another regurgitation of repug talking points/lies

Rasmussen Polls On Non-Existent ‘Global Currency’ Issue, Before Admitting It’s A Non-Existent Issue
(Think Progress)

sickening

Afghan President Hamid Karzai signs a law that ‘legalizes’ rape.
(Think Progress)

because "joe the plumber" is not a plumber and does not speak for working people

Unions protest Joe the Plumber in Pittsburgh.

(Think Progress)

why does Fox even pretend to be news?

Fox News Blames Unions For Auto Companies’ Demise, Suggests Firing UAW Head
(Think Progress)

a moment of repug honesty

Rep. Paul Ryan Concedes GOP Alternative Budget Would Increase The Deficit ‘A Lot’
(Think Progress)

wow! I agree with Beck!

Beck: ‘If you take what I say as gospel, you’re an idiot.’
(Think Progress)

to repugs, "bipartisanship" means doing what they want

McConnell: I’m ‘Disappointed’ In Obama’s Attempts At Bipartisanship
(Think Progress)

Virginia trying to block scientific advancement

Virginia legislature passes bill restricting state funds for embryonic stem cell research.
(Think Progress)

repugs don't think that votes should count

Cornyn: GOP Prepared To Fight ‘World War III’ To Keep Franken Out Of The Senate For ‘Years’
(Think Progress)

surprise! O'Reilly lies!

O’Reilly Lies: I ‘Contacted That Website’ Before Harassing ThinkProgress
(Think Progress)

repug talking points are just so much bs

Fox’s Kilmeade begrudgingly admits Japan’s national health care gives their auto companies an advantage.
(Think Progress)

another repug who hasn't been paying attention for the last 8 years

Dick Armey: For the First Time I Have a President That Scares Me
(Crooks and Liars)
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Anyone who is more scared of Obama than they were of bush has to be certifiably insane! Sorry, but there's no other way to think of that kind of madness...

I think that Cheney is the only person who believes this

Petraeus: I don’t agree with Cheney that Obama has made the country more unsafe.
(Think Progress)

the arguments for destroying the world get more and more absurd

Rep. Shimkus: Capping CO2 emissions will take away too much ‘plant food from the atmosphere.’
(Think Progress)

the "average joe" now has a gig talking against average joes!

Joe the Plumber gets another gig

This is not a joke. Americans for Prosperity, an anti-Employee Free Choice Act group, is hiring Joe the Plumber to speak at rallies against the average working class in America.

(Crooks and Liars)

oh that "liberal media"

CNBC Airs Voice Muttering "Bullsh*t" During Obama Town Hall
(Huffington Post)
---
Is CNBC trying to be the new Fox News?

do they really want to remind everyone of their party's biggest failure?

Osama Bin Laden Resurfaces In Congressional Race (VIDEO)
(Huffington Post)

good for UPS!

BREAKING: UPS Announces It Will Stop Advertising On Bill O’Reilly’s Show
(Think Progress)

gawd forbid we have an intelligent, capable First Lady

Rep. Issa pushing to limit first lady’s power to ‘protect’ her ‘historic role.’

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and his conservative allies are pushing for legislation that would limit the first lady’s ability to do substantive policy work. Issa had originally proposed the bill last year, in fear of Bill Clinton moving back in to the White House. But he insists the bill is only about ensuring “transparency” for the work of first ladies, adding, “We are trying actually to protect the historic role of the first lady.” Or, as Gawker summed up Issa’s proposal in its headline, “Congressman Wants Michelle Obama To Shut Up And Look Pretty.”

(Think Progress)

conspiracy theory kooks claim they are not kooks!

Touting Her Currency Conspiracy, Bachmann Insists: ‘This Is Not Michele Bachmann Being A Kook’
(Think Progress)
---
As if the world didn't have enough problems, this nut has to fabricate a wacky conspiracy to rail against.
And more from this wacko:
Bachmann Blasts Obama's "Economic Marxism," Calls For "Orderly Revolution" To Save Freedom
(TPM)

more obstructionism from the party of "no"

Zero percent of GOP insiders support passing ‘something close to President Obama’s budget.’

In its latest Congressional Insiders Poll, National Journal asked, “How should Congress respond to the recent deficit projections?” None of the Republican members of Congress surveyed said they should pass something resembling President Obama’s agenda:

In arguing for why they want to “delay” Obama’s initiatives, one anonymous GOP lawmaker told National Journal, “Better yet, scrap ‘em. It’s pure nonsense to even consider this wild-eyed stuff in a recession.” “Where’s the money coming from to pay for socialized medicine, schools? And is deficit spending ever a real solution to making lives better?” said another.

(Think Progress)

o'reilly continues his unhinged attack on blogs who dare to disagree with him

O’Reilly Defends His Assault On ThinkProgress: I ‘Just Presented The Facts’

As ThinkProgress continues to wage an action campaign against Bill O’Reilly’s harassment machine, the Fox News host is getting increasingly belligerent in his attacks on TP, the Center for American Progress, and CAP’s founder and CEO, John Podesta. On Wednesday, O’Reilly lashed out, calling TP and CAP part of a “well-financed, well-coordinated cabal” that will “go after your sponsors, they’ll go at your house, they’ll go after your family.”

Last night, O’Reilly defended his attacks, reading letters from viewers condemning the “far-left hate machine.” When one viewer asked if O’Reilly was worried about a lawsuit for his slandering of Podesta, O’Reilly insisted he had “just presented the facts”:

O’REILLY: Gary Stebnitz, Madison, Wisconsin: “O’Reilly, how in the world do you expect to avoid a lawsuit after your attack on John Podesta?”

Now, I want you to write this down, sir, so you can read it to all of your Kool-Aid crew out there in Madison. Podesta is running a hate Web site. Everything we said about him was true. We used no ad hominem attacks, just presented the facts. Got it?

As he read the letters, the screen showed CAP’s logo with the title “HATE MACHINE” underneath.
---

No ad hominem attacks? Really?

– O’Reilly on TP Managing Editor Amanda Terkel: “Well, Miss Terkel is certainly a villain.” [3/23]

– O’Reilly on ThinkProgress: “They’re insects, OK?” [3/25]

– O’Reilly on Podesta: “This smear merchant, character assassin John Podesta…” [3/25]

And as for the “facts” O’Reilly presented, he repeatedly insisted that CAP and NBC News were affiliated. First he insisted that “elements at NBC News” paid Amanda to write about O’Reilly and that Amanda “was obviously used by NBC News.” Two days later, O’Reilly switched gears to declare that Podesta — and, by some sort of transitive property, President Obama — is in control of NBC News:

O’REILLY: And Podesta’s mainstream media is, of course, NBC News. That’s the outlet Podesta uses. … A well coordinated, well financed cabal attacking dissent, it’s a pretty big story, especially because it involves Podesta, who has access to the president and NBC, which along with its parent company General Electric is grossly misusing its power.

