality immoral — an opinion that gay advocacy groups deplored.

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I am constantly amazed that these bigots are allowed to continue to be part of society in this day & age.
Don't they realize that they are going to be thought of in the same way we think of the KKK?
Don't they understand that it is in their best interest to hide this kind of intolerence?

But, then again, we know that there are more like them who applaud these public displays of prejudice.

truly bizarre story

Will US military kick out gay porn star and male prostitute Marine who starred in "Touched by an Anal"?
(Americablog)
---
You gotta read it to believe it!

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

REPORT: 72 Percent Of Army Brigades Have Served Multiple Tours of Duty
(Think Progress)

of course he will!

Bush will veto House bill on Iraq withdrawal. Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House adviser Dan Bartlett said that the White House plans to veto the the House Democrats’ bill to withdraw troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008. He said, “It would unnecessarily handcuff our generals on the ground. … Obviously, the administration would vehemently oppose and ultimately veto any legislation that looks like what was described today.”

(Think Progress)
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Bush - the man who vetos nothing - would veto a bill that a vast majority of Americans believe in. The man cares nothing for anyone...

more oversite from the Dems!

Waxman to hold oversight hearings on Plame leak.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman announced he will hold a hearing on whether White House officials followed appropriate procedures for safeguarding the identity of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson. In addition, Waxman released a letter he wrote special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald, stating in part:

“The trial proceedings raise questions about whether senior White House officials, including the Vice President and Senior Advisor to the President Karl Rove, complied with the requirements governing the handling of classified information. They also raise questions about whether the White House took appropriate remedial action following the leak and whether the existing requirements are sufficient to protect against future leaks. Your perspective on these matters is important.”

(Think Progress)

bush lying? what a "surprise"!

Hillary Blasts Bush on Military Readiness, Revisionist History
(Think Progress)
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Actually kinda funny - bush lied about the military under Clinton's presidency, but his lie has come true under his presidency!

rove lying? What a "surprise"!

Former Clinton Chief Of Staff Rebuts Rove Claim That Clinton Purged Prosecutors Too
(Think Progress)

boycott coulter!

Five papers have now dropped Ann Coulter, and the president of the Universal Press Syndicate is under mounting pressure to stop distributing her columns altogether. Greg Sargent is tracking the latest developments.

UPDATE: Media Matters has a full list of newspapers that carry Coulter’s column. Is Ann Coulter in your town?

(Think Progress)
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Check the Media Matters list and write to your local paper! I've already written to the Las Vegas Review Journal, but since they are extremely right-wing, I'm not counting on them dropping her.

because bush doesn't give a f'k about the law

FBI breaking laws that Bush pledged to ignore. “The story here is not merely that the FBI is breaking the law and abusing these powers,” Glenn Greenwald writes. “That has long been predicted and, to some degree, even documented. The story is that the FBI is ignoring the very legal obligations which George Bush vowed were not obligations at all, but mere suggestions to be accepted only if he willed it. It is yet another vivid example proving that the President’s ideology of lawlessness exists not merely in theory, but as the governing doctrine under which the executive branch has acted, time and again and as deliberately as possible, in violation of whatever laws it deems inconvenient.” (Via Atrios)

(Think Progress)

the military doesn't like it when you attack them!

Ex-Navy official protests Swift Boat funder’s nomination. Today in the Washington Times, Wade Sanders — former deputy assistant secretary of the Navy, decorated former swift boat skipper, and combat veteran — has an op-ed attacking President Bush’s nomination of Sam Fox to be ambassador to Belgium: “And as a military man, it doesn’t matter much who is being attacked — John McCain, Max Cleland, John Kerry, or Jack Murtha — I just don’t believe that assaults on the military records of veterans belong in our politics.”

(Think Progress)

will America's reputation ever recover from bush?

Brazilian Reactions To The U.S. President: Then And Now

ore than six years after President Bush assumed office, the global view of the United State’s role in world affairs has significantly deteriorated. A recent BBC world poll reported that even in the past two years the U.S.’s reputation around the world has gone “from bad to worse.”

