Colin Powell on the "stain" on his record.
Not that he was squeaky clean coming out of, I dunno, the My Lai Massacre. Or Iran Contra...
Just the same, Powell allowed BushCo to use him like a wedge (the most basic, useful tool known to man).
Friday, September 09, 2005
First Lady: Bush Critics Disgusting
Funny, coming from a woman who takes three syllables to pronounce "Geeorrge," and speaks of her "colleege" days.
Bush Critics: We've Had It With You, Too, Laura.
Bush Critics: We've Had It With You, Too, Laura.
Destroying Laura Bush
Karl Rove, Inc. ought to think twice about having his "secret weapon," Laura Bush, out there smearing Howard Dean for his criticisms of the President.
After seeing Dean with Blitzer a few minutes ago, it appears that the message is becoming easier to deliver ("This is part of the Bush spin machine, Wolf..."). And it's reflecting poorly on the First Lady when she's trotted out now to carry the message.
He's criticizing the President. In our democracy, that's a perfectly democratic thing to do. It's one of the reasons our government exists.
Problem is, these Republicans want it all, with no criticism... or else.
Leave Laura alone. Besides being as a big a lightweight as her husband, and talking like a pigkicker, she doesn't deserve to be treated like this.
After seeing Dean with Blitzer a few minutes ago, it appears that the message is becoming easier to deliver ("This is part of the Bush spin machine, Wolf..."). And it's reflecting poorly on the First Lady when she's trotted out now to carry the message.
He's criticizing the President. In our democracy, that's a perfectly democratic thing to do. It's one of the reasons our government exists.
Problem is, these Republicans want it all, with no criticism... or else.
Leave Laura alone. Besides being as a big a lightweight as her husband, and talking like a pigkicker, she doesn't deserve to be treated like this.
I'll Bet He Wakes Up Happy Every Morning
...that we don't live in a parliamentary democracy, where we could call for a new election whenever we feel like it.
Instead, J. Dennis (shown here in his Crazy Guggenheim look) gets one more year to decide if he should just resign in disgrace and have the history books record that he was the WORST SPEAKER, EVER; or he could turn a new leaf and start providing some very necessary oversight on the WORST ADMINISTRATION, EVER.
Funny. I get the feeling he's never going to do either.
That means it's up to the American public to not become melded with the moron contingent, and overturn this Republican disaster of a government we have. Those in the 14th District might start here.
The Proclamations Continue
Chertoff (Chertoff cho Chertoff, banana fanna Jerkoff, if you play the "blame game") press conference is another Proclamation. He sets unreasonable groundrules for the press, refuses to answer direct questions.
Too bad there's no oversight crafted in our Democracy to keep a watchful eye on career political hacks and lawyers put in charge of things they're not qualified to manage.
Come to think of it, this proclamation was really no different from Fristy Hastert's the other day, announcing a "bipartisan" Congressional inquiry (where Republicans will not only chair, but outnumber, Democrats) will investigate the government's response. Proclaim, turn, walk away. It's the Fristy Hastert way.
Too bad there's no oversight crafted in our Democracy to keep a watchful eye on career political hacks and lawyers put in charge of things they're not qualified to manage.
Come to think of it, this proclamation was really no different from Fristy Hastert's the other day, announcing a "bipartisan" Congressional inquiry (where Republicans will not only chair, but outnumber, Democrats) will investigate the government's response. Proclaim, turn, walk away. It's the Fristy Hastert way.
Now Make Him Pay for the Flight Back.
AP is first to have the information. Mike Brown, now relieved of his duties in overseeing the disaster operations on the ground, is headed back to Washington.
For those of you headed to the Sandwich Fair over the weekend, take a minute to stop by Hastert's Elephant Tent and ask him a couple questions.
Like why the Hell he wasn't calling for Brown's resignation last week?
Or maybe why he didn't after word got out that his credentials are fraudulent?
The answer you'll likely get from anyone is his shop of horrors is that that would be "playing politics," or the "blame game."
It is not "playing" anything. It's leadership, it's responsible, it's part of his job to oversee the Executive branch.
For those of you headed to the Sandwich Fair over the weekend, take a minute to stop by Hastert's Elephant Tent and ask him a couple questions.
Like why the Hell he wasn't calling for Brown's resignation last week?
Or maybe why he didn't after word got out that his credentials are fraudulent?
