afternoon dems- "beyond oral sex: the bush investigations":

A recent ABC/Washington Post poll showed that the public (despite very little help from ABC News or the Washington Post) has it right. A majority picked the "should" option in response to both of these questions:

"Do you think Congress should or should not hold hearings on how the Bush administration handled pre-war intelligence, war planning, and related issues in the war in Iraq?"

"Do you think Congress should or should not hold hearings on how the Bush administration has handled surveillance, treatment of prisoners and related issues in the U.S. campaign against terrorism?"

Meanwhile, back in Washington, Congress is gearing up to investigate whether Halliburton might have cheated on its contracts a little. Hello?

http://www.tomdispatch.com/index.mhtml?pid=161913

just passing by- happy saturday

The Candidates that spoke Truth to Power were GRAVEL and RICHARDSON!!!

The Democratic Party would be well advised to heed there Speeches!!!

"GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK."

PamB...."The Boss" sent you some goodies.....they are good....she knows how to cook....that is the reason I don't have any trouble keeping my weight up....Enjoy....John Boy.....

the deadliest single day of battles between the two sides, who have been locked in a violent power struggle since the Islamic militant Hamas ousted Fatah from power last year.

I wonder who will be first to blame Israel for this latest display of "Palestinian civilization"? The good news is at least if they're fighting with themselves, there will be less suicide bombers and enemy soldiers to harass Israel with in the future. Posted by BobVADemHawk-Gore-Clark2008 on February 3, 2007 at 09:50 AM

Well, Israel did "steal" all the Palestinian's money since they voted for "the wrong Party" and then they told Fatah they'd give it all to them (Fatah) if Fatah attacks Hamas. So nah, they can't be to blame, can they, warhawk?

IF ONE wants to see real joy, one has only to look at the faces of Israeli correspondents who appear every evening on television to report on events in Lebanon.

What delight! The "Christians and Sunnis" attack Shiite students at the Arab University in Beirut and kill them! Any moment, a new civil war may break out! Look, a female Sunni student interviewed on television says that "Nasrallah is worse than Olmert!" Look at her again! And again! And again!

"When two quarrel, the third laughs," as the proverb goes. When an Arab hits an Arab--whether in Baghdad, Gaza or Beirut--the government of Israel and its commentators in the media are glowing. That has been a dominant theme in Israeli thought since the founding of the state, and even before: when Arabs are fighting each other, that is good for us.

In war, that makes sense. A split between your enemies is a gift to you. In World War I, the German general staff sent Lenin back to Russia in the famous sealed wagon, hoping to create a split between Russia and her British and French allies. In the 1948 war, we were saved because the armies of Egypt and Jordan were more interested in competing with each other than in fighting us. In the 80s, the Israeli army sent officers to North Iraq in order to help Mustafa Barzani to tear the Kurdish region away from Saddam's country.

That is a good strategy in war, which states have followed since the beginning of history. In this respect, Israel is no exception.

http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery01302007.html

You love it too, don't ya, Warhawk?

Bush makes a funny on the "Democrat Party" thing:

"At the State of the Union, I saw kind of a strange expression when I referred to something as the Democrat Party," Mr. Bush said. "Now look, my diction isn’t all that good. I have been accused of occasionally mangling the English language, so I appreciate you inviting the head of the Republic party."

George’s speech to the UK Parliament on Iraq, January 2007

The problem is not Iran, folks, the problem is Saudia Arabia. The problem is not Iran.

U.S. can't prove Iran link to Iraq strife

Despite pledges to show evidence, officials have repeatedly put off presenting their case.

WASHINGTON — Bush administration officials acknowledged Friday that they had yet to compile evidence strong enough to back up publicly their claims that Iran is fomenting violence against U.S. troops in Iraq.

Administration officials have long complained that Iran was supplying Shiite Muslim militants with lethal explosives and other materiel used to kill U.S. military personnel. But despite several pledges to make the evidence public, the administration has twice postponed the release — most recently, a briefing by military officials scheduled for last Tuesday in Baghdad.

"The truth is, quite frankly, we thought the briefing overstated, and we sent it back to get it narrowed and focused on the facts," national security advisor Stephen J. Hadley said Friday.

The acknowledgment comes amid shifting administration messages on Iran. After several weeks of saber rattling that included a stiff warning by President Bush and the dispatch of two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Persian Gulf, near Iran, the administration has insisted in recent days that it does not want to escalate tensions or to invade Iran.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates seemed to concede Friday that U.S. officials can't say for sure whether the Iranian government is involved in assisting the attacks on U.S. personnel in Iraq.

"I don't know that we know the answer to that question," Gates said.

Earlier this week, U.S. officials acknowledged that they were uncertain about the strength of their evidence and were reluctant to issue potentially questionable data in the wake of the intelligence failures and erroneous assessments that preceded the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

LA Times

Few doubt that Iran is working to increase its influence inside Iraq, but many of its beneficiaries have been political groups that also are allied with the United States.

Saudi Arabia is the central front in the War On Terror.
Mississippi is the central front in the War On Poverty

But, but, but, I thought a week before the election he said, "Democrats want the terrorists to win!" I guess he must be getting worried about being impeached for all the lies he told and all the crimes he commited.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - President Bush squarely addressed the issue most on the mind of House Democrats, saying Saturday that deep divisions over the Iraq war need not bring anyone’s patriotism into question.

“You know, I welcome debate in a time of war and I hope you know that,” Bush said in opening remarks at the guest speaker at a retreat that drew about 200 lawmakers to a Virginia resort.

He said disagreeing with him over the war — as many in the room do — does not mean “you don’t share the same sense of patriotism I do.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16738865/

The problem is not Iran, folks, the problem is Saudia Arabia. The problem is not Iran.

Posted by Domingo on February 3, 2007 at 04:51 PM

Will.

They have been a problem from the beginning.

The Saudis got a free ride from the Bush administration. They have been sending their children into Iraq to cause trouble...for four years. Now Bush wants to blame the Iranians for the violence the Saudis' spurred when the Shiites were forced to ask them to help counter the madness.

