Monday Open Thread
Chat away...
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Good morning, all
"When you're stickter than God about what he command and permits, younger pastors are not going to play ball"
Missouri's most powerful Baptist takes on the 'emerging church'
By Tim Townsend
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
04/02/2007
For Roger Moran, the most powerful Baptist in Missouri, the past represents victory and personal grace.
He has spent nearly a decade building a political Baptist empire, one based on a conservative foundation that he put in place.
But when talk turns to the future — specifically, the future of the Missouri Baptist Convention — Moran is suddenly an Old Testament prophet of doom.
His target: a young band of moderate Christians that he believes is trying to steal back the convention, undercutting his empire. It's a growing movement he'd like to see disappear.
"You begin to see this new generation of moderates rising up and giving cover to the more liberal factions of this movement," Moran says. "And the point I'm trying to make is, 'Folks, this thing is coming in under the radar.'"
This "thing," according to Moran, is the emerging church — a term that has come to define a broad swath of churches that attract younger Christians by tapping into a secular culture. The movement — which promotes alternative ways of attracting young people, including rock music and alcohol — makes traditional Christian leaders nervous...
//www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/76525E382E260FB8862572B1000C874E?OpenDocument
A sign of the times.
Gotta go. later.
Thank you, Michael for the excellent job of Trash removal! Nothing like the smell of Fresh Open thread, is there?
morning all,
TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian state radio reported that all 15 British sailors and marines held captive by Iran have confessed to illegally entering Iranian waters but, in an apparent softening in the dispute, said their statements would not air because of "positive changes" from Britain.
The softer tone was apparently mirrored in London, where an official said Britain has agreed to consider discussing with Iran how to avoid future disputes over contested waters in the Persian Gulf.
Britain, however, wants an unconditional release of the crew and is not "negotiating" for their freedom, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the crisis. Iran has demanded an apology from Britain as a condition for the release of the crew, who were seized March 23.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070402/ap_on_re_mi_ea/british_seized_iran
They spout Jesus' name but do not practise what they preach. The same applies to senator hatch. He purports to be a christian (mormon) and they say they believe in Jesus but I don't think hatch has voted for anything in his whole life to help the poor. These people are totally selfish individuals and total hypocrites.
Johnedwrd on April 2, 2007 at 09:41 AM,
Cannot this be regarded as using the lords name in vain? That is how I perceive it.
out, see ya. Hey, Mikey, thanks for the new thread. How was your weekend? Good here, thanks! Friday's open thread, and the makeshift open thread (courtesy of Gregg and DPD) are loaded with troll plops. They should turn your Monday to the lighter side. If you have time to read them. Some are quite hilarious; in which case, why am I crying? ;)
bbl
there may be really great news breaking right now. i can't get much detail but i think the supreme court just voted 5-4 that the epa must regulate co2!!!!if i am right this is VERY, VERY BIG NEWS!!!!
this is all i can find so far.
Supreme Court, 5-4, Rules Against Administration in Global Warming Case
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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 2, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming.
Justices’ First Brush With Global Warming
In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.
Connecticut and 11 other states, along with 13 environmental groups, sued the EPA over the issue.
ahhhh, fresh air break
Clinton, Edwards Top Fundraising Records
Why Bush seems unable to regain his footing
On an almost daily basis, it seems, signs are emerging that the well-oiled Bush machine of the early days is anything but that in the final quarter of George W. Bush's presidency.
Election board head sues to keep job
The chairman of the embattled election board in Ohio's most populous county has sued the state elections officer to keep his position.
Robert Bennett, head of the state Republican Party, is the lone holdout on the five-member panel in Cuyahoga County, which includes all of Cleveland and has 1 million registered voters.
oh please! curb malicious comment posting on the trolls.
I'm clicking again!
Election board head sues to keep job
The chairman of the embattled election board in Ohio's most populous county has sued the state elections officer to keep his position.
Robert Bennett, head of the state Republican Party, is the lone holdout on the five-member panel in Cuyahoga County, which includes all of Cleveland and has 1 million registered voters.
I've been appointed to serve on the OAEO legislative committee. I'm stoked!
HR 1167 & S 979 are in my sites.
Back to the grind. Enjoy the day, everyone.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070402/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_guantanamo_detainees
when will we grant these people some sort of day in court? we cried about places like the gulag when other people were running them, but we allow our gov. to continue to run secret and not so secret camps. it is unamerican to lock people up for 5 yrs and not even allow them to prove their innocence. if they are terrorists, lets try them in court and sentence them to prison.
They spout Jesus' name but do not practise what they preach. The same applies to senator hatch. He purports to be a christian (mormon) and they say they believe in Jesus but I don't think hatch has voted for anything in his whole life to help the poor. These people are totally selfish individuals and total hypocrites.
not to get on the whole theology thing, but LDS is not a christian religion. joe smith said christian religion was all wrong and changed the christian bible to the book of mormon.
Things not looking good for Bush lately now he loses a supreme court ruling i wonder what could be next.
And to Robert you didn't do your job right when you kissed up to Blackwell & Bush's ass and screwed up the election process in Ohio so step down you moron.
I have a Great Idea for these right/wrong wing fundamentalist so called christian nuts.
All of you get your sorry as-es over to Iran and suround the Nuclear Plants so when the Chimp starts his hydrogen bomb attack we back here can see if this so called mesiah is going to return!!!
"Clinton, Edwards top fundraisers"
What I want to know is how much of that is coming from K-street?
Now that the Republicans are out of favor with the American Voters, it seems as though K-street is starting to bid on Democrats.
It's starting to look like our Democrat candidates are becoming poster children for campaign reform now!
After watching the sunday political shows,
I just have one huge stupid question:
If all the GOPers are admitting that 'mistakes were made' in the firing of the US attourney(s),
why not give them their jobs back?
Duh, well, wouldn't that go a heck of a long way in correcting those 'mistakes'?
What happened to the Supreme Court "Bong hits for Jesus" case?
Butte, Over the weekend, there was a very good breakdown of Hillary's money. I will see if I can find it, but it consisted of her rolling money over from her Senate campaign money, and money Bill donated, etc.
well, it is not as detailed as I remembered, but gives you some ideas,
Fundraising has been the top priority of the presidential campaigns. Clinton has packed her schedule with gala events and intimate dinners and has received substantial help from her husband, former President Bill Clinton, a hit among contributors. Edwards, a former trial lawyer, has lawyers in prominent positions on his fundraising team. The Edwards campaign saw a spike in donations, especially online, after Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, announced that her cancer had returned and was incurable.
Both campaigns issued pleas for donations in the final hours of the quarter, using the approaching deadline to motivate donors.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070401/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_money_12
TracyPhillips on April 2, 2007 at 11:27 AM,
Mr. Bush's Idea of De-Criminalization? [read]
btw, did I post my LTE last week on Elizabeth Edwards? Here it is.
"The Courant's editorial in today's issue about Elizabeth Edwards made me ponder how politics can color one's perception of events.
Last Saturday, as UCONN ladies played North Carolina State, ESPN turned the game into the Kay Yow Show. They went over and over how Kay Yow had terminal cancer, showing Kay more than they did the game. How admirable and brave she was for traveling with her team. What a great inspiration she was to others with the disease. How she said the only time she forgot about her condition was when she was working and coaching. In addition to her team playing their hearts out for here, the announcers, crowd, etc all were rooting for her team to win because of it.
Now on the other hand, we have Elizabeth Edwards with the same disease. Is she acclaimed as admirable? Brave? An inspiration? No, quite the contrary. People with obvious political reasons, think Mrs Edwards should go and sit in her bedroom and wait for the sentence! They think her husband should drop out and just go and sit there with her, too.
Isn't it amazing how one can look at two people in the same situation and think two entirely different solutions to the problem?
It opens my eyes daily to the fact that politics makes very strange bedfellows!
Dear President Bush,
Why not release the radar information from the USA Carrier Group to show where the British were to prevent any misunderstanding by the British encroachment on Iranian Boarder?
Why escalate this event? If the radar information show the British encroached and entered the Iranian boarder playing war games then they should pay the penalty for failing the basic mission of training. No more lives should be expended to cover someone else’s mistake.
How may lives are you willing to expend for these 15 non-USA citizens and their mistake?
Release the radar information, this is not another Gulf of Tonkins!
Concerned
There is a mentality in Florida schools since Jeb took office. It is like an authoritarian mindset, "don't mess with us" thing. Not much creativity in dealing with class behavior. Just call the police...even on 5 year olds.
I have a Great Idea for these right/wrong wing fundamentalist so called christian nuts.
All of you get your sorry as-es over to Iran and suround the Nuclear Plants so when the Chimp starts his hydrogen bomb attack we back here can see if this so called mesiah is going to return!!!
Posted by GOTV on April 2, 2007 at 11:07 AM
AND THAT GOES FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO THINKS THIS GD MESIAH IS COMMING AGAIN!!!
another good one:
"The terrorist attacks on 9/11 were themselves a massive, providential distraction; until then the public, realizing that Mr. Bush wasn't the moderate he played in the 2000 election, was growing increasingly unhappy with his administration. And they offered many opportunities for further distractions. Rather than debating Democrats on the issues, the G.O.P. could denounce them as soft on terror. And do you remember the terror alert, based on old and questionable information, that was declared right after the 2004 Democratic National Convention?
But distraction can only go so far. So the other tool was disenfranchisement: finding ways to keep poor people, who tend to vote for the party that might actually do something about inequality, out of the voting booth.
Remember that disenfranchisement in the form of the 2000 Florida "felon purge," which struck many legitimate voters from the rolls, put Mr. Bush in the White House in the first place. And disenfranchisement seems to be what much of the politicization of the Justice Department was about.
Several of the fired U.S. attorneys were under pressure to pursue allegations of voter fraud - a phrase that has become almost synonymous with "voting while black." Former staff members of the Justice Department's civil rights division say that they were repeatedly overruled when they objected to Republican actions, ranging from Georgia's voter ID law to Tom DeLay's Texas redistricting, that they believed would effectively disenfranchise African-American voters.
The good news is that all the G.O.P.'s abuses of power weren't enough to win the 2006 elections. And 2008 may be even harder for the Republicans, because the Democrats - who spent most of the Clinton years trying to reassure rich people and corporations that they weren't really populists - seem to be realizing that times have changed.
I have a Great Idea for these right/wrong wing fundamentalist so called christian nuts.
All of you get your sorry asses over to Iran and suround the Nuclear Plants so when the Chimp starts his hydrogen bomb attack we back here can see if this so called mesiah is going to return!!!
Posted by GOTV on April 2, 2007 at 11:07 AM
AND THAT GOES FOR ANYONE ELSE WHO THINKS THIS SO CALLED GD MESIAH IS GOING TO RETURN AGAIN!!!
OMG! A future Potential First lady???
JUDI'S JOB WITH PUP-KILLER FIRM
In Sunday's Post, Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign spokesman, Michael McKeon, said of Judi Giuliani's work with U.S. Surgical, "She was in the operating room hundreds of times, using her nursing skills and training doctors in the stapling technique."
Asked yesterday about the procedure being performed on dogs, McKeon said, "I've never heard any of this before."
Then McKeon said he would have to ask Judi.
Finally, he said only that Judi had not been involved in procuring dogs for sales demonstrations - but did not comment on whether she participated in demonstrations involving dogs.
Posted by GOTV on April 2, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Why would I want or need to be at a nuclear plant in Iran? Is that the bus stop?
Typical Brit's keeping a stiff upper lip over the hostage crisis.
It's only a crisis at 10 Downing Street. The lap dog pissed on a hydrant that he would have been better walking past.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/iran/story/0,,2047108,00.html
I share the outrage expressed in the British press over the treatment of our naval personnel accused by Iran of illegally entering their waters. It is a disgrace. We would never dream of treating captives like this - allowing them to smoke cigarettes, for example, even though it has been proven that smoking kills. And as for compelling poor servicewoman Faye Turney to wear a black headscarf, and then allowing the picture to be posted around the world - have the Iranians no concept of civilised behaviour? For God's sake, what's wrong with putting a bag over her head? That's what we do with the Muslims we capture: we put bags over their heads, so it's hard to breathe. Then it's perfectly acceptable to take photographs of them and circulate them to the press because the captives can't be recognised and humiliated in the way these unfortunate British service people are.