The practical fallout of “the Bush effect” has been on full display in Brazil, where only 19 percent of the nation has a favorable opinion of him. A review of news reports from President Clinton’s trip to Brazil 10 years ago demonstrate how much times have changed:

Christian Science Monitor, 10/15/97:
[I]t was his trip to a Xerox-sponsored sports center in the Rio slum of Mangueira that won the hearts of many Brazilians and caused a TV commentator to tell his viewers that Clinton’s speech had him on “the verge of tears.” … [Clinton] ignored the Secret Service’s rigid security by shaking hands and allowing admirers to hug and kiss him. Some gave him shirts and caps emblazoned with the logo of the slum’s carnival group. “He looked liked a happy kid finally let loose on the streets,” said Jamelao, one of Mangueira’s most famous samba personalities. Clinton waved a Brazilian flag, listened to samba music while hitting a tambourine, and kicked a soccer ball with Brazil Sports Minister Edson Arantes do Nascimento, the legendary ex-player known as Pele.

BBC, 3/9/07:

Clashes broke out in Brazil’s largest city as US President Bush arrived at the start of a six-day regional tour. At least 20 people were injured in clashes with riot police in Sao Paulo after thousands turned out to protest against George W Bush’s visit. … In Sao Paulo, about 10,000 people spilled out along one of the city’s broadest avenues, in the heart of the financial district, banging drums, waving red flags and carrying banners reading “Bush Go Home.” … Many of the demonstrators are angry at the war in Iraq and the proposed ethanol deal, which they say is an attempt to control the country’s production of the bio-fuel which powers eight out of 10 new cars in Brazil.

(Think Progress)

repugs doing everything they can to destroy the world

House Conservatives Appoint Chief Climate Skeptic To Lead New Global Warming Panel

The House of Representatives voted yesterday to create a new congressional committee devoted solely to addressing the global climate crisis.

Unable to block the creation of the committee, House conservative leaders are now doing everything they can to neuter it. Conservative leadership aides reportedly told Republican members that a vote in favor of the bill creating the global warming panel “would put them out of running for a seat” on the panel.

Worse, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has named Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to be the committee’s top ranking Republican member. A look at Sensenbrenner’s record:

Sensenbrenner praised as ‘Inhofe of the House’: “If there is an Inhofe on the House side, it has to be Wisconsin’s James Sensenbrenner Jr.,” says the American Conservative Union’s David Keene, referring to Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), who calls global warming the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people.” [Link]

Sensenbrenner led climate skeptic delegation to Kyoto conference: “As chairman of the Science Committee back in 1998, Sensenbrenner led a delegation of skeptics to the Kyoto conference and fought then-President Clinton’s attempt to go along with the Kyoto protocols.” [Link]

Sensenbrenner asked scientist about placing catalytic converters on cows to combat warming: “Does (it) mean to stop this increase in methane we’ve got to put catalytic converters on the backs of cows?” Sensenbrenner asked a climate scientist at a hearing last month. If cows are partly responsible for methane gases, Sensenbrenner said, that “could hit Wisconsin’s economy right between the horns.” [Link]

Sensenbrenner endorsed by Competitive Enterprise Institute: A spokesman for the oil industry-backed Competitive Enterprise Institute called Sensenbrenner “exceptionally well qualified” and “a good choice.” [E&E Daily, 2/17/07]

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) — who last month claimed that global warming may have been caused by “dinosaur flatulence” — was reportedly a finalist for the ranking member slot. Only 13 percent of congressional Republicans say they believe that human activity is causing global warming, according to a recent poll, compared to 79 percent of Americans.

(Think Progress)

the Conservative News Network becomes even MORE conservative!