The answer you'll likely get from anyone is his shop of horrors is that that would be "playing politics," or the "blame game."
It is not "playing" anything. It's leadership, it's responsible, it's part of his job to oversee the Executive branch.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Thank You...
Mainstream Media, for apparently, at least partially coming to life.
And now, for the impossible.
Hastert: Ask for Mike Brown to be fired.
And now we find out that Mike Brown ("Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job") was a college roommate of Joe Albaugh, his predecessor, also unqualified for the job.
And now, for the impossible.
Hastert: Ask for Mike Brown to be fired.
And now we find out that Mike Brown ("Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job") was a college roommate of Joe Albaugh, his predecessor, also unqualified for the job.
New Weekly Award Announcement
Well, Hell, it's almost Friday, and I've decided that it's now appropriate to start a new Friday feature.
I'm tentatively calling this the "Asshole of the Week."
No one should have a problem understanding what that's all about, right? There should probably be a prize, but the Post Office would likely have a problem with what I have in mind.
The first award goes to: Mike Pence, (Surprise - R ) Indiana, for his statement today on the House floor:
Yeah. Because now would be a good time to start thinking about that, asshole, after you and the rest of Hastert's goons have cynically destroyed this country's fiscal standing by piling up a multi-trillion dollar debt.
And, you know, we wouldn't want any of those dirt poor niggers actually benefitting from any of this "welfare," now would we? Isn't that what you meant to say, asshole?
I'm tentatively calling this the "Asshole of the Week."
No one should have a problem understanding what that's all about, right? There should probably be a prize, but the Post Office would likely have a problem with what I have in mind.
The first award goes to: Mike Pence, (Surprise - R ) Indiana, for his statement today on the House floor:
- “Congress must ensure that a catastrophe of nature does not become a catastrophe of debt for our children and grandchildren.”
Yeah. Because now would be a good time to start thinking about that, asshole, after you and the rest of Hastert's goons have cynically destroyed this country's fiscal standing by piling up a multi-trillion dollar debt.
And, you know, we wouldn't want any of those dirt poor niggers actually benefitting from any of this "welfare," now would we? Isn't that what you meant to say, asshole?
Clusterfuck™ II
As part of the continuing saga being written in Iraq ( and in the form of payments to Halliburton and KBR ), it should come as no surprise that volunteers are preparing and serving food to the National Guard forces assigned to the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Not Guardsmen, not soldiers. Volunteers.
I found these little tidbits at the Council on Foreign Relations Site.
There are 15-20,000 outsourced civilians in Iraq, tasked with:
Many of these things were done (for generations) in the past by the military Quartermaster Corps. But, apparently, it's cheaper to pay a company like... KBR or Halliburton to "take care" of our troops.
Apparently, we've been suckered into believing that it's more cost-effective to be overcharged (in the $M) than to hire urban kids at less than minimum wage (and hope they don't live long enough to get military retirement or healthcare benefits).
I can't forgive what is so obviously wrong in Iraq, but with our support units being outsourced, it's no wonder we're so far below recruitment numbers.
But what's especially troubling is that even in the event of a calamity such as Katrina, Washington doesn't support our troops.
Not Guardsmen, not soldiers. Volunteers.
I found these little tidbits at the Council on Foreign Relations Site.
There are 15-20,000 outsourced civilians in Iraq, tasked with:
- guarding officials, military installations, and supply convoys;
training local troops and police forces;
providing interrogators, translators, and transcribers;
maintaining and repairing vehicles and aircraft, including the guidance and surveillance systems on tanks and helicopters;
running logistics operations and supervising supply lines;
driving supply trucks that carry fuel and food;
providing warehousing and storage facilities;
setting up Internet access and maintaining computer systems;
preparing meals for the roughly 135,000 U.S. soldiers;
cleaning military facilities, including Army bases and offices;
washing clothes;
and building housing.
Many of these things were done (for generations) in the past by the military Quartermaster Corps. But, apparently, it's cheaper to pay a company like... KBR or Halliburton to "take care" of our troops.
Apparently, we've been suckered into believing that it's more cost-effective to be overcharged (in the $M) than to hire urban kids at less than minimum wage (and hope they don't live long enough to get military retirement or healthcare benefits).
I can't forgive what is so obviously wrong in Iraq, but with our support units being outsourced, it's no wonder we're so far below recruitment numbers.
But what's especially troubling is that even in the event of a calamity such as Katrina, Washington doesn't support our troops.