We must free ourselves from foreign oil dependency and especially from dependency on the Saudis. Don't look for anything to happen if our leadership is too busy courting Bush for the next two years instead of crafting their own policy. He will stall, mislead, and make sure nothing is done.

Cheney promised the Saudis they will keep the spigot flowing.

“You know, I welcome debate in a time of war and I hope you know that,” Bush said in opening remarks at the guest speaker at a retreat that drew about 200 lawmakers to a Virginia resort.

We know no such thing. That sounded like a lie to me ...and it is.

Wow, this should thin the GOP presidential herd, shouldn't it?

“Pastor Patriot” Calls To Imprison Adulterers

Televangelist and Ohio "Patriot Pastor" leader Rod Parsley's Center for Moral Clarity is urging the revival of long-dormant laws against adultery in states such as Michigan, where adultery is technically a felony, although no one has been prosecuted for 36 years.

In an e-mail update to its supporters, the Center noted with approval the remark of an appeals court judge that a Michigan statute criminalizing sex involving commission of a felony, when combined with the law making adultery a felony, could lead to life in prison. "Lawmakers and judges in Michigan are holding married couples accountable for their vows of fidelity," touted CMC, adding that "The rest of the nation should take a look at the Michigan statute. Criminal laws are designed to force people to conform to certain acceptable standards of personal behavior. Most of society's code of conduct has its roots in the 10 Commandments."

"Adultery is a violation of biblical instruction as well as an offense against the other partner in what should be a sacred relationship," said Parsley. But given his history of involvement in Republican politics, where will that leave him in 2008, with frontrunning presidential candidates McCain and Giuliani, along with potential dark horse Gingrich, each allegedly carrying an adulterous past that, in Parsley's world, would put them behind bars?

Crooks and Liars

We’re Not Worried About Misinformation; We’re Worried About You Taping It

Over at Blue Jersey, we revisit the story of a Kearny high school teacher, David Paszkiewicz, who told his students that 'that evolution and the Big Bang were not scientific, that dinosaurs were aboard Noah's ark,' and "you belong in hell" if you "reject" Christianity. He also singled out a Muslim student to tell her that she is definitely going to hell.

Kearny school officials have certainly taken their time in handling the incident, which occurred at the start of the school year and became public in November.

In December, the Kearny school board continued to obfuscate who was at fault, silently implicating the young student who had secretly taped Paszkiewicz's classroom sermons for fear officials wouldn't believe him. In January, the teacher published a rambling letter in the local paper, explaining why the Constitution allows him to tell his students they are going to hell. He even insinuated the student who taped him was a part of a broader conspiracy:

It is my firm conviction that there is an effort afoot to undermine the very underpinnings of our freedoms.

This morning, the New York Times tells of Kearny's official reaction: Student's Recording of Teacher's Views Leads to a Ban on Taping

Crooks and Liars

Iraq war spawns growing refugee problem By HAMZA HENDAWI, Associated Press Writer Sat. Feb 3

DAMASCUS, Syria - Decades after the Middle East was hit by the mass uprooting of Palestinians, it is again struggling with a gigantic refugee problem — this time from Iraq.

The exodus — one million to neighboring
Syria alone, according to the U.N. — is another unforeseen byproduct of the 2003 Iraq invasion. When it might peak, nobody knows, but if it continues at its present rate, the consequences for the region would be profound.

Iraqis now make up more than 5 percent of Syria's population, the U.N. refugee agency says. Jordan says its 700,000 Iraqis have swollen its population by 12 percent, and its officials say they have already moved to cut off the flow. So has Egypt, with 130,000 Iraqi newcomers...

Syria is poor and lacking in jobs, and many Syrians grumble about the newcomers pushing up the cost of food and housing. The U.N. refugee agency says it is struggling to help the Iraqis, many of whom are poor and running out of the meager funds they brought.

New York-based Human Rights Watch accuses the United States of doing too little, saying it should "significantly" increase the number of Iraqi refugees it will resettle this year and contribute generously to the U.N. appeal for funds to cope with the crisis.

"Washington is spending about $2 billion per week on the war in Iraq, but has barely begun to address the human fallout from the war," said Bill Frelick, Human Rights Watch's refugee policy director.

The U.S. resettled several hundred Iraqis in 2006, according to the U.N. agency, whose formal title, UNHCR, stands for U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. It wants Washington to take up to 20,000 in 2007...

Human Rights Watch says Jordan refuses entry to Iraqi men between ages 17 and 35. Government officials acknowledge restrictions on the entry of Iraqis, but won't give specifics.

The Iraqi presence in Jordan is a "burden," Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Judeh said. Jordan, he said, wants an international conference to discuss compensation for Arab nations hosting fleeing Iraqis...

Syria, population 18 million, is the refuge of choice primarily because of its relaxed entry regulations for Arabs, the relatively low cost of living and availability of schools and health care.

President Bashar Assad's government is reluctant to detail the costs. "There is indeed a burden, but Syria doesn't complain to anyone and is not asking anyone for help," Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa told reporters in Damascus in January.

The Damascus office of the UNHCR says about 40,000 Iraqis arrive monthly. They can stay for six months, then must leave and renew the visa process from scratch. The quickest way is a short trip to neighboring Lebanon, but at $20 a person or more, the sightseeing packages are too costly for the poor...

Some have settled in Palestinian refugee camps, where rents are lower, joining tens of thousands of Palestinians who came to Syria as refugees following the 1948 creation of
Israel and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

Iraqis also have set up a private university outside the capital, with Iraqi lecturers and a mostly Iraqi student body — a reflection of Iraq's war-driven brain drain...

The UNHCR is struggling to deal with the flood of Iraqis across the region — and within their homeland. It says some 500,000 fled their homes to other parts of Iraq in 2006 alone, and that the number of internally displaced people could reach 2.3 million — nearly one in ten Iraqis — by the end of 2007.

This month, the Geneva-based agency made an emergency appeal for $60 million to help fleeing Iraqis.

"Unremitting violence in Iraq will likely mean continued mass internal and external displacement affecting much of the surrounding region," it said.

