Wednesday, April 30, 2008

repug hypocrite - what a surprise

Jon Stewart challenges Newt Gingrich on Wright double standard
(Crooks and Liars)
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Just sickening that gingrich thinks that Obama's ex-pastor and someone that Obama knew 20 years ago is more important than bigoted pastors that McCain has actively sought endorsements from.

This guy is a pompous ass and i only wish that Stewart really drove his points home a little stronger. Gingrich's smug asshole-ness was revolting...

wow - that's the best you can do now?

Perino Rewrites Banner: ‘Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission’
(Think Progress)
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Is she even trying? That's the best rebuttal she could come up with? I could do better than that!

attempting to show that Obama is "out of step" with Americans by highlighting things that most people agree with

Obama's Record Has Republicans Dusting Off `Liberal' Attacks

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama promises to bridge the ideological divide between Red states and Blue states, bringing Republicans and independents into a post-partisan coalition.

Republicans plan to paint Obama as a liberal who is out of step with mainstream Americans on abortion, crime and health care, the same label used against failed Democratic candidates George McGovern and John Kerry.

``For someone who's been in office as little as Barack Obama, the guy has a record that defines the word liberal,'' said Chris LaCivita, a Republican media adviser to the Swift Boat veterans who assailed Kerry's Vietnam War record during the Massachusetts senator's 2004 presidential bid.

Opponents such as LaCivita said Obama's vulnerabilities include his support for gay rights, late-term abortions and benefits for illegal aliens. They also portray him as soft on crime, tough on guns and as an advocate of socialized medicine.

Obama, 46, has disavowed or tempered some of the stances he or his campaign once espoused, though on the whole, he stands by what he calls a ``progressive, pragmatic'' agenda.

Gay MarriageHe opposes gay marriage, while supporting civil unions and gays in the military. His abortion views adhere to the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling, which permits procedures in the third trimester when the mother is at risk. He favors drivers' licenses for undocumented immigrants and state tuition benefits for their children. On crime, he advocates eliminating mandatory minimum sentencing for non-violent drug offenders. He said capital punishment is warranted for certain crimes, yet he can't support it due to inequities in its application. While he backs restrictions on guns, he has never voted to ban ownership.

He wants to repeal President George W. Bush's tax cuts, raise the capital-gains tax rate, expand government's role in health care and advocates greater regulation of financial institutions. He also favors a less confrontational foreign policy than Bush, 61.

At same time he proposes some tax cuts, would expand government and regulatory powers only modestly and wants to boost the size of the military.

Conservatives claim Obama's positions place him out of sync with most Americans. They point to the National Journal's 2007 rating of him as the most liberal senator and intend to cite it in advertisements and fundraising appeals.


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Wow - that agenda is the "most liberal"?! He seems barely moderate compared to most people in the US. But what can you expect from one of the Swift Boat liars?

This is hardly a radical agenda! This just goes to show how far right-wing and out of touch the government has become if this centrist is considered an extreme liberal!

Can the so-called "liberals" start harping about the extreme conservative agenda which truly is extremely far out of touch with the average American? Why does this never get addressed? Do they honestly think that Americans do not want progress?

Seriously, WTF is wrong with politicians?!

a rare moment of honesty

still another McCain/lobbyist connection

bribing kids to deny reality

man we live in scary times

Press freedom ‘underwent clear decline’ worldwide in 2007.
According to a new Freedom House survey, “[g]lobal press freedom underwent a clear decline in 2007, with journalists struggling to work in increasingly hostile environments in almost every region in the world.” The decline “occurred in authoritarian countries and established democracies alike” and “continues a six-year negative trend.” The survey “indicated that setbacks in press freedom outnumbered advances two to one globally,” but “there was some improvement in the region with the least amount of press freedom: the Middle East and North Africa.”

(Think Progress)

i wonder what reality o'reilly inhabits cuz it sure ain't ours!

Obama and economists oppose Clinton/McCain's gas tax break

Clinton-McCain gas tax holiday slammed as bad idea

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A gas tax holiday proposed by U.S. presidential hopefuls John McCain and Hillary Clinton is viewed as a bad idea by many economists and has drawn unexpected support for Clinton rival Barack Obama, who also is opposed.

"Score one for Obama," wrote Greg Mankiw, a former chairman of President George W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers. "In light of the side effects associated with driving ... gasoline taxes should be higher than they are, not lower."

Republican McCain and Democrat Clinton, who is battling Obama for their party's nomination, both want to suspend the 18.4-cents-per-gallon federal gas tax during the peak summer driving months to ease the pain of soaring gas prices. The tax is used to fund the Highway Trust Fund that builds and maintains roads and bridges.

Economists said that since refineries cannot increase their supply of gasoline in the space of a few summer months, lower prices will just boost demand and the benefits will flow to oil companies, not consumers.

"You are just going to push up the price of gas by almost the size of the tax cut," said Eric Toder, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center in Washington.

Obama criticized the plan as pure politics and said the only way to lower the price of gas is to use less oil.

"It would last for three months and it would save you on average half a tank of gas, $25 to $30. That's what Senator Clinton and Senator McCain are proposing to deal with the gas crisis," he said on Tuesday in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"This isn't an idea designed to get you through the summer, it's an idea designed to get them through an election."


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You know it can't be good if Clinton is agreeing with McCain...(again)

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

McCain wants a new Cold War

Fareed Zakaria: McCain Would Mean Second Cold War

Thank God someone out there is scrutinizing McCain’s neocon craziness.

Newsweek:

On March 26, McCain gave a speech on foreign policy in Los Angeles that was billed as his most comprehensive statement on the subject. It contained within it the most radical idea put forward by a major candidate for the presidency in 25 years. Yet almost no one noticed.

In his speech McCain proposed that the United States expel Russia from the G8, the group of advanced industrial countries. Moscow was included in this body in the 1990s to recognize and reward it for peacefully ending the cold war on Western terms, dismantling the Soviet empire and withdrawing from large chunks of the old Russian Empire as well. McCain also proposed that the United States should expand the G8 by taking in India and Brazil—but pointedly excluded China from the councils of power.

You would think a policy-reversal of this magnitude would merit some attention. Not in McCain’s Media.


(Crooks and Liars)

frightening

Conservatives Increasingly Tuned Out Everything Except Fox News Between 1998-2006
(Think Progress)
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Pretty damn scary when people choose to be misinformed about everything...

so what have we been doing for the last 4 years?

Wolfowitz: ‘The Occupation Of Iraq Ended In June 2004′
(Think Progress)
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Do these people think that the rest of us are as delusional as they are?

more incompetence

State Department has only two Pashto speakers in Afghanistan.
Spencer Ackerman notes that during a State Department-sponsored conference today, department Counselor Eliot A. Cohen reported some unsettling news: The department has only two Pashto speakers currently in Afghanistan. Pashto is an official language in Afghanistan and spoken by roughly 35 percent of the population. Ackerman adds, “C’est la vie. Not like there’s a war on in Afghanistan or anything.”

