thank goodness that McCain doesn't have to live under his own rules

Elizabeth Edwards: McCain and I wouldn’t be covered under his health care plan.
(Think Progress)

i'm sure that bush considers this a good sign, also!

New Green Zone attacks.

The fortified Green Zone “came under fresh attack Monday, less than 24 hours after anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told his fighters to stand down following a week of clashes with government forces.” No serious injuries were reported today, but at least “two Americans working for the U.S. government died in attacks on the zone last week.” A U.S. soldier was also “killed by a roadside bomb in northeast Baghdad on Monday.”

(Think Progress)

stomach-churning

Harman: women in military ‘more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.’
(Think Progress)

cyber-dumb-ass

Bush library loses web address to cybersquatter.

The Dallas Morning News reports that while the Bush library has found a physical home at Southern Methodist University, it is having difficulty finding an online home. “Some of the very best addresses are gone — snapped up for a mere fistful of dollars by squatters who have no connection to the library yet hope to make fun of the president, protect him or simply cash in on his name.” The Bush Foundation has itself to blame for losing one prominent url:

At one time, the Bush Library Foundation owned the easiest Web site to remember: www.GeorgeWBushLibrary.com.

But whether on purpose or because of an oversight — foundation spokesman Taylor Griffin wasn’t sure — it lost that domain name last year. Illuminati Karate, a Web company in Raleigh, N.C., picked it up for less than $10. […]

“We’re just holding onto it for the time being,” said lead Web developer George Huger. “To be honest, I couldn’t believe someone was letting it expire.”

(Think Progress)

another corrupt repug crony

Hud chief resigns amid criminal probe

WASHINGTON - HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, his tenure tarnished by allegations of political favoritism and a criminal investigation, announced his resignation Monday amid the wreckage of the national housing crisis.

He leaves behind a trail of unanswered questions about whether he tilted the Department of Housing and Urban Development toward Republican contractors and cronies.

The move comes at a shaky time for the economy, with soaring mortgage foreclosures imperiling the nation's credit markets.

---

More from Think Progress

and more of bush's "progress" from the Iraqi point of view

Iraq Is Falling Apart

And with all of King George’s horses and all of King George’s men, I don’t think we can put it back together again. I am so sick of hearing how the surge is working because a small discreet part of Baghdad is overmanned militarily.

One word: Basra. The Iraqi bloggers of Gorilla Guides are eyewitness to the devastation:

Parts of Basra were relatively quiet in the morning following the withdrawal of some fighters to the outskirts of the city however much of the city is seeing intensifying armed clashes. Eyewitness reports say that groups of Mahdi Army withdrew to the outskirts of the city after GZG forces backed by British tanks and US warplanes tried to eradicate them from areas that are strongholds of the Mahdi Army.

Some witnesses confirmed that a group of the Mahdi Army captured two vehicles belonging to the GZG army type there are reliable reports that GZG barracks have been overrun.

One of our members in the city says that withdrawals appear to have been planned long before as part of a defense in depth strategy. Our members and contacts in city say that there is still a lot fighting going on. They also say that reports in the British media that british troops and aircraft are not involved in the fighting is a flat out lie and that British tanks are heavily involved.
.
Udpate: [sic] The American war criminal Bush whose death squad in uniform called the U.S. armed forces are still trying to subjugate Irak and who have murdered innumerable Iraki Children women and men calls the carnage a “positive moment” you can read what he has to say for himself to the UK Times ewspaper here.Tahseen al-Sheikhli one of the two main spokesmen for the “surge” was unavailable for comment because he has been kidnapped.

I considered editing the post to remove the reference to George Bush, but honestly, can you blame them for their characterization? These people do not think of American forces as liberators, no matter how many times that’s repeated on American TV.

There is too much and it is too difficult in this blog format to list all the reports of carnage, chaos and destruction, so click on the “Basra” link for multiple reports that shame all the media spin about the surge’s success, including the heart breaking report that the 9 year old brother of one of the bloggers passed away yesterday as a result of burns he received during an airstrike. His brother, Mohammed, author of this heartbreaking poem, already the victim of so much violence, survived being shot at while trying to carry his brother to the hospital.

Joshua Holland and Raed Jarrar write the Five Things You Need To Know To Understand The Latest Violence In Iraq.

(Crooks and Liars)

unreal

Incompetence Alert: Pentagon gives inexperienced 22 year-old $300 million contract
(Crooks and Liars)

another crook in the bush administration

New Bush admin. scandal: Top aide quits over misuse of US AID money
(Americablog)

Friday Beagle Blogging!

Harley enjoying the Vegas sunshine!

more of bush's "progress" and "success"

U.S. embassy in Baghdad told ‘remain under hard cover’ due to violence.
(Think Progress)

the "liberal media" losing interest in Iraq in an election year

The media’s Iraq drawdown.

Eric Alterman and George Zornick document the evidence of the media’s declining coverage of the Iraq war. They note:

– A study by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism found that in all of 2007, the topic of the Iraq war occupied an average of 15.5 percent of the “newshole” in the media; in the last quarter it fell to nine percent, and then to 3.9 percent in the first quarter of 2008.

– The broadcast networks’ nightly shows devoted more than 4,100 minutes to Iraq in 2003 and 3,000 in 2004, before going down to 2,000 a year, according to Andrew Tyndall, who monitors the broadcasts and posts.

– Only two newspapers noted the 4,000th combat death of a U.S. soldier in Iraq

(Think Progress)
---
Interesting that the albatross around the repugs' necks gets less airplay in an election year when it is increasingly unpopular. Of course, we have to have a thousand stories about Obama's preacher in place of this coverage!

everyone's fault except for this administration's

Rice Concedes She Didn’t Think Iraq ‘Would Be This Tough,’ Blames Iraqis For Continued Violence
(Think Progress)

McCain wants to "kill" the UN?

Krauthammer: McCain Has ‘Hidden Agenda’ To ‘Kill The United Nations’
(Think Progress)
---
Does the president even have the authority to do such a thing? I know that it is housed on our soil, but it's not like we are the only country involved...
What a bizarre thing to want to do - i really don't understand people's hatred for a group concerned with communication between countries.

unbridled chaos in Iraq

Iraqi prime minister says no retreat

BAGHDAD - Iraq's prime minister vowed Thursday to fight "until the end" against Shiite militias in Basra despite protests by tens of thousands of followers of a radical cleric in Baghdad and deadly clashes across the capital and the oil-rich south.

Mounting anger focused on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is personally overseeing operations against the militias dominated by Muqtada al-Sadr's supporters amid a violent power struggle in Basra, Iraq's southern oil hub.

The Iraqi leader made his pledge to tribal leaders in the Basra area as military operations continued for a fourth day with stiff resistance.

"We have made up our minds to enter this battle and we will continue until the end.
No retreat," he said in a speech broadcast on Iraqi state TV.