Already, its resources in Syria are stretched thin. The waiting time for seeing a UNHCR official is five months, said Laurens Jolles, the UNHCR representative in Syria. He hopes it will drop to one month after his office recruits 10 new staff.

"Syria's generosity is admirable and must be noted," he said in an interview.

But many Iraqi families are running out of money and becoming increasingly dependent on aid from religious and political support groups, he said...

//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/new_iraqi_diaspora

You have to wonder how many Iraqi terrorists are being recruited and trained from those living among the Palestinian refugees.

"Blame Iran" Campaign Stumbles

The Bush Administration has been telling us that 1) the recent killing of five American soldiers in Karbala may have been done by Iranian agents; and 2) the administration would soon provide the world with proof that Iran was providing IEDs and training in how to kill our soldiers.

Strike One; Strike Two.

It may not have been the Iranians who conspired to kill our soldiers in Karbala, but rather Iraqi Army generals. You know, the same Iraqi generals for whom we are sending more troops (by the way, twice as many personnel at a higher cost than Bush is admitting to.)

And we find out that the Bush Administration has pulled back on taking its case to the world about Iranian complicity in Iraq because (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) upon close inspection the “evidence” is questionable.

The Left Coaster

Who are the foreign fighters in Iraq?

An NBC News analysis finds 55 percent hail from Saudi Arabia.

An NBC News analysis of hundreds of foreign fighters who died in Iraq over the last two years reveals that a majority came from the same country as most of the 9/11 hijackers — Saudi Arabia.

Among the suicide bombers was Ahmed al-Ghamdi, a one-time medical student and son of a Saudi diplomat. In December 2004, he climbed into a truck in Mosul and blew himself up.

On an Internet video, another Saudi says goodbye to his mother, then drives an ambulance full of explosives into a building.

They are among more than 400 militants from 21 countries whose deaths were celebrated on Islamic Web sites over the last two years.

"By far the nationality that comes up over and over again is Saudi Arabia," says Evan Kohlmann, an NBC News terrorism expert.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8293410/

Posted by Domingo on February 3, 2007 at 05:26 PM

If this nonsense is happening in New Jersey, imagine what's going on in other parts of the country.

Probably a Saudi, but ly'in Bush won't tell you that. He wants to steal Iran's oil.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide truck bomber struck a market in a predominantly Shiite area of Baghdad on Saturday, killing 135 people among the crowd buying food for evening meals, police and hospital officials said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16957259/

Posted by Domingo on February 3, 2007 at 05:19 PM

It's about time somebody threw Newt Gingrich in jail. He commited adultry so many times against so many wives that he might qualify for the three strikes law.

I wish the cable news networks would spend as much time on the destruction in Iraq after the car bombings as they do on the aftermath of natural disasters in this country.

If this nonsense is happening in New Jersey, imagine what's going on in other parts of the country. Posted by SandyH

I know, I usually think of your part of the country for that kind of stuff. :~)

The Democrats should be using the term as Bush does towards Iran, when it comes to Impeachment, "All options are not off the table."

I am really disappointed with the Democrats, actually all of them period. Everything this Man or so called President has done to our Country, and you sit back and bicker, instead of taking his butt to the Impeachment Hearings along with Dick Chaney. Lets make some history in this Country and Restore our World Wide Reputation, Impeach Bush and Chaney, then we can hang a Banner across the Military Ship stating "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED."

I don't understand what it takes for People to really wake up and see what is slowly happening to the Country we love so much. Dicatorship, Bush wants more Power than God.

God Bless us all and please wake up.

Lets make some history in this Country and Restore our World Wide Reputation, Impeach Bush and Cheney Posted by jpshotwheels

Keep track of the "Scooter" Libby trial. A CIA agent was "outted" and Bush ordered Cheney to "throw Scooter under the bus" to save Rove. It was in Cheney's notes read at the trial the other day.

Evenin' all

I'm pleased to see we are commenting on the Saudi connection with our occupation of Iraq.

Does anyone else see a link between Cheney's Saudi visit and the stepped up rehtoric against Iran?

Wait until May 1 when Chavez turns 90% of Venezula's oil into state run operations.

I almost wish I could go "back to the future" when Jimmy Carter was pushing for alternative fuel.

regardless of who is our president or who is in congress the kinds of changes we must make as a species to provide a liveable environment for future generations are way beyond anything most democrats and certainly most republicans are promoting at this point. carter was brilliant and could have possible set us on a correct path thirty years ago but he was sandbagged by the hostage situation which yielded reagan, the culture of greed, the tossing overboard of any governmental agenda toward population control, conservation and so on and helped bring us to where we are today....led by morons and clowns on the republican side and frightened nellies on the democratic.

i have tried to stay out of the discussions about who the democratic candidate for 08 should be but after reading a piece by kos yesterday ( who i often am at odds with ) i must say he made an impression on me. if gore wins an oscar and the nobel peace prize he could announce for a presidential run next october or so and probably blow away the rest of the field including obama and hillary. i believe this is one of the very few leaders our nation has who might be able to affect the kind of change in perception of where we stand in terms of the future of our planet that would be powerful enough in nature to overcome the greed and intertia that has built over the last thirty years against doing anything of significance other than looking up our own asses.

who knows if he is interested but congressman, senator, veteran, oscar winner, nobel peace prize winner and winner of the popular vote in the 2000 election are pretty good credentials. i am therefore hoping for a gore/obama or gore/richardson or gore/hillary ticket.

White House says Iraq bombing an "atrocity"

...yes today's bombing is one of hundreds of such atrocities that have occured since the 2003 war of choice was begun in iraq.

...another atrocity is that the swine who started this war are not in chains and are in fact still making descions about the allocation of the resources of the richest, most powerful nation on earth.

ok on a lighter note i don't know why mac keeps running those adds with the heavy guy in eyeglasses representing pc's and the slim hipster looing guy representing mac's. all the guys i know who can actually help me get computer problems solved look like the pc guy, all the guys trying to get me to buy more insurance look like the other guy.