(Think Progress)

another deadly milestone in Iraq

bush enabling foreign influences in Iraq

Is the most powerful man in Iraq an Iranian?

McClatchy reports that one of “the most powerful men in Iraq isn’t an Iraqi government official, a militia leader, a senior cleric or a top U.S. military commander or diplomat.” “Tehran’s point man in Iraq” is Brig. Gen. Qassem Suleimani, who commands the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Suleimani has “ensured the elections of pro-Iranian politicians, met frequently with senior Iraqi leaders and backed Shiite elements in the Iraqi security forces that are accused of torturing and killing minority Sunni Muslims.” He has also:

Slipped into Baghdad’s Green Zone, the heavily fortified seat of the U.S. occupation and the Iraqi government, in April 2006 to try to orchestrate the selection of a new Iraqi prime minister. Iraqi officials said that audacious visit was Suleimani’s only foray into the Green Zone; American officials said he may have been there more than once.

Built powerful networks that gather intelligence on American and Iraqi military operations. Suleimani’s network includes every senior staffer in Iran’s embassy in Baghdad, beginning with the ambassador, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials.

Trained and directed Shiite Muslim militias and given them cash and arms, including mortars and rockets fired at the U.S. Embassy and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, the sophisticated roadside bombs that have caused hundreds of U.S. and Iraqi casualties.

“The United States has struggled, without much success, to cripple Suleimani’s operations in Iraq,” McClatchy notes. “Suleimani’s role in Iraq illustrates how President Bush’s decision to topple Saddam has enabled Shiite, Persian Iran to extend its influence in Iraq.”


(Think Progress)

Conservative News Network and energy

say what?

Cheney Lawyer Claims ‘Congress Lacks Constitutional Power’ To Investigate VP’s Role In Torture Approval

Earlier this month, British international lawyer Phillippe Sands revealed in his new book that Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff David Addington personally traveled to Guantanamo Bay in 2002, witnessed an interrogation, and sent approval back to Washington.

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) has requested that Addington “testify about his involvement in the approval of interrogation tactics used at Guantanamo Bay.” But the Guardian notes that in a response today, Counsel to the Vice President Kathryn Wheelberger claimed that “Congress lacks any authority to examine [Cheney or Addington’s] behaviour on the job”:

Ruling out voluntary cooperation by Addington, Cheney lawyer Kathryn Wheelbarger said Cheney’s conduct is “not within the [congressional] committee’s power of inquiry.” “Congress lacks the constitutional power to regulate by law what a vice-president communicates in the performance of the vice president’s official duties, or what a vice president recommends that a president communicate,” Wheelberger wrote.

As the Guardian notes, the “exception claimed by Cheney’s office recalls his attempt last year to evade rules for classified documents by deeming the vice-president’s office a hybrid branch of government - both executive and legislative.” “It is hard to know what aspect of the invitation [to you] has given rise to concern that the committee might seek to regulate the vice president’s recommendations to the president,” Conyers told Wheelberger.

The lawyers for former Office of Legal Counsel chief John Yoo and former Attorney General John Ashcroft, key players in the torture program, have also rejected Conyers’ invitation to testify. In a statement yesterday, Conyers provided a May 2 deadline for response or, he said, “I will have no choice but to consider the use of compulsory process.”


(Think Progress)

never ending

More than 30 killed in street battles in Baghdad's Sadr City

BAGHDAD - Shiite militants ambushed a U.S. patrol in Baghdad's embattled Sadr City district on Tuesday and more than two dozen people were killed in the fighting, a U.S. military spokesman and Iraqi officials said. Six American soldiers were wounded.


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And the repugs want decades more of this?

Monday, April 28, 2008

Where in the World is Osama bin Laden – Morgan Spurlock's new film

Morgan Spurlock’s new movie is basically a big budget, full length version of his 30 Days TV show. This takes him throughout the mid-east in a purported attempt to find Osama bin Laden.

Of course, he is not truly trying to find or capture bin Laden, but he does show that, while there are extremists in the world, a majority of the people do not hate Americans. They may hate American foreign policy – and with good reason – but Morgan is allowed into many people’s homes and treated with respect.

He shows the depths of the poverty that people live in and the results of the violent conflicts throughout the region. A scene with children taking classes in a bombed out school is particularly heart breaking. They truly want to change their lives and improve their station, but simply surviving is a daily challenge.

As I said, Spurlock does show some true extremists who do want to destroy America, but oddly enough the most virulent reaction is from Hasidic Jews, who actually are violently opposed to speaking with him. Police come in to break up the situation before it got out of hand, but out of everyone he spoke to, these were the only people to try to personally assault him.

It is an interesting ride throughout the region and its people. He even is imbedded with the military at one point and has to suddenly be evacuated due to gunfire. Most people agree that while Osama is still a symbol he is not extremely important any longer, though his works live on and are spurred by bush’s wars.

The movie basically comes down to the “why can’t we all get along” platitude, and tries to show that people really are not all that different despite our different upbringings. Yes, this has been said many times before, but it bears repeating!

Unfortunately, at least in Las Vegas, this film has received very little publicity and little advance notice and I’m afraid that it will simply be preaching to the choir. In fact at the screening that I saw on a Sunday night, my wife & I were literally the only people there. I’m hoping that the word will spread.

more McCain campaign finance issues

more disgusting repug lies

more "progress" in Iraq

torture proponents

Scalia: Does Torture Violate ‘Cruel And Unusual Punishment’ Provision? ‘No.’
(Think Progress)
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Wow - his "logic" states that torture doesn't apply because it is not "punishment". We're not punishing the detainees, we're trying to gather information!
Yikes...

Saturday, April 26, 2008

McCain's GOP


Good question: Why hasn't John McCain denounced Tony Zirkle's appearance before the Nazis?

Given all the crazies in the GOP, John McCain could spend the next six months denouncing most of his supporters. Instead, McCain is trying to exploit the tenuous link Obama has to William Ayers. (Thanks to team Clinton for getting that one out there.)

Okay, if McCain wants to play that way, we can play. As the new leader of the GOP, McCain is now responsible for everyone in the GOP. All of them. We already saw that McCain can't control (or doesn't want to control) the North Carolina GOP.

Fired Up Missouri asks the question about McCain and Tony Zirkle.

Normally, no one would ever try to tie a candidate to the Nazis. But Republican Zirkle did it himself. Yes, he did. It happened earlier this week and in the news about the PA primary, we almost missed it. You see, Zirkle is the Republican candidate for Congress from Indiana who showed up to celebrate Hitler's birthday with a bunch of Neo-Nazis. Not kidding.

So, using McCain's own standards, it's fair game to ask what he thinks of Tony Zirkle. This didn't happen forty years ago, it happened this week. Do the neo-Nazi/White supremacists have a place in the McCain/Zirkle GOP? It's a serious question. No outrage from McCain has surfaced yet. Now, the hard part is getting any of McCain's BFFs in the media to ask him the question. Remember, the reporters who travel with McCain all know he's got a fierce, volatile temper so they don't want to piss him off.