Despite his frantic tirade against CAP’s “well-coordinated, well-financed cabal” the night before, O’Reilly insisted last night, “I’m not a conspiracy guy.”

(Think Progress)

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His lie about the blogs going to someone's house or attacking someone families is especially sickening as this is something that o'reilly regularly does. Projection, anyone?

horror in Pakistan

Suicide attack kills 48 at Pakistani mosque

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suicide bomber demolished a mosque packed with hundreds of worshippers attending Friday prayers near the Afghan border, killing at least 48 people and injuring scores more, in the bloodiest attack in Pakistan this year.

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crazy extremists making a big deal over nothing

Criticism over Obama invite mounts at Notre Dame

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Jimmy Carter came to Notre Dame in 1977. So did Ronald Reagan in 1981 and George W. Bush in 2001.

The University of Notre Dame has a tradition of inviting new presidents to speak at graduation. But this year's selection of President Barack Obama has been met by a barrage of criticism that has left some students fearing their commencement ceremony will turn into a circus.

Many Catholics are angered by Obama's planned appearance at the May 17 ceremony because of his decisions to provide federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and international family planning groups that provide abortions or educate about the procedure.

The consensus Thursday on the campus of the nation's most-prominent Catholic university was that any president should be welcomed at Notre Dame.

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Usually Catholics aren't this crazy - and I bet that hardly anyone is complaining, but the "liberal media" loves an anti-Obama story so they're hyping this up.

Of everything that we have to worry about these days, this is extremely ridiculous.

re-newing bush's forgotten war

Obama: Taliban and al-Qaida must be stopped

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Friday ordered 4,000 more military troops into Afghanistan, vowing to "disrupt, dismantle and defeat" the terrorist al-Qaida network in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.

In a war that still has no end in sight, Obama said the fresh infusion of U.S. forces is designed to bolster the Afghan army and turn up the heat on terrorists that he said are plotting new attacks against Americans. The plan takes aim at terrorist havens in Pakistan and challenges the government there and in Afghanistan to show more results.

Obama called the situation in the region "increasingly perilous" more than seven years after the Taliban was removed from power in Afghanistan.

"If the Afghanistan government falls to the Taliban or allows al-Qaida to go unchallenged," Obama said, "that country will again be a base for terrorists."

He announced the troop deployment, as well as plans to send hundreds of additional civilians to Afghanistan, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top intelligence and national security figures at his side. The announcement followed a policy review Obama launched not long after taking office.

The 4,000 troops bolster the dispatch of an additional 17,000 forces to the war-weary nation.

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai welcomed the additional help to train his country's army and police force, saying in a statement that Obama's strategy "will bring Afghanistan and the international community closer to success."

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Friday Beagle Blogging

Dem predicted our economic crisis - ten years ago!

Rachel Maddow Show: Somebody Saw It Coming -- Byron Dorgan
(Crooks and Liars)
---
I saw this interview and while I'm sure he wasn't the only one to understand the problems involved in cutting regulations, Dorgan's precise prediction is almost eerie.

much needed regulatory plans

Geithner Seeks Broad New Regulation of Financial Markets

The nice thing about having the Democrats in charge is, you actually do get some much-needed regulation instead of idiotic blather about the self-healing properties of the Almighty Free Market:

In response to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Geithner outlined a six-part framework that would result in the most significant new regulation of the financial system since the broad changes made during that crisis more than 70 years ago.

"We have an opportunity we have not had in generations to put in place a stronger and more resilient system," Geithner said.

The key elements of the Obama administration's proposals are:

• Give a single government entity, possibly the Federal Reserve, the power and authority to oversee the entire economy for signs of "systemic risk."

• Establish a government mechanism to seize and dismantle large institutions whose failure threatens the nation's financial stability.

• Enact tougher requirements for the amount of money and assets financial institutions need to have on hand so they can withstand economic troubles.

• Require large private investment funds to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

• Set up a new, comprehensive framework of regulation of the complex financial instruments known as derivatives, including a central clearinghouse for trades in that market.

• Develop new, stronger requirements for money market funds so increased withdrawals won't threaten the broader financial system.

"What we need is better, smarter, tougher regulation," Geithner said.

(Crooks and Liars)

repugs proving that they care more about politics than people

Jindal Spurns Obama’s Jobless Aid as Mayor Pleads ‘Help Me Now’
(Americablogs)

gingrich continuing to cry wolf

Beware — Gingrich Warns That Obama’s Financial Regulation Plan Will Create A ‘Dictatorship’
(Think Progress)
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Eventually even the craziest repugs are going to realize that none of these wacky doomsday scenarios are going to come true simply by having a centrist Democrat as president who is trying to clean up bush's messes. They already look incredibly foolish - if they keep this up they are going to look certifiably insane.

intelligent republicans realize the party is out of the mainstream

Former McCain campaign chief endorses same-sex marriage.
(Think Progress)

the "I meant to do that" defense

Steele on Limbaugh gaffe: ‘There is a logic behind it,’ ‘it’s all strategic.’

Earlier this month, RNC Chairman Michael Steele famously called Rush Limbaugh’s antics “incendiary” and “ugly,” resulting in a conservative backlash against the new GOP leader. Ultimately, Steele apologized to Limbaugh and has since cut back on his media appearances. Yesterday, however, in an interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, Steele said it was all part of his master plan:

STEELE: So if I do something, there’s a reason for it. Even, it may look like a mistake, a gaffe. There is a rationale, there’s a logic behind it. […]

Q: There’s a rationale behind Rush, all that stuff?

STEELE: Yup, yup. … I want to see what the landscape looks like. I want to see who yells the loudest. I wanted to know who says they’re with me but really isn’t. … It helps me understand my position on the chess board. It helps me understand, you know, where the enemy camp is and where those who are inside the tent are.

“It’s all strategic,” Steele claimed.
---
Steele also left the door open to running for President in the future. “I would think about it. I have to have a very long conversation with the wife and kids,” he said.

(Think Progress)
---
I really do hope that one of the repug front runners do run for president in 2012. Unless Obama starts eating kittens on live TV, he wouldn't even be touched by the likes of Steele, Palin, Jindal, etc.

I literally laughed out loud at this craziness

Rep. Barton: Climate change is ‘natural,’ humans should just ‘get shade.’