Cheney's Double Surfaces
A stand-in double for the late Vice President Richard B. Cheney, and his wife, Mrs. Vice President Richard B. (Lynn) Cheney, finally surfaced today and was held up in front of CNN cameras just long enough to suck all of the remaining air out of the atmosphere along Mississippi's Gulf Coast. What ensued was this.
George W. Bush announced Monday during his latest photo-op in Louisiana that he would be sending the Cheneys on Thursday, a full 10 days after the catastrophic damage was done. It has been rumored that Cheney was at an undisclosed location this past week, planning the Clusterfuck™ and Clusterfuck II™ Federal Government response to Hurricane Katrina.
In actuality, Cheney died sometime during his August vacation, presumably of a massive, horrible heart attack. Further details are no one else's business.
George W. Bush announced Monday during his latest photo-op in Louisiana that he would be sending the Cheneys on Thursday, a full 10 days after the catastrophic damage was done. It has been rumored that Cheney was at an undisclosed location this past week, planning the Clusterfuck™ and Clusterfuck II™ Federal Government response to Hurricane Katrina.
In actuality, Cheney died sometime during his August vacation, presumably of a massive, horrible heart attack. Further details are no one else's business.
Don't Buy This Snake Oil
You're going to hear this parrotted by Fristy Hastert very soon. Don't buy it.
Neither one of these guys has a damn thing to lose when they gut Social Security. The Humble Doctor and Famed Heart Surgeon represents "old money" in Nashville. And J. Dennis, well, name another teacher in the Yorkville School District who has 20 antique autos in storage (including a fire engine!).
Both Fristy Hastert (or Denny Frist, I like both monikers for this pair) have a saying they live by:
I got mine!
Neither one of these guys has a damn thing to lose when they gut Social Security. The Humble Doctor and Famed Heart Surgeon represents "old money" in Nashville. And J. Dennis, well, name another teacher in the Yorkville School District who has 20 antique autos in storage (including a fire engine!).
Both Fristy Hastert (or Denny Frist, I like both monikers for this pair) have a saying they live by:
I got mine!
Blumenthal
The Democratic Party's best street fighter, Sidney Blumenthal (a nice Chicago boy), gets it spot on.
If you don't subscribe to Salon, take another look at it. They're worth supporting for the daily (sometimes hourly) dose of great writing on a wide variety of topics.
And don't forget -- for even a second -- that the only reason Denny Hastert was made Speaker of the House was to be a rubber stamp for these "limited government" goons.
Those who know him know for a fact that Hastert thinks Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, and any other government program that does anything to help the poor is a gigantic waste that needs to be eliminated. He's been telling those close to him those exact things for years.
Word.
FEMA FEMA Fo FEMA...
Banana fanna bo-beema...
Springer on the Radio created a hilarious tune called "The Blame Game." I've got to get a copy of the song that almost made me wet myself in the car. It starts with cuts of all the Republicans using the talking point ("make sure you accuse Democrats for playing the 'blame game'") then goes right into one of the producers singing it to the tune of "The Name Game."
So funny, I called in... and got on the air!
If you don't listen to Springer's radio show, I truly think you're missing what may be the best radio call-in program on the air. I know, I know, the TV show. It's not at all like that. Jerry Springer is a very sharp guy with a solid political background. Being mayor of Cincinnatti is no slouch job, so his perspective has been quite interesting the past week and a half.
Anyway, very thoughtful discussions. Check it out online if you don't pick it up on an AAR affiliate.
Springer on the Radio created a hilarious tune called "The Blame Game." I've got to get a copy of the song that almost made me wet myself in the car. It starts with cuts of all the Republicans using the talking point ("make sure you accuse Democrats for playing the 'blame game'") then goes right into one of the producers singing it to the tune of "The Name Game."
So funny, I called in... and got on the air!
If you don't listen to Springer's radio show, I truly think you're missing what may be the best radio call-in program on the air. I know, I know, the TV show. It's not at all like that. Jerry Springer is a very sharp guy with a solid political background. Being mayor of Cincinnatti is no slouch job, so his perspective has been quite interesting the past week and a half.
Anyway, very thoughtful discussions. Check it out online if you don't pick it up on an AAR affiliate.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Good thing we have our priorities straight.
Jesus. What is it with these guys and steroids?!