(Americablog)

Rove still not identified as McCain advisor as he continues to smear Obama with lies

Rove Watch clock: 80 days.

Today marked the 80th day that Karl Rove appeared on Fox News as a political analyst without disclosure of his ties to Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) campaign. During his appearance, Rove said that Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments will “continue to dog” Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). Rove also mischaracterized Obama’s statements on Wright, claiming, “On the 13th of March, he came out and said there is nothing particularly controversial in Reverend Wright’s statements.” Actually, Obama said, “I don’t think my church is actually particularly controversial.”

(Think Progress)

McCain's pastor finally apologizes for bigoted, offensive remark

Hagee Retracts Katrina Comment: ‘I Should Not Have Suggested’ I Knew God’s Intent
(Think Progress)
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Though, of course his evil, bigoted remarks were not reported on nearly as much as Obama's former pastor's remarks, though these were far worse.
But that's our "liberal media" for ya...

Olbermann apologizes for tasteless remark

Olbermann apologizes for implying ‘something untoward.’
(Think Progress)
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I think that Olbermann has been an astute political analyst and satirist, but this was out of line and deserved an apology. I hope that this doesn't hurt his credibility.

McCain "pleased" with violent disaster in Iraq

As Sadr Threatens Full-Scale War, McCain Says He Is ‘Rather Pleased’

The AP reports today that as a result of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki’s recent offensive against Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s militia, Sadr may “set aside his political ambitions” and restart “a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces.” The violence would likely show “potentially disastrous security implications” across the country.

But Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is happy with the outcome. In a blogger conference call today, he said the results in Basra and southern Iraq were a “pleasant turn of events” in his view. Sadr, McCain says, is now marginalized. The bloggers reported on McCain’s responses:

Hot Air: It’s a “pleasant turn of events.” We’ve been pressing Maliki for action, and he persevered through some setbacks to success. Basra now is under Maliki’s control, and it has united the central government. Sadr is marginalized. “Overall, I’m rather pleased.”

Commentary
: He described the outcome as a “pleasant turn of events” and said that Prime Minister Maliki “surprised us all.” McCain conceded that there were setbacks at first, but said that with limited American support the Iraqi army has wrested control of Basra from the Sadrites.

Sadr is hardly marginalized; in fact, the opposite is likely true. As the AP notes, Sadr still commands at least 60,000 fighters — “5,000 thought to be highly trained commandos” — and he is “emboldened by its strong resistance to an Iraqi-led crackdown.”

It’s unclear what McCain is “rather pleased” about. Contrary to the “limited” role McCain saw, U.S. soldiers on the ground reported they bore the brunt of the responsibility when assisting Iraqi forces. Some estimates say roughly 400 civilians have been killed, including several Americans soldiers dying in the Green Zone.

Tony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies explained that Sadr’s bloc will remain a formidable force in Iraq:

[Sadr’s militia] will be a major political force in any future elections regardless of whether Sadr survives, Sadrists are allowed to run, or the elections are fair or partly rigged. No one in Iraq goes quietly into that great night.

McCain has repeatedly misstated the outcome of the events in southern Iraq, for example, falsely claiming that Sadr “declared the ceasefire.” But, as he admitted last week when lauding the operation against Sadr, “Maybe I’m digging for the pony here.”

(Thin Progress)

Friday, April 25, 2008

religious wackos now influencing even American Idol!

‘Idol’ Song Choice Courts Controversy and Finds It; Singer Is Voted Off

LOS ANGELES — Carly Smithson might be the first “American Idol” contestant to be voted off the show for blasphemy.

Online chat boards devoted to “American Idol” have been abuzz since Ms. Smithson performed the title song from “Jesus Christ Superstar” — the 1970 rock opera, which many Christians consider offensive — on Tuesday’s episode. Ms. Smithson received the fewest votes of the six remaining contestants following her Tuesday performance. Her elimination was announced on Wednesday night’s episode. The week’s performances were drawn from the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote “Jesus Christ Superstar” with Tim Rice.

Since its debut, and particularly following the release of the 1973 film version, “Jesus Christ Superstar” has been railed against by some Christians for its portrayal of Jesus as confused and at times unwilling to accept his role, and because it hints that he had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene.

In the title song, Judas Iscariot rebukes Jesus for poor planning in his choice of when and where to present himself on earth and asks Jesus to contrast himself with Buddha and Muhammad.

Within hours of Ms. Smithson’s performance, which was hailed by one “American Idol” judge as one of the best of the night, questions were being raised online about the song. On one thread on the show’s official Web site, AmericanIdol.com, a viewer warned shortly after the performance that Ms. Smithson’s choice of the song would put her in danger of elimination.


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I admit, i watch American Idol! When i heard that Andrew Lloyd Webber's music was the theme of the night, the first thing i thought of was Jesus Christ Superstar for the "rockers" on the show. I thought that David Cook would have done something - actually i thought that he would have done the title song and Carly would have done something like "I Don't Know How to Love Him".

It never even crossed my mind that anyone would take offense to this and i literally laughed out loud when i saw that someone posted something about being offended by this.

I couldn't have imagined that there were enough wackos in this country watching this show that would vote against one of the most talented contestants because they sang a good song extremely well. Once again, i underestimate the stupidity of the American public...

unfortunately, this country will take decades to "get over" the repercussions of this

gee, what possible reason could the cons have for opposing this?

House conservatives oppose bill that implements paper trail.
A bill proposed by Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) to help states implement “a paper trail for voting machines so that voters could verify their vote and a recount could be performed” was stonewalled by conservatives in the House yesterday. Politico writes that when the bill “came up for a vote in the House Administration Committee on April 2, the Republicans on the committee gave it their unanimous support. But two weeks later, those same Republican members voted against moving the bill to the House floor.”

(Think Progress)
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Gosh, it's almost like having accountability would hurt them somehow, isn't it? Why would they possibly think that?

pentagon propaganda

PBS breaks ‘media blackout’ of NYT story on Pentagon propaganda.

On Sunday, The New York Times published an explosive report exposing the Pentagon’s secret campaign to use analysts in order to “generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance.” Since that time, TV news organizations have largely been silent on their role in the propaganda. Ari Melber notes that last night, PBS’s Newshour finally broke this blackout, but couldn’t convince the other networks to participate:

JUDY WOODRUFF: And for the record, we invited Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC and NBC to participate, but they declined our offer or did not respond.

(Think Progress)

not again

Syria denies US claims of a secret nuclear program

DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria's president scoffed at U.S. claims that his country was building a nuclear reactor at a site attacked by Israel seven months ago, according to excerpts of an interview published Friday.

President Bashar Assad questioned the logic of such allegations and insisted that the site was an unused military facility.

"Is it logical for a nuclear site to be left without protection and not guarded by anti-aircraft guns?" Assad told the Qatari newspaper Al-Watan.