The events threatened to unravel a Mahdi Army cease-fire and lead to a dramatic escalation in violence after a period of relative calm that had lasted for months.

Sadrist lawmakers in Baghdad issued a strongly worded statement demanding a halt to the military operations and appealing to Iraqi security forces to stand down.

"We call on our brothers in the Iraqi army and the brave national police not to be tools of death in the hands of the new dictatorship," Sadrist lawmaker Falah Shanshal said.

The crisis was seen as a test of the Iraqi government's ability to eventually take over its own security. The U.S.-led coalition has a minimal presence in Basra after British forces turned over responsibility for the area to the Iraqis in late December.

Demonstrators in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Kazimiyah called al-Maliki a "new dictator" as they carried a coffin bearing a crossed-out picture of the U.S.-backed prime minister, who belongs to a rival political party. A sea of people also rallied in Sadr City, Baghdad's main Shiite district.

Suspected Shiite extremists also continued to hammer the U.S.-protected Green Zone, firing several rounds of apparent rockets that sent a huge plume of smoke above the heavily fortified area in central Baghdad.

---
The Iraqis hate us, they hate the government we installed, their government cannot control the violence and chaos - in other words, more of what bush considers a "success"!

And bush has the unmitigated gall to castigate Congress on Iraq!!! As if bush was totally responsible for the utter disaster that he created!

True to form, bush thinks this is a good thing!:

Bush: Iraq’s Resurging Violence ‘A Very Positive Moment’

(Think Progress)

damn, i gotta admit, bush has insane audacity!

Bush scolds Congress about Iraq

DAYTON, Ohio - President Bush on Thursday defended the slow pace of progress in Iraq, asserting "it is not foot-dragging" as Iraqi politicians try to reach agreement on political, security and economic goals.

Bush derided calls from Congress for troop withdrawals or deadlines so that the military could focus more on the anti-terror battle elsewhere. "This argument makes no sense," he said.

---
I literally laughed out loud at that headline! bush scolding Congress about Iraq?!?! Wow! I gotta admit, no other sane person would take his weakest, most flawed policy and his biggest failure and try to blame someone else for it!

And he is trying to blame the problems in Iraq on Saddam!!!

He really does think that we are all morons who have not noticed what he's been doing for the last 7 years!

Absolutely incredible....I can't believe we have to wait almost another year before we are rid of this inhuman piece of slime...

another cool fossil find!

Human ancestor fossil found in Europe

MADRID, Spain - A small piece of jawbone unearthed in a cave in Spain is the oldest known fossil of a human ancestor in Europe and suggests that people lived on the continent much earlier than previously believed, scientists say.

The researchers said the fossil found last year at Atapuerca in northern Spain, along with stone tools and animal bones, is up to 1.3 million years old.

That would be 500,000 years older than remains from a 1997 find that prompted the naming of a new species: Homo antecessor, or Pioneer Man, possibly a common ancestor to Neanderthals and modern humans.

The new find appears to be from the same species, researchers said.

---

is this the first that bush is hearing about this?

Military tells Bush of troop strains

WASHINGTON - Behind the Pentagon's closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President Bush Wednesday they are worried about the Iraq war's mounting strain on troops and their families. But they indicated they'd go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops this summer.

---

imagine the outcry if this was a Democrat

“John McCain is a campaign finance criminal who is flouting the very regulations he championed.”
(Americablog)
---
Our "liberal media" once again letting the repugs break the law without calling them on it. The media will almost literally do anything and everything to help the repugs and hurt the Dems. It really is amazing...

bizarre "logic"

Norquist: ‘more people will die’ because Bush raised CAFE standards.
(Think Progress)
---
I honestly thought that he was originally saying that more people will die due to bush ignoring emission regulations (as he has for most of his presidency), which would make sense, but he seems to be saying that decreasing emissions will kill people! Wow!

making nixon look good in comparison

U.S. consumers most pessimistic since Nixon was president.
(Think Progress)
---
It is somewhat amazing that bush has managed to eclipse the other most hated presidents of recent history - nixon and reagan - by a wide margin! That is some legacy!

soul-less scum sucker

Cheney On 4,000 Troop Deaths In Iraq: ‘The President Carries The Biggest Burden, Obviously’
(Think Progress)
---
I honestly cannot comprehend how anyone in the military can support this administration who thinks so little of them...

Wha?

Cheney: staying in Iraq is like pardoning Nixon.
(Think Progress)
---
He actually thinks that it was the right thing to do to pardon nixon and still thinks that it is the right thing to do to remain in the quagmire in Iraq....
Wow....

thanks, bush

21 countries in the world are more ’stable’ than the U.S.
(Think Progress)

utter chaos in Iraq

Iraqi troops, militias clash in Basra

BAGHDAD - Iraqi forces clashed with Shiite militiamen Tuesday in the southern oil port of Basra and rockets rained down on the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad as followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr expanded a nationwide backlash against government crackdowns.

The U.S. Embassy said no deaths or serious casualties were reported in the Green Zone attacks — the second major barrage this week launched from Shiite areas. Two rockets landed on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's compound, but did not explode, an Iraqi government security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose the information.

Al-Maliki was in Basra, where he is supervising the operation against the Shiite militia fighters. At least 22 people were killed in the Basra fighting, officials said.

The violence marked a stunning escalation in the confrontation between the Shiite-run government and al-Sadr's forces, who have bitterly complained about the recent arrests of hundreds of backers.

The clashes also threaten to reverse the security gains achieved by U.S. and Iraqi forces — which have been hailed by Washington as key signs that Iraq was headed for better days.

---
bush's policies have just perpetrated the chaos in Iraq - we need someone who can make a change instead of this continuation of killings on all sides...

how divorced from reality is McCain?!

McCain Claims ‘No One’ Believes Iraq ‘Diverted Our Attention’ From Quest To Catch Bin Laden
(Think Progress)
---
I don't know of anyone who does NOT think this! What a bizarre assertion!

gee, ya think?

Many Arabs fear McCain would continue Bush policy

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Arabs keen to see the end of George W. Bush's presidency fear that a win for likely Republican candidate John McCain will bring little change to U.S. policies they blame for destabilizing the Middle East.

---

looney-tune Idaho aspiring politician

Aspiring Idaho politician changes name to ‘Pro-Life’
(Crooks and Liars)
---
Obviously, this guy is a complete nut-job and i would normally believe that he wouldn't have a chance in hell, but he is running for Larry Craig's old position, so who knows....

i would hope so!

O’Donnell: 76 Percent Of Americans ‘Want A Candidate Who Has Policies Different Than President Bush’
(Think Progress)
---
And i fervently hope that people remember that McCain is just another bush close come November...

another horrific milestone

Overall US death toll in Iraq hits 4,000
---
Say thanks to the repugs....

