What Goes Around
In the House, Suddenly Righteous Republicans -- By Dana Milbank
Thirty-one-year-old Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) . . . packed a whole lot of chutzpah when he walked into the House TV gallery yesterday to demand that the new Democratic majority give the new Republican minority all the rights that Republicans had denied Democrats for years.
here is the article.
***
Back when the Republicans were designing all those muzzles for the minority party, I wondered aloud at their shortsightedness. Hmmmmmm-- Was this their plan all along?
Meanwhile, the Dems had better grow a backbone fast. If they can't stand up to Cindy Sheehan, how the heck will they stand up to the Republicans?
January 5, 2007
The Surge
Jane Smiley in The Huffington Post
The "surge" is about saving face rather than achieving an objective, and, let me say it right here, it's a guy thing. It's like "going down fighting", except that those who are going to be going down aren't going to be those who want to save face.
People always comment on how stubborn George W. Bush is, or how stupid he is, or how ignorant he is, but what they don't comment on is how selfish he is.
the complete text.
***
Two days ago I heard that the escalation would require 20,000 new troops. Last night the number was 30,000. Now, I see that CNN is quoting the number at 40,000.
My comment: IMPEACH NOW!
Jane Smiley in The Huffington Post
The "surge" is about saving face rather than achieving an objective, and, let me say it right here, it's a guy thing. It's like "going down fighting", except that those who are going to be going down aren't going to be those who want to save face.
People always comment on how stubborn George W. Bush is, or how stupid he is, or how ignorant he is, but what they don't comment on is how selfish he is.
the complete text.
***
Two days ago I heard that the escalation would require 20,000 new troops. Last night the number was 30,000. Now, I see that CNN is quoting the number at 40,000.
My comment: IMPEACH NOW!
Contrary To Pentagon Claims, Gen. Casey Still Warning Against Troop Escalation In Iraq
From Think Progress -- posted by Amanda:
'On Dec. 23, an anonymous Defense Department official told the Los Angeles Times that top American military commanders in Iraq, including Gen. George Casey, had “decided to recommend a ’surge’ of fresh American combat forces.”
'But in an interview last Friday, Casey told reporters that he still has doubts about an President Bush’s troop escalation plan in Iraq. From today’s New York Times:
"The longer we in the U.S. forces continue to bear the main burden of Iraq’s security, it lengthens the time that the government of Iraq has to take the hard decisions about reconciliation and dealing with the militias. And . . . they can continue to blame us for all of Iraq’s problems, which are at base their problems. It’s always been my view that a heavy and sustained American military presence was not going to solve the problems in Iraq over the long term."
Casey was “scheduled to shift out of Iraq in the summer.” But that now may “happen in February or March.”'
***
Well--he is speaking out.
Will he do anything else?
Will Congress?
Or will the soldiers just keep dying for the lie?
From Think Progress -- posted by Amanda:
'On Dec. 23, an anonymous Defense Department official told the Los Angeles Times that top American military commanders in Iraq, including Gen. George Casey, had “decided to recommend a ’surge’ of fresh American combat forces.”
'But in an interview last Friday, Casey told reporters that he still has doubts about an President Bush’s troop escalation plan in Iraq. From today’s New York Times:
"The longer we in the U.S. forces continue to bear the main burden of Iraq’s security, it lengthens the time that the government of Iraq has to take the hard decisions about reconciliation and dealing with the militias. And . . . they can continue to blame us for all of Iraq’s problems, which are at base their problems. It’s always been my view that a heavy and sustained American military presence was not going to solve the problems in Iraq over the long term."
Casey was “scheduled to shift out of Iraq in the summer.” But that now may “happen in February or March.”'
***
Well--he is speaking out.
Will he do anything else?
Will Congress?
Or will the soldiers just keep dying for the lie?
January 4, 2007
Bush Claims Right to Open Mail
By Dan Froomkin -- January 4, 2007
The New York Daily News today reports on a signing statement President Bush quietly issued two weeks ago, in which he asserts his right to open mail without a warrant.
Signing statements have historically been used by presidents mostly to explain how they intend to enforce the laws passed by Congress; Bush has used them to quietly assert his right to ignore those laws.
here is the complete text.
***
My comment: IMPEACH NOW!
The New York Daily News today reports on a signing statement President Bush quietly issued two weeks ago, in which he asserts his right to open mail without a warrant.