In a hearing today on adapting to climate change, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) denied the consensus on man-made climate change, saying it is “natural.” His solution to the warming planet? Just get some “shade”:

BARTON: I believe that Earth’s climate is changing, but I think it’s changing for natural variation reasons. And I think man-kind has been adopting, or adapting, to climate as long as man has walked the Earth. When it rains we find shelter. When it’s hot, we get shade. When it’s cold, we find a warm place to stay. Adaptation is the practical, affordable, utterly natural reflex response to nature when the planet is heating or cooling, as it always is.

“Nature doesn’t seem to adjust to people as much as people adjust to nature,” he added. “Adaptation to shifts in temperature is not that difficult.”
---
Last year, Barton — known as “Smokey Joe” for his efforts on behalf of big polluters — stalled congressional efforts to decrease power plant emissions.

(Think Progress)
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These people really have no idea whatsoever what they are talking about, do they?

even more on the repugs bizarre obsession with teleprompters

Beck: Obama Is A ‘Manchurian Candidate’ Because He Uses A Teleprompter — But I Use One Too
(Think Progress)
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I really don't understand this absurd talking point. Do they really think that no one knows that teleprompters have been used for decades by everyone who speaks in public? Obama is such a phenomenal public speaker that they have to find something to criticize him for, but this is beyond weird...

thanks, bush! Somthing else for Obama to try to turn around.

Denmark, Sweden top US in new global IT report

GENEVA - Denmark and Sweden are better than the United States in their ability to exploit information and communications technology, according to a survey published Thursday.

The United States, which topped the World Economic Forum's "networked readiness index" in 2006 before slipping down the rankings, climbed one place to third in the latest edition of the survey.

The study largely blamed poor political and regulatory environments in the United States for offsetting some of the benefits of having the world's most competitive economy.

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insurgents in Iraq still trying to control us

Iraqi officials: Car bomb kills 20 in Baghdad

BAGHDAD – A car bomb exploded near a crowded market in a mainly Shiite area of Baghdad on Thursday, killing more than 20 civilians, Iraqi officials said, in the sixth major attack in Iraq this month.

The blast occurred a day after the U.S. military said overall attacks nationwide have fallen to levels of the early months of the war, which began with the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

While the numbers of attacks are down dramatically, the recent uptick in high-profile bombings indicates insurgents could be trying to regroup as the Americans hand over more responsibility to the Iraqis ahead of a complete withdrawal by the end of 2011.

----

Of course the insurgents don't want us to leave Iraq - we're an easy target for them while we're there and it makes a good recruiting tool to say that we're occupying their country. Without us there, they will have to fight their own people, which is never good PR.

because they're not idiots, unlike Palin

Alaska Legislators Taking Stimulus Money In Blow To Palin

(Huffington Post)

EPA doing its job again under this president

EPA Halts 'Hundreds' of Mountaintop Mining Permits
(Crooks and Liars)

Obama's press conference

Obama got great reviews for last night's press conference
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My main thought - besides how well Obama speaks and composes himself - was that I wished that the press grilled bush 1/2 as much when he was driving this country into the ground as they are grilling Obama as he tries to fix bush's f'k-ups. And this is the supposed "liberal media"?! You would think a liberal media wouldn't be quite so adversarial.

It's pretty incomprehensible that some crazed repugs think that Obama can't speak without his teleprompter - or maybe they just don't remember what actual sentences are like anymore after 8 years of bush's mangling of the English language.

More from Crooks and Liars:
Obama Talks Substance, But the Villagers Are Focused On Trivialities Again
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More on the teleprompter innanity via Huffington Post:
Teleprompter Vs. No Teleprompter: Letterman Takes On Obama Critics (VIDEO)
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And Red State proves once and for all that it is a parody site - no one can possibly be this obtuse.
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And even more on this absurdity from Huffington Post.

more on ther repugs version of bi-partisanship

Cantor skips Obama’s press conference to attend a Britney Spears concert.

In recent weeks, congressional Republicans have been critical of President Obama for doing anything that isn’t directly focusing on the economic crisis — such as going on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno or filling out his NCAA bracket. House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) even called Obama’s decision to overturn the ban on embryonic stem cell research a “distraction.” However, Wonkette reports that instead of watching Obama’s prime-time press conference last night, Cantor decided to pursue his own distraction — the Britney Spears concert. A statement from Cantor’s office:

After attending the NRCC dinner, Eric, like President Obama has been known to do, enjoyed a night at the Verizon center. It was a bipartisan night, as Eric was joined by Senator Landrieu and other Democrats.

Cantor’s office quickly backtracked, saying that it could not “verify with 100 percent certainty” that Landrieu was there. ThinkProgress spoke with a staffer in Landrieu’s office, who said that the senator was indeed not at the concert.

(Think Progress)

an accounting of the travels of a right-wing talking point

The Right-Wing Echo Chamber In Action: How A Conspiracy Travels From Drudge To Obama, Via Fox News
(Think Progress)

surprised to be saying this but good for Rice!

Rice sides with Bush, rebuffs Cheney: ‘We owe’ Obama ‘our loyalty and our silence.’
(Think Progress)

wait a minute - they're talking about THIS administration?!

Cantor: The Public Is ‘Finally Waking Up’ To The Fascist ‘One-Party Government’ In Washington D.C.

C-SPAN’s Washington Journal hosted House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) this morning. During the segment, a caller phoned in to “thank” Cantor “and [Rep.] Michele Bachmann [R-MN] and all of the conservatives that are doing such a great job.”

The caller then said it’s “insanity” that there are “people” drinking “from the kool-aid” who “seem to think that there is a magical tree of money behind Washington,” adding that the country is descending into “fascism.” In response, Cantor said the public is “finally waking up” to this and that the GOP is trying to bring President Obama “back into the mainstream”:

CALLER: But what really is scaring the rest of us, the other half of us, is the fascism. I mean the true fascism that is happening in this country today. […] The belligerent takeover of a one-party system. […]

CANTOR: Now as far as a one-party government in here, I think what the public is doing they’re finally waking up and everybody is realizing that checks and balances are a part of the system and divided government is something that is beneficial to a balanced debate, and something that can produce a better outcome. Which is exactly why Republicans in the House have said, “Look, we want to work with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle. We want to try to bring this president back into the mainstream.”

Its not surprising that instead of denouncing the caller’s attacks, Cantor simply ran with them, as it appears that demonizing President Obama’s agenda is all the Republicans on Capitol Hill can come up with in opposition.

Indeed, shortly after Obama’s election victory, one GOP congressman compared one of Obama’s proposals to “what Hitler did in Nazi Germany.” In fact, Cantor’s colleagues in the Republican leadership have been fanning the flames as well. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called Obama’s budget proposal “a new American socialist experiment” while Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), the third-ranking House Republican, denounced Obama’s economic agenda as “European-style socialism.”