Tom DeLay says he’ll be CNN commentator. “Tom DeLay is becoming a commentator for CNN, according to John Fund. In today’s WSJ Political Diary, he writes: ‘Despite his antipathy toward liberals, Mr. DeLay joked that he’s happy to work with them. He told me he is about to sign on with CNN as a commentator. “I may be their only conservative on air, but someone has to do it.”‘”

(Think Progress)
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I can't believe that anyone is giving this asshole a job!

repugs "supporting the troops" again

Rep. Gingrey Blames Soldiers For Walter Reed Squalor: ‘If You Leave Food Around You’ll Get Mice’
(Think Progress)

another "family values" repug hypocrite

Gingrich tells Christian group of affair

WASHINGTON - Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was having an extramarital affair even as he led the charge against President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, he acknowledged in an interview with a conservative Christian group.

"The honest answer is yes," Gingrich, a potential 2008 Republican presidential candidate, said in an interview with Focus on the Family founder James Dobson to be aired Friday, according to a transcript provided to The Associated Press. "There are times that I have fallen short of my own standards. There's certainly times when I've fallen short of God's standards."

Gingrich argued in the interview, however, that he should not be viewed as a hypocrite for pursuing Clinton's infidelity.

"The president of the United States got in trouble for committing a felony in front of a sitting federal judge," the former Georgia congressman said of Clinton's 1998 House impeachment on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. "I drew a line in my mind that said, 'Even though I run the risk of being deeply embarrassed, and even though at a purely personal level I am not rendering judgment on another human being, as a leader of the government trying to uphold the rule of law, I have no choice except to move forward and say that you cannot accept ... perjury in your highest officials."

Widely considered a mastermind of the Republican revolution that swept Congress in the 1994 elections, Gingrich remains wildly popular among many conservatives. He has repeatedly placed near the top of Republican presidential polls recently, even though he has not formed a campaign.

Gingrich has said he is waiting to see how the Republican field shapes up before deciding in the fall whether to run.

Reports of extramarital affairs have dogged him for years as a result of two messy divorces, but he has refused to discuss them publicly.

Gingrich, who frequently campaigned on family values issues, divorced his second wife, Marianne, in 2000 after his attorneys acknowledged Gingrich's relationship with his current wife, Callista Bisek, a former congressional aide more than 20 years younger than he is.

His first marriage, to his former high school geometry teacher, Jackie Battley, ended in divorce in 1981. Although Gingrich has said he doesn't remember it, Battley has said Gingrich discussed divorce terms with her while she was recuperating in the hospital from cancer surgery.

Gingrich married Marianne months after the divorce.

"There were times when I was praying and when I felt I was doing things that were wrong. But I was still doing them," he said in the interview. "I look back on those as periods of weakness and periods that I'm ... not proud of."

Gingrich's congressional career ended in 1998 when he abruptly resigned from Congress after poor showings from Republicans in elections and after being reprimanded by the House ethics panel over charges that he used tax-exempt funding to advance his political goals.

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This sick f'k divorced hi wife while she was recovering from cancer and claims to not remember that?! Damn, these f'k'ing repugs are so insulting! Do they think that anyone would believe that he would not remember that?!
F'k'ing asshole...

Europe leading the way again

EU leaders agree to cut greenhouse gases

BRUSSELS, Belgium - EU leaders agreed Friday on a bold set of measures to fight global warming, pledging that a fifth of the bloc's energy will come from green power sources such as wind turbines and solar panels by 2020 and 10 percent of European cars will run on biofuels.

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Remember when America was a world leader and now just an embarassment that was left in the dust by more advanced countries?

gee - who could have guessed this?

Justice Dept.: FBI misused Patriot Act

WASHINGTON - The FBI improperly and, in some cases, illegally used the USA Patriot Act to secretly obtain personal information about people in the United States, a Justice Department audit concluded Friday.

And for three years the FBI has underreported to Congress how often it forced businesses to turn over the customer data, the audit found.

FBI agents sometimes demanded the data without proper authorization, according to the 126-page audit by Justice Department Inspector General Glenn A. Fine. At other times, the audit found, the FBI improperly obtained telephone records in non-emergency circumstances.