Jacq,
I don't think GOTV is referring to nice christian Dems like yourself.
L@@k AT THIS ONE:
Chis Shays is our LAST New England Republican House of Reps, Rep. Seems he tried to switch over to Dems, but Pelosi said F-Off!
HAHAHAHAHA!
FROM THE OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON - Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected a request by Republican Congressman Christopher Shays (CT-04) to switch to the Democratic caucus and maintain his seniority. Shays, a pro-war Republican from a largely anti-war district, is known for his allegedly moderate positions. Speaker Pelosi did not feel she could retain credibility as a leader of the Democratic Party if she allowed Shays into her caucus.
"I respect Congressman Shays recognition that he is the last of a dying breed: the New England Republican," Speaker Pelosi said. "But I cannot in good faith welcome anyone into the Democratic Party who has repeatedly done all in his power to further the Bush administration's agenda for war without end."
"The American people resoundingly voted Democrats into the majority this past November because they want to see a government of reform and accountability. Chris Shays has repeatedly shown that he's simply uninterested in upholding his Constitutional duty to be a check on the Bush administration. I have no reason to believe that he would take his oath of office any more seriously as a Democrat."
"The people of Connecticut - particularly Connecticut's blog readers - would never forgive the Democratic Party for accepting a man like Chris Shays into our caucus," Pelosi's internet director Karina Newton said. "If Shays wants there to be a Democrat representing the Connecticut 4th, he should vote for one in 2008."
Shays expressed interest in switching parties shortly after his reelection in November. He formally requested a switch Friday morning, asking Speaker Pelosi to retain his seniority on the Homeland Security and Financial Services committees, as well as his parking spot near the elevator in Longworth House Office Building. Pelosi rejected the request on Saturday after speaking with other members of Connecticut's congressional delegation for their input.
http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/frontPage.do
NOW I find out the above is an April Fool joke on a CT blog! Oh well, it pumped up my heart for a little while! Betcha he has thought of it more than once, though since he narrowly won last fall.
Posted by GOTV on April 2, 2007 at 11:58 AM
He or she is not going to return because he/she is already here. The huge and I mean huge irony is that the very people waiting are gonna miss the bus(white chariot and flames) because there ain't no bus.
They're buying tickets like mad for the big shabang but there is no party. They're staring at the big ball and it ain't gonna drop. They're getting pumped for the final's and there is no team.
As Jesus said, "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do"
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 12:12 PM
I think what gave it away was the request for the parking spot....
Good Morning, ALL!
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 11:52 AM
Pam, the Tribune Company was sold last night to a fairly forward thinking real estate develpoer, so the Courant may soon have a change in editorial people or policy.
The Cubs are going on the market, too, and possibly their radio and TV stations.
Zell buys Tribune Co., Cubs to be sold
Chicago real estate tycoon buys troubled media company for $13 billion, at a price of $34 a share.
You may want to bookmark this site Political Money Line
Also, 2008 presidential hopefuls
Good mid-morning, all.
Have you seen the new thread Michael Link has posted called SCOTUS Rules On Greenhouse Gases at the top of the blog?
He's posted a PSA done by the American Enterprise Institute that is going to have you rolling in the aisles. I think these people want to kill us.
I truly think that this country is gone over the deep end. We might have to impeach Bush/Cheney to save the planet...and what's left of intelligent life in this country.
Unbelievable.
Posted by sunny on April 2, 2007 at 11:54 AM
sunny,
When are they going to put handcuffs on Gonzales and take him away kicking and screaming?
For weeks now this man have been traveling around the the nation causing all kinds of trouble. He obviously hasn't traveled to a Florida school yet...in his quest to protect "the kids."
Maytag Chooses A New Maytag Repairman Actor
The playful "Maytag Repairman" ads mask a corporation acquired by Whirlpool involved in hardball business of aquiring smaller competitors, closing plants, laying off workers and selling unprofitable brands to Chinese investors.
PROGRESSIVE VALUES
not sure how slanted this book will be! After all, Bush bestoyed some silly prize award on him as he left office.
"We're just a month away from what could be the biggest storm yet over who knew what before 9/11 and about those weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, as former CIA Director George Tenet finally tells of those troubled days. We hear vaguely that in At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA, out April 30, Tenet takes responsibility for intelligence shortcomings but also isn't shy about naming officials in the Bush and Clinton administrations who share in the blame. It's not all bad: The "DCI" tells of some amazing intel successes, too.
Allies say the 511-page book-300,000 in the first printing-isn't a rant: Tenet spent a year and a half researching it, reviewed tens of thousands of documents, and conducted dozens of interviews with key players to fill in the gaps of his story, the first by a true Bush insider involved in making war policy. Then he had to win CIA approval. To speed that, he submitted chunks of the 25-chapter book, getting the green light in mid-March.
How big will the Tenet storm be? Several foreign publishers are negotiating the rights for it. And his P.R. rollout includes a rare two-segment 60 Minutes appearance, a magazine deal, the Today Show, and Meet the Press. "Many books, many articles, and many talk shows have discussed George," says his lawyer Robert Barnett. "Now George will have the opportunity to tell his side."
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/washingtonwhispers/?s_cid=et:=0326
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 01:35 PM
Save your money and your time. This is gonna be the same Tenet that said it was a "Slam Dunk" and then after he left, said he didn't say it was a "Slam Dunk" and his words word twisted or some such shit.
He then stood in the same line with Bremer and Franks and accepted the highest award available to cronies, the Medal of Freedom, with a smile.
His style in the Middle East was one of shoot first, shake a lot of hands and bust some balls diplomacy and intelligence gathering. What surfaced under his guidance and intelligence gathering techniques was...Chalabi. Wonderful.
HIs book will be a walk down memory lane, spiced with redacted memo's and bullshit emails. Breathless.
He will be magnaminous in his contrite acceptance of responsibility, but surely the american sheeple can not hold him responsible for a broken system. Afterall, he was just one spoke in the wheel.
Just one more example of how incompetence in this administration rocks to the top.
An insight into what real happens behind the curtain will be more interesting once Barney comes out with his book.
"How to fake attention to a dipshit owner who happens to be a president and how I let the best farts go under his desk and didn't get my assed kicked"
Children killed in Iraq bombing
Nine children were among 12 people killed when a suicide bomber blew up a truck in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, police say. A further 192 people were injured in the blast, which happened when a bomber drove a truck laden with explosives into a barrier at a police station.
Full Story:
Terror in Iraq in the aftermath of the bombing
At least 12 people have died after a suicide truck bomber struck a police station in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.
Watch the video: This report contains images viewers may find distressing
http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news/video/86000/nb/86825_16x9_nb.asx
Unreal...these poor buggers. Imagine getting the news today. You've made plans for your year at home...many of these guys/gals probably thought that they wouldn't have to go back. You have to leave your family, your friends, your loved ones.
I'm guessing that a lot of them are gonna go back with a I don't give a shit attitude and you can stick this invasion and occupation up your bum.
An absolute recipe for disaster....how can you order these poor people to do this, knowing that the end result is, no result, other than the inevitability of loss of human life.
Pray that some say no thanks. I rather take my chances with a natural disaster or a drive by shooting....here.
WASHINGTON, April 2 (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday it will send another 9,000 U.S. troops to Iraq, with about half of them returning to combat ahead of schedule, in order to maintain troop levels in its new security crackdown through at least August.
An insight into what real happens behind the curtain will be more interesting once Barney comes out with his book.
Posted by gnois on April 2, 2007 at 02:15 PM
gnois,
If ony that dog could talk. Maybe he knows how to operate a tape recorder?
you may not all be as into the supreme court ruling today on greenhouse gases as i am but it is a big deal in terms of getting started on passing off a livable planet to future generations and it tells us alot about the supreme court:
Justices: EPA Can Control Car Emissions
By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
Monday, April 2, 2007
(04-02) 08:59 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --
The Supreme Court ordered the federal government on Monday to take a fresh look at regulating carbon dioxide emissions from cars, a rebuke to Bush administration policy on global warming.
In a 5-4 decision, the court said the Clean Air Act gives the Environmental Protection Agency the authority to regulate the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from cars.
Greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the landmark environmental law, Justice John Paul Stevens said in his majority opinion.
The court's four conservative justices — Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas — dissented.
---ok so now we know beyond any shadow of a doubt that the four horseman of the apocalypse are these turkeys. forget all the dreams that alito might be good on some issue or other or that roberts might surprise us and be more moderate than was thought. these four are extremists and always will be. it is therefore IMPERATIVE that our senate block any and all bush nominees to the court should one arise in the next two years. it is also IMPERATIVE that we elect a democrat to the presidency in 08 be that obama, hillary, dodd, biden, yancey derringer or the old stand by hand puppet. if we can succeed in these two things we can set the court up to be 5-4 our way for a long, long time to come and the four horsemen will grow old and cranky always going against the interest of the people and for the interest of the rich, the corporate and the powerful and ALWAYS FUCKING LOSING. and we might just live happily ever after.
in order to maintain troop levels in its new security crackdown through at least August.
Isn't that the deadline that the Republican Congressional caucus gave General Petraus in their closed door strategy meeting? What a coincidence.
I'm guessing that a lot of them are gonna go back with a I don't give a shit attitude and you can stick this invasion and occupation up your bum
gnois,
I know from my own nephew, he has been twice, word is they are gearing up to be sent a 3rd time, The novelty has worn off. That big soldier boy image and his own gun and license to shoot, is no longer any big deal compared to his family and friends and being here. They see through the farce now, and understand they are not killing any terrorists-----they are shooting Iraqi citizens who just want them the hell out of their country!
For anyone interested in the framing debate who doesn't know about Rockridge:
Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 3 – Part 2: Insights from Cognitive Sciences
Continuing our discussion of chapter 3 in Thinking Points, we explore the insights provided by the cognitive sciences to discover that many common assumptions about the human mind are flawed. In this section, the second of three installments on chapter 3, we can see that our “common sense” understanding of rational thought leads to erroneous predictions about political behavior.
There are links to the discussions on previous chapters on that page, in case you want to go back and review.
gregg,
You are correct in knowing that we MUST get a Democrat in that WH. Most of the liberal books I read last couple of years all said the same thing----the MOST IMPORTANT thing on the Republican/neo-con adjenda was to Stack that SCOTUS with all conservative judges, so that THEY will turn around every single Liberal decision/law that was ever made.
They figure these extremists will turn this country into some kind of Puritan nation, burning rebels at the stake.
I heard a blurb by Cheney a while ago on 24/7 news. He was making a speech to the faithful someplace and was talking about the "twisted logic" that is being used nowdays in the Beltway.
Since he's an expert in that field, we'll have to pay close attention to what he's criticizing...it's obviously the gospel truth. It just gets easier all the time to catch him lying.
Most of Americans just duck nowadays when they hear he's going to make a public appearance outside the bunker. You can't be too careful around a crabby drunk waving shotgun.
They figure these extremists will turn this country into some kind of Puritan nation, burning rebels at the stake.
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 02:49 PM
Pam,
Instead of banning "immoral sex" and "twisted logic", I think it's much more likely that they would turn this country into a banana republic-style dictatorship interested only in advancing free trade.
Oh, I forgot they already did that.
Posted by SandyH on April 2, 2007 at 02:42 PM
Yep...but what's the goal?? Is the strategy working or not? Is violence up or down?? Is the Green Zone safer or not??
And then what...maintain troop levels for what and for how long?
Mcinsane say's it's safe, Patreaus say's not so safe and Michael Ware say's they are both from outer space.
The only reliable indicator will be the Iraqi morgues and the daily body count.
It may be safe for day trips and rug shopping in flac jackets surrounded by a platoon but is it safe for the average Iraqi and will it ever be?
Effin' dopes and their we can't give the enemy a heads up about a withdrawal date. What a stupendously ignorant argument.
Unless we intend to establish Iraq as the 51st state then a withdrawal date is inevitable and it just becomes a matter of time and patience. Based on history, 28 years (the length of time the British occupied) is nothing to the Iraqi people, sunni or shia.
It'll be over by August, the writing is on the wall. The next request for supplemental funds from president potatohead will be for helicopter gas to get the troops home.
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 02:44 PM
I'm so sorry that it's so close to home for you. On the other hand, forewarned is forearmed. The concept or intitial energy to engage the enemy would be long gone by a 3rd term and thank God.