"A nuclear site under the watch of satellites in the middle of Syria in the desert and in an open location?" Assad said.

He reiterated that the site destroyed by the Israelis was "a Syrian military position under construction and not a nuclear reactor."

The full interview with Assad, to be published Sunday, was conducted Tuesday, the day U.S. intelligence officials said they would show House and Senate members evidence supporting their case that Syria was building a nuclear reactor with North Korean assistance before Israel destroyed it.

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Obviously, i have no idea who is telling the truth, but how sad is it that this administration tells so many lies that it would just be assumed that they were lying again in this case?

More from Think Progress:

Hoekstra On Syria Photo Release: ‘O’Reilly Would Have Been Proud’ Of Bush Admin’s ‘Massive Spin Campaign’

endless bush inanities

Bush says rebates going out Monday should help economy
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These checks will help people make one more credit card payment or go into savings or, as he is now saying, will go to pay for food or gas (which has gone up dramatically under his watch). This money isn't going to spur the economy in any meaningful way and bush isn't willing to make any real changes in the economy.

Friday Beagle Blogging


Harley relaxing in the spring sun

Thursday, April 24, 2008

reality check - McCain and Katrina

Flashback: As Katrina hit, McCain celebrated 69th birthday with Bush.

Speaking in New Orleans about Hurricane Katrina today, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)tried to contrast himself with President Bush’s delayed response to Katrina, saying, “I would’ve landed my airplane at the nearest Air Force base and come over personally.” But as Newsweek notes, on Aug. 29, 2005, when Katrina had just hit New Orleans, McCain was posing with President Bush for his 69th birthday:

It was Aug. 29, McCain’s 69th birthday, and on the tarmac, Bush presented his old political rival with a cake. The two posed, holding the cake up for cameras, and within seconds, went their separate ways. The cake, melting in the 110-degree Arizona heat, was left behind, uneaten.


(Think Progress)

WTF?

Baghdad to get ‘Disneyland’ style amusement park.
(Think Progress)
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Who would think that this is a good idea at this point in time?

damn funny


Bush cameo sinks ‘Deal or No Deal.’

On Monday, President Bush made a videotaped cameo to NBC’s “Deal or No Deal” game show, joking, “I’m thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days.” Ironically, the New York Post reports that Bush’s appearance was a deal-breaker, “tying the show’s worst-ever Monday-night performance.” Monday’s show had approximately 10 million viewers, “down 27 percent from its season average.”


(Think Progress)

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I can hardly blame the viewing public - who wants to look at that damn face while trying to relax?

confirmation of dino-bird link

Gunk in T. Rex Fossil Confirms Dino-Bird Lineage

Tyrannosaurus rex just got a firm grip on the animal kingdom's family tree, right next to chickens and ostriches. New analyses of soft tissue from a T.rex leg bone re-confirm that birds are dinosaurs' closest living relatives.

"We determined that T. rex, in fact, grouped with birds - ostrich and chicken - better than any other organism that we studied," said researcher John Asara of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. "We also show that it groups better with birds than [with] modern reptiles, such as alligators and green anole lizards."

Scientists long suspected non-avian dinosaurs were most closely related to modern-day birds. This idea initially rested largely on similarities between the outward appearances of bird and dinosaur skeletons. Later, further evidence on the close evolutionary relationships among birds and non-avian dinosaurs accumulated.

A leg bone full of key gunk The latest evidence comes from an ancient femur bone unearthed in 2003 by Jack Horner of the Museum of the Rockies in the Hell Creek Formation, a fossil-packed area that spans Montana, Wyoming and North and South Dakota.

It seems some 68 million years ago, a teenage T. rex died and left behind a drumstick-shaped femur bone that today still contains intact soft tissue and the oldest preserved proteins discovered to date.

Though no genetic material was preserved, researchers were able to extract the proteins from the collagen tissues.

"The proteins are what carry out the function inside the cells and organs. So the protein does a lot of the work. That [protein] sequence was derived from DNA," Asara told LiveScience. In the case of T. rex's collagen, "it was responsible for making hard bone so that the dinosaur could stand."

By comparing the dino's protein sequences with those of 21 living organisms, a team of researchers say they have locked in the dinosaur-bird link.

The study, detailed in the April 25 issue of the journal Science, also shored up the evolutionary link between the extinct mastodon and the modern-day elephant.

A slew of advanced techniques - such as the protein sequencing - are shedding more light on the lives and deaths of now-extinct animals such as mastodons and dinosaurs. For instance, another study published this week in Science pinned down more accurately the point in geologic time when dinosaurs, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, mosasaurs and many plant and invertebrate animal species went extinct (as a result of what is called the K-T extinction event).

The new figure for that event is 65.95 million years ago, a few hundred thousand years later than previous estimates, says lead author Klaudia Kuiper of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The massive extinction event was likely the result of a meteor impact and/or volcanic activity on Earth that reduced sunlight and made photosynthesis very difficult for plants.

The current family-tree research builds on protein analyses of the T. rex bone by Asara and his colleagues, published last year in the journal Science.

"Now it's gone a lot further," Asara said. "We had no reptiles represented last year. We now have alligator and ostrich represented." The researchers also refined the family relationships using more sophisticated algorithms.


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she's never going to stop

Clinton raises $10 million, helped by 80,000 new donors
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I really want Obama to get the nomination but i gotta admit, at least Clinton is tenacious!

bush fighting against the environment again

not exactly an equal rights candidate...

wow...

Conservative House Candidate In Indiana Defends Speaking To Nazi Group On Hitler’s Birthday
On Sunday, Tony Zirkle — who is seeking the Republican nomination in Indiana’s 2nd Congressional district — delivered a speech to the American National Socialist Workers Party (ANSWP) on the 119th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birth. At the event, Zirkle “stood in front of a painting of Hitler, next to people wearing swastika armbands and with a swastika flag in the background.”

(Think Progress)

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Helen Thomas saying what no one else will

Thomas Breaks Press’s 14 Day Silence On Bush’s Torture Approval, Chides Colleagues: ‘Where Is Everybody?’

On April 9, ABC News reported that in 2002, President Bush’s most senior advisers approved the use of harsh interrogation tactics. Days later, Bush confirmed to ABC he “approved” of the tactics. Sadly, the media have largely ignored the story since it was first reported. Moreover, not one White House press corps reporter has raised the issue with the Bush administration…until today.

During this afternoon’s White House press briefing, reporter Helen Thomas noted that Bush “has admitted that he did sign off on torture” saying it damages “the credibility of this country.”


(Think Progress)

McCain's pastor's bigoted remarks

Hagee Says Hurricane Katrina Struck New Orleans Because It Was ‘Planning A Sinful’ ‘Homosexual Rally’
(Think Progress)
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Unlike the Obama hoopla, this man is someone that McCain sought out for his endorsement and has yet to deny the endorsement.
Where is our "liberal media" and their outrage at this truly horrific pastor?

this has got to be one of the strangest headlines of all time

Lynchings in Congo as penis theft panic hits capital

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Police in Congo have arrested 13 suspected sorcerers accused of using black magic to steal or shrink men's penises after a wave of panic and attempted lynchings triggered by the alleged witchcraft.