The audit blames agent error and shoddy record-keeping for the bulk of the problems and did not find any indication of criminal misconduct.

Still, "we believe the improper or illegal uses we found involve serious misuses of national security letter authorities," the audit concludes.

At issue are the security letters, a power outlined in the Patriot Act that the Bush administration pushed through Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The letters, or administrative subpoenas, are used in suspected terrorism and espionage cases. They allow the FBI to require telephone companies, Internet service providers, banks, credit bureaus and other businesses to produce highly personal records about their customers or subscribers — without a judge's approval.

About three-fourths of the national security letters were issued for counterterror cases, and the other fourth for spy investigations.

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller called Fine's audit "a fair and objective review of the FBI's use of a proven and useful investigative tool."

The finding "of deficiencies in our processes is unacceptable," Mueller said in a statement.

"We strive to exercise our authorities consistent with the privacy protections and civil liberties that we are sworn to uphold," Mueller said. "Anything less will not be tolerated. While we've already taken some steps to address these shortcomings, I am ordering additional corrective measures to be taken immediately."

Fine's annual review is required by Congress, over the objections of the Bush administration.

The audit released Friday found that the number of national security letters issued by the FBI skyrocketed in the years after the Patriot Act became law.

In 2000, for example, the FBI issued an estimated 8,500 letters. By 2003, however, that number jumped to 39,000. It rose again the next year, to about 56,000 letters in 2004, and dropped to approximately 47,000 in 2005.

Over the entire three-year period, the audit found the FBI issued 143,074 national security letters requesting customer data from businesses.

The FBI vastly underreported the numbers. In 2005, the FBI told Congress that its agents in 2003 and 2004 had delivered only 9,254 national security letters seeking e-mail, telephone or financial information on 3,501 U.S. citizens and legal residents over the previous two years.

Additionally, the audit found, the FBI identified 26 possible violations in its use of the national security letters, including failing to get proper authorization, making improper requests under the law and unauthorized collection of telephone or Internet e-mail records.

Of the violations, 22 were caused by FBI errors, while the other four were the result of mistakes made by the firms that received the letters.

The FBI also used so-called "exigent letters," signed by officials at FBI headquarters who were not authorized to sign national security letters, to obtain information. In at least 700 cases, these exigent letters were sent to three telephone companies to get toll billing records and subscriber information.

"In many cases, there was no pending investigation associated with the request at the time the exigent letters were sent," the audit concluded.

The letters inaccurately said the FBI had requested subpoenas for the information requested — "when, in fact, it had not," the audit found.

Senators outraged over the conclusions signaled they would provide tougher oversight of the FBI — and perhaps limits its power.

"I am very concerned that the FBI has so badly misused national security letters," said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee that oversees the FBI. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., another member on the judiciary panel, said the report "proves that 'trust us' doesn't cut it."

Justice spokeswoman Tasia Scolinos said Attorney General Alberto Gonzales "commends the work of the inspector general in uncovering serious problems in the FBI's use of NSLs."

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Man, if the new Congress is going to hold oversite meetings for every one of bush's illegal activities, they are going to be kept busy way into their next term!

can they do this to our country next?

Priests to purify site after Bush visit

GUATEMALA CITY - Mayan priests will purify a sacred archaeological site to eliminate "bad spirits" after President Bush visits next week, an official with close ties to the group said Thursday.

"That a person like (Bush), with the persecution of our migrant brothers in the United States, with the wars he has provoked, is going to walk in our sacred lands, is an offense for the Mayan people and their culture," Juan Tiney, the director of a Mayan nongovernmental organization with close ties to Mayan religious and political leaders, said Thursday.

Bush's seven-day tour of Latin America includes a stopover beginning late Sunday in Guatemala. On Monday morning he is scheduled to visit the archaeological site Iximche on the high western plateau in a region of the Central American country populated mostly by Mayans.