Self preservation becomes the goal and hence the idea of going on a night patrol is not so glamourous.
Nope, it truly is sad but the reality is a hero will be the one that goes, finds a way to avoid conflict, does his or hers time and get's back home to his family and a life.
Godspeed to your nephew. Then again, there's always Canada and they have a National Health Care plan that is second to none.
Dental too.
It'll be over by August, the writing is on the wall. The next request for supplemental funds from president potatohead will be for helicopter gas to get the troops home.
Posted by gnois on April 2, 2007 at 03:09 PM
gnois,
Oh, how I wish.
I just don't think Bush will give in for vanity's sake. What did Johnson say, "I don't want to be the first American President who loses a war."
And Cheney would shoot him if he tried. The Republicans in Congress, especially the Senate GOP fraternity, can't back down without looking like they are traitors to the war on terror cause.
So the Republicans will keep this doggie going till their is either a huge masacre of American troops or they lose everything in the 2008 election. I have every confidence in their total incompetence.
Pam --
That was the stated purpose of Liberty University: an open attempt to subvert the Constitution by training so-called "religious" lawyers to use US law against itself. In another era in America, those "lawyers" would have been jailed as the subversives they are. Jones and his neoKKKon, Federalist buddies cleverly picked the perfect cover story (being a "Christian" educational institution); just barely enough to avoid interference from a true American government that seeks not to meddle religious institutions.
The biggest slap in the face to any right-thinking, patriotic American is that those bastards are doing it with taxpayer money.
Ben Franklin would see these treasonous bastids hanged for the true snakes and anti-Americans that they are. Unless the rest of us grind these pseudo-religions into the dirt where cowshit and treasonists both properly belong, it will be the end of democracy in America.
Posted by HillWilliam on April 2, 2007 at 03:38 PM
....Having said that, ya think Gonzales will make it to the meetin on the 17th??
I'm guessing that with Sampsons true confessions and Jone's stance on the 5th, that it will be real ugly for him and that the pressure will be on him for a resignation letter.
Dumbya can't afford another couple of weeks of the negative press and Gonzales can't hide.
It ain't over either. Even with a resignation, I spect' they'll keep up with the surge. Oooop's, the purge.
Too much fun.
Unless the rest of us grind these pseudo-religions into the dirt where cowshit and treasonists both properly belong, it will be the end of democracy in America.
Hill,
These turds can't handle a lot of light. Kind of like a lot of my vampire friends.
Just kiddin'...What's happening, as a natural course of events, these guys clamored for the power and the big lights. They got it. Problem is though, they weren't prepared for the scrutiny and it caught them by surprise. You can only fool some of the people some of the time.
Now they only come out at night and now instead of swallowing, a lot of the sheeple's are leaving it in their mouth for a minute to see what it tastes like. Some are spittin' it back out.
This applies to fundies, neo's and dumbya's room mates.
We are in for some exciting times and it's great to be a tin foil hat wearing, pinko, commmie, socialist.
(tee hee), TOO funny. Remember when Chimpy threw out the first pitch on Opening Day a few years ago and was roundly and LOUDLY "BOOED"? The big tough John Wayne in the Oval Office is too chicken to show his face in public now, unless they can find a way to pre-screen 45,000 people.
Happy Baseball Day
Buck, Buck, BWAAAAWK!!!
Posted by DPD on April 2, 2007 at 04:04 PM
For the second year in a row, President Bush will skip the tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch in Washington’s baseball home opener. With Bush’s approval ratings stuck in the low 30s in recent polls, a White House spokeswoman “was asked whether the president feared he’d get booed. ‘No,’ she replied. ‘Certainly not.’” .......the president has a packed schedule and feels that taking time to support americans favorite pastime is not in his best interest.
But, afraid, no, not ever. This man fly's jet aircraft, can snort 12" of cocaine in a single breath, handles two stroke powered chainsaws like Paul Bunyun and lives with Laura.
DPD on April 2, 2007 at 04:04 PM,
IMHO, Mr. Bush is not throwing out the first pitch because the occasion represents way to big of a security risk. It must be real interesting being in the secret service today and trying to ensure the safety of this sitting president. Is there any wonder he needs a fortress in S.A. and 15,000 man army to protect him after he leaves office?
The New Nazis....
Posted by raoulxxx on April 2, 2007 at 12:07 PM
Thanks for the URL. You present a very shocking look into the thinking of Goebbels. It appears that bush is trying for a rerun. Hopefully he and cheney will be sent to the Hague and tried based on the Nuremburg Principles, i.e. Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes and Crimes Against Peace.
Nuremburg Principles
Is there somewhere on line one can read the transcripts of the Nuremburg Trails?
Johnedwrd on April 2, 2007 at 04:30 PM,
Try here. Nuremburg Trails
Posted by GOTV on April 2, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Why would I want or need to be at a nuclear plant in Iran? Is that the bus stop?
Posted by Esmeralda on April 2, 2007 at 12:03 PM
Like I said before if you beleive that someone or thing is going to return to save the world then get your ass over there and wait for the Chimp to bomb the hell out of Iran, sorta like a minny halacoust. Then we'll see what happens.
Don't forget to take the Chimp, because he's one of those born again lunatics too, and remind him to take the breifcase, as we know how he can be, and all the fundies in the whitehouse. The seedlings to!!! If the seedlings start crying and don't want to go just feedum some more koolaid to getem through it. Remember you all going to heaven/hell! (I don't beleive in it but I have to put in your terms so you understand what I'm talking about).
Seriously I want these Fundies to either put up or shut up!!!
How is this for a quotable quote:
In German legal theory, Hitler was not only the Supreme Legislator, he was also the Supreme Judge. On 26 April 1942 Hitler addressed the Reichstag in part as follows:
“I do expect one thing: that the nation gives me the right to intervene immediately and to take action myself whenever a person has failed to render unqualified obedience....”
“I therefore ask the German Reichstag to confirm expressly that I have the legal right to keep everybody to his duty and to cashier or remove from office or position without regard for his person or his established rights, whoever, in my view and according to my considered opinion, has failed to do his duty....”
“From now on, I shall intervene in these cases and remove from office those judges who evidently do not understand the demand of the hour.”
link
...or, this:
“ . . . the Fuehrer must have all the rights postulated by him which serve to further or achieve victory. Therefore—without being bound by existing legal regulations—in his capacity as leader of the nation, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, governmental chief and supreme executive chief, as supreme justice, and leader of the Party—the Fuehrer must be in a position to force with all means at his disposal every German, if necessary, whether he be common soldier or officer, low or high official or judge, leading or subordinate official of the Party, worker or employee, to fulfill his duties. In case of violation of these duties, the Fuehrer is entitled after conscientious examination, regardless of so-called well-deserved rights, to mete out due punishment, and to remove the offender from his post, rank and position, without introducing prescribed procedures.”
[link the same as my 4:50PM post]
Where has this president and the past Congresses lead us the past six years? Is there a ring of familiarity, or is it me?
On a lighter note. Garry Trudeau is the man for comics!!!
http://http://www.msnbc.com/comics/daily.asp?sfile=db070402&vts=4220071217
anyone catch any of that Rudy/Judy interview on 20/20 the other night????
all I have to say is, if this sorry looking broad is the one who stole him away from wife #2, what did poor wife #2 look like?
Lordy
McCain gets more and more senile every day !
"John McCain and three fellow Republicans chose the Shorja market as the location for their publicity stunt. Their bragging rights for spending an hour in the same location as a February bombing that killed 71 people was supposed to show the world that the "surge" strategy is working.
But just hours after their visit, the snipers are back in Shorja and 21 Shiites - all employed in the market - were abducted and killed on their way home from work. Six more kidnapped workers are still missing.
What made McCain and company so brave to walk "freely" into this death trap? Maybe it had something to do with the kevlar vests, armored vehicles, Blackhawks circling overhead, or the massive U.S. military entourage that barricaded customers by not letting them "even cross the street to the other side." And that's on top of the previous security measures, including giant blast barriers and the prohibition of vehicular traffic.
According to an Iraqi merchant, an Iraqi soldier was shot by a sniper the day before McCain's visit, and two civilians were hit the day before. The number of customers has dropped by more than 90% since the bombings began.
another Republican turns on Bush! It seems Dems are not the ONLY ones who believe that Bush and the neo-cons destroyed this country!
"At a lunch recently at a downtown Washington hotel, Gold, 78, hands over the program, now an artifact of seemingly ancient history. He is trying to explain why it was so hard to write his new book, one whose title encapsulates what he now thinks of his onetime friends: "Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy-Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP." The two men at the top, he says, were men he knew pretty well -- or at least he thought he did.
"What I described there was the Cheney we all thought we knew," Gold says ruefully.
His book, to be published this month by Sourcebooks with an initial print run of 20,000 copies, offers quite a different assessment of the two most powerful men in Washington. Under Bush and Cheney, he argues, the GOP has moved away from principles of small government, prudent foreign policy and leaving people alone to live their private lives -- all views Gold associates with his hero, Goldwater. "Invasion of the Party Snatchers" makes plain Gold's contempt for the direction of his party and the guidance of its leaders.
"For all the Rove-built facade of his being a 'strong' chief executive, George W. Bush has been, by comparison to even hapless Jimmy Carter, the weakest, most out of touch president in modern times," Gold writes. "Think Dan Quayle in cowboy boots."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040101211.html?hpid=features1
Good evening all.
GOOPIES continue to suck and drop in the polls once again:
GOP continues to bleed support
by kos
Mon Apr 02, 2007 at 09:54:10 AM PDT
Rasmussen:
March 2007
Republican 31.5
Democrat 38.1
March 2006
Republican 34.0
Democrat 36.7
March 2005
Republican 37.2
Democrat 38.7
These numbers are based on a massive sample size of 15,000 adults (not likely voters), with a margin of error of less than 1 percent.
Another significant note is that 31.3% of Americans now refuse to identify with either major party. That’s a seven percentage point increase since Election 2004 and the highest total of unaffiliateds ever measured. Most of the growth in unaffiliateds has come from the GOP. The number of Democrats in the adult population has remained more stable over the past 3 years.
These numbers confirm the recent Pew poll showing slipping identification with the Republican Party. The Pew poll, at 50-35, apparently pushed leaners harder. And given that the swelling ranks of the "independent" ranks in the Rasmussen poll comes almost exclusively from the GOP, it makes sense that once you ditch one party, you tend to favor the other.
SCOTUS to Bush EPA: Regulate Global Warming
by Adam B
Mon Apr 02, 2007 at 08:55:52 AM PDT
The Supreme Court today handed down its opinion in Massachusetts v. EPA, a 5-4 rebuke to the Bush Administration's efforts to resist Congress' demands to do something about global warming.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/4/2/113438/8040
****
Yeah Bush get off your tush and get something done you Pug Slug.
Washington D.C. -U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced today that they are introducing legislation that will effectively end the current military mission in Iraq and begin the redeployment of U.S. forces. The bill requires the President to begin safely redeploying U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment, as required by the emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate passed last week. The bill ends funding for the war, with three narrow exceptions, effective March 31, 2008.
"I am pleased to cosponsor Senator Feingold’s important legislation," Reid said. "I believe it is consistent with the language included in the supplemental appropriations bill passed by a bipartisan majority of the Senate. If the President vetoes the supplemental appropriations bill and continues to resist changing course in Iraq, I will work to ensure this legislation receives a vote in the Senate in the next work period."
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/4/2/85820/31816
****
Aha, now Harry Reid has the boxing gloves on. Giev them hell Harry. I am glad that he hooked up with Russ who doesn't mind mixing the punches with the Pug Slugs.
"Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy-Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP." The two men at the top, he says, were men he knew pretty well -- or at least he thought he did.
"What I described there was the Cheney we all thought we knew," Gold says ruefully.
****
Hi Pam,
That is exactly what Paul O'Neill said about Cheney. He didn't even recognize the man. I am not so sure I would go as far to say that Cheney was a good man but he has definitely given in the dark side.
Schoolgirls Massacred, Shiites Executed in Iraq
By Ali Yussef
Agence France-Presse
Monday 02 April 2007
Baghdad - A truck bomber carrying food supplies killed eight Iraqi schoolgirls and a baby in the northern oil city of Kirkuk on Monday as suspected Sunni militants executed 21 Shiite workers north of Baghdad.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040207S.shtml
****
had enough of the murder, mayhem and money down the drain, all for the neocons insane plot to open up access to Iraqi oil?