Signing statements have historically been used by presidents mostly to explain how they intend to enforce the laws passed by Congress; Bush has used them to quietly assert his right to ignore those laws.
here is the complete text.
***
My comment: IMPEACH NOW!
The Neglected Problems
Richard A. Clarke, author of 'Against All Enemies' has hit the nail on the head again.
I wonder if he gets tired of playing Cassandra to Washington's Trojans.
Here is the full text of his article.
Richard A. Clarke, author of 'Against All Enemies' has hit the nail on the head again.
I wonder if he gets tired of playing Cassandra to Washington's Trojans.
Here is the full text of his article.
January 3, 2007
Impeachment--Not Taken Lightly
I used to be against the idea of impeaching President Bush. I witnessed the Nixon era and wanted to avoid going through that angst again if at all possible.
A few months ago, I began rethinking that position.
Now, Bush has come out with a plan to send ever more troops to Iraq. He is moving forward with his plan despite everything he is being told by his generals on the ground and by the troops themselves. There can be only one reason for such hubris. It is not to win in Iraq. That has been shown to be beyond our capability. It is not to contain the civil war-- it is already out of control.
He is simply feeding his bottomless ego.
So, today, I officially go on record as joining the growing number of Americans calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. After their impeachments, we must remove them from office. And after that we must begin criminal action against them.
Here is one reason why.
Here is another.
I used to be against the idea of impeaching President Bush. I witnessed the Nixon era and wanted to avoid going through that angst again if at all possible.
A few months ago, I began rethinking that position.
Now, Bush has come out with a plan to send ever more troops to Iraq. He is moving forward with his plan despite everything he is being told by his generals on the ground and by the troops themselves. There can be only one reason for such hubris. It is not to win in Iraq. That has been shown to be beyond our capability. It is not to contain the civil war-- it is already out of control.
He is simply feeding his bottomless ego.
So, today, I officially go on record as joining the growing number of Americans calling for the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. After their impeachments, we must remove them from office. And after that we must begin criminal action against them.
Here is one reason why.
Here is another.
Going After Obama
Upon seeing the **ahem** mistake on CNN's Situation Room and reading about the furor it caused, I decided to dig a little deeper.
I found a December 18 column headlined "Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always A Muslim" posted on the website of Debbie Schlussel.
She argued that because Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) middle name is Hussein, his father was of Muslim descent, and he has shown interest in his father's Kenyan background, Obama's "loyalties" must be called into question.
I remember exactly the same argument being made before John F. Kennedy was elected. The Republicans asked in seeming seriousness whether he would be loyal to the American People or to the Pope.
And a column in Media Matters pulled together a number of references:
' * During MSNBC's special election coverage on November 7, co-anchor Chris Matthews remarked that Obama's "middle name is Hussein" and suggested that it would "be interesting down the road."
* On November 27, MSNBC host Tucker Carlson referred to radio host Bill Press as "a true member of the Barack Hussein Obama fan club."
* During the November 28 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, Republican strategist Ed Rogers referred to "Barack Hussein Obama."
* On the December 11 edition of CNN's Situation Room, correspondent Jeanne Moos noted that "[o]nly one little consonant differentiates" Obama and Osama. She then added, "[A]s if that similarity weren't enough. How about sharing the name of a former dictator? You know his middle name, Hussein."
* On the December 11 edition of The Situation Room, CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield compared the similarity of Obama's "business casual" clothing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "jacket-and-no-tie look." Greenfield concluded the segment by saying: "Now, it is one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread." He later explained on the CNN website that he was making "a joke."
* On December 13, Matthews teased another interview with Rogers by describing the strategist as "the one who just loves Barack Obama's middle name Hussein."
* On the December 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh gave Obama a "nickname" -- "Barack Hussein Odumbo" (in reference to Obama's "big ears").
* On the December 14 edition of Hardball, NBC's Mike Viqueira announced "a man named Barack Obama, whose middle name, incidentally, is Hussein, running for president."
* On the December 5 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, senior political correspondent Carl Cameron told viewers: "Though he's written two books about himself already, most people know very little about Barack Hussein Obama Junior's uncommonly privileged life." '
[N.B: As opposed to which recent presidential candidate who has been underprivileged? -- two crows.]
*_*_*
Migosh! There's an awful lot of manure in this stable for there not to be a pony in here, somewhere.
*_*_*
In today's climate--with a return to our uglier, intolerant side gaining more and more media attention--it's certainly difficult to pass off all these remarks as 'jokes' and 'mistakes.'