From Huffington Post - A Mosiac in remembrance

more obstructionists repugs

Anonymous Republican Senator Places Hold On Top Justice Department Nominees
(Think Progress)
---
As much as the White House (and our "liberal media") tries to claim the the Dems are obstructing progress, reality shows that it continues to be bush and the repugs...

almost like they had something to hide - a never-ending saga

White House destroyed hard drives.
(Think Progress)

that's all we need!

McCain econ adviser: McCain’s tax plan ‘will make deficits expand.’
(Think Progress)
---
My gawd, these repugs are insanely fiscally irresponsible - they don't tax and spend, they just spend and spend and spend and spend...

cuz our "liberal media" loves the repugs

Chuck Todd: Media Will Let McCain ‘Get Away With’ Al-Qaeda/Iran ‘Gaffe’
(Think Progress)
---
It would be nice is some day the media would get over their love affair with the repugs and start holding them to the same standard they do the Dems.

easter in Iraq thanks to bush

Attacks kill 57 in Iraq.
(Think Progress)

Happy Beagle Easter!

Happy freakin' Easter - now get that camera out of my face!

bush lies again

Bush Falsely Claims Iran ‘Declared’ It Wants A Nuclear Weapon ‘To Destroy People’
(Think Progress)

So where is the media's outrage on McCain's truly bigoted pastor?

Rev. Hagee: "It's true that [John] McCain's campaign sought my endorsement"
(Americablog)
---
This religious leader is someone that McCain has actively sought his endorsement - unlike Obama's preacher that the media is making such a big deal of - and this person has made inflammatory remarks about Catholics, Muslims, African-Americans and gays!

But that's our "liberal media" for ya...

McCain breaking the law?

McCain busts the FEC's spending cap, violating campaign finance law
(Americablog)
---
I guess it just goes to show that he is a typical repug - no respect for the law - even one he helped to implement!

actually calling Fox on its Obama-bashing!

Fox’s Chris Wallace Takes Fox And Friends ‘To Task’ For ‘Two Hours Of Obama Bashing’
(Think Progress)
---
Wow - that's pretty amazing! Asking Fox to talk about the issues instead of simply bashing a Dem! Of course, they won't do it, but this sentiment appearing on Fox is pretty incredible.

wow

The Nation calls Hillary a liar - and yet, despite the untold number of lies by bush, not a single member of the media has ever called him on any of them.
Ah, our "liberal media"...

important endorsement for Obama

NM Gov. Bill Richardson endorsing Obama

SANTA FE, N.M. - New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the nation's only Hispanic governor, is endorsing Sen. Barack Obama for president, calling him a "once-in-a-lifetime leader" who can unite the nation and restore America's international leadership.
---
The governor's endorsement comes as Obama leads among delegates selected at primaries and caucuses but with national public opinion polling showing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton pulling ahead of him amid controversy over statements by his former pastor.

Richardson has been relentlessly wooed by Obama and Clinton for his endorsement. As a Democratic superdelegate, the governor plays a part in the tight race for nominating votes and could bring other superdelegates to Obama's side. He also has been mentioned as a potential running mate for either candidate.

---

nothing is private to this admin

Rice to Obama: Sorry for passport breach

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday apologized to Sen. Barack Obama for a security breach in which three State Department contractors inappropriately reviewed the Democratic presidential candidate's passport file.

The episode raised questions as to whether the actions of the three contractors, two of whom have been fired, were politically motivated.

---
Gee, ya think it could have been politically motivated? This repug admin looking into personal files of the leading Democratic nominee for president? Gosh, i can't imagine such a thing!

And it happened to Hillary, as well

And McCain!

well, i would hope so!

Scooter Libby loses law license

WASHINGTON - Former top White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby was banned Thursday from practicing law in the nation's capital following his perjury conviction in the case of a CIA operative's leaked identity.

---

reviewing the costs of the Iraq war as it starts its 6th year

Iraq begins sixth year of chaos, bloodshed

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US-led war on Iraq that toppled the brutal regime of dictator Saddam Hussein entered its sixth year on Thursday with millions of Iraqis still battling daily chaos and rampant bloodshed.

On March 20, 2003, US planes dropped the first bombs on Baghdad. Within three weeks, invading troops toppled Saddam but left US forces battling a resentful and rebellious people.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the invasion ended Saddam's era of "torture and tyranny" but acknowledged that present-day Iraq was awash with "violence and terrorism," while "corruption has become a dangerous disease."

Five years on, Iraqis, US and allied forces face daily attacks from insurgents and Islamist militants, and fighting continues between factions from both sides of Iraq's Sunni-Shiite sectarian divide.

The war has killed tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians. Between 104,000 and 223,000 died between March 2003 and June 2006 alone, according to the World Health Organisation.

More than 4,000 US and allied soldiers have also lost their lives.

"The war has been an unlimited disaster in terms of US foreign policy, in terms of stability in Iraq and in the Middle East," Joost Hiltermann, Iraq expert with the International Crisis Group, told AFP.

"I can only hope the US finds a way to navigate itself out of the mess without allowing Iraq to fall apart."

US President George W. Bush defended the war that has already cost his administration more than 400 billion dollars but admitted the human cost was high.

"The answers are clear to me: removing Saddam Hussein from power was the right decision -- and this is a fight America can and must win," he said in a speech at the Pentagon.

Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden also issued a video message voicing his determination to fight the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.

He said the "savage acts" of the US-led forces in those countries "haven't ended the war, but rather increased our determination to cling to our right, avenge our people and expel the invaders from our country."

The top UN official in Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, told AFP in an interview that time is running out for Iraqi leaders to resolve differences hampering the political progress.

"It is a key day in Iraq today. But this is a key year for Iraq more than just a day. We feel this is the year in which many courageous decisions have to be taken to show that Iraqis can go forward," said the UN secretary general's representative.

Hans Blix, the former chief UN weapons inspector, in an article for Britain's Guardian newspaper, slammed the Iraq war as a "tragedy -- for Iraq, for the US, for the UN, for truth and human dignity."

On the streets of Baghdad, fear of Saddam's hated secret police has been replaced by a new terror.

Tobacconist Abu Fares al-Daraji said Americans "brought our way things we never knew like terrorism and the killings we see on the streets."

And in the United States, the war is deeply unpopular, with activists staging demonstrations demanding an immediate withdrawal of US soldiers.

"This war needs to end and it needs to end now," said Leslie Cagan, national coordinator of United for Peace and Justice.

Bush has taken heart from signs that the bloodshed has fallen, but even the US commander, General David Petraeus, admits that Baghdad has made insufficient progress towards national reconciliation.

Mustapha Alani, director of security studies at the Dubai-based Gulf Research Centre, said "scoring a military victory is easy, but a political victory is more difficult to achieve."

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the plight of millions of Iraqis who still have little or no access to clean water, sanitation or health care was the "most critical in the world."

Nevertheless, a "surge" in US forces, which over the past year increased the troop level to more than 160,000, has helped reduce the violence in central and western regions.