It's time to impeach the killer chimps Bush and Cheney.
The 21 Shiites, together with six Kurdish colleagues still missing, worked in Baghdad's popular Shorja market where 60 people were killed in a double suicide bombing targeting Shiites last Thursday.
Medics said their handcuffed and blindfolded bodies were found near a water treatment plant in Morariyah village after daybreak.
In the Shiite town of Khalis, also in Diyala, a roadside bomb killed five people and wounded 23, including 16 women, on Monday, police said.
Coordinated bomb attacks in a market in the same town last Thursday left more than 40 people dead.
While sectarian killings have been particularly prevalent in Baghdad, US commanders have reported a reduction in the death toll since launching the security crackdown designed to stabilise the capital.
In Baghdad, four Iraqis were killed in bombings on Monday.
In southern Iraq, a British soldier died after being shot while on patrol in Basra, the defence ministry in London said. He was the second British fatality in as many days in the same area of the port city.
****
The "surge" is a failure. Bush is just looking to keep the troops there indefinitely as a protection force for the american oil companies. Let's call this lying SOB on it.
Troops Home Now
Impeach Da Killer Chimps Bush & Cheney Now
Last week the Senate passed historic legislation that calls for a phased redeployment for our troops in Iraq while ensuring they have the support they need. It's an important first step in ending the war in Iraq. But President Bush has threatened to veto the bill. The American people have had enough of the president's failed strategy in Iraq. Join Hillary Clinton in telling him to listen to the will of the people and to Congress, withdraw his veto threat, and begin phased deployment of the troops out of Iraq. Please sign the petition by simply clicking on the link below:
pam, wife number two is donna hanover the actress who is quite beautiful. go figure.
in addition to ruling 5-4 that co2 is a pollutant and that the epa can regulate it and that states have standing to sue the epa if they don't....the court ruled 9-0 that a group of old power plants whose owners were trying to avoid upgrading their anti-pollution technologies must upgrade them. the fish in the lakes upstate of me are smiling tonight.
Today I'm proud to announce the next step toward ending the war in Iraq. Since Democrats took over control of the Congress in January, we've made significant progress toward ending our country's military involvement there. Just last month the House and Senate approved binding timetable legislation that would force the President to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq – as I first called for in summer of 2005. While it was long overdue, and not yet a full solution, it was a major step in the right direction.
Unfortunately the President shows no signs of changing direction or fixing his failed Iraq policy. He has threatened to veto the recently passed legislation that both fully funds and supports the troops and also puts forth benchmarks to redeploy our brave men and women in uniform out of Iraq. So, to that end, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and I are already working on the next step.
Our new legislation, which will be officially introduced next Tuesday, April 10th, uses Congress's constitutional 'power of the purse' authority to safely redeploy our troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008.
Become of Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Feingold-Reid Bill
Our bill requires the President to begin to safely redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment - as required by the emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate passed last week. Feingold-Reid ends funding for the war on March 31, 2008 and after that date, the President could only spend money in Iraq for three very limited functions. To be clear, our bill funds the troops, it just de-funds the war.
Become of Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Feingold-Reid Bill
http://ga1.org/campaign/iraq0407/8iessbb4rt5w6be?source=web_iraq0407
Our bill requires the President to begin to safely redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq 120 days from enactment - as required by the emergency supplemental spending bill the Senate passed last week. Feingold-Reid ends funding for the war on March 31, 2008 and after that date, the President could only spend money in Iraq for three very limited functions. To be clear, our bill funds the troops, it just de-funds the war.
Become of Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Feingold-Reid Bill
With your help over the last few months, I've been pushing for Congress to use its 'power of the purse' authority to safely redeploy our troops out of Iraq. With Senator Reid's support of this bill, combined with his continued leadership on this issue, we're taking yet another important step toward ending one of the biggest mistakes in the history of our country.
But Senator Reid and I can't do it alone and we'll continue to need your help and support. Please take a moment and become a citizen co-sponsor of the Feingold-Reid 'power of the purse' legislation. Afterwards, forward this email, or use our tell-a-friend function to send to at least ten of your friends and family.
Become of Citizen Co-Sponsor of the Feingold-Reid Bill
****
A fist fight with Bush. Now, we're talking.
Luv it!!!
ahhhh unregulated capitalism....it works every time!
Last Updated: Monday, 2 April 2007, 16:14 GMT 17:14 UK
Top US lender in Chapter 11
New Century has been hit by problems in the sub-prime market
New Century Financial, one of the largest sub-prime lenders in the US, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
New Century sought protection from creditors after it was forced by its backers to repurchase billions of dollars worth of bad loans.
The company said it would immediately cut 3,200 jobs, more than half of its workforce, as a result of the move.
Sub-prime lenders, who target customers with poor credit histories, have suffered from a downturn in the market.
Shares in New Century were suspended in March on fears the company may be heading for bankruptcy, following a sharp rise in people defaulting on their loans.
We suspect the problem in the sub-prime area is just the tip of the iceberg for the mortgage market as a whole
David Shulman, University of California Anderson Report
New Century's creditors include investment bank Goldman Sachs and Britain's Barclays bank.
Support the Progressive Caucus Alternative Budget
Ø The Peace and Security Budget has a non-defense, domestic discretionary spending number of just over $483 billion for FY08. This is roughly $81 billion over President Bush’s FY08 Budget submitted to Congress last month. Leading social justice and economic fairness groups like the Coalition on Human Needs and the Emergency Campaign for America’s Priorities have been advocating for at least $450 billion.
Ø The Peace and Security Budget balances by FY 2010, two years ahead of the budget approved by the House Budget Committee and backed by the House Democratic Leadership. The President’s Budget comes close in FY 2012, but doesn’t reach surplus in the next ten years.
Ø The Peace and Security Budget spends $395 billion on defense, which is $86.4 billion under both the President and the FY08 Budget Resolution as reported from the House Budget Committee, while not compromising our national security. Our Budget still spends more on the military than China, Russia, UK, France, Japan, Germany, and Saudi Arabia combined.
Ø Provides for fully funded withdrawal of troops from Iraq in six months.
Ø Cuts at least $60 billion/year from D0D on largely obsolete Cold War weapons systems plus tens of billions more in waste, fraud, and abuse as identified by GAO.
Ø Repeals Bush tax cuts for the top 1% of taxpayers.
http://www.tompaine.com/docs/Inspiration_Budget_Background.htm
****
The wonderful Democratic Progressive Caucus leading the way.
New Century has been hit by problems in the sub-prime market
New Century Financial, one of the largest sub-prime lenders in the US, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
****
gregg, the big question is whether the meltdown in subprime mortgages will spill over into the rest of the economy. One clue came today:
The ISM Manufacturing Index (chart) declined to 50.9 in March, below an expected decline to 51.1, indicating that manufacturing growth cooled last month, after advancing in February. A reading of 50 is considered to be the separation point between expansion and contraction. The decrease was fueled by drops in new orders, production, and employment, which account for 75% of the entire index. Prices paid jumped from 59.0 to 65.5, easily beating the forecast of 58.5.
ISM index:
What is it?
It's an economic-direction summary covering 10 manufacturing indicators. Examples of the indicators covered include employment, inventories, new orders, production and supplier deliveries. For those indicators that can be seasonally adjusted, a single index is produced. It's called the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI).
The report is produced monthly by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) and is based on a survey of "purchasing and supply executives in approximately 400 industrial companies."
Twenty industries are represented: apparel; chemicals; electronic components and equipment; fabricated metals; food; furniture; glass, stone and aggregate; industrial and commercial equipment and computers; instruments and photographic equipment; leather; miscellaneous (jewelry, musical instruments, sporting goods and toys); paper; petroleum; primary metals; printing and publishing; rubber and plastic products; textiles; tobacco; transportation and equipment; and wood and wood products.
****
Basically, the phoney Bush economy is tanking. The housing bubble has burst big time. Now, we'll see just how hard is the landing.
piling on:
EU slams U.S., Australia on climate change
Mon Apr 2, 2007 5:27PM EDT
By Jeff Mason
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union accused the United States and Australia on Monday of hampering international efforts to tackle climate change.
"We expect ... the United States to cooperate closer and not to continue having a negative attitude in international negotiations," Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas told delegates at a United Nations-sponsored meeting to review a report on the regional effects of rising global temperatures.
"It is absolutely necessary that they move because otherwise other countries, especially the developing countries, do not have any reason to move," he said.
australia nd the united states need to wake up and smell the air
Donna Hanover
(I have recently seen her ((NOT FOR MORE THAN 1 MINUTE)) on a cable show that has her walking through the houses of the 'Rich And Famous' or something that the Pugs would like us to think is really happening.
I guess that show was never picked up after its 3 episode "tryout".
She wanted to be the next Robin "Champagne Dreams and Caviar Wishes" host, but as far as I can tell, it didn't work out for her.
P.S., Champagne is O.K.
Caviar SUCKS! (Beluga, the black stuff, the orange stuff....IT IS HORRIBLE!! AVOID !! RUN AWAY!! YUCK!!)
Soup's on...BBL.
BYU Campus Protests Dick Cheney Speech
By Debbie Hummel
The Associated Press
Monday 02 April 2007
Provo, Utah - Some students and faculty on one of the nation's most conservative campuses want Brigham Young University to withdraw an invitation for Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement later this month.
Critics at the school question whether Cheney sets a good example for graduates, citing his promotion of faulty intelligence before the Iraq war and his role in the CIA leak scandal.
The private university, which is owned by the Mormon church, has "a heavy emphasis on personal honesty and integrity in all we do," said Warner Woodworth, a professor at BYU's business school.
"Cheney just doesn't measure up," he said.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040207T.shtml
****
Tee, Hee, Hee ... no one luvs the lord of darkness Cheney.
Good afternoon, all.
Posted by rjsnj on April 2, 2007 at 06:39 PM
rjsnj,
This is a pleasant surprise. But it makes sense.
Since Bush is just going to veto anything we send to him, why not propose doing the things the voters wanted us to do?
Every time the the Republicans say "no" to ending this occupation, they take more responsiblity for it's success or defeat.
Works for me.
Could someone explain to me why the White House is sending John Bolton out as their spokesperson/point man on the Middle East?
This buffoon exudes a sense of offended arrogance that just makes anything he says sound like an excuse. Condi, on the other hand, only comes across as ineffective. I'd stick with her and keep my fingers crossed that she doesn't step on any toes.
This is a pleasant surprise. But it makes sense.
Since Bush is just going to veto anything we send to him, why not propose doing the things the voters wanted us to do?
****
Hi Sandy, exactly! I said right after the 2006 election that I am ready for an all out brawl with Bush. He wants confrontation, let's go after him! All the polls show that the voters remain on our side and will be even more on our side if we confront the presidunce.
Posted by rjsnj on April 2, 2007 at 07:26 PM
rjsnj,
That's really said when conservative professors don't want Cheney to speak.
Maybe the White House should have sent Cheney to throw out the first pitch today? MLB would be begging Bush to do it next year instead. Actually, a Cheney appearance could have gotten the crowd tuned up for their offering to the umpires later in the game.
Maybe the White House should have sent Cheney to throw out the first pitch today?
****
Send the Dark Lord to Iraq to throw out the first pitch ... they'll just luv him there.
Democrats to Widen Conflict With Bush
By Jonathan Weisman
The Washington Post
Monday 02 April 2007
Even as their confrontation with President Bush over Iraq escalates, emboldened congressional Democrats are challenging the White House on a range of issues - such as unionization of airport security workers and the loosening of presidential secrecy orders - with even more dramatic showdowns coming soon.
For his part, Bush, who also finds himself under assault for the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, the conduct of the Iraq war and alleged abuses in government surveillance by the FBI, is holding firm. Though he has vetoed only one piece of legislation since taking office, he has vowed to veto 16 bills that have passed either the House or Senate in the three months since Democrats took control of Congress.
Despite the threats, Democratic lawmakers expect to open new fronts against the president when they return from their spring recess, including politically risky efforts to quickly close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; reinstate legal rights for terrorism suspects; and rein in what Democrats see as unwarranted encroachments on privacy and civil liberties allowed by the USA Patriot Act.