Reports of so-called penis snatching are not uncommon in West Africa, where belief in traditional religions and witchcraft remains widespread, and where ritual killings to obtain blood or body parts still occur.

Rumours of penis theft began circulating last week in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo's sprawling capital of some 8 million inhabitants. They quickly dominated radio call-in shows, with listeners advised to beware of fellow passengers in communal taxis wearing gold rings.

Purported victims, 14 of whom were also detained by police, claimed that sorcerers simply touched them to make their genitals shrink or disappear, in what some residents said was an attempt to extort cash with the promise of a cure.

"You just have to be accused of that, and people come after you. We've had a number of attempted lynchings. ... You see them covered in marks after being beaten," Kinshasa's police chief, Jean-Dieudonne Oleko, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Police arrested the accused sorcerers and their victims in an effort to avoid the sort of bloodshed seen in Ghana a decade ago, when 12 suspected penis snatchers were beaten to death by angry mobs. The 27 men have since been released.

"I'm tempted to say it's one huge joke," Oleko said.

"But when you try to tell the victims that their penises are still there, they tell you that it's become tiny or that they've become impotent. To that I tell them, 'How do you know if you haven't gone home and tried it'," he said.

Some Kinshasa residents accuse a separatist sect from nearby Bas-Congo province of being behind the witchcraft in revenge for a recent government crackdown on its members.

"It's real. Just yesterday here, there was a man who was a victim. We saw. What was left was tiny," said 29-year-old Alain Kalala, who sells phone credits near a Kinshasa police station.


---

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

cheney lying? what a surprise!

more on our torture administration

because they need the money more than we do

Exxon Mobil ranked as #1 most profitable company for fifth year straight.
Oil giant Exxon Mobil takes second place on the new Fortune 500 list, with first place going to Wal-Mart. Exxon Mobil, however, was the most profitable company for the fifth year in a row, “raking in a record-breaking $40 billion in 2007 earnings.”

(Think Progress)

gee, ya think?

Equal Pay Day

Today marks Equal Pay Day. The average woman “would have had to work from Jan. 1, 2007, until today to earn as much as the average man did by the end of last year.” Led by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), senators now are pushing for passing of the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S. 1843), which would establish “a reasonable time period for workers to challenge pay inequity.”

(Think Progress)
---
That is so crazy - i can't believe that this kind of inequality still exists in this day & age...

bush doesn't have anything better to do these days than to appear on a game show?

Bush: ‘I’m thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings.’
In a videotaped visit to NBC’s ‘Deal or No Deal’ gameshow, President Bush last night joked that, “I’m thrilled to be anywhere with high ratings these days.” He made the guest appearance to offer a good luck message to decorated Iraq war veteran Army Captain Joseph Kobes who competed on the game show. Bush’s visit was met with thunderous applause from the crowd and left Kobes on the verge of tears.

(Think Progress)
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This just seems kinda bizarre, but maybe it is fitting that the show that bush appears on is one where people simply make guesses based on nothing!

offensive

Ashcroft Compares Waterboarding To Being ‘Interviewed By Jon Stewart’
(Think Progress)
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Being interviewed by a comedian is comparable to forced suffocation by drowning? I kinda doubt that...

hiding the costs of war

VA Conceals Vet Suicide Figures From CBS To Downplay ‘Epidemic In Suicide’
(Think Progress)
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This administration tries to hide everything! Of course, this is another shameful result of bush's war of choice - approximately 1000 attempted suicides per month! Absolutely incredible...

the Conservative News Network trying to be even more like Fox News

Obama under a microscope again

Obama explains comment about McCain

PITTSBURGH - Barack Obama, who said Republican John McCain would be an improvement over President Bush, argued Tuesday that his comment didn't undercut Democrats' contention that the GOP nominee-in-waiting offers the same as the unpopular president.

"To say that John McCain and some of his instincts may be better than George Bush's, that's a low bar," the Democratic presidential candidate said, adding that he also has stressed that McCain is offering "warmed over versions of Bush foreign policy and economic policy."

"So, there's no contradiction there," Obama said.


---
Kinda funny that the media hasn't gone after Hillary for saying that McCain would be a better president than Obama.
The media bias here is blatantly obvious - they want a Hillary/McCain campaign because they think that McCain could then win. Pretty sickening...

thanks, bush

sounds like rice is mad that Carter was able to accomplish something


Rice says Carter was warned against meeting with Hamas

KUWAIT CITY - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the Bush administration explicitly warned former President Jimmy Carter against meeting with members of Hamas, the Palestinian faction that controls the Gaza Strip and which is regarded by the U.S. as a terror group.
---
Carter said top Hamas leaders told him during seven hours of talks in Damascus over the weekend that they are willing to live next to Israel, but a top Hamas official said the group would never outright recognize the Jewish state.

Separately Tuesday, a Hamas official said the militant group has softened its demands for a cease-fire with Israel.

Spokesman Ghazi Hamad said Hamas is now prepared for a partial truce that would only include the Gaza Strip.

The group previously has demanded the West Bank be included in any deal. Still, it hopes a Gaza truce will eventually spread to the West Bank as well.



---

While this isn't the complete goal and while it is not official, it sounds like the administration is pissed that Carter is showing that diplomacy can accomplish something.

I'm sure that bush & rice will do everything they can to negate any positive concessions that were gained.

Monday, April 21, 2008

shining examples of christian love and tolerance

Christians clash at Jesus' tomb on Orthodox Palm Sunday

JERUSALEM - Dozens of Greek and Armenian priests and worshippers exchanged blows at one of Christianity's holiest shrines on Orthodox Palm Sunday, and used palm fronds to pummel police who tried to break up the brawl.

The fight came amid growing rivalry over religious rights at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, built over the site in Jerusalem where tradition says Jesus was buried and resurrected.

It erupted when Armenian clergy kicked out a Greek priest from their midst, pushed him to the ground and kicked him, according to witnesses.

When police intervened, some worshippers hit them with the palm fronds they were holding for the religious holiday. The Eastern Orthodox churches, including the Armenians and Greek Orthodox, follow a different calendar from Western Christians and celebrate Easter next Sunday.

Two Armenian worshippers who attacked the Greek Orthodox clergy were briefly detained by Israeli police. Scores of Armenian supporters then protested outside the police station during the questioning of the two, beating drums and chanting.

The Holy Sepulcher is shared by several Christian denominations according to a centuries-old arrangement known as the "status quo."

Each denomination jealously guards its share of the basilica, and fights over rights at the church have intensified in recent years, particularly between the Armenians and Greeks.

Father Pakrad, an Armenian priest, said the presence of the Greek priest during the Armenian observances violated the status quo. "Our priests entered the tomb. They kicked the Greek monk out of the Edicule," he said, referring to the tomb area.