Well, this looks like as good a time as anything to jump back in.

i must say he made an impression on me. if gore wins an oscar and the nobel peace prize he could announce for a presidential run next october or so and probably blow away the rest of the field including obama and hillary. i believe this is one of the very few leaders our nation has who might be able to affect the kind of change in perception of where we stand in terms of the future of our planet that would be powerful enough in nature to overcome the greed and intertia that has built over the last thirty years against doing anything of significance other than looking up our own asses.

Amen, my friend. Amen.

hey cyn how are you doing? haven't seen you here on campus in awhile. we should go over to the ratskeller and have a few beers!

evening all ... just driftin' thru so to speak...

*frosty** the blogger aka the whitehouse (whiteout) spokesperson tony snow(job)?

i didn't think anyone would ever beat out spirow agnew for being a stupid, nasty asshole of a vice president but it looks like cheney has left him in the dust. what a mendacious clown!:

Vice President's Shadow Hangs Over Trial
Libby Trial Testimony Points Out Cheney's Role in Trying to Dampen Wilson's Criticism

By R. Jeffrey Smith and Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, February 4, 2007; Page A05

Vice President Cheney's press officer, Cathie Martin, approached his chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, on Air Force Two on July 12, 2003, to ask how she should respond to journalists' questions about Joseph C. Wilson IV. Libby looked over the reporter's questions and told Martin: "Well, let me go talk to the boss and I'll be back."

On Libby's return, Martin testified in federal court last week, he brought a card with detailed replies dictated by Cheney, including a highly partisan, incomplete summary of Wilson's investigation into Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction program.

Libby subsequently called a reporter, read him the statement, and said -- according to the reporter -- he had "heard" that Wilson's investigation was instigated by his wife, an employee at the CIA, later identified as Valerie Plame. The reporter, Matthew Cooper of Time magazine, was one of five people with whom Libby discussed Plame's CIA status during those critical weeks that summer.

After seven days of such courtroom testimony, the unanswered question hanging over Libby's trial is, did the vice president's former chief of staff decide to leak that disparaging information on his own?

No evidence has emerged that Cheney told him to do it. But Cheney's dictated reply is one of many signs to emerge at trial of the vice president's unusual attentiveness to the scandal and his desire to blunt it. His efforts included the extraordinary disclosure of classified information, including a one-sided synopsis of Wilson's report and a 2002 intelligence estimate on Iraq.

Under questioning from FBI agent Deborah S. Bond, Libby acknowledged that he and Cheney "may have talked" explicitly aboard the plane from Norfolk that day about whether to make public Plame's CIA employment, Bond testified on Thursday.

Her testimony brought Cheney closer than ever to the heart of the controversy surrounding the Bush administration's efforts to discredit Wilson, who had accused the White House of twisting intelligence he had gathered as it sought to justify the invasion of Iraq.

ding dong the witch is dead

please ignore the troll.

Posted by Domingo on February 3, 2007 at 05:55 PM

We do have our flakes.

sometimes being left if oh so right:

Ecuador probes oil companies over pollution
Sat Feb 3, 2007 8:13pm ET

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador's President Rafael Correa said on Saturday the government would suspend contracts with any foreign oil company found to have needlessly damaged the environment.

"Any company ... state-run or private, that unnecessarily (damages) Ecuador's environment, or does not fulfill its contract, will face sanctions," Correa said in his weekly radio address.

Correa, a 43-year-old former economy minister, has made investors nervous by pledging to limit debt payments and rework foreign oil contracts to raise the government's share of booming oil revenues.

He said the government is investigating suspected irregularities committed by companies involving pollution in the country's Amazon jungle region.

The probe could be focused on Brazil's Petrobras, which is developing oil block 31, located at the heart of one of the world's biggest protected natural reserves.

"But of course, if we find out that Petrobras or any other company has committed irregularities we will terminate their contracts," said Correa.

In 2004, Petrobras won a license to explore block 31, part of which is located in a reserve considered one of the world's most bio-diverse areas and home to tribes who have maintained the same way of life for thousands of years.

Posted by gregg on February 3, 2007 at 08:50 PM

Let's give the devil his do. He hasn't testified under oath yet. I say he either throws Bush under the bus or he'll say he just doesn't remember...anything.

it will be fun to watch won't it sandy.

i really like fitz but i kinda hope dickhead starts getting steam coming out of his ears and then actually bites fitz....and then runs out of the courtroom on all fours howling like a werewolf with the court officers chasing him.

i love these charges sandy. they are the same kind of stuff ---lying to fbi agents--- that they use to flip mafia types and such....it is all so fitting that these piglets from cheney's office are being publically humiliated in the same way loan sharks, hit men and whore mongers are....too rich!

and monday the judge lets everyone know if fitz can play hours of the grand jury tapes where libby is lying his ass off....i guess fitzmas is a holiday best taken cold.

"Frosty" nutjobs
by algebrateacher
Sat Jan 13, 2007 at 02:24:58 PM PST

Is there something about the name "Frosty" that makes someone unhinged? Frosty Hardison is an activist in Federal Way, WA, trying to ban use of Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" in the classroom. He's the one who has said that "condoms don't belong in the classroom and neither does Al Gore." His wife, an unsuccessful candidate for the school board, said she thinks the film is anti-America. Then there is Frosty Wooldridge, an anti-immigration activist whose first bugaboo (first of many; the fellow is anti-immigration the way Representative Goode, R-VA, is) is the 1965 Act of Congress legalizing the presence of Cuban refugees from Fidel.

Sure dosn't take the dialog long to go down hill when Frosty* shows up. What a disgusting turn.

just driftin' back and the "frosty" ... agreed too much attention to a flake aka tony snow(job).

According to M_W The asterisk (*) is used for various arbitrary meanings. I think in Frosty's case arbitrary is the key word. How can anyone perceive the world so differently than intelligent, sensible people?

The Heat is on, It's on the Streets, It's in the Air!!!

Fry all the Repugs!!!

if you will associate yourself with intelligent, sensible people they will lead you away from your weird views.

Frosty* you're living, posting proof that that isn't the case.

Too much fun...Till the Morrow

*Fry all the Repugs**!!!

Is anyone still up?

If so, Good Evening.

:)

fos, evening young lady. here is a great recording of the band with the staple singers doing "the weight"

catch a cannon ball...