"I suppose there's always a risk of going too far," said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), "but the risk of not going is far greater."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040207K.shtml
****
It's contagious! Everyone is aching for a brawl with bush brain (or lack thereof). He brings it on himself. After all, even before the final bill has been passed, he's taken to making Hitler style speeches from high podiums denouncing his political opponents. Also, he isn't scoring many brownie points sticking by Gonzo ...
Hey, come on Dems, maybe it's time.
Impeach Da Killer Chimps Cheney and Bush.
Detainee Says He Confessed to Stop Torture
By Josh Meyer
The Los Angeles Times
Saturday 31 March 2007
The terrorism suspect contends he was forced to admit to a role in the Cole bombing. A military law expert isn't surprised.
Washington - A detainee accused of being Al Qaeda's Persian Gulf operations chief said in court that his U.S. captors tortured him for years and forced him to falsely confess to the bombing of the U.S. destroyer Cole and to many other terrorist plots, according to a Pentagon transcript released Friday.
Abd al Rahim al Nashiri , a Saudi of Yemeni descent, told a military board at the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he had nothing to do with the bombing of the warship in Yemen in 2000 - or with any other terrorist activity.
Speaking under oath, he said he made up a long list of Al Qaeda plots and attacks so his captors would stop torturing him, even telling interrogators that Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden had a nuclear bomb.
"I just said those things to make the people happy. But when they freed me, I told them all, 'I only told you these things to make you happy,' " Nashiri said at a March 14 hearing held by military officials to determine if he should be designated as an enemy combatant and tried before a military commission.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040107A.shtml
*****
It's clear to me that it's time to revoke the MCA. Let's start another brawl with Bush. It's time to defend our constitution from the Bush fascists.
Hello, Democrats
I said right after the 2006 election that I am ready for an all out brawl with Bush. He wants confrontation, let's go after him! All the polls show that the voters remain on our side and will be even more on our side if we confront the presidunce.
Posted by rjsnj on April 2, 2007 at 07:43 PM
Wouldn't that be fun? I loved Charlie Wrangle's perfect response to Russert's question about why the Democrats don't cut off Iraq funding. All of it.
"We don't have the votes", he said.
There is another woman trying to get Pelosi to listen to her pleas. Don't people understand the fundamentals of how this system works?
Pester the appropriate people. Camp out on the blue dawg's front lawns. They're the problem. Pelosi is there to count and negotiate.
Then comes the complicated part. Baron Hill, for example, is in a very conservative district in Indiana. If he cuts funding, he's done.
Lotta tension. Delicate balance.
I wish they'd just throw it out there on the table and let it ride.
Bush's Long History of Tilting Justice
By Joseph D. Rich
The Los Angeles Times
Thursday 29 March 2007
The administration began skewing federal law enforcement before the current US attorney scandal, says a former Department of Justice lawyer.
The Scandal unfolding around the firing of eight U.S. attorneys compels the conclusion that the Bush administration has rewarded loyalty over all else. A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest.
I spent more than 35 years in the department enforcing federal civil rights laws - particularly voting rights. Before leaving in 2005, I worked for attorneys general with dramatically different political philosophies - from John Mitchell to Ed Meese to Janet Reno. Regardless of the administration, the political appointees had respect for the experience and judgment of longtime civil servants.
Under the Bush administration, however, all that changed. Over the last six years, this Justice Department has ignored the advice of its staff and skewed aspects of law enforcement in ways that clearly were intended to influence the outcome of elections.
It has notably shirked its legal responsibility to protect voting rights. From 2001 to 2006, no voting discrimination cases were brought on behalf of African American or Native American voters. U.S. attorneys were told instead to give priority to voter fraud cases, which, when coupled with the strong support for voter ID laws, indicated an intent to depress voter turnout in minority and poor communities.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/033007J.shtml
*****
Impeach Da Chimp (Two Times!)
Distract and Disenfranchise
By Paul Krugman
The New York Times
Monday 02 April 2007
I have a theory about the Bush administration abuses of power that are now, finally, coming to light. Ultimately, I believe, they were driven by rising income inequality.
Let me explain.
In 1980, when Ronald Reagan won the White House, conservative ideas appealed to many, even most, Americans. At the time, we were truly a middle-class nation. To white voters, at least, the vast inequalities and social injustices of the past, which were what originally gave liberalism its appeal, seemed like ancient history. It was easy, in that nation, to convince many voters that Big Government was their enemy, that they were being taxed to provide social programs for other people.
Since then, however, we have once again become a deeply unequal society. Median income has risen only 17 percent since 1980, while the income of the richest 0.1 percent of the population has quadrupled. The gap between the rich and the middle class is as wide now as it was in the 1920s, when the political coalition that would eventually become the New Deal was taking shape.
And voters realize that society has changed. They may not pore over income distribution tables, but they do know that today's rich are building themselves mansions bigger than those of the robber barons. They may not read labor statistics, but they know that wages aren't going anywhere: according to the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of workers believe that it's harder to earn a decent living today than it was 20 or 30 years ago.
You know that perceptions of rising inequality have become a political issue when even President Bush admits, as he did in January, that "some of our citizens worry about the fact that our dynamic economy is leaving working people behind."
But today's Republicans can't respond in any meaningful way to rising inequality, because their activists won't let them. You could see the dilemma just this past Friday and Saturday, when almost all the G.O.P. presidential hopefuls traveled to Palm Beach to make obeisance to the Club for Growth, a supply-side pressure group dedicated to tax cuts and privatization.
The Republican Party's adherence to an outdated ideology leaves it with big problems. It can't offer domestic policies that respond to the public's real needs. So how can it win elections?
The answer, for a while, was a combination of distraction and disenfranchisement.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040207L.shtml
****
Jrugman senses the truth. This fascism that benefits the elite few can only exist if rights are taken away. It's all part of one picture - abuses of power, erosion of civol liberties, rising income inequality, imperialistic warfare.
It's fascism plain and simple.
Impeach Da Killer Fascist Chimps Bush and Cheney
Hi all,
Rj, my daughter got a charge out of that BYU article. The Mormom church and BYU are her clients and she thought that was hysterical that they must be waking up to how bad Bush and Cheney are!
Did you see this one? Another slap in Bush's Ugly face! How do you spell L A M E D U C K?
Judge Tosses Out Bush's National Forest Rules
By Janet Wilson
The Los Angeles Times
Saturday 31 March 2007
Regulations were not subjected to environmental reviews or public comment, she rules.
A federal judge on Friday overturned Bush administration regulations for national forests that critics said expedited logging and energy exploration, weakened wildlife protection, and shut the public out of forest planning.
Krugman concludes:
A week before the Republican candidates trooped to Palm Beach to declare their allegiance to tax cuts, the Democrats met to declare their commitment to universal health care. And it's hard to see what the G.O.P. can offer in response.
****
The GOOPERS are finished!
Rj, my daughter got a charge out of that BYU article.
****
Pam, that was a good one. As good as the Mayan priests needing to do an exorcism to cleanse the bad spirits from Bush's visit.
****
Judge Tosses Out Bush's National Forest Rules
Yeee Haaa! Nope, I didn't see that one. Bush's reign of terror is coming to an end. I can feel ir.
this story should have gotten a lot more play. typical.
labor is not even covered by reporters any more.
these workers were making maybe fifteen bucks an hour, or so...after ten to fifteen years of service to the company
to save money and compete with Best Buy, buh bye
did you get a load of McCain's "Safe" walk through Baghdad??? LMAO! Look at that security around him, above him, etc. What a jerk!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/04/02/war-candidate-mccain-thir_n_44789.html
Why Does Bill O’Reilly Hate Our Troops and American Values?
Submitted by JonathanSchwarz on Mon, 2007-04-02 22:22. Video and Audio
ORIGINAL AT CROOKS & LIARS
By: SilentPatriot
Download (483)| Play (485); Download (246)| Play (299)
WRIGHT: "I want to make sure the United States treats people properly.."
O'REILLY: "Sure you do. Sure you do."
WRIGHT: "I surely do. That's what I spent 29 years of my life trying to do."
O'REILLY: "Sorry. No you didn't. You know what happened to you…somewhere along the line you started to dislike your own country…."
WRIGHT: "I served 29 years. How many did you serve? Where did you teach the Geneva Conventions?"
O'REILLY: "Cut her mic."
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/20782
****
Ahhh the Luffa Boy. We must attack these right wing pundits constantly. They are the people that enabled these HOOPER creeps to come to power by lying and brainwashing the public.
yeah, and the explosions that followed. last month more American soldiers lost their lives than Iraqi soldiers. Not freakin' acceptable!
nobody could possibly believe this Double Talk Express from this John McLame
Funny how CNN when mentioning Pelosi in syria, and the WH not happy, did not mention that Republicans were there the day before her! hmmmm, we still have work to do with the media it looks like.
Bush's cowboy tough guy swaggering approach to them has not worked- wonder why they don't want any diplomatic approachs made??
"BEIRUT, Lebanon — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday shrugged off White House criticism of her impending visit to Damascus, saying she had "great hope" for reviving U.S. relations with Syria and changing its behavior.
Speaking hours after arriving in Lebanon, Pelosi indicated the Bush administration was singling out her trip to Syria while ignoring recent visits by Republican members of Congress.
"It's interesting because three of our colleagues, who are all Republicans, were in Syria yesterday and I didn't hear the White House speaking out about that," Pelosi said, referring to the Sunday meeting of Reps. Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus.
"I think that it was an excellent idea for them to go," said Pelosi, who is to meet with Syrian leaders Wednesday. "And I think it's an excellent idea for us to go, as well."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070402/mideast-pelosi
fade, nice 5-4 supreme court decision on greenhouse gases today. and the chaser was a 9-0 that those old power plants that were trying to avoid emissions improvement costs....can't.
nobody could possibly believe this Double Talk Express from this John McLame
****
fade, McWindVane is cooked. He is as finished as Joe Weaselman. This is their last moments in the sun. I doubt either will ever get re-elected.
Speaking hours after arriving in Lebanon, Pelosi indicated the Bush administration was singling out her trip to Syria while ignoring recent visits by Republican members of Congress.
****
The bush dog is playing games. Actually, KKKarl Rove is playing the games; bush is too busy doing important things like cutting brush and telling fart jokes. I think Rove's tactics are falling flat these days. He doesn't seem capable of stirring up even the right wing nuts.
great post on the history of the DLC, who should have been included in my first post.
Booman
"Democratic heavyweights Senators Clinton and Obama released how much the've raised in donations in the first quarter as well as their numbers of contributors. According to their websites, Sen. Clinton received donations from 50,000 people, while Sen. Obama received donations from 83,531.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/04/02/behind-the-numbers-8353_n_44779.html
I have had calls from Clinton, Obama, Dodd for money, but have told them all, I have not made a decision who I will be supporting and am withholding my money until I do. When I do give, it will all go to the One that I really want.
The Word "Republican" Has Vanished From The Vocabulary Of Right-Wingers
by Marc McDonald Page 1 of 2 page(s)
By MARC McDONALD
Scan any right-wing blog these days and it's hard not to notice that something is missing.
Namely, the word "Republican."
As he so often does these days, Rush Limbaugh sets the trends in the right-wing noise chamber. If you've listened to Limbaugh's radio show lately, you'll notice that he has rarely mentioned the word "Republican" since November. Indeed, he goes out of his way every 30 seconds to mention that he's actually a "conservative."
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/page.php?a=32845
****
conservative == republican == GOOPER by any other name
i agree, rj
how many years have gone by with him in the shadows, content?
this MCRove softening indicates how desperate he is to appear human
which is, of course, just another lie
Drudge----just another little Republican Weenie!
CNN reporter Michael Ware this morning hit back at news aggregator Matt Drudge who accused him on Sunday of "heckling" Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham at a Baghdad press conference. Video acquired by RAW STORY appeared to show a short press conference without any interruptions and with Ware himself asking no questions during the question and answer session.
On CNN this morning, Ware denied the Drudge Report "exclusive" which ran yesterday and questioned Drudge's source.
"This is a report that was leaked by an unnamed official of some kind to a blog, to somewhere on the internet," Ware told Soledad O'Brien this morning on CNN, according to an unofficial transcript posted at the conservative blog Power Line. "No one has gone and put their name forward. We certainly haven't heard Senator McCain say anything about it or any of his staff have come forward to say anything about it."