At the same time, radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has ordered his powerful Mahdi Army militia to refrain from attacking Iraqi and US forces.

However, Liwa Sumaysim, a top leader with the Sadr movement, renewed a call for the withdrawal of American forces.

"US forces must depart as they are invaders and brought us nothing but terror, destruction and bloodshed," he said.

Insurgents continue to carry out spectacular attacks, such as a bombing on Monday in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala that killed 52 people.

At a national unity conference on Tuesday -- undermined by a boycott from two key parliamentary blocs -- Shiite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki boasted that Iraq's sectarian civil war was over.

And for the first time since becoming premier, on Wednesday he visited Baghdad's Sunni bastion of Adhamiyah where he promised Sunni Arabs jobs as a reward for their fight against Al-Qaeda.

The economy, the main concern of Iraqis after security, is also a wreck.

Unemployment is running at between 25 and 50 percent, according to government figures.

Oil exports, the country's main money-earner, are a key source of contention between rival political factions.

Iraqi officials say production is at 2.9 million barrels per day, higher than pre-war levels when Saddam's Iraq was under UN sanctions. Oil analysts believe it is really around 2.2 million.

Such public services as water and electricity have yet to be fully restored, despite billions of dollars having been spent on often badly managed reconstruction projects.

---
This is a little more os a reality-based review than bush and some of the pro-war stories earlier this week.
Yes, we got rid of Saddam, but at such an extreme cost in lives (both Iraqi and American), basic services, and money (and Iraq and American economies) that i don't believe than any sane person could say that it was worth it. Especially when one considers that this distraction - a country that posed no threat to us whatsoever - took us away from the enemies that actually attacked us.
What a sick milestone...

lots of Iraq 5 years on from Huffington Post

FIVE YEARS LATER
Obama: McCain Has "Failed To Demonstrate How The War In Iraq Has Made Us Safer"... Trust Me To End The War, Not Hillary... 3,990 US Troops Killed… 29,395 Wounded… 2,100 Have Tried To Commit Suicide… 88% Of Military Officers Say War Has Stretched US Thin… 82,000-89,000 Iraqi Casualties… 4,500,000 Iraqi Refugees… Global Terror Incidents From January 2001: 1,188… Global Terror Incidents From January 2006: 5,188
(Huffington Post)

responsible, realistic plan to get out of Iraq by the Dems

Responsible Plan, from Democratic candidates

Recognizing that ending the war in Iraq is critical to our nation's security and foreign policy, Darcy Burner and at least a dozen other Democratic congressional candidates have signaled their support for a comprehensive approach to foreign policy that would put us back on the right track.

From a policy standpoint, it is clear, comprehensive, and reality-based. Implementing this platform would do a great deal to improve our nation's security, as well as its military and intelligence structures. It also has plenty of endorsements (and input) from credible military and foreign policy professionals.

The plan, which is impressively detailed, boils down to a handful of major points:

- End US Military Action in Iraq

- Use US diplomatic power

- Address humanitarian concerns

- Restore our Constitution

- Restore our military

- Create a new, US-centered energy policy

All vital, and all elements that are being dangerously overlooked by most Republicans this cycle. Do go check it out in full, it's excellent, and I'd encourage anybody who lives in a competitive district this cycle to ask your candidate(s) to support the plan.

(Americablog)

bush and Iraq

“At the outset of the Iraq war, the Bush administration predicted that it would cost $50 billion to $60 billion to oust Saddam Hussein, restore order and install a new government.” Now, five years later, the Pentagon says the cost of the war is “roughly $600 billion and counting” while economist Joseph Stiglitz “pegs the long-term cost at more than $4 trillion,” which he calls an “excessively conservative” estimate.

---
Marking the fifth anniversary of the Iraq war, President Bush will deliver a speech today at the Pentagon defending his decision to wage war. According to excerpts, Bush will say the war’s “high cost in lives and treasure” has been “necessary” and that the war’s successes are “undeniable.”

---
71 percent: Americans who think “U.S. spending in Iraq is a reason for the nation’s poor economy.” According to the new CNN poll, just 36 percent of the American public believes the “situation in Iraq was worth going to war over — down from 68 percent in March 2003, when the war began.”

---
32 percent: The number of Americans who approve of President Bush, down from 34 last month. The new Reuters/Zogby poll also finds that only 19 percent believes the country is headed in the right direction.

(All from Think Progress)
---
Funny that the "liberal media" is presenting rosy, "progress in Iraq" stories today, despite the reality that the country is a disaster, the people do not want us there, we have caused untold chaos, destruction, loss of life, and displacement. Reading their stories, you would almost think that someone, somewhere actually thinks that this quagmire was a good idea.

pompous ass

Cheney On Two-Thirds Of The American Public Opposing The Iraq War: ‘So?’

This morning, on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, ABC’s Good Morning America aired an interview with Vice President Cheney on the war. During the segment, Cheney flatly told White House correspondent Martha Raddatz that he doesn’t care about the American public’s views on the war:

CHENEY: On the security front, I think there’s a general consensus that we’ve made major progress, that the surge has worked. That’s been a major success.

RADDATZ: Two-third of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.

CHENEY: So?

RADDATZ So? You don’t care what the American people think?

CHENEY: No. I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.

(Think Progress)
---
I guess that he's "forgotten" (actually, we know that he doesn't give a f'k) that he is supposed to be working for the American public.

Will we ever be rid of these scumbags so we try to get back to what's best for America instead of what's best for bush & cheney's corporate pals?

facts be damned to cheney

Cheney again links Iraq invasion to 9/11 attacks as bombing victims are buried

another religious whack-job repug

Bachmann: God is backing the United States in Iraq.

On Saturday, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) spoke to a group of Minnesota GOP. During that speech, reports the West Sherburne Tribune, Bachmann highlighted the progress in Iraq, stating that God is on the side of America in the war:

What our service men and women have accomplished over there has been nothing short of astounding. Though you never hear about it in the media. God has not abandoned us.

Bachmann also said that global warming is “all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax.”

(Think Progress)

cheney is delusional and hoping that we are, as well

Cheney’s world.

On his trip to Iraq today, Vice President Dick Cheney asserted there has been “phenomenal” improvements in security, hours before a suicide bomber killed at least 40 people. Cheney also asserted that Iraq has been a “successful endeavor.” BarbinMD tallies today’s “success.”

(Think Progress)
and more:

Cheney: Was There ‘A Link Between Iraq And Al Qaeda? Seems To Me Pretty Clear That There Was’

---

unimaginable

Five years after invasion, one in five Iraqis displaced.
(Think Progress)

McCain actually not so hot on foreign policy

McCain Conflates Shiite Iran And Sunni Al Qaeda, Needs To Be Corrected By Lieberman
(Think Progress)

incredible find

Workers uncovering mummified dinosaur

BISMARCK, N.D. - Using tiny brushes and chisels, workers picking at a big greenish-black rock in the basement of North Dakota's state museum are meticulously uncovering something amazing: a nearly complete dinosaur, skin and all.

