"If the president vetoes this bill because he doesn't want to formally demonstrate progress in Iraq, never in the history of war would there be a more blatant example of a commander in chief undermining the troops. There is absolutely no excuse for the president to withhold funding for the troops, and if he does exercise a veto, Congress must side with the troops and override it." - retired Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Horne

"He can swagger all he wants but we have 3,241 dead Americans." - Harry Reid

What?

David Hicks has been sentenced to nine months after pleading guilty to aiding Al Qaeda.

Nine months. Aiding Al Qaeada.

Part of the plea agreement was that he not talk about his treatment at Guantanamo.

This was a U.S. military tribunal and a U.S. military judge.

They gave a slap on the wrist to a guy who aided terrorists as long as he agreed to not blow the whistle on them?

Does the Bush administration plan to cut deals with all of the OTHER terrorists?

“We were a little surprised to see those remarks.” - Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.

“It is not accurate to say that the United States is occupying Iraq.” - White House spokesman Dana Perino

Reaction to Prince Abdullah calling our occupation of Iraq "illegal."

These are Bush's best friends in the world - and then some. Abdullah is THIS guy:





Does this mean that he doesn't get a kiss next time he visits the White House?

"So, this was a project that you were in charge of...this was a project that lasted for 2 years....this was a project that would end the careers of 8 United States Attorneys and neither you nor anybody reporting to you kept a specific file in your office about it?" - Sheldon Whitehouse, nailing Kyle Sampson to a wall.

Think Progress has a great video of Schumer making Sampson admit that Gonzales gave false testimony.

Gonzales lied.

But you knew that.

Specter asked about Attorney General Gonzales' "candor" in saying earlier this month that he was not a part of any discussions on the firings. He asked about the November 27, 2006 meeting "where there were discussions" and Gonzales allegedly attended. Was Gonzales' statement about taking part in no discussions accurate?

"I don't think it's accurate," Sampson said. "He recently clarified it. But he was present at the November 27 meeting."

"So he was involved in discussions in contrast to his statement" this month? Specter asked.

"Yes." Sampson replied.

Sen. Charles Schumer then asked about Gonzales also claiming that he saw no documents on this matter.

Sampson replied: "I don't think it's entirely accurate."

Schumer: "There was repeated discussions?"

Sampson : "Yes."

Schumer: "As many as, say, five."

Sampson: "Yes."

Schumer then asked if Gonzales was truthful in saying Sampson's information on the firings was not shared within the department.

Sampson: "I shared information with whoever asked....I was very open and collaborative in the process."

Schumer: "So the Attorney General's statement is false?"

Sampson: "I don't think it is accurate."

Ok - so the highest law enforcement officer in the country lied to Congress during a Congressional investigation. There's perjury and obstruction of justice. Apparently, we have a lawless President who regards that as just fine.

A question: How is this NOT an impeachable offense?

Kyle Sampson is testifying before congress.

C-Span has the live hearings.

Firedoglake is liveblogging.

Bush explained

Kyle Sampson (Gonzales ex-aide) unwittingly explains and reveals just how dysfunctional, screwed-up, and harmful to America these clowns are:

"The distinction between 'political' and 'performance-related' reasons for removing a United States attorney is, in my view, largely artificial" - Kyle Sampson

There it is: everything is politics. What they mean by "good job" has nothing to do with what your job is supposed to be. It has to do with whether or not you are a political toady.

Huzzah

NEW YORK -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc., embattled by failed attempts to open stores in Queens and Staten Island, might be giving up on New York, or at the very least Manhattan.

Chairman and Chief Executive H. Lee Scott said trying to conduct business in New York was so expensive that "I don't think it is worth the effort. I don't care if we are ever here." His comments were in a story published Wednesday by The New York Times.

I wonder if the moronic clowns think that New Yorkers will be UPSET over this news? "Oh, us poor, poor pitiful Manhattanites won't get a WAL-MART! Whereever will we SHOP"?

Heh.

Good frigging riddance.

Here's Dave Lippmann doing I Hate Wal-Mart

And here's why.

Oooops.

March 28 (Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department said it provided inaccurate information to members of Congress in a February letter about the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.

Writing today to lawmakers investigating the terminations, the agency's acting head of legislative affairs, Richard Hertling, said that ``certain statements'' in the Feb. 23 letter were contradicted by documents that the department provided to Congress this month. Hertling didn't specify what the misstatements were.

You would figure that the question, "Why were they fired?" wouldn't be all THAT hard to answer, now, wouldn't you?

I guess that the REAL answer is so slimy that these guys will publicly disgrace themselves rather than say it.

I'm sorry to be the one to break this to you, but this Passover, you're just going to have to lay off the dope.

Ooooops. Heh.

"White House personnel appear to have been systematically avoiding using their government emails on the job because they knew they might some day be subpoenaed.

But as we noted earlier with Karl Rove, this may have been too clever by half. If the president's aides were using RNC emails or emails from other Republican political committees, they can't have even the vaguest claim to shielding those communications behind executive privilege." - Josh Marshall

John McCain is a pathetic ass

BLITZER: Here's what you told Bill Bennett on his radio show on Monday.

MCCAIN: Yes.

BLITZER: "There are neighborhoods in Baghdad where you and I could walk through those neighborhoods today."

MCCAIN: Yes.

BLITZER: "The U.S. is beginning to succeed in Iraq."

You know, everything we hear, that if you leave the so-called green zone, the international zone, and you go outside of that secure area, relatively speaking, you're in trouble if you're an American.

MCCAIN: You know, that's why you ought to catch up on things, Wolf.....

BLITZER: Let's go live to Baghdad right now.

CNN's Michael Ware is standing by -- Michael, you've been there, what, for four years. You're walking around Baghdad on a daily basis.

Has there been this improvement that Senator McCain is speaking about?

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'd certainly like to bring Senator McCain up to speed, if he ever gives me the opportunity. And if I have any difficulty hearing you right now, Wolf, that's because of the helicopter circling overhead and the gun battle that is blazing just a few blocks down the road....

I mean, Senator McCain's credibility now on Iraq, which has been so solid to this point, has now been left out hanging to dry.

To suggest that there's any neighborhood in this city where an American can walk freely is beyond ludicrous. I'd love Senator McCain to tell me where that neighborhood is and he and I can go for a stroll.

And to think that General David Petraeus travels this city in an unarmed Humvee. I mean in the hour since Senator McCain has said this, I've spoken to some military sources and there was laughter down the line....

So, no, Senator McCain is way off base on this one....I don't know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about when he says we can go strolling in Baghdad.

Crooks and Liars has the video.

Corrupt, corrupt, corrupt

Remember the 140,000 smackers that Cheney's office paid Wade? Josh Marshall has found out what the money was for.

Why would a guy with no history, and no experience be hired to screen the mail of the President of the United States for anthrax?

Whose palm did he grease?

So you've been lying for two years, Joe?

"It is clear that for the first time in a long time, there is reason for cautious optimism about Iraq." - Joe Lieberman, March 27, 2007

Joe gets exposed for the smarmy, lying shitsack that he is right here.

"...He bravely, bravely ran away, Alberto ran away...."

"Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales today cut short a press conference about Internet safety, leaving the room at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago when reporters questioned him about the firings of U.S. attorneys.

The questioning was to have lasted about 15 minutes, but it ended after less than three."

White and Nerdy

Weird Al. For the Eviscerator.