Ware instead accused the officials running the press conference of preventing the CNN correspondent from even asking a question.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/CNN_reporter_slams_Drudges_charge_that_0402.html
Drudge----just another little Republican Weenie!
****
Pam,
Did you see the story that Faux News is hoing to buy sludge drudge report web site? It's just as we said all along, sludge makes it up and the faux news broadcasts it as if it was fact.
sludge is a lying gooper.
Driven by War to a No Man's Land in Jordan
By Anthony Shadid
The Washington Post
Monday 02 April 2007
Lives of Palestinian refugees from iraq reflect six decades of dispossession.
Ruweished, Jordan - It was 10 a.m. when the desert winds began blowing sand into the tent, one of a gaggle perched across a moonscape along Jordan's border with Iraq. Its rickety wooden frame creaked like a decrepit rocking chair, and Samir Abdel-Rahim, stranded for the past four years in a no man's land with other Palestinians fleeing carnage in Iraq, recounted his tale.
It began in 1948, before he was born, when Israel was created. It stretched through the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Saddam Hussein was toppled. Its denouement unfolds here, where Abdel-Rahim, 52, his wife and their four children simply wait.
"It's a long story," Abdel-Rahim said. "We're never a party to any of the wars, but we bear their consequences."
In this forlorn corner of Jordan, the border drawn as an arbitrary line in the sand, the remnants of six decades of conflict in the Middle East converge in the Ruweished camp and three others strewn along Iraq's western frontier. The camps are home to more than 1,300 Palestinians, dispossessed by conflict with Israel, driven from their homes by conflict in Iraq, and forced to wait by sometimes arbitrary politics barring their entry elsewhere. Many are the offspring of refugees from a war they are too young to know; their lives are now ordered by another that shows no sign of ending.
The magnitude of the Palestinians' plight in the camps along Iraq's borders with Syria and Jordan pales before the sheer scale of Iraqis' exodus from their country, where millions have been displaced or forced to flee to neighboring countries. But it is rare in the Arab world for the lives of a handful of people to so closely chart the generations of war, dictatorship, vengeance and dispossession. By the Palestinians' own admission, their lives offer a uniquely Middle Eastern lesson in the caprice of fate.
Souter and Thomas concurs, for the most part
Gitmo case had procedural problems and some hope for the future, PLEASE:
Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter voted to accept the appeals. "The questions presented are significant ones warranting our review," Breyer wrote. In addition, Breyer and Souter said they would have heard the case on a fast track, as the detainees requested.
And in a sign that the court has not had its final say on the matter, Justices Anthony Kennedy and John Paul Stevens made clear in a separate opinion that they were rejecting the appeals only on procedural grounds.
It takes four votes among the nine justices to accept a case.
rj, Yes, I saw Faux news might buy Drudge! They will make a nice couple! Distortion and Slant are their middle names!
Fade, good article on the DLC. Hope Domingo gets to see it. Especially the ending:
The blogosphere represents a truly populist turn in American politics. No longer can the corporate media and the DLC provide an unrebutted and one-sided and distorted picture of the aspirations of the left in this country. Our voices are being heard. We are moving the debate back to the left, which is making it possible for truly populist and non-interventionist Democrats to win again on a state-wide and national level.
We must recognize our enemy before it is too late. We cannot settle for another DLC presidential nominee. Say no to the New Dems...locally, statewide, and nationally.
It takes four votes among the nine justices to accept a case.
****
fade, Senate and House need to take the lead on this one. First things first, unconditionally restore habeaus corpus. Everyone has the right to a trial. No one should be held without charges. Evidence gathered using torture must never be admissable. These are fundamental principles that all nations that claim to be democratic observe.
going to log off . Seems I need to explain this procedure,
(as in, closing out my open programs, and clicking Turn off, instead of merely turning a switch and Crashing it)
blog ya tomorrow, Dems.
nice to see y'all...i'll leave you with this beautiful photo of two Harvard students reading a list of soldiers killed in the war.
love da yout
keep it lit~
nice to see y'all...i'll leave you with this beautiful photo of two Harvard students reading a list of soldiers killed in the war.
****
good picture fade. Let us hope that we are not showing such scenes again and again.
BBL
Rumors Of A Huge Barack Obama Campaign Cash Report
Huge donation report could really bouy the candidacy of Sen. Obama as campaign works on final report, cementing his role as a viable candidate.
PROGRESSIVE VALUES
{{{Pam}}} good explanation. do you think it's half bright enough to figure it out? LOL
{{{rj}}}were it only so easy to get the numbers we need NOW...we have only a short time before we can have math on our side. without it, it's very difficult to be patient.
i am tired of waiting.
i will totally campaign my hear out for whoever needs help, to get Democrats (real democrats) into a veto proof majority!
i know that you and many of the others here will do the same. it's not that far over the rainbow
John McCain's Not So Excellent Iraq Adventure
PROGRESSIVE Values
It's contagious! Everyone is aching for a brawl with bush brain (or lack thereof). He brings it on himself.
rjsnj,
This is what the American voters want. A fight with the Far Right. They forced their corrupt, incompetent form of capitalism and Christianity down the throats of the public after 9/11, when they should have been joining with us for the common good.
Then to add insult to injury they used our compassion and patriotism to trick us into a needless occupation that they want to last generations.
If they hadn't sold off our ports to the UAE, tortured the Bill of Rights and Iraqi civilians, ignored the vitims of Katrina, and outsourced our middle class lifestyle, they may have had a chance to fool the public again. Instead they let Foley stalk our children and let our wounded vets live in filth.
Oh, yes. The American public has been waiting for someone to take a few swings at them...so they can deliver the knock out punch next November.
Maybe it's good that the American people have to wait a little longer to savor their revenge. It will be that much more sweet...because even their own will be happy to see these incompetent doorknobs go.
I have had calls from Clinton, Obama, Dodd for money, but have told them all, I have not made a decision who I will be supporting and am withholding my money until I do. When I do give, it will all go to the One that I really want.
Posted by PamB on April 2, 2007 at 08:32 PM
I've done the same. I continue to support the local and state organizations. I want them up and running when we finally get our nominee.
bbl.
I'm concerned about Senator Reid's discussing with regard to defunding the War. The media and congress will not allow this to happen, and it will play into the GOP's rhetoric. I realize the Iraq War is a lost cause and that it must be ended as soon as possible, but discussing or threatening to defund the Iraq War isn't the way to do this. First, it will not pass. Second, it will help George Bush and the GOP to paint critics of the Iraq War as "against the troops," (even though the truth is we are against the war because we are FOR the troops).
We need to take the debate one step at a time. We haven't even given the Whitehouse a bill containing timelines. Let Bush veto it and then we can talk about the next step and explain what the options are to the public. The public doesn't support defunding the Iraq War at this time. We shouldn't criticize Bush for disregarding the public and then proceed to disregard the public ourselves.
I'm frustrated that Reid didn't even wait for the bill to arrive on Bush's desk before issuing threats. When has this White House ever cared about threats? Reid all but ensured Bush would veto the Iraq funding bill.
I realize that dealing with Bush must be utterly infuriating, but we have to take this debate one step at a time. If we get ahead of ourselves, we help Bush perpetually continue this war and we will look pathetic and weak when we cannot follow through with threats that are inconsistent with our previous promises.
I want to be sure we bring the troops home as soon as possible and that we keep another bastard like Bush from winning the presidential election in 2008 so we have a president that won't start another ill-considered war. With all due respect to Senator Reid, I'm concerned he hurt this cause tonight in threatening to defund the War. It detracts from our ability to debate the merits of continuing the Iraq War and causes us to have to defend charges that we're not supporting the troops. The GOP has been begging for us to do this all along, and Reid just played right into the President's hands.
It may be that we have to defund the War by March of next year, but let's first give the President a chance to sign the bill with a timeline and then let's also publicly discuss what our remaining options are before responding to a presidential veto. Before we can end the War through defunding it, we have to convince congress and the public it's the right thing to do. We shouldn't make threats with which we are not capable following through.
I realize 9 soldiers have already died in April. It's disgusting. I'm a young man and most of these soldiers are younger than me. Furthermore, they're dying for a cause that is at best elusive. I don't know what measurable objectives we're trying to achieve, nor do I understand the means through which we are to achieve those objectives. I agree that the War must end, but we cannot play chicken with a madman. If we pull the funds, how can we be sure Bush will bring the troops home? I want congress to try the timeline first. When and if Bush vetos it we can discuss the next step, but it's important to me that all the soldiers have food, body armor and quality equipment while they're over there.
I realize Bush and the GOP have literally shit on veterans by allowing them to stay in rat infested hospitals. I also realize it is hypocritical and disingenuous for Bush to speak of funding the troops when during much of the war while the GOP was completely in charge of the government, our troops didn't have body armor and didn't have adequate equipment.
Notwithstanding this, I point out that recently we said that we, unlike Bush and the GOP, would fund the troops. We made a promise and we cannot go back on that promise. We need to find another way to get the troops out of the civil war.
if i remember correctly some time ago i had an argument with someone on this blog about whether or not CO2 is considered a pollutant. now who was i arguing with????? hahahahaha
Gregg,
Sorry about that, if by pollutant you mean something that is man-made that contributes to unwanted climate change, then CO2 IS a pollutant. Who was arguing it's not? Direct them to the scientific community.
Gregg,
of course, CO2 is also produced naturally, but the recent increase in CO2 has been scientifically determined to have been caused by human activity (cars, coal plants, etc.).
Gregg,
It's incredible the Supreme Court case was 5-4, isn't it? It shouldn't have been close...
kev, i am aware of these things. the troll was making that argument awhile back and this supreme court ruling today just tickles me pink.
Evening all,
We need to find another way to get the troops out of the civil war.
Posted by Kev on April 2, 2007 at 10:58 PM
The republicans just lost the defunding and deadline arguments. As usual behind closed doors, and leaked:
Mitchell: Petraeus Held Closed-Door Strategy Meeting With Republican Caucus
This morning on the Chris Matthews Show, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell revealed that Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, met “very recently” with the Senate Republican caucus to discuss their strategy on Iraq legislation.
“Petraeus went to the Republican caucus and told them, I will have real progress to you by August,” Mitchell said. The Republicans claim they told him that after August, they will end their support for the war. “They have told him at a caucus meeting as very, very recently, that if there isn’t progress by August — and real progress means not a day of violence and a day of sanity — that they will pull the plug.”
Stunningly, Mitchell said that “moderate Republican” senators had told her that they didn’t believe the escalation would work but voted for it anyway. “They really are not in favor of the surge. They don’t believe it’s going to work. But they basically said the president has until August, until Labor Day. After that, if it doesn’t work, they’re running.”
thinkprogress.org/2007/04/01/petraeus-caucus/
Kev,
You are such a gentlemen. I personally wouldn't give any Republican politican the time of day after what they have done to this country.
If Reid wants to spar with the cowboy, it's not going to bother Bush. He likes that macho stuff. (Shhh. Don't tell them, but whenever Spunky acts that way he ends up making a fool of himself.) I think Reid is just stirring the pot.
Most Americans have already made up their minds about ending this ill conceived foreign entanglement. Reid isn't hurting our chances in 2008. Hell, Cheney will have us torturing innocent people in Iran by then.
Gregg,
I'm happy the ruling turned out the way it did, but I have to be honest, I'm pissed it was only 5-4. I'm extremely disappointed with Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia. This is our planet we're talking about, they should have voted with the majority.
SandyH,
I wish Bush would quit being such a stubborn p.o.s. and would let us put a time limit and some constraints on this war. The cost in terms of life and treasure is ridiculous. Regarding Cheney and Iran, I hope that doesn't happen...
But they basically said the president has until August, until Labor Day. After that, if it doesn’t work, they’re running.”
TomN,
How many second chances has this screw up been given during this checkered past? Why do they think this will end up any differently than anything else he's messed up?
I guess miracles can happen, but not in Washington DC.
kev, alito, scalia, roberts and thomas are right wing nuts and always will be. i am not disappointed in them i loath them and hope they are abducted by aliens and taken to another galaxy.
they should have voted with the majority.