(Think Progress)

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Amazingly, all of these criticisms are far more apt for the bush administration and the repugs had no problem with that!

But these clowns seem to just be throwing around phrases without having any idea what they mean.

Dems working to get things done

Dems advance Obama's tax, spending budget outlines

WASHINGTON – Congressional Democrats advanced budget outlines Wednesday that largely mirror President Barack Obama's tax and spending plans while imposing marginal changes to tame ballooning deficits. "This budget will protect President Obama's priorities — education, energy, health care, middle class tax relief and cut the deficit in half," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said after the president met privately in the Capitol with rank-and-file Democrats.

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Conservative News Network lying about Dems again

CNN's Castellanos falsely claimed Dems "gave" bonuses to AIG execs
(Media Matters)

oh that "liberal media"

Bush missing from USA Today/Gallup poll response options to question about AIG bonuses
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Wall Street Journal article omitted Bush Treasury Department's role from AIG bonus timeline
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Wash. Times forwarded false GOP suggestion that Bush administration played no role in AIG bonus controversy
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Perpetuating falsehood, Wall Street Journal's Fund claimed "AIG bonuses ... were in the stimulus bill"
(Media Matters)

THIS is what they're worrying about now?!

How Dare You, Sir? I Say, How Dare You?!11!OMG!!!BBQ!

Oh, God, now they're going after Notre Dame. Release the flying monkeys!

PERFIDY!

The word “perfidy” derives from the Latin “perfidus,” that is, “faithless” or “detrimental to faith”; it is also synonymous with “treachery,” or “violation of allegiance or trust.” The University of Notre Dame’s decision to honor President Obama as its commencement speaker in May is perfidious and treacherous in the extreme.

(First Draft)
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So now the repugs are freaking out because Obama has been asked to speak somewhere?! They do know that he is the president, don't they?! Any institution that gets this immensely popular president as a speaker has performed an incredible act of fantastic PR.
Do the repugs really not have any grasp at all on reality?

still trying to figure out if red state is a parody blog

In a recent post, Red State claims "liberal media bias" because the San Francisco Chronicle reports on a San Francisco anti-war rally, but does not report on a "tea party" in Cincinnati!

Beyond the beyond...

And for another geographically challenged repug psycho:
Is Oakland somewhere near Missouri? Watching Glenn Beck, it's hard to tell
(Orcinus)

apparently repugs think teachers are bad

Only in the GOP

Michael Steele, forced to defend a donation...from teachers. Ben Smith:

Steele defends union contribution

Michael Steele has been taking a little heat for the RNC's accepting $15,000 from the National Education Association, the biggest teachers' union in the country, with a candidate for Governor of New Jersey, Steve Lonegan, demanding he return it.

"What's next? Accepting money from the National Abortion Rights Action League, Handgun Control, Gay Marriage PACs and George Soros?" Lonegan asked.

An RNC official, speaking on background, defended Steele's education reform credentials.

"As one of the most outspoken advocates for school choice in the Republican Party, Michael Steele’s credentials on conservative education reform are very strong and well-documented," the official said.

So here's your modern GOP: Rush Limbaugh = Good. Teachers = Bad.

Yikes.

(Daily Kos)

more on o'reilly's sexism

O’Reilly’s sexism: Women need male breadwinners, should stay home to watch the kids.

Last night — before engaging in a baseless, misleading attack against ThinkProgress’s Amanda Terkel — Bill O’Reilly launched his ire at single mothers who dare to have children without fathers. He said such decisions make women poorer because they need male breadwinners, and he insisted that mothers should be at home with the children anyway:

O’REILLY: Everybody, all the statistics and studies, show if you don’t have a father supporting the family, you’re probably poor.

HOOVER: That’s sexist. It’s not that you have to have a father supporting the family. But you do have to have parents and you have to have them be able to —

O’REILLY: I love this. I love this from you. It’s sexist, because I just told the truth. You don’t have the father providing some income when the mother is giving birth, OK? You see, when you give birth — you may some day know this — you can’t go out and work the next day, OK?! And you should be watching the kid anyway. So there’s got to be somebody else giving you money beside the government.

(Think Progress)

join the club!

Congressional Republicans want Dick Cheney to go away.
(Think Progress)
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I guess they don't want him to remind the American public that the bush administration's policies mirror the current obstructionist repugs'.

repugs trying to blame Dems for their economic disaster

House Republicans are “now pinning the economic recession squarely on the shoulders of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).” In an e-mail blast yesterday, Rep. David Price (R-MI) declared “We must work together to end the ‘Pelosi Recession.’” Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami replied that the GOP “can’t seem to remember that they were actually the ones responsible for passing the Bush economic agenda.”

(Think Progress)

something that is obviously needed

Obama nudges Congress to empower regulatory units
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that's a ringing endorsement!

Injured troops prefer combat to recovery at Bragg

FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Soldiers in a recovery unit for wounded troops at Fort Bragg told the Secretary of the Army that they feel forgotten by the military and that combat duty would be better than the treatment they get now, according to a memo obtained by the Associated Press.

The memo summarized the comments of soldiers who attended a closed-door meeting last week with Army Secretary Pete Geren. It was held after the service said it would look into complaints of overzealous discipline reported by The Associated Press.

Some of the soldiers told Geren they have "feelings of worthlessness and abandonment," the memo states. They told Geren that low morale and suicides in the base's Warrior Transition battalion are "pushed by (a) negative command climate" that is enforced by the unit's squad leaders.

"If I had been in the (unit) after I was wounded the first time, I would not have fought so hard to stay in," one soldier told Geren, according to the memo. "It is very demoralizing and a very different experience from my previous recuperation."

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Here's yet another one of bush's messes that Obama has to clean up - because Obama actually believes in supporting the troops and doesn't just use that as a meaningless talking point.

what a bizarre and baseless accusation

Tammy Bruce Calls The Obamas "Trash In The White House"

Tammy Bruce, guest host for Laura Ingram's radio show, had some harsh words for First Lady Michelle Obama.

Discussing the first lady's visit to a Washington D.C. classroom last week, Bruce incredulously recalled Obama's story about wanting to get A's in school and called out her use of a "weird, fake accent."

"That's what he's married to," Bruce said. "...You know what we've got? We've got trash in the White House. Trash is a thing that is colorblind, it can cross all eco-socionomic...categories. You can work on Wall Street, or you can work at the Wal-Mart. Trash, are people who use other people to get things, who patronize others, who consider you bitter and clingy..."

(Huffington Post)

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Wow! Desribing the Obamas as "trash"?! After 8 years of the intellectually and socially challenged bushs?!