Democrats: Diversity made 'first 100 hours' work
POSTED: 1:06 p.m. EST, February 3, 2007

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The diversity of House Democrats led to the development and passage of an ambitious six-bill agenda in the first 100 hours of the new Congress, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn said Saturday.

"The first 100 hours began a new direction for America under new leadership in Congress, leadership that reflects the diverse vision, experience and values of the American people," Clyburn, a Democrat from South Carolina, said in his party's weekly radio address.

Clyburn outlined the measures House members approved in their first 100 hours, which included raising the federal minimum wage, lowering interest rates on some student loans and expanding stem cell research.

"The Democratic caucus values the exchange of different ideas," Clyburn said. "It was the diverse ideas and perspectives of our caucus that came together to develop our successful 'First 100 Hours' agenda."

In the coming weeks, Democrats will tackle issues such as the Iraq war, global warming and balancing the budget, Clyburn said.

Clyburn, the second black lawmaker in history to reach as high as a party whip, also reflected on Black History Month.

"During the month of February, we celebrate the vast contributions of African-Americans to our country. It is part of our honoring the diversity that makes us who and what we are as a nation," he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, poised to submit his new budget to Congress next week, insisted Saturday that unless programs like Medicare and Social Security are changed, future generations will face tax hikes, government red ink or huge cuts in benefits.

...the little moron can "insist" all he wants. he can stomp his little cowboy boots and wave his 1/16 of gallon cowboy hat ( made especially for his pinhead) in the air and he can get mom to flap that goosy flesh under her arms and get laura to pull out the limeaid pants suits....he ain't getting any of his domestic shit passed for the next two years because we cleaned his clock in november and those drapes we ordered are just geting hung in the committee chair offices....hahaha

Posted by gregg on February 3, 2007 at 11:47 PM

I heard that song on a commercial. I like it. I'm saving it.

:)

what's happenin out there in work land kid?

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush, poised to submit his new budget to Congress next week, insisted Saturday that unless programs like Medicare and Social Security are changed, future generations will face tax hikes, government red ink or huge cuts in benefits.

That's Official Confirmation:

The Chimp is not aware that there are two FULL GROWN generations of voting age that he has NO CLUE exist. I mean, he acts as if everyone in this country is in his little group.

Filthy Rich , One Race , One Gender and One Religion.

This man is out of his flipping mind!

what's happenin out there in work land kid?

Posted by gregg on February 4, 2007 at 12:07 AM

I'm not at work. I'm at home watching SNL. I guess, I'm still on my regular schedule with regards to my sleep rutine. I took a "break" after the DNC Talent Show earlier today and woke up around 8:30 CT. there's like three or four threads that have been posted since then.

and fos after he has demonstrated for all generations what a f_ _ _ ing genius he is by invading iraq, ignoring global warming, letting the gulf coast rot, denying stem cell research federal funds, etc. i am soooo sure everyone is jump right on his little plan to turn the social security funds over to stock brokers and used car salsemen....and of course believe that he actually is defining the problem correctly and has the only possible solutions....what a schmuck!

Posted by gregg on February 4, 2007 at 12:18 AM

Dude thinks he's Jesus Christ. I tend to think of him, though, as one who has more Warren Jeff's qualities really.

;p

what a schmuck!

take a step back and think about this ... schmuck has spent billions to create a civil war. obliterated the pottery rule while trashing our world standing. responsible for more deaths than any 10 iraqi dictators could create ... not including american families trying to justify their children's or spouse's deaths in the name of his war on terror nor those injured or scared for life as veterans of what?

a schmuck's "mission accomplished."

i sincerly hope the demos in congress paste him with a lot more than a non-binding resolution ... that would be "mission accomplished."

i hope they crazy glue his ass to the dome of the capital and let him cheerlead sam brownback from up there for the next two years. anyhow i'm off to bed. see you in the morning.

i sincerly hope the demos in congress paste him with a lot more than a non-binding resolution ... that would be "mission accomplished."

Posted by america1st on February 4, 2007 at 12:26 AM

Barack Obama has introduced BINDING Legislation to end the War in Iraq. All one has to do , though, is spend an hour with Sen. Russ Feingold to know how difficult it will be for Barack Obama to get his Democratic colleagues to grow a pair and support the bill.

;p

I didn't watch the winter meetings yesterday but it sounds like Gravel and Richardson wowed the crowd with their speeches.

I didn't watch the winter meetings yesterday but it sounds like Gravel and Richardson wowed the crowd with their speeches.

Posted by ap215 on February 4, 2007 at 12:33 AM

"...Democratic colleagues to grow a pair and support the bill."

they're on a guilt trip... having originally voted for the misleader-divider-decider to have the authorization. that's why i said "hope."

since i've been away from the blog, looks like tony snow(job) has taken up a nite job as the "frosty?"

Ooops!

I postd the wrong link.

Here's the BINDING Legislation I was talking about.

BINDING

since i've been away from the blog, looks like tony snow(job) has taken up a nite job as the "frosty?"

Posted by america1st on February 4, 2007 at 12:39 AM

Don't worry about him. I have EXCLUSIVE video footage of him. Here's a behind the scenes look at what goes on at the White House. Frosty was there with the rest of his pals.

Take A Look

BINDING... Obama was ahead of his time when he voted against the resolution, is ahead of his time for proposing his own, and it remains to be seen if the other's see the light ... my guess is not. still too much guilt for having supported the deceiver's vision of an elusive "mission accomplished."

Posted by america1st on February 4, 2007 at 12:57 AM

Ahead? No, he's not ahead of his time. He's right in line with his time as is Sen. Russ Feingold. Their colleagues are BEHIND on time. This nation is more in line with Obama and Feingold than they are with the Congress as a whole. Because they are still stuck in the past thinking that the American people are but sheep, a "blind following" electorate, they will continue to be the wipms that they are not understanding that "We the People" see them as plain as day. We see them for the cowards they are and no amount of verbal flattery and Media hype is going to distract us. We know that there are but a few good men and women on Capital Hill. Members of Congress are the only ones in the dark.

thanks for the insight... "Take A Look" ... aka "monkey house" or a "day at the whitehouse circus" or "more fun than a barrel of chimps" ... time for sleep.