Unlike almost every other dinosaur fossil ever found, the Edmontosaurus named Dakota, a duckbilled dinosaur unearthed in southwestern North Dakota in 2004, is covered by fossilized skin that is hard as iron. It's among just a few mummified dinosaurs in the world, say the researchers who are slowly freeing it from a 65-million-year-old rock tomb.

"This is the closest many people will ever get to seeing what large parts of a dinosaur actually looked like, in the flesh," said Phillip Manning, a paleontologist at Manchester University in England, a member of the international team researching Dakota.

"This is not the usual disjointed sentence or fragment of a word that the fossil records offer up as evidence of past life. This is a full chapter."

Animal tissue typically decomposes quickly after death. Researchers say Dakota must have been buried rapidly and in just the right environment for the texture of the skin to be preserved.

"The process of decay was overtaken by that of fossilization, preserving many of the soft-tissue structures," Manning said.

Tyler Lyson, a 25-year-old doctoral paleontology student at Yale University, discovered the dinosaur on his uncle's ranch in the Badlands in 1999. Weeks after he started to unearth the fossil in 2004, he knew he had found something special.

"Usually all we have is bones," Lyson said in a telephone interview. "In this special case, we're not just after the bones; we're after the whole carcass."

Researchers have used the world's largest CT scanner, operated by the Boeing Co. in California and used to examine space shuttle parts, to get a better look at what is encased in the rumpled mass of sandstone.

Stephen Begin, a Michigan consultant on the project, said this is the fifth dinosaur mummy ever found that is "of any significance."

"It may turn out to be one of the best mummies, because of the quality of the skin that we're finding and the extent of the skin that's on the specimen," he said Tuesday.

Begin said several other dinosaurs with fossilized skin have been unearthed around the world, but only a handful have enough skin to be of use for research and education and in most previous cases the skin was considered to be of lesser importance. "The goal was to get bones to put on display," he said.

Dakota was moved to the museum early last month and is currently surrounded by
precariously perched desk lamps and a machine to suck up dust. State paleontologist John Hoganson, of the North Dakota Geological Survey, said it will take a year, maybe more, to uncover it.

Amy Sakariassen, part of the team working on the project, was toiling away with a brush whose bristles had been ground down to nubs.

"It really is wonderful to work on it," she said, as Begin used a sharp instrument to pick away tiny bits of rock and unveil a scale. "Nobody's seen that particular scale in 67 million years. It's quite thrilling."

Manning said his involvement has meant 18-hour days, seven-day weeks and "more work than I could have ever imagined. But I would not change a single second of the past few years."

Hoganson said the main part of the fossil is in two parts, weighing a total of nearly 5 tons.

"The skeleton itself is kind of curled up," he said. "The actual length would be about 30 feet, from about the tip of its tail to the tip of its nose."

The fossil has spawned both a children's book and an adult book, as well as National Geographic television programs. The National Geographic Society is funding much of the research.

"We are looking forward to seeing what emerges from the huge dinosaur body block now housed in North Dakota," said John Francis, a society vice president.

Many prehistoric fossils have been found in the western North Dakota Badlands where terrain has been heavily eroded over time by weather. Hoganson said other treasures likely are waiting to be unearthed.

"It's one of the few places in the world where you can actually see the boundary line where the dinosaurs became extinct, the time boundary," he said. "In the Badlands, this layer is exposed in certain places."

Lyson, who found the fossil, eventually hopes to send it on a worldwide tour and then bring it back to his hometown of Marmarth, where he is creating a museum. For now, workers at the North Dakota Heritage Center on the state Capitol grounds are getting part of it ready for display this summer.

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Iraqis want us to leave

Five Years Later, Iraqis Still Lack Basic Services, Believe Surge Has Made Security Situation Worse
(Think Progress)

of course he does

Cheney visits Iraq, says US must stay
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history - NY's first black governor, nation's first legally blind governor

Paterson sworn in as NY governor

ALBANY, N.Y. - David Paterson has become New York's first black governor. The Harlem Democrat took the oath of office just after 1 p.m. Monday in a ceremony at the state Capitol in Albany. Lawmakers in attendance cheered and chanted his name as he prepared to give his inaugural address.

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continued horror in Iraq

Bomb kills 39 in Iraqi city of Karbala
BAGHDAD - A female suicide bomber attacked a group of Shiite worshippers near a mosque in Karbala on Monday, killing at least 39 people and wounding 54, officials said.

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what a moronic thing to say

Perino: men know more about war ‘by osmosis.’
(Think Progress)
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Is bush's idiocy catchy?

more on Iraq "progress"

One Year Later, Market Where McCain Strolled ‘Freely’ Is Controlled By Sadr, Too Unsafe For Americans To Visit
(Think Progress)

Sunday Beagle Blogging

Cuz Friday's pic was kinda crappy, here's another one that proves that Harley does get outside sometimes! (Actually several times a day.)

and this albatros that he supports should be tied around his neck

McCain linked to Iraq, foreign focus
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Since a majority of Americans think that McCain is wrong on this, hopefully common sense will prevail in November.
Of course, that is provided that the public actually knows what he stands for and with our "liberal media" hiding inconvenient facts about the man, that is certainly not a given.

oh geez, another one?

High-level al-Qaida figure is captured

bush determined to leave us "less safe"

House passes new surveillance bill

WASHINGTON - The House on Friday approved a Democratic bill that would set rules for the government's eavesdropping on phone calls and e-mails inside the United States.

The bill, approved as lawmakers departed for a two-week break, faces a veto threat from President Bush. The margin of House approval was 213-197, largely along party lines.

Because of the promised veto, "this vote has no impact at all," said Republican Whip Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri.

The president's main objection is that the bill does not protect from lawsuits the telecommunications companies that allowed the government to eavesdrop on their customers without a court's permission after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. White House spokesman Tony Fratto called the measure a "political ploy" designed to give Democrats cover for their failure to grant full retroactive immunity to the telecom companies.

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Because of bush and his cronies refusal to compromise, they are the ones who are sacrificing our "safety".

Wisconsin treating victims with respect

WI requires hospitals to provide EC to rape survivors
(Feministing)
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As they say in the post, it is somewhat amazing that anyone had to fight for this - it seems like it should be a given. Still, good for Wisconsin.

another one who will not be missed

Big Story: John Gibson’s Show Yanked At FOXNews
(Crooks and Liars)

Sick and tasteless

Bush: I’m ‘envious’ of troops on ‘romantic’ front lines.
(Think Progress)
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This inhuman scumbag should be tossed to the front lines and then we can see how "romantic" he thinks it is!
What a f'k'ing heartless, vile, f'k'd up thing to say!

gee, who would find this report "politically sensitive"?