The Obamas are the classiest, most intelligent and good looking people that we've had in the White House in decades!

Fox admitting their bias

Fox News VP: Fox is ‘the voice of opposition’ to the Obama administration.

Though Fox News is widely known to be biased in favor of conservatism, the network likes to claim that is “fair and balanced” and that the objectivity of the “hard news” they do is “is not in question.” But in an interview with NPR, Fox News’ Senior Vice President for Programming, Bill Shine, admitted that the network is consciously aiming to be “the voice of opposition” to the Obama administration “on some issues”:

“There were a couple of people who basically wrote about our demise come last November (and) December and were, I guess, rooting for us to go away,” said Bill Shine, senior vice president for programming at the Fox News Channel. “With this particular group of people in power right now, and the honeymoon they’ve had from other members of the media, does it make it a little bit easier for us to be the voice of opposition on some issues?”

Fox News has wasted no time in opposing the Obama administration’s agenda. For example, the network has unleashed a steady drum beat of misinformation and propaganda against the Employee Free Choice Act. In fact, when it comes to challenging the Obama administration, Fox News CEO Roger Ailes has compared the network to “the Alamo.”

(Think Progress)

Obama fighting back with the truth

Obama: Cheney’s philosophy ‘hasn’t made us safer.’
(Think Progress)

CNBC trying to balance out their ultra-conservatism?

Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean has been named a regular CNBC commentator. He co-hosted CNBC’s “Sqawk Box” this morning.

(Think Progress)

Colbert does it again!

Oops: Colbert wins NASA space station name contest
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are repugs still laughing about "volcano monitoring"?

Alaska volcano Mount Redoubt erupts 5 times

WILLOW, Alaska – Alaska's Mount Redoubt volcano erupted five times overnight, sending an ash plume more than 9 miles into the air in the volcano's first emissions in nearly 20 years. Residents in the state's largest city were spared from falling ash, though fine gray dust was falling Monday morning on small communities north of Anchorage. The ash began falling around daybreak and continued into midmorning. They were supposed to end by noon.

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I doubt that Palin is laughing about monitoring this...

More from Americablog.

meanwhile, in bush's quagmire

Suicide bomb blast kills 23 at funeral in Iraq

BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber struck a tent filled Monday with Kurdish funeral mourners, unleashing a huge fireball that killed at least 23 people in a northern town where Kurds and Arabs are competing for power. Also Monday, Turkey's visiting president pressed the Iraqi government to crack down on Kurdish rebels who stage cross-border raids into Turkish territory from sanctuaries in northern Iraq.

The provincial security office said 23 people were killed and 34 wounded in the suicide attack in the town of Jalula some 80 miles (120 kilometers) northeast of Baghdad.

A member of the provincial security committee, Amir Rifaat, said 24 people were killed and 28 wounded. The difference could not be immediately reconciled.

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Obama's plans helping the economy

Dow up nearly 500 on bank plan, rise in home sales

NEW YORK – Wall Street got the news it wanted on the economy's biggest problems — banks and housing — and celebrated by hurtling the Dow Jones industrials up nearly 500 points. Investors added rocket fuel Monday to a two-week-old advance, cheering the government's plan to help banks remove bad assets from their books and also welcoming a report showing a surprising increase in home sales. Major stock indicators surged more than 6 percent, including the Dow, which had its biggest percentage gain since October.

Although analysts were still hesitant to say Wall Street is squarely on its way to recovery after the collapse that began last fall, they said the banking and housing news bolstered the belief that the economy is starting to heal.

---

The repugs are going to be so upset that the country isn't continuing to fall apart! They've put all of their hope into destroying our economy.

I'm sure they will still do whatever they can to sabotage this upswing.

Fox as classy as ever

FOX mocks Canadian military's involvement in Afghanistan as four Canadian soldiers are killed in Afghanistan
(Americablog)

repugs are made of hypocrisy

Just Like With Stimulus, GOP Lawmakers Slam Omnibus While Touting Its Funding For Local Projects
(Think Progress)

repugs hate diplomacy

Kristol Complains That Obama’s Iran Message Is ‘Weak’ And ‘Embarrassing’
(Think Progress)
---
I'm sure he won't be happy until or unless we get another crazed war-monger in office, who doesn't care about the consequences of his or her actions.
Thankfully, we have someone who thinks in office now...

o'reilly as classy as ever

O’Reilly: If Cheney had ‘an assassination squad,’ he would have killed Seymour Hersh ‘a long time ago.’

During a speech at the University of Minnesota last week, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh claimed that the Bush administration had employed “an executive assassination ring” that “reported directly to the Cheney office.” In an Boston Herald op-ed today, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly mocked Hersh’s claim, saying “If Cheney really had such a crew,” reporters like Hersh would have already been killed:

The other day, left-wing muckraker Seymour Hersh went on MSNBC and said he had information, provided by the usual anonymous sources, that Dick Cheney was running an assassination squad out of the White House.

I have but one simple observation: If Cheney really had such a crew, Hersh would have been dead a long time ago, and so would most everybody at MSNBC.

(Think Progress)

"losing confidence" from the top member of the party of "no" wouldn't concern me too much

Top GOP senator losing confidence in Geithner
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all the repugs have is scare-mongering - certainly no ideas

GOP predicts doomsday if Obama budget passed
---
They've got to start realizing that they are sounding like the boy who cried wolf - as a broken record!
They really need to get a new script!

another blatant lie from Fox about Obama

Another inexplicable lie from Fox

Less than a week after presenting a six-month old clip of Joe Biden as new, Fox's The Live Desk is at it again.

This time, Fox News's Trace Gallagher falsely claims the Dow dropped 56 points during a speech by President Obama. According to Gallagher, when the President began, the Dow was up 28 points; by the time the Presidnet finished, Gallagher said the Dow was down 28 points.

The reality: when President Obama started, the Dow was down 34; it was down 28 when he finished. So it actually gained 6 meaningless points.

Of course, even if Gallagher's false claim were true, it wouldn't have been an interesting or relevant point -- you cannot measure the success of speeches by short-term fluctuations in the Dow.

But it wasn't at all true, and that underscores just how dishonest Fox News is when it comes to attacking President Obama.

(Daily Kos)

somehow I don't feel too sorry for her

Palin buried in debt, may launch a legal fund.
(Think Progress)
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Maybe she shouldn't have become a national figure, knowing that she was mired in many ethical and legal complaints...

WAY too much information

Joe The Plumber Tells Conservatives: "I'm Horny"
(Huffington Post)
---
What a grotesque image!

you know when a rush apology is coming from a repug...

NY-20: "Rush Limbaugh Is Meaningless"

A Limbaugh Apology in the making from Jim Tedisco?