While I love the picture of Congressman Doublechin (Jim Sensenbrenner and Denny Hastert must be the only two member of Congress who would never be accused of having sex... in office or otherwise), this whole thing is insane.
A large swath of the fucking Gulf Coast is destroyed. Missing. And these clowns are worried about steroids in professional sports??
Not even Bush's murder of Chief Justice Rehnquist can overshadow the worst, cataclismic natural disaster on American soil. Millions have been impacted and an untold number of those are homeless or displaced. FEMA is a bigger fucking disaster that the hurricane itself. And we're supposed to be worried about steroid use in professional sports?
Anyone care for another game of Gary Condit?
Armenian Outrage
See? I said this was trouble. And how.
The Armenian Daily's word on it.
If the spokesman the article refers to is Ron Bonjean, then I can accept that he's undermining Hastert's position. Whenever I've come across his name lately it sounds more and more familiar.
Oh, yeah. This asshole worked the media for Trent Lott, too. A career asshole.
Demand Accountability
If you don't receive Nancy Pelosi's mailings from the DCCC, please follow this link to sign her petition to President Bush.
The message is very simple: We demand accountability, Mr. President. Fire FEMA Director Michael Brown now.
The message is very simple: We demand accountability, Mr. President. Fire FEMA Director Michael Brown now.
The Denny Frist Hour
Hastert and Frist acknowledge Congress will work now to pass legislation that should have been written long ago.
House and Senate "bipartisan committee?" Give me a break!
J. Dennis does not even lower himself to speak to Nancy Pelosi.
Nice how Denny Frist walked off-camera as soon as their proclamation was read.
You thought the 9-11 Commission was a political chip? Just wait to see where this goes.
Better You Should Just Donate to Lucifer.org
For those of you who haven't heard this story, FEMA's website lists a number of charitable organizations for Katrina relief donations. While that is laudible, it is also ostensibly an endorsement. Listed third until two days ago (behind the American Red Cross and Second Harvest) was something called "Operation Blessing."
Operation Blessing is a charitable foundation owned by the Rev. Marion "Pat" Robertson, the erstwhile loopy televangelist who is known for making silly assertions on his, uh, religious broadcast, such as "we should set off a small nuke" (on the State Department) and that the U.S. should assassinate foreign leaders because we disagree politically.
But that's not all there is to Operation Blessing. It was used to launder donations (donors contribute so OB could fly medicine to the impoverished in Africa) in support of Robertson's Africa Development Corporation, a euphemism for Diamond Mine in Zaire.
But I could be wrong about that; that's only according to an investigation by the Virginia Attorney General's office, which declined to prosecute after Robertson personally reimbursed his own company $400,000 for the diverted cargo planes.
Here's a very nice rundown of Robertson's work for bookmarking. Show your friends!
Operation Blessing is a charitable foundation owned by the Rev. Marion "Pat" Robertson, the erstwhile loopy televangelist who is known for making silly assertions on his, uh, religious broadcast, such as "we should set off a small nuke" (on the State Department) and that the U.S. should assassinate foreign leaders because we disagree politically.
But that's not all there is to Operation Blessing. It was used to launder donations (donors contribute so OB could fly medicine to the impoverished in Africa) in support of Robertson's Africa Development Corporation, a euphemism for Diamond Mine in Zaire.
But I could be wrong about that; that's only according to an investigation by the Virginia Attorney General's office, which declined to prosecute after Robertson personally reimbursed his own company $400,000 for the diverted cargo planes.
Here's a very nice rundown of Robertson's work for bookmarking. Show your friends!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
After a Refreshing Day Off
The silence around the house this weekend was sometimes deafening. While we spent the weekend off relaxing, for the most part, we understood all too well that about a million people who used to live on or near the Gulf Coast had a lousy holiday.
And the misery is not going to let up any time soon. Even with the outstanding efforts by Wal-Mart and other corporate entities who have pitched in mightily to help those who suffer, the horrible effects of this calamity will be felt for a long time to come, and by every single American.
It also occurred to me that no one has heard anything (of any substance, at least) from "The Speaker" since the Lincoln auction on the day he blew off the special emergency session of Congress (called for by Nancy Pelosi). Guess he showed her, huh?
Check out the news releases and photos on "The Speaker's" website (no, it's not house.gov/DeLay!).