Posted by Kev on April 2, 2007 at 11:29 PM
They voted with the multinationals. Get used to it. They'll be there for life always voting that way unless we impeach Scalia and Thomas for the Bush vs Gore rip off.
anyhow the 5-4 decision plus the 9-0 decision which told the power plants that were trying to weasel out of required upgrades in antipollution devices to get in line made the day for me. i had been sweating the greenhouse gas ruling since the court agreed to take it.
but we must not let bush make any more supreme court appointments if a vacancy opens in the next two years and then we have to elect a democrat and as seats open fill them with progressives and then watch the four horse's asses of the apocalypse sit in quite frustration for the rest of their unnatural lives....
see you all in the morning.
We'll know when the occupation is going to end; Bush, Chaney et al will be selling their stock in Haliburton and Carlyle Group etc. Can't make money without a war.
Kev,
After 2008 with a new president (or perhaps sooner), how can these 4 justices be removed from the bench for insanely ruling against the planet's survival. They are clearly incompetent.
Gregg,
I actually had the opportunity to meet Justice Thomas a little over a year ago through a law school class. I think that Thomas and the other conservative justices are highly intelligent, but I think they are so blinded by their ideology that they are unable to see that we need to act in order to prevent a major loss of life due to climate change.
In addition, it makes no long-term economic sense for us to remain dependent on oil from the Middle East. It also makes no sense in terms of our national security.
hope they are abducted by aliens and taken to another galaxy.
Posted by gregg on April 2, 2007 at 11:36 PM
Now don't give the troll any more ammo to use against you. He'll be calling you a Trekie. You aren't, are you?
Hi SandyH,
Is the impeachment of the justices under way? How can the people get them out before they do any more damage?
I like this one: Murduroch brings his one-sided show to the US to conquer markets and play politicians and is backed by the Saudis:
Alwaleed hits at 9/11 'obsession'
By Sundeep Tucker in Singapore
Published: April 2 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 2 2007 03:00
The US remains "obsessed" with the terrorist attacks on 9/11 and is unlikely to allow Arab investment into sensitive sectors such as airports and ports for years, says Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, the billionaire Saudi investor.
Concerns in Washington over national security last year forced Dubai Ports World to divest the US operations acquired as part of its takeover of UK ports operator P&O, raising fears of protectionism in Middle East investors.
However, Prince Alwaleed, whose Riyadh-based Kingdom Holding owns big stakes in US companies including Citigroup and News Corporation, said: "The US is still obsessed by 9/11 and sensitivities over security.
(my bolder)
TomN,
Justices can be impeached, but unfortunately it is very difficult. There are a lot of reasons I wish Thomas, Scalia, Roberts, and Alito would leave the Court.
Until 2003, it was okay for states to charge homosexuals who engage in same sex sodomy with a crime. The conservatives were outraged when the Supreme Court struck down a statute in Texas that outlawed same-sex sodomy. This from the party of Ted Haggard. I think it's an outrage that it took us until 2003 to say we can't criminalize to consenting adults for their genetic make-up. I'm sure all four of these justices would vote to overturn lawrence (Not to mention Roe and even Griswold).
I'm allowed to marry the person I want. I don't understand why we can't let consenting adults marry any consenting adult they wish to marry. I don't understand what is so troubling about that. I guess in this regard I'm progressive for 2007, but by the time 2030 rolls around, I think this view will be called "common sense."
Posted by salutetheDems on April 2, 2007 at 11:41 PM
salutetheDems,
Isn't that the truth? I don't see any of them buying stock in Wal-Mart or GM.
Lou Dobbs was ranting tonight about the retail sector. Circuit City is cutting their $11 an hour employees and plans to replace them with minimum wage. He also said that Wal-Mart has established a salary cap for their employees.
Dobbs' Girl Friday reported that retail was the last refugee for the economy; and if the majority of Americans have their salaries ghettoed this way, there will be nobody left buying those cheap Chinese imports at Wal-Mart...it's not tres chic for the upper middle class to shop there anymore.
Well, I guess the illegal aliens will always be brand loyal to Uncle Sam's place.
Good night, all.
no sense in terms of our national security.
Posted by Kev on April 2, 2007 at 11:42 PM
Ruling on holding captives without access to courts is constitutional or legal in international law?
No sense at all, they need to be removed.
TomN,
Unfortunately, I think we'll have to wait 20 years or so before the Court will shift toward the center.
Good night all.
TomN,
Agreed. Holding them with no opportunity to be heard. If we're so confident their guilt, why not let them speak?
Posted by TomN on April 2, 2007 at 11:46 PM
All we need is a super majority in both Houses. I doubt a lot of Democratic Senators would go along with it...they hold the impeachment process holy even though the founding fathers envisioned times when it would be necessary.
TomN
I meant to say "if we're so confident of their guilt, why not let them speak?" We're not exactly acting as a “beacon for the rest of the world.” We're not acting “as a shining city upon the hill” when we attempt to hold people without charging them and without providing them with an opportunity to be heard. We’re not exemplifying democracy. It is incredible these are debatable issues in the 21st century.
Giving up jihad for an easy life in the Kingdom
By Roula Khalaf
Published: April 2 2007 03:00 | Last updated: April 2 2007 03:00
Abu Suleiman seems like an ordinary young man. A 33-year-old Saudi with a small face and a thin beard, he works for an equity research company in Riyadh.
But he has a secret: for the past year the Saudi authorities have been paying his family $800 a month while they work on re-educating him not to be a jihadi.
This former inmate of Guantánamo Bay is the product of a rehabilitation programme, being watched with interest in Britain and the US, which has already seen 700 one-time jihadis released from Saudi jails and returned to society.
*****
This is rich. We torture um and then our Saudi pals get to be the good guys and give them money and stuff and set them free. Isn't this just what we were told to worry about?
SandyH,
I thought for impeachment it was a majority in the House and a super-majority in the Senate? In any case, it's very hard. The conservatives tried on more than one occasion to impeach Justice William O. Douglas. It didn't work for them and it probably wouldn't work for us.
One for the road:
New book says Kissinger kept Nixon in the dark
April 2, 2007
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Newly released documents show that former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delayed telling President Richard Nixon about the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973 to keep him from interfering, according to new book excerpted in Vanity Fair on Monday....
//www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/02/new_book_says_kissinger_kept_nixon_in_the_dark/?rss_id=Boston.com+%2F+News
And Cheney delayed in telling Bush about 9/11 so he wouldn't interfere?
I still don't think Bush knows that the Iraqi occupation is a complete failure. Kissinger has tried to tell him, but he just doesn't seem to get it.
See you tomorrow.
G'night Sandy and Kev,
We are approaching a weird area in this Iran-hostages thing eh?
By Deb Riechmann
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:59 p.m. March 31, 2007
CAMP DAVID, Md. – President Bush on Saturday called for the release of 15 British sailors and marines being held by Iran, calling their capture by Tehran “inexcusable behavior.”
“Iran must give back the hostages,” Bush said. “They're innocent, they did nothing wrong, and they were summarily plucked out of waters.”
****
How does it feel playing Carter?
The Iranians are acting as if they were taught that to get arms and concessions from the conservative secretives you take hostages. Exposing the emperor and his cronies could be the game. The Iranians might be thinking that the media will wake up and ask them about the Iran-Contra monkey business that Jr et al are at pains to continue to hide.
Good Morning, ALL!
FINALLY! Here's the entire press conference that McVane held where Michael Ware allegedly "heckled and laughed" at him. Never happened. Drudge is a LIAR, as proven once again.
CNN reporter slams Drudge's charge that he 'heckled' McCain; Exclusive video confirms his claim
As Dan Rather famously called his book, "The Camera Doesn't Blink", so too with the intertubes.
Cheney is target of rare protest at Brigham Young
April 3, 2007
PROVO, Utah -- Some students and faculty on one of the nation's most conservative campuses want Brigham Young University to withdraw an invitation for Vice President Dick Cheney to speak at commencement this month.
Critics at the school question whether Cheney sets a good example for graduates, citing his promotion of faulty intelligence before the Iraq war and his role in the CIA leak scandal.
The university, which is owned by the Mormon church, has "a heavy emphasis on personal honesty and integrity in all we do," said Professor Warner Woodworth.
"Cheney just doesn't measure up," he said.
The display of dissent is rare for the university. Students at BYU adhere to a strict honor code that forbids everything from drinking coffee to wearing shorts or short skirts. Students seldom even stray from campus sidewalks, leaving its lawns pristine.
"Cougars don't cut corners," is how one saying describes students.
AP
...i think i'm gonna drive out there, pick up dpd on my way and walk on the lawn...
TOP TEN COURSES OFFERED BY PAT ROBERTSON’S LAW SCHOOL
By Don Davis
HOLY HABEAS CORPUS! Yes, it’s true, Virginia, Pat Robertson actually founded a law school, in Virginia, called Regent University.
To many people, this was perhaps the most stunning “revelation” to come out of news reports about Monica Goodling, the Alberto Gonzalez aide who intends to invoke the Fifth Amendment before Congress when called to testify about the fired federal prosecutors. Goodling received her law degree in 1999 from Regent, whose “mission,” Robertson claims, is “to produce Christian leaders who will make a difference, who will change the world.” Yeah, just like the Black Plague of the Middle Ages.
So here from the home office of the Garden of Eden, are the Top Ten course offerings of Pat Robertson’s “Christian Law School”:
10. Rules of Faith-Based Evidence — Getting God Past the “Hearsay Rule.”
9. Voiding Contracts With the Devil.
8. Constitutional Law: Amending the First Amendment to Combine Church and State.
7. Legal Aid: Pro Bono Representation of Stem Cells.
6. Criminal Law: Prosecuting Gays, Fornicators and Darwinists.
5. Land Use: Zoning to Convert Bars to Churches.
4. International Law: Legal Foundations for Resurrecting the Crusades.
3. Tax Law: Abolishing the Income Tax in Favor of Tithing.
2. Conflicts of Law: How the Bible Overrides Acts of Congress.
1. Civil Disobedience: Blockading Abortion Clinics.
And stay tuned for the movie about Regent Law School, called The Bible Chase, including the scene where a Professor tells a law student who questions the existence of God: “Here’s a cell phone, call your mother, and tell her you’re going straight to hell.”
...from the satirical political report...
ha ha. At my College, they just sat back and watched were the students walked, and THEN paved the paths. It saved them a lot of landscaping money in the short run, and cut down the walk between classes forever. Then, they installed bike paths through the woods and gardens, THEN they put in canoe and kayak landings. Getting around didn't mean always relying on the bus or walking., since that campus is like the North side of Chicago, (hasn't had a parking space since October of 1871).
...when those allergies get ya itchin
yer gonna do alot of bitchin...
Itchy eyes? Sneezing? Get used to it!
People, even pets, with allergies suffer as pollen levels soar coast to coast
By Martin Savidge
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:45 p.m. ET April 2, 2007
Martin Savidge
Correspondent
• Profile
ATLANTA - It's just after 5 a.m. and Marie McFalls can already count on another bad day. She's a technician at the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic, and she's counting the pollen particles in a cubic meter of air.
A count of 120 would be extremely high, but today she spots 5,768.
It's the fourth highest since records started being kept in Atlanta. Just the day before the count was the second highest.
s any allergy sufferer will tell you, that is something to sneeze at.
"Patients have been miserable," says Dr. David Tanner, also of the Atlanta clinic. "Their eyes have been watering, itching, they've been swollen, their nose has been running, sneezing."
But it's not just the Southeast. This spring, according to the Web site Pollen.com, high allergy levels stretch from Washington state to Washington, D.C.
And if you think it's just you with the congestion, the wheezing, the watery eyes, think again.
"It's just as bad for our dogs and cats, especially those with allergies, as it is for humans," says Patricia White of the Atlanta Veterinary and Skin Allergy Clinic.
Experts describe a kind of pollen perfect storm — a wet fall, milder winter, and a dry, suddenly hot spring triggering an explosion.
"Everything is blooming a little closer together," says horticulturist Amanda Campbell with the Atlanta Botanical Garden. "So there's all these blooms out, which is beautiful, but there's also a lot of pollen associated with the blooms."
Scientists say the problem is actually man-made.
"Carbon dioxide — burning fossil fuels — is stimulating plants to make more pollen," says Paul R. Epstein with the Center for Health and Global Environment at Harvard University. "And the weeds love this stuff."