"Rush Limbaugh is meaningless to me," Tedisco told the editorial board of The Daily Star on Thursday. "The only constituency I'm worried about are the residents of the 20th Congressional District."

That's what Michael Steele said, buddy. Right before he came crawling back on both knees to Captain OxyContin.

Further discussion in Andrew C White's diary.

Remember, election day is Tuesday, March 31st!

UPDATE: And BAM!!!! Tedisco apologizes!!!

"Jim’s comments were in response to a question about what voters are asking him about on the campaign trail. So far, the concerns he has been hearing from voters on the campaign trail have been local in nature, such as his support for lower property taxes, fiscal responsibility, and his opponent’s appalling support for the AIG bonus loophole. That was his point and any effort to characterize it otherwise is a distortion of the facts."

No, seriously, we would never purposely call Limbaugh meaningless. Any effort to characterize it as such would be...

(Daily Kos)

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This is past the point of parody already!

using diplomacy - what a concept!

Obama sends a direct message to the Iranian people.

Last night, President Obama sent “a special message to the people and government of Iran” on Nowruz, the beginning of the Persian New Year. Obama acknowledged the strain in the relationship between the two countries and said that he seeks “engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect”:

So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran’s leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.

You, too, have a choice. The United States wants the Islamic Republic of Iran to take its rightful place in the community of nations. You have that right — but it comes with real responsibilities, and that place cannot be reached through terror or arms, but rather through peaceful actions that demonstrate the true greatness of the Iranian people and civilization. And the measure of that greatness is not the capacity to destroy, it is your demonstrated ability to build and create.

(Think Progress)

talk about mixed messages

Pope condemns sexual violence against women

LUANDA, Angola – Pope Benedict XVI, welcomed to this sweltering capital Friday by the biggest crowds of his African pilgrimage, condemned sexual violence against women in Africa and chided those countries on the continent that have approved abortion.
--

"Particularly disturbing is the crushing yoke of discrimination that women and girls so often endure, not to mention the unspeakable practice of sexual violence and exploitation which causes such humiliation and trauma," Benedict told an audience of government leaders and foreign diplomats in the late afternoon.

He also criticized what he called the "irony of those who promote abortion as a form of 'maternal' health care." The pope was referring to an African Union agreement signed by Angola and 44 other countries that abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is endangered.

"How disconcerting the claim that the termination of life is a matter of reproductive health," Benedict said.

Angolans traditionally have large families — the president has nine children — but many say the high cost of living in this oil-rich country makes them want to have fewer children than previous generations.

---
So, he is "big" enough to condemn violence against women - seems like that should go without saying - but then he wants to punish the victims of sexual violence by making them carry out a pregnancy.

And asking a country that can't afford its current population to continue to pop out kids is pretty damn immoral, as well...

Why does this person have any say in what anyone anywhere does?

the problem with criticizing someone without the facts - you just look like a partisan hack

Meghan McCain Knocks Obama For Going On Leno (And Gets Her Facts Wrong)

The McCain family remains a tough one for the president to win over.

Half an hour or so before Barack Obama's interview on the Tonight Show was set to air on the East Coast, he was already getting criticism from Meghan McCain, daughter of John.

"Hmmm," McCain tweeted, "maybe the president shouldn't go on Leno and talk about basketball and instead explain to me how those morons at AIG got bonuses..."

Perhaps Meghan shouldn't have been so impatient with her critiques. Obama's appearance on the show was remarkably wonky for the forum. Indeed, the main topic of discussion was the very issue -- AIG -- that Meghan McCain was knocking Obama for avoiding.

As the New York Time's write-up noted: "most of the discussion was devoted -- perhaps for the first time in the show's history -- to in-depth discussions of tax policy, as well as macroeconomics and finance. And there was a reassurance from the president that the American people 'should have complete confidence in the banks,' and should not be putting their money 'in their mattresses.'"

The Tonight Show transcript finds Obama referencing AIG no less than 7 times.

(Huffington Post)

Obama's gift to the repugs - an actual gaffe to talk about instead of the issues

Obama Apologizes For Special Olympics Joke, Wants Athletes To Help Him Improve Bowling Score (VIDEO)

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has apologized to the chairman of the Special Olympics for his late-night talk show quip equating his bowling skills to those of athletes with disabilities.

Appearing on "The Tonight Show" Thursday, the president told host Jay Leno he'd been practicing at the White House's bowling alley but wasn't happy with his score of 129. Then he remarked: "It was like the Special Olympics or something."

The audience laughed, but the White House quickly recognized the blunder. The Special Olympics is a non-profit organization dedicated to individuals with mental and physical disabilities.

---

On his way back to Washington on Air Force One, Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, to say he was sorry -- even before the taped program aired late Thursday night.

"He expressed his disappointment and he apologized in a way that was very moving. He expressed that he did not intend to humiliate this population," Shriver said Friday on ABC's Good Morning America. "He, I think importantly, said he was ready to have some of our athletes over to the White House to bowl or to play basketball, or help him improve his score."

(Huffington Post)

---

See the HP post for the video.

Now the slavish bush-defenders who already make the laughably insane contention that Obama is a bad public speaker (especially after the disasters that spewed from bush's mouth every time he spoke) finally have something to point to.

This was a terrible PR move and will overshadow every serious subject that Obama spoke about last night, which is terribly unfortunate. This is always a problem when someone gets too relaxed and thinks that they can talk to the public like talking to their buddies.

Of course, I'm sure that at least 90% of the country has made a similar bad taste joke at some point, but the president does need to be more careful. Obama has to remember that he can't let his guard down any longer.

But I sure hope that he never stops speaking to us like we're adults, though. I was so sick of bush's childish rants and his "in other words" explanations of kindergarten concepts.

Friday Beagle Blogging

Harley doing his best Snoopy impression!

another whiny, lying, hypocritical repug

Laura Ingraham sez: Leave Laura Ingraham aloooooone!!!
(Crooks and Liars)

hope this works

HOUSE passes bill to tax 90% of AIG bonuses: Many Republicans voted for it including Eric Cantor
(Crooks and Liars)

Palin joining the repugs putting politics ahead of their constituents

Palin rejects nearly half of state’s stimulus funds meant for education, health care, and labor.

Following the lead of the other 2012 GOP presidential contenders, Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) announced today that she would reject nearly half the $930 million Alaska was set to receive from the economic stimulus package. Like Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC), Palin is set to further cripple the state’s education system:

The biggest single chunk of stimulus money that Palin is turning down is $160 million for education. There’s also $17 million in Department of Labor funds (vocational rehabilitation services, unemployment services, etc.), about $9 million for Health and Social Services and about $7 million for Public Safety.