Pentagon blocks report on Saddam-al Qaeda ties.

On Monday, McClatchy reported that a “review of more than 600,000 Iraqi documents” captured after the U.S. invasion “has found no evidence” that Saddam Hussein “had any operational links” with al Qaeda. But ABC News reports today that the Pentagon apparently doesn’t want the study “to get any attention” as it has canceled “plans to send out a press release announcing the report’s release and will no longer make the report available online.” One Pentagon official “said initial press reports on the study made it ‘too politically sensitive.’”

(Think Progress)
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I guess that even more proof that this administration lied to us regarding Iraq is "politically sensitive" for the repugs but is that really a reason to attempt to hide this info from the American public?

Friday Beagle Blogging

I'm having problems with my new camera taking blurry pictures, but here's a pic anyway.

And it is true, Harley rarely leaves "his" chair!

too frightening to imagine

McCain ‘more hawkish’ than Bush.
(Think Progress)

another religious looney linked to McCain

McCain spiritual adviser: ‘Allah was a demon spirit.’

Last month, Ohio televangelist Rev. Rod Parsley endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). McCain called Parsley — who helped mobilize evangelicals to vote for President Bush in 2004 — his “spiritual guide.” David Corn of Mother Jones takes a look at this spiritual adviser, excerpting from Parsley’s 2005 book, Silent No More:

In fact, I will tell you this: I do not believe our country can truly fulfill its divine purpose until we understand our historical conflict with Islam. I know that this statement sounds extreme, but I do not shrink from its implications. The fact is that America was founded, in part, with the intention of seeing this false religion destroyed, and I believe September 11, 2001, was a generational call to arms that we can no longer ignore.

Parsley has also called Allah a “demon spirit” and said that explorer Christopher Columbus’s dream was to “defeat Islam.”

(Think Progress)
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WTF? America was founded to destroy Islam?!?! I'm sure that would be big news to the founding fathers!

still more examples of this administration "supporting the troops"

Pentagon Dismisses KBR Contaminated Water: Troops Should ‘Just Drink Bottled Water’

On Sunday, the AP reported that contractor KBR has been providing “unmonitored and potentially unsafe” water to U.S. troops in Iraq. According to a Pentagon Inspector General’s report, dozens of soldiers fell sick, suffering “skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses” after using the “discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry.”

(Think Progress)

Obama calling McCain on his flip-flops

Obama criticizes McCain on taxes

CHICAGO - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that Sen. John McCain reversed his position on President Bush's deep tax cuts in order to win the Republican presidential nomination, one of his sharpest criticisms yet of the Arizona senator he hopes to face this fall.

Criticizing GOP efforts to extend major tax cuts from Bush's first term and to eliminate the estate tax, Obama said: "These are all steps that John McCain rightly said were irresponsible when they first came up."

"He made a decision to reverse himself on that," Obama told reporters as he flew from Chicago to Washington for a series of Senate votes on budget issues.

"That was how, I guess, you got your ticket punched to be the Republican nominee," he said of McCain. "But he was right then, and he's wrong now."

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continued horror in Baghdad

Car bomb kills 18 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD - A parked car bomb exploded in a commercial district of central Baghdad Thursday, killing 18 people and wounding dozens more.

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former McCain supporter now campaigning against him

NoJohn.com - Former McCain supporter lets him have it
(Americablog)

unimaginable

The Bush Debt: $7.7 Trillion
(Think Progress)

Spitzer resigns, Paterson takes over

Spitzer resigns as New York governor.

Today, Eliot Spitzer announced that he is stepping down as governor of New York state, after his involvement in a high-end prostitution ring was revealed earlier this week. His resignation will be effective on March 17.

Lt. Gov. David Paterson will now take Spitzer’s position, becoming the state’s first
African-American and blind governor, and only the third African-American governor since Reconstruction.

(Think Progress)

Iraqis want us to leave

Group of Iraqis asks UN to take over

BAGHDAD - A group of Iraqi tribal leaders, former politicians and intellectuals appealed Wednesday to the United Nations to take control of Iraq in a move they say would help U.S. troops leave the beleaguered country.

Both the U.S. administration and the Baghdad government are unlikely to endorse the request, which was addressed to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and delivered to the Cairo offices of the organization.

"We believe that the only opportunity left for Iraq to be saved from a dark, but not inevitable future, is to engage the international community represented by the United Nations," the letter said. "Such a step will allow the American troops to leave and the occupation to be brought to its end."

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too funny!

'Gilligan's' Mary Ann caught with dope

DRIGGS, Idaho - Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

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I think that there are quite a few people who would have like to have gotten stoned with Mary Ann on a deserted island!

and still more on McCain and his lobbyists

McCain gets defense firm cash after helpful comments.

Last year, Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign advisers “lobbied for a European plane maker that beat Boeing to a $35 billion” contract, which Boeing advocates say McCain helped make possible. Huffington Post is now reporting that the day after McCain “formally called for multiple bidders in the tanker deal,” contributions from the Northrop Grumman/EADS consortium “began to flow” his way.

(Think Progress)

scary

Breaking: CentCom Chief Admiral Fallon Resigns

Secretary Robert Gates has announced that Centcom commander Adm. William Fallon has submitted his resignation. Fallon was subject of a recent Esquire article, which stated that the admiral could be “relieved of his command before his time is up next spring,” in favor of a commander more amenable to war with Iran.

(Think Progress)

they will stop at nothing to gain a profit by destroying the world

CEI: Fixing Climate Change Will Cause ‘Death On A Massive Scale’ In The Developing World
(Think Progress)
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I literally cannot understand the mentality of people who care nothing for the destruction of our environment...just bizarre...

utterly bizarre and convoluted

Searching For Media Hypocrisy, Doocy Falsely Claims Vitter Prostitute Scandal Led To ‘06 Losses
(Think Progress)
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Despite the fact that the Vitter scandal occured in July of 2007, the absurdity of this claim is astonishing!

The media is making a big deal about this new scandal, which is all the more newsworthy due to its rarity in the Democratic party. Whereas, the repugs regularly have multiple, hypocritical scandals all the while calling themselves the party of "values" and "morals".

So, one Democratic governor being involved in a scandal is not likely to affect a House or Presidential election, unlike scandals involving senators, congressmen and presidential candidates (speaking of which, whatever happened to the McCain sex scandal?).

absurd taxpayer waste from cheney's pals

KBR forces its towels on U.S. troops.
(Think Progress)

10 million year old fossil!

Geologist spots oreodont fossil in N.M.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - A geologic mapping project led to the finding of a 10 million-year-old fossil that's now being studied at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science.

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offensive, bigoted repug

Rep. King defends comments about Obama

DES MOINES, Iowa - An Iowa Republican congressman on Monday defended his prediction that terrorists would celebrate if Democrat Barack Obama were elected president, despite a rebuke from aides to John McCain, the GOP's apparent presidential nominee.