Posted by america1st on February 4, 2007 at 01:17 AM

You're goin to bed after that? I hope you don't have a bad dream. (LOL)

Sleep well, my friend. Sleep well.

;p

BBL......I'm off to Progressiville

;p

FOS

Still there?

Yep,

Sup?

You know after listening to my daughter and quite few more young women who make less than $25,000 a year it has become apparent what I had suspected, but never took the time to check. The Earned Income Credit has been reduced each year and now is not what it was orignially intended for which was to help those under a certain tax bracket.

The Feds say off the welfare rolls, get training (of which most is for jobs that pay under $12.00 per hour), get a job. Fine. The majority of these young women need some tax assistence along with those low salaries.

Bottom line: now that Charles Rangel has that ways and Means Committee, I will be e-mailing and sending written comunication to resolve this problem.

I will definitely be letting that committee know that something has to be done for those that make under $20,000 a year tax wise.

FOS

Took a ride today and just a quater of a mile from me looks like Beirut. There is just devastation everywhere.

We were truly blessed early Friday morning that the initial touchdown was about one quarter of a mile from me. We heard the winds and roar, but thought that the thnunder storm was kicking up.

I know your sleep patterns are wacked out because you work graveyard. I've done it before and you never really get enough sleep and rest which is why I'm always telling you to get some.

Posted by J on February 4, 2007 at 02:13 AM

Good call. However, there should be tax breaks for people who make under 30,000 not 20,000. If they are single without kids, they still have to support themselves. Washington D.C. seems to think that in order to get some help, you have to have kids. That's not true. The cost of living is high and if you are single and not married, you have to pay for everything. That's AFTER you pay for shet you don't get like Social Security and somebody's Medicare Tax. All that is taken out of your check BEFORE you get yours and for some reason , they think it's okay to take more from Single people than everyone else. It's wrong. We still have to live off something. We pay for everything.

...and everything costs.

;p

Oh FOS, I agree wholeheartedly!!! Singles are just discriminated against something terrible with the tax makeup.

Oh FOS, I agree wholeheartedly!!! Singles are just discriminated against something terrible with the tax makeup.

Sorry for the stutter.

Oh FOS, I agree wholeheartedly!!! Singles are just discriminated against something terrible with the tax makeup.

Posted by J on February 4, 2007 at 02:24 AM

Singles have nothing whatsoever to warrant them substantial deductions which is why many get into purchasing a home so that they can start itemizing something.

But you know if you itemize substantial payments for damages/or damages themselves and whatever else if there is some type of natural disaster or whatever, the IRS immediately gets red flags and audits you. Went through that in 2006 for expenses in 2005 because of 4 hurricanes in 6 weeks that just wrecked havoc with the entire state. Top it off, I had to fight my insurer and FEMA too? Now you see why I keep the war paint on :)

The entire tax code needs to be overhauled.

Women are discrimnated against just on general principle in this country. Doesn't matter what color you are.

The entire tax code needs to be overhauled.

Posted by J on February 4, 2007 at 02:33 AM

Exactly!

As far as the home buying thing goes. I will probably never purchase a home unless I was seriously banking because first of all, I refuse to live on the first floor anywhere. It would have to be custome built like on Cribs. Second, I refuse to live in a neighborhood that I can't depend on it staying the way it was when I first move there. Third, I am single and that means I would have to be responsible for.......Oh hell. Owning a home is a complete hassle and I would rather live in a condo complex where my car is parked for me and I have security guards and where not just anybody can come knocking on my door.

;p

I hear ya there. I hope to ascend from this "starter house" one day (dreamin'), but what I want runs anywhere between $400,000/$600,000 here in Florida and with land prices running on the ridiculous side ....... oh well.

But not givin' up, never givin' up.

Nothin' wrong with wantin' to live upscale.

With all the tax breaks that the wealthy and business have handed to them in the last 6/7 years, it's like everyday folk just didn't exist.

and I think what was so infuriating about the whole thing was that the Bush administration just got bold in folks faces and said: "Oh we're goin' to help our own the wealthy and there is nothing you can do about it."

I know for a fact that Rangel is going to turn some of that crap back and let other not be renewed.

Posted by J on February 4, 2007 at 02:50 AM

That's what pisses me off the most about them. The mock the American people right to their faces. The sick thing about it is, some of our Democrats just stand right there and let them too.

Grrrr!

;p

They

;p

OMG!

....a skunk just scurried in. Who left the back door open?

bbl.........................

;p

Yeah, I'm checkin' out too.

Peace \/

good morning friends and neighbors. super sunday!

dpd must be slathering that hog back with his famous wd30/maple syrup/gunpowder bbq as i write...

hey, hey , hey who are these dummies to make suggestions as to how our brilliant field marshals bush and cheney should command the forces??? have they not witnessed the greatness of our leaders strategies??

from salon:

Ex-U.S. Military Leaders Urge Iran Talks

- - - - - - - - - - - -

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press Writer

February 03,2007 | LONDON -- Three former high-ranking U.S. military officers have called for Britain to help defuse the crisis over Iran's nuclear program, saying military action against Tehran would be a disaster for the region.

In a letter to the Sunday Times newspaper, the three former officers urged President Bush to open talks "without preconditions" with the Iranian government to find a diplomatic solution.

The signatories were retired Lt. Gen. Robert G. Gard, a senior military fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation in Washington; retired Marine Gen. Joseph P. Hoar, former head of U.S. Central Command; and Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan, former director of the Center for Defense Information.

They said Britain "has a vital role to play in securing a renewed diplomatic push" and urged Prime Minister Tony Blair to make it clear he would oppose any military attack on Iran.

The officers said an attack "would have disastrous consequences for security in the region, coalition forces in Iraq and would further exacerbate regional and global tensions."

"The current crisis must be resolved through diplomacy," they said....

Debate on Iraq healthy, Bush tells Democrats
Sat Feb 3, 2007 2:30pm ET

...what is not healthy is that fact that this moron is the one making decisions as to what actually happens in iraq...