During the press conference announcing her decision, Palin asked, “Will we chart our own course, or will Washington (D.C.) engineer it for us?” She also quoted Thomas Jefferson and complained about “the strings attached” to the stimulus funds. “What we think we need is kind of a time-out, where we back up, we pause, and we really think about what we’re doing here,” Palin said.

(Think Progress)

repugs blocking Iraq ambassador

Petraeus ‘Frustrated’ By Admirers Lindsey Graham And John McCain’s Opposition To Chris Hill

Earlier this month, Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) announced their opposition to the nomination of Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Iraq. “While Mr. Hill is a talented diplomat who has served our country for many years, his selection for this post concerns us,” said the two senators in a statement. The McCain/Graham statement was the first shot fired by “a cadre of Senate Republicans” aiming to sink Hill’s nomination.

But the senators’ effort to derail Hill took a major hit today when Foreign Policy’s Laura Rozen reported that “Centcom commander Gen. David Petraeus, top Iraq commander Gen. Raymond Odierno, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are frustrated by the delay in getting a U.S. ambassador confirmed and into place in Iraq.” Though Rozen’s initial report was based on anonymous sources, she later updated with an on the record statement from the Pentagon:

The U.S. military chief spokesman Geoff Morrell told The Cable Thursday: “Generals Odierno and Petraeus have come out very publicly and very forcefully in support of Amb. Hill’s nomination. I know they support it. They know him from previous assignments, they like him, they believe he is well suited to the job and are anxiously awaiting his confirmation because they do need help, frankly. … With regards to [Senate] members who have issue with him, I would say this,” Morrell added. “We appreciate their steadfast support of the Iraq mission. But you can’t be bullish in support of that mission and not send an ambassador in a timely fashion.”

(Think Progress)

debunking the blame Obama crowd

TARP inspector general says Bush administration specifically considered and approved AIG bonuses.
(Think Progress)

6 year anniversary of bush's war

Nation’s major newspapers ignore Iraq war’s sixth anniversary.

Today marks six years since former President Bush launched the invasion of Iraq — a preventive war of choice based on “intelligence fixed around the policy.” Since that time, hundreds of billions of dollars have been spent, over 4,000 U.S. servicemen and women and hundreds more from coalition countries have died (tens of thousands more physically and mentally wounded), nearly 100,000 (or more) Iraqi civilians have parished and nearly 5 million have been displaced. Yet the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, and many other major American newspapers are ignoring the anniversary today. Only USA Today printed a story noting the anniversary of the invasion. Today’s Progress Report has more on the good, the bad, and the ugly of developments surrounding the Iraq war over the last year.

(Think Progress)

no one except the entire bush administration, that is

Rice: ‘No One Was Arguing That Saddam Hussein Somehow Had Something To Do With 9/11′
(Think Progress)

well, takes one to know one, eh?

Rove Hypocritically Accuses Gibbs Of Sounding ‘Like Some Wise-Cracking Junior High Smart Mouth’
(Think Progress)
---
This is especially ironic since Gibbs' remark was just off the cuff and truly funny, while Rove has been truly vicious.

a good judge of character

Colin Powell’s former chief of staff: Cheney is ‘evil,’ his fearmongering is ‘assisting’ al Qaeda.
(Think Progress)

rush loves the ultra-rich - not so much the rest of us

Rush Limbaugh defends AIG's bonuses
(Daily Kos)

repugs refuse to work with Obama so Obama works around them

Republicans in full whine mode because Obama is going to work around their obstructionist tactics

The Republican whining about Obama and bipartisanship is getting tiresome. To work, bipartisanship has to be a two-way street. But, the Republicans have a roadblock on their side of the street -- and they bitch every time Obama tries to get around their obstructions:

Senior members of the Obama administration are pressing lawmakers to use a shortcut to drive the president's signature initiatives on health care and energy through Congress without Republican votes, a move that many lawmakers say would fly in the face of President Obama's pledge to restore bipartisanship to Washington.

Republicans are howling about the proposal to expand health coverage and tax greenhouse gas emissions without their input, warning that it could irrevocably damage relations with the new president.

"That would be the Chicago approach to governing: Strong-arm it through," said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who briefly considered joining the Obama administration as commerce secretary. "You're talking about the exact opposite of bipartisan. You're talking about running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them in the Chicago River."

Obama went to the White House with a vow to change the way things are done. The Republicans are playing the same games. Obama vowed accomplishments for the American people. The Republicans on Capitol Hill are doing every thing they can to stop him. So, when Obama basically, says "Fine, I'll do it without you," the Republicans whine and run to the media. It's pathetic and it's gotten really old already.

NOTE FROM JOHN: "[W]arning that it could irrevocably damage relations with the new president." Right, those would be the relations where Obama bent over backwards, even offered the GOP 3 cabinet posts, and in return 3 of them - a whopping 3 - voted for the stimulus package. What "relations" are the Republicans talking about?


Rush Limbaugh, the leader of the GOP, has said repeatedly he wants Obama to fail. Most of the GOPers on the Hill are lemmings who follow (and fear) Rush. That's what Obama is up against. Republicans want to kill Obama's agenda. It's good that the White House has figured that out. Now, roll the Republicans. Team Obama should "Strong-arm it through." It's the only way to save the country from the economic disaster created by the Republicans.

(Americablog)

who would have thought that bush would be the reasonable one

Bush: ‘I want the President to succeed.’
(Think Progress)
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Of course, if Obama can clean up some of bush's messes, then maybe history won't judge bush quite as harshly.
But still, I have to give bush kudos for being one of the few republicans that is not making anti-American remarks.

West Point LGBT group

West Point graduates launch an LGBT alumni group.

Yesterday, a group of West Point alumni came out of the closet in order to form Knights Out, an LGBT alumni organization pushing for the repeal of the ban on gays serving openly in the U.S. military and hoping to serve as an “open forum” for LGBT alumni and their fellow graduates. From the group’s press release:

By publicly outing themselves, the 38 members of Knights Out ended once and for all the anonymity that has obscured from full view their service to the nation as West Point graduates. Knights Out seeks to reduce the stigma associated with sexual diversity by providing an open forum for discussion between out LGBT West Point graduates and their fellow alumni. Knights Out is well-positioned to help West Point maintain its status as the world’s premier leadership institution by swiftly and effectively adapting to the end of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which Knights Out believes is both imminent and inevitable.

The Advocate notes that Knights Out “joins similar groups formed by graduates of the U.S. Naval and Air Force academies, including the U.S. Naval Academy’s USNA Out and the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Blue Alliance.”