What to do?
Experts advise:
* Take medications 30 minutes before going outside;
* Use air conditioning on high pollen count days;
* Dry laundry indoors;
* Shower before bed;
* And wipe down pets that have been outdoors.
Climate change could also cause the misery to last year-round, which means Marie McFalls can count on a lot more days like these.
what a pity sally wasn't around to celebrate the supreme court decision on greenhouse gases yesterday. the issue is so dear to his heart. he and rush have developed an extensive non-fact based theory on the phenomenon. anyhow i love the use of the word "shredded" in this piece:
News Analysis
Ruling Undermines Lawsuits Opposing Emissions Controls
By FELICITY BARRINGER
Published: April 3, 2007
Yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling on carbon dioxide emissions largely shredded the underpinning of other lawsuits trying to block regulation of the emissions and gave new momentum to Congressional efforts to control heat-trapping gases linked to climate change.
thank you justice kennedy, i was worried about your vote on this one
Anyhoo, Good Morning, gregg!
Guess what? Before you sit down to your breakfast of bagels and Spam...That pet food poison IS IN HUMAN FOOD! Bushco approved it for Human consumption!
I Don’t Wanna Be Buried In A Pet Sematary
First arsenic in the chicken, then arsenic in the ground water, now this. Boy, Howdy...those food processors really DO know how to "police themselves", don't they?
dpd, i remember applying to colleges in 1965 and not having much luck getting accepted as i was working on inventing the concept of slacker during high school so they had this service that you sent 30 dollars to and your grades and colleges contacted you if they were having trouble filling seats...i got this inquiry from pepperdine which i guess was just getting started or something and the whole brochure was mostly pictures of disney land...
...hmmm goggling explains a few things...i guess i would have gotten thrown out for something having to do with grass there as well....but at least i could have put some high end brake shoes on the old chevy impala for the ride back east :)
"George Pepperdine, the founder of Western Auto Supply Company, established Pepperdine University in 1937. He envisioned a college with the highest academic standards guided by the spiritual and ethical ideals of Christian faith."
Good morning, everyone.
Too bad, gg, the laundry is already on the line. I'm not cutting that off my list. ;p
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Time to share some tidbits:
Freshman senator lashes out at speaker
In a place where genteel debate is the protocol, state Sen. Brian Weinstein's trash talk about the Legislature's most powerful figure stands out like a belch in church.
good morning, truthseekers
gregg, the plates are a scream! possibly an inspiration. are you familiar with Judy Chicago's installation?
we need 67 votes in the Senate to impeach. for those who keep screaming it, i feel ya. however, do da math. ain't got it, kids.
now if we channel that energy into "enlightening" the blue dogs and the DLC-ers we might have some success in another area.
despite the fact that we know what a disaster this group is, we are up against a formidable foe--t.v. disinformation.
DPD--interesting development at the Trib. think he's a leftie?
Sculpture depicting Obama as Jesus causes stir
He wears Jesus' robes and a neon blue halo, looks like Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and is causing a stir at a Chicago art school.
can't they just figure artists do zany stuff, its the nature of art and get off all this outrage..
It's a few days old, and somebody has probably already posted it, but what the hey! I better watch out! The langoliers will get me. snicker
Iran fears U.S. attack in summer: Israeli general
Morning, Essie & fade.
Zell is about as much of a "leftie" as any Billionaire can be, but he's much more liberal than the Trib robots ever were. Not quite Soros, but close. He's owned a radio network before, and took a "hands off" approach to their programming. (He sold it to Clear Channel a few years ago).
Hey, ALL...Bushco strikes again. Good thing that the Drug Companies are allowed to do their own product testing now, so if something kills you the rule of Market Forces will dictate that you will never buy that product again. See? The capitalist system works!
Zelnorm Recall Will Affect Thousands
Some Say They Don't Know What They Will Do Without The Drug
Gee, I wonder what that dreaded "bouncy leg" drug will unleash in a few years? Who knew that it was such a problem until they invented a drug to "cure" it? (Tequila would do the same damn thing, if you had a few shots before going to bed every night.)
gg,
didn't you get the memo? it's easier to ridicule those with different mind sets.
I saved all my daughters artwork from when they were young. It is "my collection" I have in my office. Their bright colors and smiling animals (my Necee always painted animals in the wild...with poop on the ground. that girl!) inspire me!
Time for one more, then it's hit the road, jacq.
It's great spending the morning with you all.
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Enjoy!
Democrats put their stamp on US budget
morning all,
Naturally with the sale of the Hartford courant, I have been eagerly reading up on everything on the new buyer. Bottom line is, because he is merely a Real Estate Investor, he is leaving management alone.
That did not prevent me from a LTE to Courant, saying now that they were out from under the thumb of the Right wing Extremist Tribune company, that they could now start un-slanting their news and making endorsements that were in line with a Blue State. Tribune owned 2 TV stations in this state, as well as 3 newspapers.
I am eager to watch for some Fair and Balanced reporting now. I am not interested in slanted distorted news, just give me the facts and I shall make up my own mind.
love the piece, gregg...if the so called KKKreeshchuns were true to the teachings of their alleged lord they would be questioning things
and i don't mean art
i remember piss Christ and all the stir it caused. all that outrage, but where is the outrage for poverty in Mexico due to the Pope's call that sex is only for reproduction.
too bad we cannot channel hypocrisy as fuel. we'd never run outta dat gas gas gas
no problem with the kabooom!bombs we build better than any other nation
yikes! if an artist scratches a layer of comfort
i see the court decisions as hope...that we will have a future.
keep it lit~
must go get my allergy shots and do my cardio have a good day fade and esmeralda and pam and dpd and all. bbl.
I cannot believe that McCain thought he could pull something like this off, as a casual stroll through a market as being Safe! Either he is getting very senile, or he underestimates the American public!
BAGHDAD, April 2 — A day after members of an American Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain pointed to their brief visit to Baghdad’s central market as evidence that the new security plan for the city was working, the merchants there were incredulous about the Americans’ conclusions.
Representative Mike Pence, an Indiana Republican, said the Shorja market was “like a normal outdoor market in Indiana.”
“What are they talking about?” Ali Jassim Faiyad, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the market, said Monday. “The security procedures were abnormal!”
The delegation arrived at the market, which is called Shorja, on Sunday with more than 100 soldiers in armored Humvees — the equivalent of an entire company — and attack helicopters circled overhead, a senior American military official in Baghdad said. The soldiers redirected traffic from the area and restricted access to the Americans, witnesses said, and sharpshooters were posted on the roofs. The congressmen wore bulletproof vests throughout their hourlong visit.
fade, what about all those staged photo ops of Bush with Jesus looming over his shoulder, or the ones that have the kleigl light positioned in such a way that the (added) mesh screen on the camera makes it appear that he has a halo? I'll see if I can find some of them.
Morning, Pam! SAM ZELL.
The CUBS are for sale, let's buy them. I have $47.00 in my wallet right now. Breaking news, the TEAM is for sale, Zell's holding on to Wrigley Field and leasing it to the new owners because it's worth over $80 Million. More breaking news, a group of Hoosiers wants to buy the CUBS and move them to Indiana-no-place.
If they let that happen, I hope they put an IKEA and a Wal-Mart there. NOT!
Hi PD,
I am not thrilled he gave more to Republicans than Democrats, but one can hope! He DOES say he is a philantropist, which means he has liberal leanings, because you don't see any tight fisted Republicans doling out money they don't have to.
Pam, he and his partner (Lurie) donated beaucoup bucks to the building of Millenium Park, and the natural Prairie restoration is named after his partner Robert Lurie.
He tosses around Million Dollar checks like they are cigarette butts. He's a "giver".
Morning all,
It appears to me that Iran took the British hostages in retaliation for bush's stirring of the pot. bush is trying to set up the Iranians for an attack.
"Two days after the raid, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said President Bush approved the strategy of raiding Iranian targets in Iraq as part of efforts to confront the government in Tehran.
Iran had insisted that the five detained Iranians were engaged exclusively in consular work."
Iranian Hostages
Here's an idea that might work should Bush veto the Dem plan! Cut off the money to Blackwater and the 100,000 Paid soldiers they own.
"Despite the dedicated efforts of journalists like Jeremy Scahill and the many diarists on this site, the MSM has not yet caught hold of this story: There are now something like 100,000 private 'contractors' in Iraq, essentially a mercenary army, largely on the payroll of Blackwater USA. Blackwater's presence in Iraq is largely funded through contracts with the Department of State. Without those contractors, Bush would not be talking about a 20,000 or 30,000 troop surge. Do the math. He would have long since demanded an escalation on the order of Vietnam, post-Tet.
Many of us object in principle to the idea of these private armies -- whether on foreign or on domestic soil. The Declaration of Independence condemned George III's use of such armies, as we have condemned George the W's use of them in Iraq and in New Orleans.
But it strikes me that Blackwater could be the soft underbelly of Bush's continued occupation of Iraq, as well as his plans for the rest of the region. I would propose, therefore, that the Democrats in Congress inform Bush that if he vetoes the emergency supplemental appropriation bill, then the Congress will take action to require that the Department of State immediately terminate its contracts with Blackwater.
Good morning, all.
Did anyone not see this coming?
Iranian diplomat seized in Iraq released
By NASSER KARIMI, Associated Press Writer
TEHRAN, Iran - An Iranian diplomat in
Iraq seized two months ago by uniformed gunmen has been released, Iran reported Tuesday, while in Baghdad a senior foreign ministry official said his government was "intensively" seeking the release of five Iranians detained there by the U.S.
The developments came as British Prime Minister
Tony Blair said the next two days would be "fairly critical" to resolving the dispute over a British navy crew seized by Iran.
The Iraqi official also said Iraq had exerted pressure on those holding the Iranian diplomat, Jalal Sharafi, who was released Monday and returned to Tehran on Tuesday. The official would not say who had custody of the diplomat...
//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070403/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_britain
(Bold mine.)
This is how they do things in the Middle East. The English acknowledged the Iranian ploy and didn't start WW III. Nobody is getting killed. A dialouge has been started.
But those doorknobs at the White House who thought it was macho to take those Iranians in Iraq have achieved nothing but the scorn of our closest ally.
You're doing a heck of a job, Gates. You picked up right where Rumsfeld left off. Oh, yeah. The surge will work.
Posted by Johnedwrd on April 3, 2007 at 09:15 AM
John,
The Incompetent Cowboy strikes again. Besides the fact that he is stupid, why does he constantly surround himself with other stupid people?
Well, kiddos, I'm gonna head out to the store before the thunder boomers start. It looks like it'll be a baaaaaaad storm. Gotta get those batteries and bottled water like they always do on the news. (Do they ever go bad? Wouldn't last month's water and batteries still be usabled? Why are they ALWAYS shopping for water and batteries? Life perplexes me).
I asked one of my Florida brothers "why are you'se guys ALWAYS buying plywood, do you board up your windows and then just throw the stuff away? Why don't you just unscrew it and store it in your garage? He had no rational answer because he has those automatic steel storm shutters on his house, so he came up with some BS about it getting wet, which means that wood can't take water for some reason.
BBL
Posted by PamB on April 3, 2007 at 09:15 AM
Pam,
Now this is the kind of creative thinking that Americans used to associate with the Democratic Party. I'm glad to see that it's up and running again.
Not only is Blackwater the dirty underbelly...it's something the Moral Majority has no idea the Republicans have been doing.
They need to know. It will just be another thing that pisses them off before the next election.
Posted by DPD on April 3, 2007 at 09:29 AM
DPD,
In the brave new world of BushWorld, you need to get your own generator and windup flashlights...just like they did in Baghdad. You can't depend on the government to provide anything. All the utilites are being privatized and work just about as good as FEMA.
Speaking of a disaster...you don't think Neil Bush would buy the Cubs?
Gotta run. later.
Posted by DPD on April 3, 2007 at 09:29 AM
water?
w will have the market cornered on that little necessity soon enough.
Posted by Esmeralda on April 3, 2007 at 07:54 AM
From the article:
"While we respect First Amendment rights and don't think the artist was trying to be offensive, Senator Obama, as a rule, isn't a fan of art that offends religious sensibilities," said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
1. I feel so not bad for anyone's "religious sensibilities".
2. Obama just lost my vote.
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