Upon seeing the **ahem** mistake on CNN's Situation Room and reading about the furor it caused, I decided to dig a little deeper.
I found a December 18 column headlined "Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always A Muslim" posted on the website of Debbie Schlussel.
She argued that because Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) middle name is Hussein, his father was of Muslim descent, and he has shown interest in his father's Kenyan background, Obama's "loyalties" must be called into question.
I remember exactly the same argument being made before John F. Kennedy was elected. The Republicans asked in seeming seriousness whether he would be loyal to the American People or to the Pope.
And a column in Media Matters pulled together a number of references:
' * During MSNBC's special election coverage on November 7, co-anchor Chris Matthews remarked that Obama's "middle name is Hussein" and suggested that it would "be interesting down the road."
* On November 27, MSNBC host Tucker Carlson referred to radio host Bill Press as "a true member of the Barack Hussein Obama fan club."
* During the November 28 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, Republican strategist Ed Rogers referred to "Barack Hussein Obama."
* On the December 11 edition of CNN's Situation Room, correspondent Jeanne Moos noted that "[o]nly one little consonant differentiates" Obama and Osama. She then added, "[A]s if that similarity weren't enough. How about sharing the name of a former dictator? You know his middle name, Hussein."
* On the December 11 edition of The Situation Room, CNN senior political analyst Jeff Greenfield compared the similarity of Obama's "business casual" clothing to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's "jacket-and-no-tie look." Greenfield concluded the segment by saying: "Now, it is one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread." He later explained on the CNN website that he was making "a joke."
* On December 13, Matthews teased another interview with Rogers by describing the strategist as "the one who just loves Barack Obama's middle name Hussein."
* On the December 14 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio program, Rush Limbaugh gave Obama a "nickname" -- "Barack Hussein Odumbo" (in reference to Obama's "big ears").
* On the December 14 edition of Hardball, NBC's Mike Viqueira announced "a man named Barack Obama, whose middle name, incidentally, is Hussein, running for president."
* On the December 5 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, senior political correspondent Carl Cameron told viewers: "Though he's written two books about himself already, most people know very little about Barack Hussein Obama Junior's uncommonly privileged life." '
[N.B: As opposed to which recent presidential candidate who has been underprivileged? -- two crows.]
*_*_*
Migosh! There's an awful lot of manure in this stable for there not to be a pony in here, somewhere.
*_*_*
In today's climate--with a return to our uglier, intolerant side gaining more and more media attention--it's certainly difficult to pass off all these remarks as 'jokes' and 'mistakes.'
January 2, 2007
That’s Chutzpah!
This morning I heard part of Bush’s eulogy for President Ford.
‘He stepped into the most divisive period this nation has ever known.’
I have a couple of thoughts on what he said:
1] Again, even with someone to write his speech for him, Bush is a little short in the history department.
The most divisive? Huh-uh. Remember the Civil War? Remember the Reconstruction? Remember the lynchings and the fire hoses and the snarling dogs during the struggles of our minorities for their Civil Rights?
and 2] The absolute gall of this **ahem** president—talking about divisive periods in our nation’s history. Just what does he think HE has created, here?
This morning I heard part of Bush’s eulogy for President Ford.
‘He stepped into the most divisive period this nation has ever known.’
I have a couple of thoughts on what he said:
1] Again, even with someone to write his speech for him, Bush is a little short in the history department.
The most divisive? Huh-uh. Remember the Civil War? Remember the Reconstruction? Remember the lynchings and the fire hoses and the snarling dogs during the struggles of our minorities for their Civil Rights?
and 2] The absolute gall of this **ahem** president—talking about divisive periods in our nation’s history. Just what does he think HE has created, here?
The 2006 Bill of Wrongs
By Dahlia Lithwick --
I must confess that I love all those year-end lists of greatest movies and albums and lip glosses and tractors of the past 12 months -- it's reassuring that all human information can be wrestled into bundles of 10. In that spirit, herewith are my top ten civil liberties nightmares of 2006
***
This article pairs so well with the list below, it's truly terrifying.
By Dahlia Lithwick --
I must confess that I love all those year-end lists of greatest movies and albums and lip glosses and tractors of the past 12 months -- it's reassuring that all human information can be wrestled into bundles of 10. In that spirit, herewith are my top ten civil liberties nightmares of 2006
***
This article pairs so well with the list below, it's truly terrifying.
January 1, 2007
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