(Think Progress)

strange definition of "middle class"

Perino Defends AIG Bonuses: They Are ‘Middle Class People’ Who ‘Are Expecting To Get This Bonus’
(Think Progress)

beck doing his best to convince everyone that he's insane

Beck's economic illiteracy: 'We're in inflation now!'
(Crooks and Liars)

insulting Jon Stewart and anyone with a brain

Right Winger Brad Blakeman compares Glenn Beck to Jon Stewart : It's as crazy as Jon Stewart's crazy
(Crooks and Liars)

more repug chaos

GOP leaders claim Palin is keynote speaker at their big fundraising dinner, but Palin "did not know anything about it"
(Americablog)

too bad they're only aiming at an effigy

Canadian activists build ‘shoe cannon’ to hurl shoes at effigy of Bush.
(Think Progress)
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I think this is pretty clever and funny though...

still putting politics ahead of his constituents

South Carolina Republican State Rep: Sanford’s Stimulus Rejection Would Cost 4,700 Jobs
(Think Progress)

because only Dems have principles

With filibusters, Senate GOP thinks ‘it’s more important that Democrats, not Republicans, be consistent.’
(Think Progress)

I'm no economist, but don't most people get fired when they majorly f'k up?

Barney Frank: It’s ‘Nonsensical’ To Retain AIG Employees To Undo The Mess They Created
(Think Progress)

taking a game WAY too seriously

Soccer fan shoots player dead

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – An Iraqi soccer fan shot dead a player of the opposing team as he tried to score an equalizing goal in the final minutes of a match, police said on Monday.

The shooting on Saturday in Hilla, 100 km (60 miles) south of Baghdad, during a match between local teams, underscored the country's propensity to lawlessness even as violence by militant groups falls to lows not seen since mid-2003.

"As soon as Haider Kadhim (the player) was alone in front of the goalkeeper and close to equalizing, a fan in the crowd fired a pistol at him," a senior police officer in Hilla, who declined to be named, told Reuters.

"We arrested this fan immediately but unfortunately the player died."

Iraqis love soccer and have often expressed hope the game would help reconcile warring ethnic groups and sects.

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oddly good news

Housing starts surge; wholesale prices edge up
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I wonder who has the money to buy anything in this market, though...

and why should anyone take sex advice from this man?

On Africa trip, pope says condoms won't solve AIDS

YAOUNDE, Cameroon – Condoms are not the answer to Africa's fight against HIV, Pope Benedict XVI said Tuesday as he began a weeklong trip to the continent. It was the pope's first explicit statement on an issue that has divided even clergy working with AIDS patients.
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"You can't resolve it with the distribution of condoms," the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane heading to Yaounde. "On the contrary, it increases the problem."

The pope said a responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease.

The Roman Catholic Church rejects the use of condoms as part of its overall teaching against artificial contraception. Senior Vatican officials have advocated fidelity in marriage and abstinence from premarital sex as key weapons in the fight against AIDS.

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This man is incredibly - and dangerously - naive to say that condoms "increases the problem" of AIDs.
Unfortunately, some people are stupid enough to think that this idiot can back up his statement with anything more than "cause i said so".
Just another example of how dangerous religion can be...

why does this even need defending?

Obama defends tackling many problems at same time
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I doubt that anyone in this country actually wants Obama to only tackle one of the many problems that he inherited from bush.
Other than the repugs that want him and our country to fail, of course...

Fox outdoes themselves in their dishonesty

Fox News Edits Clip To Suggest That Biden Recently Declared ‘Fundamentals Of The Economy Are Strong’
(Think Progress)
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Wow! The clip is from last September as Biden is quoting McCain!! So, not only is it not a recent statement, but he's quoting someone else!
That's exceptionally low and dishonest even for Fox.

Mar 17:
They've now apologized, but there is no way that this could have been an accident and obvious they are only apologizing because they were called on it. Good that they did, but still incredibly dishonest.
Fox News apologizes for dishonest splicing of Biden clip.
(Think Progress)

more reports of torture under bush administration

‘Confidential’ Red Cross torture report details ‘suffocation’ and head-smashing of detainees.
(Think Progress)

does the media regurgitate conservative talking points without regard to their truthfulness or logic?

Is Obama taking on too much at once, at economy's expense?
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wow - so Obama is responsible for bush's recession, but bush is responsible for any market upswing under Obama?

Perino: Bush Deserves Credit For Recent Market Uptick
(Huffington Post)

guess i can't blame him

After string of gaffes, Steele ‘has called a halt to his television appearances.’
(Think Progress)
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If I had been such a spectacularly horrific failure, I'd probably go into hiding, also.

the party of "no" has no ideas

McConnell Bumbles When Asked For GOP Alternative To Obama’s Budget: We’re ‘Getting Down In The Weeds’
(Think Progress)

not very surprising

Cheney on Limbaugh: ‘I love him.’
(Think Progress)
---
I guess that scumbags like to stick together...

cheney continuing with his nonsensical fear-mongering

Cheney fearmongers: Obama is ‘making some choices’ that ‘raise the risk…of another attack.’
(Think Progress)
---
So, we should listen to an administration that allowed the greatest attack on US soil ever for security advice? And who allowed the unlimited growth of terrorist groups? Somehow, I don't think so...

cheney's continual cavalier attitude towards the destruction he wrought

Cheney’s Excuse For Economic Failures Under His Watch: ‘Stuff Happens’

During an interview with Dick Cheney this morning, CNN host John King asked the former vice president why “we should listen to you” for economic advice. To make his case, King noted the following statistical changes that occurred under the Bush/Cheney administration:

Unemployment rate: Rose from 4.2 percent to 7.6 percent
Poverty: Jumped from 32.9 million individuals to 37.3 million
Uninsured: Escalated from 41.2 million individuals to 45.7 million
Budget deficit: Inherited budget surplus of $128 billion and left office with $1.3 trillion deficit

“So what would you say to someone out there watching this who’s saying why should they listen to you?” King asked. Cheney responded that there’s “all kinds of arguments that could be made,” but he emphasized that there is “something more important than” the specific numbers King cited — namely, 9/11.

Cheney argued the Bush administration had to spend (without paying for it) because it went into “wartime mode.” Cheney also referenced the need to spend money after the Katrina disaster:

All of these things required us to spend money that we had not originally planned to spend or weren’t originally part of the budget. Stuff happens. And the administration has to be able to respond to that, and we did.

--

Recall, Cheney’s good friend — former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld — said shortly after the invasion of Iraq: “Stuff happens…freedom’s untidy. And people are free to make mistakes.”

By Cheney’s logic, the U.S. could no longer care about poverty, the uninsured, or the unemployed after 9/11. Those issues were not deemed “important” enough to address.

(Think Progress)