Morning, gregg and everyone else. Superbowl Sunday and my grandson's 10th birthday!

Sunday talk from Kos:

MTP: John Edwards.

This Week: Hagel vs McCain.

CNN: Bob Baer and John McLaughlin on Iran and the NIE.
Feinstein vs Lugar.
Tom Vilsack.
Ralph Nader

Fox: Webb vs Lindsey Graham.

Face the Nation: Super Bowl episode with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Hall of Fame QB Dan Marino, Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms and CBS announcer Jim Nantz.

frank rich via the wonderful blog, welcome to pottersville:

Sunday, February 04, 2007

FRANK RICH: Why Dick Cheney Cracked Up

In the days since Dick Cheney lost it on CNN, our nation’s armchair shrinks have had a blast. The vice president who boasted of “enormous successes” in Iraq and barked “hogwash” at the congenitally mild Wolf Blitzer has been roundly judged delusional, pathologically dishonest or just plain nuts. But what else is new? We identified those diagnoses long ago.

The more intriguing question is what ignited this particularly violent public flare-up.The answer can be found in the timing of the CNN interview, which was conducted the day after the start of the perjury trial of Mr. Cheney’s former top aide, Scooter Libby. The vice president’s on-camera crackup reflected his understandable fear that a White House cover-up was crumbling. He knew that sworn testimony in a Washington courtroom would reveal still more sordid details about how the administration lied to take the country into war in Iraq.

He knew that those revelations could cripple the White House’s current campaign to escalate that war and foment apocalyptic scenarios about Iran. Scariest of all, he knew that he might yet have to testify under oath himself.Mr. Cheney, in other words, understands the danger this trial poses to the White House even as some of Washington remains oblivious. From the start, the capital has belittled the Joseph and Valerie Wilson affair as “a tempest in a teapot,” as David Broder of The Washington Post reiterated just five months ago.

When “all of the facts come out in this case, it’s going to be laughable because the consequences are not that great,” Bob Woodward said in 2005. Or, as Robert Novak suggested in 2003 before he revealed Ms. Wilson’s identity as a C.I.A. officer in his column, “weapons of mass destruction or uranium from Niger” are “little elitist issues that don’t bother most of the people.” Those issues may not trouble Mr. Novak, but they do loom large to other people, especially those who sent their kids off to war over nonexistent weapons of mass destruction and nonexistent uranium.

In terms of the big issues, the question of who first leaked Ms. Wilson’s identity (whether Mr. Libby, Richard Armitage, Ari Fleischer or Karl Rove) to which journalist (whether Mr. Woodward, Mr. Novak, Judith Miller or Matt Cooper) has always been a red herring. It’s entirely possible that the White House has always been telling the truth when it says that no one intended to unmask a secret agent. (No one has been charged with that crime.)

The White House is also telling the truth when it repeatedly says that Mr. Cheney did not send Mr. Wilson on his C.I.A.-sponsored African trip to check out a supposed Iraq-Niger uranium transaction. (Another red herring, since Mr. Wilson didn’t make that accusation in the first place.) But if the administration is telling the truth on these narrow questions and had little to hide about the Wilson trip per se, its wild overreaction to the episode was an incriminating sign it was hiding something else.

According to testimony in the Libby case, the White House went berserk when Mr. Wilson published his Op-Ed article in The Times in July 2003 about what he didn’t find in Africa. Top officials gossiped incessantly about both Wilsons to anyone who would listen, Mr. Cheney and Mr. Libby conferred about them several times a day, and finally Mr. Libby, known as an exceptionally discreet White House courtier, became so sloppy that his alleged lying landed him with five felony counts.

The explanation for the hysteria has long been obvious. The White House was terrified about being found guilty of a far greater crime than outing a C.I.A. officer: lying to the nation to hype its case for war. When Mr. Wilson, an obscure retired diplomat, touched that raw nerve, all the president’s men panicked because they knew Mr. Wilson’s modest finding in Africa was the tip of a far larger iceberg. They knew that there was still far more damning evidence of the administration’s W.M.D. lies lurking in the bowels of the bureaucracy.

Thanks to the commotion caused by the leak case, that damning evidence has slowly dribbled out. By my count we now know of at least a half-dozen instances before the start of the Iraq war when various intelligence agencies and others signaled that evidence of Iraq’s purchase of uranium in Africa might be dubious or fabricated. (These are detailed in the timelines at frankrich.com/timeline.htm.) The culmination of these warnings arrived in January 2003, the same month as the president’s State of the Union address, when the White House received a memo from the National Intelligence Council, the coordinating body for all American spy agencies, stating unequivocally that the claim was baseless.

Nonetheless President Bush brandished that fearful “uranium from Africa” in his speech to Congress as he hustled the country into war in Iraq.If the war had been a cakewalk, few would have cared to investigate the administration’s deceit at its inception. But by the time Mr. Wilson’s Op-Ed article appeared — some five months after the State of the Union and two months after “Mission Accomplished” — there was something terribly wrong with the White House’s triumphal picture.

More than 60 American troops had been killed since Mr. Bush celebrated the end of “major combat operations” by prancing about an aircraft carrier. No W.M.D. had been found, and we weren’t even able to turn on the lights in Baghdad. For the first time, more than half of Americans told a Washington Post-ABC News poll that the level of casualties was “unacceptable.” It was urgent, therefore, that the awkward questions raised by Mr. Wilson’s revelation of his Africa trip be squelched as quickly as possible. He had to be smeared as an inconsequential has-been whose mission was merely a trivial boondoggle arranged by his wife.

The C.I.A., which had actually resisted the uranium fictions, had to be strong-armed into taking the blame for the 16 errant words in the State of the Union speech. What we are learning from Mr. Libby’s trial is just what a herculean effort it took to execute this two-pronged cover-up after Mr. Wilson’s article appeared. Mr. Cheney was the hands-on manager of the 24/7 campaign of press manipulation and high-stakes character assassination, with Mr. Libby as his chief hatchet man. Though Mr. Libby’s lawyers are now arguing that their client was a sacrificial lamb thrown to the feds to shield Mr. Rove, Mr. Libby actually was — and still is — a stooge for the vice president.