Pakrad accused the Greek Orthodox Christians of trying to step on the Armenians' rights. "We are the weak ones, persecuted by them for many centuries."

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch in the Holy Land, Theofilos III, told The Associated Press that the Armenians are pushing to change the rules, challenging what he said was the dominance of the Greek church in the Holy Land.

"This behavior is criminal and unacceptable by all means," he said. "They wanted to trespass on the status quo concerning the order that regulates the services between the various communities."

The Church of the Nativity in nearby Bethlehem — where Jesus is said to have been born — also falls under the status quo arrangement. Last year, pre-Christmas cleaning in that church turned ugly when robed Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests went at each other with brooms and stones.


---

maybe this decision was helped along by the fact that he was breaking the law that he helped to create

McCain exits campaign money race

John McCain is abandoning any hope of catching the Democrats in fundraising.

Based on new financial disclosure reports released Sunday, and interviews with his finance team, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee will instead accept taxpayer money to finance his general election and share other costs with the Republican National Committee.

The strategy will allow McCain to stretch his campaign dollars by splitting the cost of television advertising and other campaign activity with the RNC.

But the decision also puts the Arizona senator at risk of being badly outspent – even with RNC help – by a Democratic nominee who will be allowed to spend as much as he or she can raise on the November race.

McCain has raised a total of $72 million for his presidential bid, including $15 million in March. He ended last month with about $11.5 million in cash.

In contrast, Democrat Barack Obama has raised more than $236 million for his campaign. He raised nearly $43 million in March and ended the month with $51 million in cash and no debts.

Obama’s chief rival, Hillary Clinton, has collected about $195 million for her candidacy. She raised about $21 million last month and reported having $32 million in cash, although about half of that money must be reserved for the general election and she is carrying about $10 million in debts.

McCain’s decision to bow out of the campaign money race upends the conventional thinking at the start of the 2008 season. At that time, most political players – including McCain – expected any serious candidate to forgo participating in the taxpayer financed system because of the spending limits imposed by it.

It also could also have a negative rippling effect inside the Republican Party.

In the past two cycles, the national headquarters increasingly has been forced to come to the rescue of House and Senate candidates who were badly outspent by the Democrats.

Today, the congressional Democrats’ financial advantages have grown substantially while their Republican counterparts’ situation is increasingly dire.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee reported Sunday having $38 million in the bank compared to the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s $17 million. More striking, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had $44 million in cash as of March 31, the end of the first quarter, while the National Republican Congressional Committee had just $7 million.

With the RNC focused now almost exclusively on protecting the party’s nominee, House and Senate candidates who don’t happen to be competing in presidential battleground states may be on their own.


---
Funny how the "liberal media" tends to work around the fact that McCain was in violation of his own campaign laws...

so much for diplomacy

Condoleezza Rice mocks Sadr as a coward.
“Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice mocked anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr as a coward on Sunday, hours after the radical leader threatened to declare war unless U.S. and Iraqi forces end a military crackdown on his followers.” Spencer Ackerman remarks, “So Sadr is a coward for making threats from Iran… and Condoleezza Rice is a stateswoman for blustering Sadr into making a move that carries the potential of killing American soldiers.” And VetVoice’s Brandon Friedman comments that this echoes Bush’s “Bring ‘em on” declaration.

(Think Progress)

more of bush's "progress" in Iraq

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, where a ceremony featuring Rice in the Green Zone was delayed by a “duck and cover” alert, “one of several during her six-hour visit to the fortified compound housing the U.S. Embassy and much of the Iraqi government.” There were three separate rocket attacks during her visit.

(Think Progress)

it pays to have friends in high places

McCain wants to have it both ways

unsurprisingly, McCain not connecting with minorities

Fox: Few blacks attend McCain’s ‘Forgotten Americans’ kickoff.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) begins “an effort to reach out to minorities and the poor this morning,” starting with a speech in Selma, AL. But Fox News’s Carl Cameron, who was at the speech, observed that the vast majority of the crowd was “white-middle class voters,” despite the event taking place in the nation’s Black Belt, “where there’s over 100 counties connected from here in Alabama all the way over to Georgia where African-Americans outnumber whites”.

(Think Progress)

Saturday, April 19, 2008

another bad move from Hillary

Clinton Slams Democratic Activists At Private Fundraiser
(Huffington Post)
---
I really liked Clinton before the campaign started, but she has certainly made some bad moves since then. Antagonizing her base is not one of her smartest ideas.

another McCain WTF?!

McCain: ‘A lot of our problems today are psychological.’
(Think Progress)
---
How can our economic problems be psychological? Is he just getting wackier and wackier? I guess he knows that the "liberal media" won't call him on anything he says, no matter how absurd, so he doesn't even try to make sense.

more on bush's non-plan for global warming

Schwarzenegger: Bush’s New Global Warming Plan = ‘No More Glaciers’
Earlier this week, President Bush outlined a new global warming plan calling for a“national goal” to halt the growth of U.S. carbon emissions by 2025. Essentially, this policy would allow unchecked growth in emissions until that point, at which point, Bush has the “goal” of stopping the rate of growth of those emissions.

(Think Progress)
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Even Schwarzenegger is getting with the plan! I guess that living in California means that he's not a compeltely insane repug!

Dean speaking the truth about McCain

Dean: McCain has no effective plan to turn economy around

WASHINGTON - John McCain doesn't have an effective plan to turn around the faltering U.S. economy, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean said Saturday.

"As I listened to Senator John McCain's remarks about the economy this week, I heard more of the same Republican policies that George Bush has brought us for the last eight years," Dean said in the Democrats' weekly radio address.

Among those policies, Dean said, are "privatizing Social Security, denying our children health care, adding $8 trillion in new deficits, no plan to turn our economy around or help people keep their homes."

Despite the nation's current economic woes, including rising unemployment, lower wages and record gas prices, "Senator McCain believes we are better off," Dean said.

On Friday, Democratic candidate Barack Obama criticized McCain for comments he made in a television interview saying there had been "great progress economically" in the period since Bush became president. McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said the Arizona senator's remarks had been taken out of context, noting McCain went on to say the economic improvements were "no comfort to families now that are facing these tremendous economic challenges."

In the radio address, Dean said: "If you want to see more of this Bush economy, if you want to see our troops in Iraq for a long period of time, we can stay the course with Senator McCain. But the Democrats have a different vision for America's future. Both of our candidates for president have a plan to get us out of Iraq responsibly so that we can invest in the American people and American jobs."

Either Obama or Hillary Rodham Clinton "will turn our economy around with fair and honest tax policies, will help people keep their homes, and finally have a health care system that makes sense for all of us," Dean said.


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All obvious truths, but they need to said and said repeatedly.
McCain's comments about the economy improving under bush just shows how out of touch he is - sure, it's better for bush's ultra-rich pals, but not for the average citizen. Even McCain's backtracking doesn't really hold any water - the only people that the economy is better for is the rich.