Tiney said the "spirit guides of the Mayan community" decided it would be necessary to cleanse the sacred site of "bad spirits" after Bush's visit so that their ancestors could rest in peace. He also said the rites — which entail chanting and burning incense, herbs and candles — would prepare the site for the third summit of Latin American Indians March 26-30.

Bush's trip has already has sparked protests elsewhere in Latin America, including protests and clashes with police in Brazil hours before his arrival. In Bogota, Colombia, which Bush will visit on Sunday, 200 masked students battled 300 riot police with rocks and small homemade explosives.

The tour is aimed at challenging a widespread perception that the United States has neglected the region and at combatting the rising influence of Venezuelan leftist President Hugo Chavez, who has called Bush "history's greatest killer" and "the devil."

Iximche, 30 miles west of the capital of Guatemala City, was founded as the capital of the Kaqchiqueles kingdom before the Spanish conquest in 1524.

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Ya certainly can't blame them for this!

a repug breaking the law? NO!!

Senior Bush Official May Have Violated Law Trying To Block Pelosi From Appearing At Event
(Think Progress)
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It's only a surprise when they get caught!

i'm not holding my breath

McClellan On Libby Verdict: White House Needs To ‘Get Out There And Talk About This’

Last night on Larry King Live, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan echoed Joseph Wilson’s call for the Bush administration to finally come clean about their actions in the CIA leak case. “I would be advising the White House to get out there and find some way to talk about this,” McClellan said.

(Think Progress)

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How ironic is it that McClellan - who avoided answering any question ever - is saying this?!

too surreal to be true

When Fox News’ favorite stories collide.

O.J. Simpson and Anna Nicole finally united in a single segment.

(Think Progress)

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Man, how desperate is OJ to stay in the news?

the "liberal media" on Libby

Washington Post Editorial Board Spits Out Baseless Right-Wing Talking Points On Libby Verdict
(Think Progress)
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Wouldn't it be amazing if a newspaper didn't just parrot repug talking points and actually told people the facts?
What a crazy world that would be!

a principled republican!

‘I stood up for basic rights for people.’ Wyoming legislator Dan Zwonitzer “is both Republican and straight, but the 27-year-old state representative suddenly has found himself praised by gay rights activists nationwide.” Zwonitzer spoke out against an anti-gay marriage measure, and the committee ended up killing the bill. “Zwonitzer told the House Rules Committee on Feb. 22 that he needed to publicly oppose the measure — even if it cost him his seat — because he believed that was the right thing to do. He told the committee that gay rights were the civil rights struggle of his generation. ‘I will tell my children that when this debate went on, I stood up for basic rights for people,’ he said.” (Via Towleroad)

(Think Progress)
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Major kudos to a republican who can stand up for what is right! We need more like him!

not surprising

Americans want redeployment. 60 percent of Americans “want Congress to set a timetable to withdraw all U.S. troops by the end of 2008,” according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll. “The share of people who now call the war a mistake is 59 percent — the same as September 2005 and the highest level in the 58 times the question has been asked since the war began.”

(Think Progress)

a small amount of justice?

Libby Guilty On Four Of Five Counts
(Think Progress)
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I know that i'm late with this one, but a little bit of good news. It does seem like he is the scapegoat of this entire affair though. It's too bad that more people couldn't go down for this anti-American, treasonous act.
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Fitzgerald Speaks Out On Libby Verdict
(Also Think Progress)
and more from Think Progress:

Wilson Responds: Bush And Cheney Must Explain Why They Outed My Wife

Still more from TP:

Juror: Libby is guilty, but he was fall guy.

Jurors in Scooter Libby’s trial “were certain of the former vice presidential aide’s guilt, but they also harbored sympathy for him as a ‘fall guy,’ one of them said Tuesday after the verdict.” Juror Denis Collins told reporters, “It was said a number of times, ‘What are we doing with this guy here? Where’s [Karl] Rove … where are these other guys?‘”

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