"(Obama will) certainly be viewed as a savior for them," Rep. Steve King told The Associated Press. "That's why you will see them supporting him, encouraging him."

King said his offices have been bombarded with calls — positive and negative — since he said Friday that al-Qaida "would be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they would declare victory in this war on terror."

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It is incredible that in this day and age, this type of disgusting bigotry is tolerated, especially from an elected official, and that the media (damn that "liberal media") gives a scumbag like this the time of day.

unending horror in Iraq

Bomb hits Iraqi bus; at least 16 killed

BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb hit a bus traveling in southern Iraq on Tuesday, killing at least 16 civilians, while gunmen opened fire on another bus in the capital, leaving one person dead, police said.

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a rarity - a corrupt Democrat

N.Y. Republicans may seek to impeach Gov. Spitzer
---
Crooks and Liars looks a little closer at the story with some questions.

and even more on this admin's version of "supporting the troops"

KBR supplied contaminated water to troops.

The AP reports that, between 2004 and 2006, “dozens of U.S. troops in Iraq fell sick at bases using ‘unmonitored and potentially unsafe‘ water supplied” by KBR. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after from using the discolored, smelly water.

(Think Progress)

is he delusional or does he think we are?

Bozell Ignores Iraq War, Falsely Claims Clinton ‘Devastated’ The ‘Military Infrastructure’
(Think Progress)

he won't be missed

MSNBC cancels Tucker Carlson.
(Think Progress)

about time...

House files contempt lawsuit.

AP reports:

The House Judiciary Committee has filed suit to force former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten to provide information about the firing of U.S. attorneys.

The lawsuit filed in federal court Monday says Miers is not immune from the obligation to testify and both she and Bolten must identify all documents that are being withheld from Congress. […]

[House Judiciary Committee Chairman John] Conyers says he is confident the federal courts will agree that the Bush administration’s claims to be immune from congressional oversight are at odds with constitutional principles.

(Think Progress)

we can only hope!

Rove: ‘I Fully Expect To Be Indicted By The End Of The Year’
(Think Progress)

continued chaos in Baghdad

5 US soldiers killed in Baghdad

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber killed five American soldiers on a foot patrol Monday after detonating his explosives vest in central Baghdad, the U.S. military said

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bush loves his torture

Bush explains veto of waterboarding bill
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More from ThinkProgress
Former DIA Director Responds To Bush’s Torture Ban Veto: ‘I’d Fire Mike McConnell’
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This story includes military intelligence personnel explaining how torture doesn't work.

incredible irony

The O’Reilly Factor: Karl Rove Points To McCain’s Adopted Daughter As Example Of McCain’s Worthiness
(Crooks and Liars)
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If this wasn't so disgusting, it would be hilarious - rove is the scumbag who put out the rumor about McCain's "illegitimate black child" in 2000!

still more on McCain and his lobbyists

McCain lies about his letters to the FCC.
(Think Progress)

the lies are getting more blatant

Perino: ‘White House Has Been Very Forthcoming In Putting Forward NIEs’
(Think Progress)

McCain courting the crazies behind the "Left Behind" series

McCain Courts Secret Radical Religious Conservative Group For Support In Presidential Bid
(Think Progress)
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Man, i am terrified that the American public will once again vote against their better interest and vote for another insane repug who has promised to continue on the idiotic path that bush has set us on. I know that the world won't suddenly become all "sunshine and roses" once a Dem is back in office, but we need to get back in the right direction. I don't think that the country can take another 4 years of madness - the world might literally destroy itself...

Beck apparently thinks that "progress" is a bad thing

Glenn Beck mocks ThinkProgress.
(Think Progress)
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This nut who wants people to think that Obama is the anti-christ thinks that progress is a bad thing...

lies and politics of 9/11 investigation

Zelikow ‘Made It Clear’ To 9/11 Commission That Richard Clarke ‘Should Not Be Believed’

New York Times reporter Philip Shenon’s new book — The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation — paints a damning portrait of Condoleezza Rice. Shenon argues that Rice was “uninterested in actually advising the President,” but was instead more concerned with being his “closest confidante — specifically on foreign policy — and to simply translate his words into action.”

Today’s Sydney Morning Herald prints an extract from Shenon’s book which provides further details about Rice’s incompetence. “Emails from the National Security Council’s counter-terrorism director, Richard Clarke, showed that he had bombarded Rice with messages about terrorist threats” before 9/11, Shenon writes. Some examples:

“Bin Ladin Public Profile May Presage Attack” (May 3)

“Terrorist Groups Said Co-operating on US Hostage Plot” (May 23)

“Bin Ladin’s Networks’ Plans Advancing” (May 26)

“Bin Ladin Attacks May Be Imminent” (June 23)

“Bin Ladin and Associates Making Near-Term Threats” (June 25)

“Bin Ladin Planning High-Profile Attacks” (June 30)

“Planning for Bin Ladin Attacks Continues, Despite Delays” (July 2)

But 9/11 Commission staff director Philip Zelikow was not interested in pursuing criticisms against Rice. Zelikow — who had worked closely with Rice on the Bush transition team in 2000 and 2001 — “made it clear to the team’s investigators that Clarke should not be believed, that his testimony would be suspect.”

When 9/11 Commission historian Warren Bass uncovered a smoking gun email from Clarke to Rice written on September 4, 2001, which asked, “Are we serious about dealing with the al-Qaeda threat?,” Zelikow reverted to defending Condi. Bass then threatened to resign:

“I cannot do this,” Bass declared… “Zelikow is making me crazy.”

He was outraged by Zelikow and the White House; Bass felt the White House was trying to sabotage his work by its efforts to limit his ability to see certain documents from the NSC files and take useful notes from them. … Bass made it clear to colleagues that he believed Zelikow was interfering in his work for reasons that were overtly political - intended to shield the White House, and Rice in particular, from the commission’s criticism.

The former weapons inspector in Iraq — David Kay — passed word to the 9/11 Commission that he believed Rice was the “worst national security adviser” in the history of the job.

(Think Progress)

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Just more of what we already knew - that people were trying to stop bin Laden, but bush and his pals just didn't care.

bush official believes his religion is more important than his job of helping vets

POLITICS-US: Embattled Veterans Official Resigns Post

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 29 (IPS) - Another high-ranking George W. Bush administration official has resigned. The Department of Veterans Affairs Undersecretary for Benefits Daniel Cooper quit Thursday amid mounting criticism over a backlog of disability claims for injured veterans that runs six months long and an appearance he made in a fundraising video for an evangelical Christian organisation where he said Bible study was more important than doing his job.

Cooper has been under fire for using his office to proselytise for evangelical Christianity ever since he appeared in a 2004 fundraising video for Christian Embassy, which carries out missionary work among the Washington elite as part of the Campus Crusade for Christ.