Friday, April 18, 2008

The Politics of Truth by Ambassador Joseph Wilson (yes i am just now reviewing a book from 2004)

A large part of the legal side of this story has unfolded after the publication of this book in 2004 and it is unfortunate that even with so much outrage and even considering treasonous crimes had been committed, this administration obstructed justice and did not expose the traitor who leaked the identity of a covert CIA agent.

Obviously, one reason for the timing of the book was that Wilson was hoping to make a change in Washington and to remove the incompetent and vile administration that was capable of compromising national security for vengeance at a perceived slight. Sadly, we found out that Americans do not care about their security, their rights, their economy, their safety, the lives of their sons & daughters and their standing in the world, as bush and his cohorts were re-elected in November of that year. It is truly astounding how people can work against their own best interests so often.

Written in an engaging style that always manages to keep your interest, Wilson includes his political biography, which covers extensive time spent in several African countries as well as a post in Baghdad during the first Gulf War. He was a trusted advisor to the first president Bush as well as president Clinton and understood the workings of Saddam, Iraq and the African countries that our administration claimed was selling yellowcake to Iraq.

His report to the administration was confirmed by at least two other reports and yet the WH decided to tell the American public lies – lies that were easily shown as false and that were even admitted. That didn’t stop bush’s cohorts from denigrating Wilson and exposing the covert identity of his wife.

It is somewhat amazing that when reading books written years ago we can see how right those who opposed bush and his war-mongering were and how wrong this administration has been over and over again and how many lies have been exposed. It is almost unbelievable how there has been next to no accountability for the crimes committed against the US by its own government.

At the time of the book’s publication, prosecutors were still attempting to identify the administration officials who exposed Plame’s covert identity and it is depressing to know that almost nothing came of that investigation after all of this time. It is even more depressing to realize that this administration continues their treasonous and un-constitutional actions to this day.

While it is encouraging to see bush’s approval rating plummeting daily, the fact that some people actually believe that McCain is going to be a change from this admin is sad and extremely discouraging. The gratification of knowing that we who opposed this administration over the years have been proven right over & over will soon dissipate if yet another repug is elected who will drive us further into the ground.

Friday Beagle Blogging!

Harley prouding guarding the back of the house.

it's ok if you're a repug & the "liberal media"

Question(s) for the day

Cogitamus asks the question that I’ve been pondering for a while.

Do you think if Barack Obama had left his seriously ill wife after having had multiple affairs, had been a member of the “Keating Five,” had had a relationship with a much younger lobbyist that his staff felt the need to try and block, had intervened on behalf of the client of said young lobbyist with a federal agency, had denounced then embraced Jerry Falwell, had denounced then embraced the Bush tax cuts, had confused Shiite with Sunni, had confused Al Qaeda in Iraq with the Mahdi Army, had actively sought the endorsement and appeared on stage with a man who denounced the Catholic Church as a whore, and stated that he knew next to nothing about economics — do you think it’s possible that Obama would have been treated differently by the media than John McCain has been? Possible?

And — this is fun to contemplate — if Michelle Obama had been an adulteress, drug addict thief with a penchant for plagiarism — do you think that she would be subject to slightly different treatment from the media than Cindypills McCain has been? Anyone?

I don’t have anything to add; I just thought I’d throw this out there.


(Crooks and Liars)

questions for McCain

Americablog lists questions that Stephanopoulos should ask McCain this weekend.
Though I'm not holding my breath for the "liberal media" to ask any real questions of McCain...
I wouldn't be surprised if the entire interview consists of questions about what he thinks of the Democrats "scandals".

more obstructionism

EPA defies subpoena to turn over documents.
In a remarkable show of contempt, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has flatly refused a House Global Warming Committee subpoena. The subpoena for documents relating to the EPA’s refusal to obey the Supreme Court mandate to regulate greenhouse gases was issued by a unanimous, bipartisan vote on April 2, a year after the Supreme Court decision. On April 11, the EPA requested and received an extension to respond, but today the agency has decided not to turn over the documents.

(Think Progress)

never ending bush nepotism

Bush to appoint ‘loyalist’ as HUD Secretary.
(Think Progress)
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Wouldn't it be amazing to have a president who appointed someone because they were qualified rather than just because they were pals?

this is actually funny, except that some of his viewers might think he meant it

O’Reilly redefines ‘fair and balanced’: Find people who hate both Democrats.
(Think Progress)
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"Balancing the debate" is finding someone who hates Clinton to balance someone who hate Obama! This was a joke, right? He had to be laughing when he said this, right?

global warming deniers are simply denying reality

March the warmest on record over world land surfaces
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Hopefully, we will get a president that will actually address this issue, as well.

Obama ratings rising

Ongoing nomination fight hurting Clinton more than Obama
---
This isn't much of a surprise, unfortunately. Clinton has been fighting dirty and has been caught lying, while Obama has handled himself with class and dignity. He has shown the ability to deflect absurd charges and move the discussion towards real issues.
I was really undecided when it came down to the two of them, but Obama has proven himself to me. I do hope that he is the nominee, though i do hope that another woman will run in the next election.

And, of course, i hope that the American public's self destructive streak will not exhibit itself again in November and we will be able to make a change from the last 8 years of unbridled disaster.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

c'mon now - this has to be parody, right?

I rarely read Michelle Malkin's blog because I know that she is usually simply a right-wing parrot.
But after clicking on some one's link and seeing some of her recent posts, I have to think that this blog has been taken over by someone parodying a right-wing stance.
In a post from today she quotes this as somehow indicating that Obama "botched" a response in last night's debate:

MR. STEPHANOPOULOS: Senator, if you get the nomination, you’ll have to —(applause) — (inaudible).

I want to give Senator Clinton a chance to respond, but first a follow-up on this issue, the general theme of patriotism in your relationships. A gentleman named William Ayers, he was part of the Weather Underground in the 1970s. They bombed the Pentagon, the Capitol and other buildings. He’s never apologized for that. And in fact, on 9/11 he was quoted in The New York Times saying, “I don’t regret setting bombs; I feel we didn’t do enough.”

An early organizing meeting for your state senate campaign was held at his house, and your campaign has said you are friendly. Can you explain that relationship for the voters, and explain to Democrats why it won’t be a problem?

SEN. OBAMA: George, but this is an example of what I’m talking about.

This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who’s a professor of English in Chicago, who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He’s not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.

And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn’t make much sense, George.

The fact is, is that I’m also friendly with Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, who during his campaign once said that it might be appropriate to apply the death penalty to those who carried out abortions.

Do I need to apologize for Mr. Coburn’s statements? Because I certainly don’t agree with those either.

So this kind of game, in which anybody who I know, regardless of how flimsy the relationship is, is somehow — somehow their ideas could be attributed to me — I think the American people are smarter than that. They’re not going to suggest somehow that that is reflective of my views, because it obviously isn’t.


Wow! That's supposed to be a bad response?!
It points out the absurdity of the argument while simultaneously showing that repugs are far worse than the "terrorist" that they are attempting to smear Obama with. Simple association does not equal agreement with some one's opinions. Hell, I think that my wife is one of the most incredible people on the planet and even we don't agree on everything.