Hey, it's just one opinion (and we all know that doesn't count for too much with J. Dennis Hastert), but someone could probably do well by having himself photographed up to his knees in the sewage floating down Canal St., or maybe with the pits of his $96 Nordstrom dress shirt stained with sweat as he shakes the hands of his political pals in Biloxi (Fox News says they're upset by all the focus on NOLA, btw).
Just sayin'...
And the misery is not going to let up any time soon. Even with the outstanding efforts by Wal-Mart and other corporate entities who have pitched in mightily to help those who suffer, the horrible effects of this calamity will be felt for a long time to come, and by every single American.
It also occurred to me that no one has heard anything (of any substance, at least) from "The Speaker" since the Lincoln auction on the day he blew off the special emergency session of Congress (called for by Nancy Pelosi). Guess he showed her, huh?
Check out the news releases and photos on "The Speaker's" website (no, it's not house.gov/DeLay!).
Hey, it's just one opinion (and we all know that doesn't count for too much with J. Dennis Hastert), but someone could probably do well by having himself photographed up to his knees in the sewage floating down Canal St., or maybe with the pits of his $96 Nordstrom dress shirt stained with sweat as he shakes the hands of his political pals in Biloxi (Fox News says they're upset by all the focus on NOLA, btw).
Just sayin'...
Sunday, September 04, 2005
The Nation: Right On The Money.
For those of you who don't subscribe to the The Nation, check this out before the Yahoo! link expires.
I couldn't agree more.
One of the reasons I decided to start this blog is that, as with so many of these other phoney, government-hating politicians who have taken over the mantle of leadership and are re-shaping public service into a system for the "haves" of our society, while looting the Treasury and eliminating programs for the least of us, not enough is being written of their day-to-day dismantling of society.
We seem to have forgotten what public service is all about.
An odd and terrible combination of events has taken place. Our government is being supplanted with fools, elevated to the halls of power in many cases because they've been turned into the "lesser of two evils;" often made out to be the devil that we know, chosen because we just don't know if the newcomer has possibly (gasp!) lied about something. The "something" is always inconsequential, and it's nearly always turned out to be fabricated, or the whole matter has been dropped. Sometimes, it's just the "good old boy" network.
Hastert is one of these guys. He couldn't win a primary race for the Illinois legislature in 1980. His opponent in the primary had a stroke a few weeks later, and Hastert was handpicked by the part bosses to run anyway. His first term in the U.S. House came when the incumbent died of cancer and he was (you got it!) drafted by a convention of Republicans to fill the seat.
While the Fourth Estate has quite literally ignored this kind of wholesale emptying of the public trust (I suppose, because, for one thing, it's just too crazy to believe it's happening), the new "good old boy" network has turned into a curious blend of Darwin's waiting room types and misanthropes. There are probably some psychotics in there, as well (Dan "Melonhead" Burton comes to mind).
I, for one, am not waiting for the next installment of this horror story.
There's plenty of daily dirt to dish on Denny Hastert.
I couldn't agree more.
One of the reasons I decided to start this blog is that, as with so many of these other phoney, government-hating politicians who have taken over the mantle of leadership and are re-shaping public service into a system for the "haves" of our society, while looting the Treasury and eliminating programs for the least of us, not enough is being written of their day-to-day dismantling of society.
We seem to have forgotten what public service is all about.
An odd and terrible combination of events has taken place. Our government is being supplanted with fools, elevated to the halls of power in many cases because they've been turned into the "lesser of two evils;" often made out to be the devil that we know, chosen because we just don't know if the newcomer has possibly (gasp!) lied about something. The "something" is always inconsequential, and it's nearly always turned out to be fabricated, or the whole matter has been dropped. Sometimes, it's just the "good old boy" network.
Hastert is one of these guys. He couldn't win a primary race for the Illinois legislature in 1980. His opponent in the primary had a stroke a few weeks later, and Hastert was handpicked by the part bosses to run anyway. His first term in the U.S. House came when the incumbent died of cancer and he was (you got it!) drafted by a convention of Republicans to fill the seat.
While the Fourth Estate has quite literally ignored this kind of wholesale emptying of the public trust (I suppose, because, for one thing, it's just too crazy to believe it's happening), the new "good old boy" network has turned into a curious blend of Darwin's waiting room types and misanthropes. There are probably some psychotics in there, as well (Dan "Melonhead" Burton comes to mind).
I, for one, am not waiting for the next installment of this horror story.
There's plenty of daily dirt to dish on Denny Hastert.
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