Whether he will go to jail for his misplaced loyalty is the human drama of his trial. But for the country there are bigger issues at stake, and they are not, as the White House would have us believe, ancient history. The administration propaganda flimflams that sold us the war are now being retrofitted to expand and extend it.In a replay of the run-up to the original invasion, a new National Intelligence Estimate, requested by Congress in August to summarize all intelligence assessments on Iraq, was mysteriously delayed until last week, well after the president had set his surge.

Even the declassified passages released on Friday — the grim takes on the weak Iraqi security forces and the spiraling sectarian violence — foretell that the latest plan for victory is doomed. (As a White House communications aide testified at the Libby trial, this administration habitually releases bad news on Fridays because “fewer people pay attention when it’s reported on Saturday.”) A Pentagon inspector general’s report, uncovered by Business Week last week, was also kept on the q.t.: it shows that even as more American troops are being thrown into the grinder in Iraq, existing troops lack the guns and ammunition to “effectively complete their missions.” Army and Marine Corps commanders told The Washington Post that both armor and trucks were in such short supply that their best hope is that “five brigades of up-armored Humvees fall out of the sky.”

Tomorrow is the fourth anniversary of Colin Powell’s notorious W.M.D. pantomime before the United Nations Security Council, a fair amount of it a Cheney-Libby production. To mark this milestone, the White House is reviving the same script to rev up the war’s escalation, this time hyping Iran-Iraq connections instead of Al Qaeda-Iraq connections. In his Jan. 10 prime-time speech on Iraq, Mr. Bush said that Iran was supplying “advanced weaponry and training to our enemies,” even though the evidence suggests that Iran is actually in bed with our “friends” in Iraq, the Maliki government.

The administration promised a dossier to back up its claims, but that too has been delayed twice amid reports of what The Times calls “a continuing debate about how well the information proved the Bush administration’s case.” Call it a coincidence — though there are no coincidences — but it’s only fitting that the Libby trial began as news arrived of the death of E. Howard Hunt, the former C.I.A. agent whose bungling of the Watergate break-in sent him to jail and led to the unraveling of the Nixon presidency two years later.

Still, we can’t push the parallels too far. No one died in Watergate. This time around our country can’t wait two more years for the White House to be stopped from playing its games with American blood.

morning cyn, sunny and bright here with an inch or two of snow and a temp of about 10. is it time for that first superbowl long island iced tea??

The Heat is on, It's on the Street, It's in the Air, It's Everywhere!!!

*Fry The Repugs**

gg, 13 degrees here and sunny also. And, it's never too early for a long island iced tea. Alla Salute!

What happened to Mclaughlin Group Gregg?

Brazile Thinks Gore Might Run

In a recent speech, former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile "strongly implied" that her former boss could be "waiting to make a dramatic entrance into the 2008 presidential race, especially if he wins an Oscar next month," the Allentown Morning Call reports.

Said Brazile: "'I believe he is ready for this moment. He is a good leader. I think he can be one of the few leaders who can bring this country together."

"She acknowledged it will be a tough decision for Gore, noting Kerry's announcement last week to bow out of the race. Gore believes he is now doing his life's work, Brazile said. However, she conceded that Gore might be able to do more about global climate change from inside the Oval Office."

Army and Marine Corps commanders told The Washington Post that both armor and trucks were in such short supply that their best hope is that “five brigades of up-armored Humvees fall out of the sky.”

Morning gregg and anyone else lurking,

During WWII Dwight Eisenhower was acutely aware of the problem with supply lines. He made it a point to have more than enough weaponry, fuel and food in the pipeline for the troops in their drive across Europe after D-Day. Without an abundant supply of these items, he didn't feel that we would be successful.

The moron in the White House never kept up with history yet he thinks he is the Commander in Chief. He has failed and will continue to fail miserably until he is REMOVED from our White House. Of course the White House will have to be
fumigated for several years before it is habitable again.

It's a balmy 23 Degrees here in beautiful central New Mexico. I will take some of that iced tea.

i have no idea gotv but i wouldn't be surprised if the whole crowd was infected with a case of lithuanian exploding cabeza virus and the clean up crew from langley is taking care of bizznezz....

Good morning, everyone.

Earmarks battle cast as good vs. evil

If you've watched "Lord of the Rings," you may have noticed a similarity between the movie and the congressional battle over earmarks. Like the Ring, earmarks bestow amazing power on their bearers.

Gregg, great Frank Rich article.

Morning John and GOTV

morning john....one l.i. tea coming up and just wait till dpd gets that hog back off his chipped car tire bbq fire out back....

Yes, yes, yes, ****Fry the Repigs****

I always did like roasted pig at a Hawaiian Luau.

I think the slogan for the next Congressional elections should be "Got Balls"? If not do not apply.

No ice tea for me, I purchased a bottle from Raven's Glenn (local vineyard) for tonight's game.

I have no idea the stats on the teams, and really don't care, (it's ignorance & apathy at it's finest) but I'm cheering for this team, only because my HS mascot is the same.

GO COLTS!

Posted by Cyn_NY on February 4, 2007 at 07:59 AM

I hope DB isn't giving us false hope. And if Gore does run, he doesn't retain her in any campaign position.

Other than figure skating and golf, the only game I like is football. Football really takes a lot of skill. It you don't have a brain you won't go very far.

I can't stand basketball (back and forth back and forth, yawn) or baseball (yawn).

And if he says it, he believes it.

Do we need to revive the draft?

Bush said he'd considered a draft but rejected it. "I think the volunteer army is working, and we've got to keep it strong," he told PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer in an interview Jan. 16.

Morning, Esme! I know nothing about football or the teams, either. But, I did go halves with my husband on a square in a superbowl pool so I have to remain neutral until I find out with our square says. ;-)

Posted by Johnedwrd on February 4, 2007 at 08:13 AM

It boggles my mind at the amount of money they make a year. Rappers are another group. My Necee watches Cribs on MTV. I can't even imagine their lifestyles. I'm happy if I have an extra $50 after I pay my bills to buy gr