In the video, Cooper says of his Bible study, "It's not really about carving out time, it really is a matter of saying what is important. And since that's more important than doing the job -- the job's going to be there, whether I'm there or not."

Cooper's declaration inflamed veterans who saw the number of veterans waiting for the Veterans Administration (VA) to decide their disability claims balloon to 400,000 on his watch, with the average veteran waiting six months for a decision from the government.

"He was clearly a fundamentalist Christian first and essentially a government paid missionary for his particular world view of the gospel of Jesus Christ," said Mike Weinstein, who runs the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. "The fact that he's gone obviously is good."

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Utterly revolting - why don't these religious schmucks actually practice what Jesus preached?

McCain simultaneously embracing and rejecting bush

It’s almost as if they’re embarrassed by Bush

As everyone has no doubt heard, John McCain stopped by the White House to pick up the president’s endorsement. As Dan Froomkin noted, however, some were far more interested in publicizing the meeting than others.

You’ll never guess who was the most excited about yesterday’s endorsement.

As of this writing, there’s no mention of it on the home page of McCain’s Web site. There’s no mention of it all on the Republican National Committee’s home page. In fact, I can’t find any mention whatsoever of the event on either Web site at all. (It’s like: Bush Who?)

But on the Democratic National Committee Web site, the lead headline blares: “Bush Endorses John McCain as His Successor.”

“Since the event was held in the middle of the afternoon we fear that some Americans may miss George Bush’s assurances that John McCain would continue the Bush Administrations failed economic and foreign policies,” the DNC explains. “As a public service we’ve posted a video of the press conference for voters to see.”

I wonder why that is?

(Crooks and Liars)
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Very smart of the Dems - they have to continue to push the fact that McCain is more of the same and we won't get out of the disasterous mess that bush has created until we get some real change.

i can't imagine why!

POLL: Over Half Of Americans Say They Do Not Trust The Press
(Think Progress)
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So, Americans aren't so enamored by our "liberal media"? Maybe if some news outlets actually reported the news instead of conservative talking points, people would be more likely to believe them.
But, i suppose that these days expecting the news to simply report news instead of conservative opinions is too much to ask...

more on McCain's love for lobbyists

McCain brings in another lobbyist.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has tapped yet another lobbyist to play a crucial role in his campaign. Frank Donatelli, who is currently a lobbyist atMcGuire Woods, will take a leave from his lobbying job to “serve as the new deputy chairman of the RNC” as well as “the chief liaison between the committee and the campaign.” Donatelli joins a long list of seasoned lobbyists on the McCain campaign, including chief political adviser Charlie Black, campaign manager Rick Davis, and senior advisers Steve Schmidt and Mark McKinnon.

UPDATE: Earlier this week, McCain hired “leading GOP lobbyist” John Green to coordinate his “message and travel schedule with congressional Republicans.”

(Think Progress)
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Interesting that the story about McCain having an intimate relationship with a lobbyist has vanished from the news, despite verification from a number of people. Gee, i wonder if that would have happened if the story was about a Democrat?

Dems continuing to try to help the environment, despite this administration

House Dems seek to overturn EPA on California emissions.

In December, EPA administrator Stephen Johnson overruled agency staff in order to reject California’s strict emissions standards for automobiles. Yesterday, House Democrats introduced legislation to overturn his decision. The EPA has “said no to the states. They’ve said no to their own scientists. They’ve said no to common sense,” said Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in a press conference yesterday. “It’s time for EPA to lead, follow, or get out of the way.”

(Think Progress)

What?!

Fox’s Oliver North Blames Times Square Bombings On Pelosi And House Democrats
(Think Progress)
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I just laugh at this ridiculousness these days....Unfortunately, there are probably some idiots who think that this has some vague basis in reality, no matter how absurd the charge is... Fox will not stop at politicizing any and everything...

Grand Canyon even older than previously thought!

It took eons to make Grand Canyon grand

WASHINGTON - Gazing into the majestic Grand Canyon, awe-struck visitors inevitably ask: "How old is it?" Far older than generally thought, says new evidence that scientists culled from caves lining the canyon's red limestone cliffs.

The Grand Canyon often is referred to as about 6 million years old — but its western half actually began to open at least 17 million years ago, a University of New Mexico team reports Friday in the journal Science.

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Pretty incredible that "young-earth" wackos think that this majestic site was created in a matter of days by a world-wide flood! Even more incredible is that they have infiltrated the government to such an extent that the Grand Canyon tours can no longer report the true age of the canyon!

does any realistic person think that tax cuts will solve everything?

McCain calls for tax cuts, job training

ATLANTA - Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who has said economics isn't his strong suit, said Friday tax cuts and job training are needed to lift an economy that is either in recession or is headed toward one.

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Is the repugs' solution for everything tax cuts? No matter what is happening, they seem to think - or least always say - that a tax cut will help! It's really past the point of parody by now - it's just silly.

but bush isn't worried about the economy!

Employers slash jobs by most in 5 years

WASHINGTON - Employers slashed 63,000 jobs in February, the most in five years and the starkest sign yet that the country is heading dangerously toward recession or is in one already.

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Friday Beagle Blogging

Sli-i-i-i-ping into sleep....

horrible

55 killed by bomb in Baghdad.

In “one of the bloodiest days in the capital in recent months,” two coordinated bomb blasts blamed on al Qaeda “killed 55 people in a crowded Baghdad shopping area on Thursday, on the day the U.S. military said it was withdrawing 2,000 troops from the Iraqi capital.”

(Think Progress)

sounds like the repugs even steal from themselves

House Republicans call in the FBI to help find their missing money -- and there is lots of missing money

And, these are the people who want to manage America's money. No wonder the federal budget was such a disaster under GOP control. They can't even keep track of their own campaign money:

The [National Republican Congressional Committee] has acknowledged publicly that it was aware of “irregularities in our financial audit process” and that it had called in the F.B.I. in February because “these irregularities may include fraud.”

But until now the committee has not acknowledged that any money was missing from its bank accounts or that the financial irregularities might extend beyond the national committee to the campaign funds of individual Republican lawmakers who also worked with Mr. Ward, a longtime party operative.

The Republican officials said they could not discuss the details of their findings on the record because of the continuing criminal investigation.

It's always a criminal investigation with the Republicans. Always. From Bush on down.

(Americablog)

cheney teaches tax-dodging

KBR Dodges $500 Million In Social Security And Medicare Taxes In Cheney-Backed Scheme
(Think Progress)

taking his job seriously

Being a senator not a ‘high priority’ for McCain.

John McCain (R-AZ) has already missed 57 percent of the Senate votes this session. Today, The Hill reports that McCain will likely continue to “steer far away from his day job in the United States Senate” in order to avoid “politically sensitive votes.” Campaign adviser Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) confirmed that voting in the Senate isn’t “a high priority” for McCain.

(Think Progress)
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Nice to know how he represents his constituents...