And, by the way, someone asking for the death penalty for doctors providing a much needed service to women certainly cannot be called "pro-life" by any stretch of the imagination!

a story on Obama's "controversial" pastor

Does giving up a college deferment and six years on active duty count as loving one's country?
(Americablog)
---
As the story details, Rev. Wright volunteered to serve this country, while many of his nay-sayers did everything they could to avoid the military.
But, of course, serving in the military no longer is patriotic to the repugs.

Dem with a spine!

Mikulski Slams White House: ‘Since You’re Pugnacious, Guess What? I’m Going To Be Pretty Pugnacious, Too’

The White House has proposed a $108 billion emergency-spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Frustrated that U.S. taxpayers continue to pay for the wars while domestic needs go unmet, lawmakers have attempted to attach spending for domestic programs to the bill. But Bush has balked, promising to veto any such bills.

During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing yesterday, White House budget director Jim Nussle ironically blasted lawmakers for “sky-is-the-limit mind-set” on the spending bill. One of the most combative moments came when Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) chastised Nussle for his “snarky, scolding, dismissive” responses to the senators and the Bush administration’s attitude toward funding the nation’s law enforcement officers:

Your testimony has been disappointing in both tone and substance. I personally take offense at the snarky, scolding, dismissive way that this testimony represents. And I think it’s inappropriate. […]

This is an ideological commentary, not the testimony of OMB. So since you’re pugnacious, guess what? I’m going to be pretty pugnacious, too, only my pugnaciousness is not going to be directed at the Congress. It’s going to be pugnacious about the people I represent. […]

Number one, let’s go to safety and security. We have funded the surge of Baghdad, but we have not funded the surge of violent crime in Baltimore, Biloxi, or other places. You have zeroed out the COPS program. You have zeroed out the Byrne grant.

Bush has requested $603 million to train Iraqi police. But at the same time, his FY 2009 budget includes a 61 percent cut for state and local law enforcement programs at the Justice Department.


(Think Progress)
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Once again showing that the repugs and this admin do not give a damn about the American people and our needs.

bush continuing to make us less safe

GAO: U.S. has no plan to fight al Qaeda in Pakistan.
The Government Accountability Office released a report today concluding that the United States has no plan to combat al Qaeda and other terrorist threats in Pakistan. The GAO found that “[t]errorists are still operating freely in Pakistan along the country’s Afghanistan border, despite the U.S. giving Pakistan more than $10.5 billion in military and economic aid.” In a glaring rebuke of President Bush’s terrorism policy, the report says that there is “no comprehensive plan” to “destroy the terrorist threat and close the safe haven in Pakistan,” and “al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack” the United States.

(Think Progress)
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If i was into conspiracy theories, there is sure a lot to base one on bush and al Qaeda working together!

yet another Obama non-story - man, they are afraid of him!

Fact check: Obama and former radical

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Democratic Sen. Barack Obama is defending his relationship with William Ayers, a college professor who was once part of the radical Weather Underground and spent years as a fugitive after a 1970 explosion that killed three members.
---
Obama was asked about Ayers as part of a discussion of his patriotism in a presidential debate Wednesday night in Philadelphia.

Obama responded that Ayers, now a professor at the University of Illinois, is "a guy who lives in my neighborhood" but hasn't endorsed him and doesn't regularly exchange ideas with him.

"And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values, doesn't make much sense," Obama said.
---
During Wednesday's debate, Obama argued that if the candidates are to be held responsible for distant connections to the Weather Underground, then Clinton would fail, too. He pointed out that her husband, just before leaving the White House, commuted the sentences of two members of the group who had been convicted of violent crimes.


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Obama continues to handle himself with class while dealing with these absurdities.
That is the kind of character that i would love to see in a president!

continued violence in Afghanistan, also

16 people killed in suicide attack in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan - A provincial governor says a suicide bomb killed 16 people in front of a mosque in southwest Afghanistan.

The governor of Nimroz province says the suicide bomber attacked as men were getting ready for the evening prayer Thursday at the mosque in the provincial capital of Zaranj.

He says a district police chief and border reserve police commander were killed. More than 30 civilians were wounded.


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Wouldn't it be amazing to have someone working towards a resolution of these wars rather than simply planning the next disasterous one?

unimaginable horror in Iraq

50 killed in Iraq suicide bombing

BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber struck the funeral of two anti-al-Qaida Sunni tribesmen in a town north of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 50 people and wounding dozens, police said.

The blast was the latest this week to break a period of relative calm in Sunni areas, raising concerns that Sunni insurgents are reorganizing at a time when U.S. and Iraqi troops are battling Shiite militiamen elsewhere.


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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

i guess we should be used to these lies from the crazies

Limbaugh: ‘Islamofascists’ are campaigning for Democrats.
(Think Progress)
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I know that limbaugh and his cohorts can't actually expect anyone to believe this idiocy, so i guess they just want to link Dems and "the enemies" in the "minds" of their listeners.

bizarro-world repug

hypocritical repug - a never-ending tale

pretty heartless

and i'm sure the diplomats are offended by Rice

what reality do these wackos live in? it certainly isn't ours

Kagan claims Democrats want to ‘profit on this war.’
(Think Progress)
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Read the full quote - it is a complete non sequitur and came out of no where and related to nothing that was being said.
These wacko repugs just want to bash Dems and don't care that the nonsense they spout has nothing to do with reality...

not surprising

US holding people without charges

AP photographer freed by US military after 2 years

BAGHDAD - The U.S. military released Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein on Wednesday after holding him for more than two years without filing formal charges.


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Didn't this type of thing used to be against what the USA stood for?

oh those wacky scientists!

Neanderthals speak again after 30,000 years

LONDON (Reuters) - Neanderthals have spoken out for the first time in 30,000 years, with the help of scientists who have simulated their voices using fossil evidence and a computer synthesizer.

Robert McCarthy, an anthropologist at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, used new reconstructions of Neanderthal vocal tracts to work out how they would have sounded, NewScientist.com reported on Wednesday.

The conclusion is that Neanderthals spoke, but sounded rather different to us. Specifically, the ancient humans' lacked the "quantal vowel" sounds that underlie modern speech and which provide cues that help speakers understand one another.

By modeling the sounds that a Neanderthal larynx would have made, McCarthy's team engineered the sound of a Neanderthal saying "e."

In contrast to a modern human "e," the Neanderthal version lacks a quantal hallmark, which helps a listener distinguish the word "beat" from "bit," for instance.

McCarthy, who based his reconstructions on 50,000-year-old fossils from France, aims eventually to simulate an entire Neanderthal sentence.

Neanderthals were a dead-end offshoot of the human line who inhabited Europe and parts of west and central Asia. Researchers believe they survived in Europe until the arrival of modern humans about 30,000 years ago.


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How does someone even think to try something like this? This is wild, but quite cool.