Hillary Clinton goes on Jimmy Kimmel to address concerns about her health and to talk about her e-mails.

Courtesy of Raw Story: 

Being in the presence of Clinton allowed Kimmel not merely the opportunity to ask questions but to check if Clinton was actually still alive. Given the conspiracy theories about her health, she could very easily be a cyborg by now. 

“Oh my God, there’s nothing there!” Kimmel joked, taking her pulse. 

“Back in October, The National Enquirer said I would be dead in six months,” Clinton said, “so with every breath I take I feel like I have a new lease on life!” 

Clinton was shocked why the GOP would hope to paint her as unhealthy. “I don’t know why they are saying this. I think on the one hand, it’s part of the wacky strategy. Just say all these crazy things and maybe you can get some people to believe you. On the other hand, it just absolutely makes no sense. I don’t go around questioning Donald Trump’s health.” Clinton said, as far as she can tell, that Trump’s health seems to be physically fine. 

Kimmel cited Trump’s doctor, who says a medical examination proved the GOP nominee has the best health ever — of all time. Of all time. Clinton smiled and nodded, saying that she’d heard about that. To prove her stability, Kimmel gave Clinton the ultimate test: Open a jar of pickles. Somehow, she managed.

I am going to suggest that the pickle jar was pre-loosened or else I doubt that Hillary would have agreed to do that on live television. That's just common sense.

However when anybody argues about Hillary's poor health I always suggest that they sit and watch that eleven hour testimony before the House Benghazi witch hunt.

That would have killed Donald Trump.

Clinton also addressed the release of more of her e-mails.

I want to once again remind everybody that neither Condoleezza Rice nor Colin Powell ever released ANY of their e-mails from when they were Secretary of State.

All standards are changed when it comes to Hillary.

While on the subject of clearing up nonsensical GOP charges against Hillary here is an article in which John Dean (Yes, THAT John Dean.), does that for the charge that she lied under oath. 

Upgrades by the State Department as to what is "confidential" or "secret" find that former Secretaries of State Condollezza Rice and Colin Powell may now be in violation of the guidelines as well. Oops.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Colin Powell and top staffers for Condoleezza Rice received classified information through personal email accounts, according to a new report from State Department investigators. 

Hillary Clinton has received severe criticism -- particularly from Republicans and computer security experts -- for using her personal email account while serving as the nation's top diplomat under President Barack Obama. 

Thursday's revelation about the two secretaries of state under former President George W. Bush gave her supporters an opportunity to claim the Democratic presidential candidate was being singled out over the practice. 

The emails were discovered during a State Department review of the email practices of the past five secretaries of state. It found that Powell received two emails that were classified and that the "immediate staff" working for Rice received 10 emails that were classified. 

The information was deemed either "secret" or "confidential," according to the report.

So I assume that we can now look forward to Condi and Colin having to sit before some Congressional investigative committee as well now, right?

Oh no I'm sorry that only happens if your name is Clinton.

Colin Powell is not exactly happy that he has been dragged into this BS either:

"The State Department cannot now say they were classified then because they weren't," Powell said. "If the Department wishes to say a dozen years later they should have been classified that is an opinion of the Department that I do not share." 

"I have reviewed the messages and I do not see what makes them classified," Powell said.

Okay we need to move onto a new scandal, this one is boring.

I think the new shiny object is that Hillary is supposedly the mascot of Wall Street.

Well at least it's relatively new.

Hillary Clinton apologizes. But for what?

Courtesy of ABC News: 

Hillary Clinton on Tuesday told ABC News’ David Muir that using a personal email account while Secretary of State was a “mistake” and that she is “sorry” for it. 

“I do think I could have and should have done a better job answering questions earlier. I really didn’t perhaps appreciate the need to do that,” the democratic presidential candidate told Muir in an exclusive interview in New York City. "What I had done was allowed, it was above board. But in retrospect, as I look back at it now, even though it was allowed, I should have used two accounts. One for personal, one for work-related emails. That was a mistake. I’m sorry about that. I take responsibility.” 

This is the farthest Clinton has gone yet in offering an apology for her use of a private email server while Secretary of State.

You know here's the thing.

This is all the result of the Republicans beating the bushes over Benghazi, and if they had not flushed out the private e-mail server, which so fucking weak, they would have found something else.

And here's the other thing, NONE of Colin Powell or Condi Rice's e-mails have been made available for review, from the time they served as the Secretary of State, and in fact Colin Powell's were not even archived.

The excuse for Rice is that she really didn't use e-mail that often.

Yet nobody seems to find that suspicious considering the fact that these e-mails occurred during the buildup to, and execution of, the Iraq War, and would contain details of great interest to the American people.

If we don't think that sensitive and top secret information was sent through both Rice and Powell's private e-mail accounts then we are fooling ourselves.

And here is another point laid out by Massachusetts's Senator Stephen Lynch: 

“We have clandestine information that is now in the hands of the Chinese,” he said, citing a recent data breach at the Office of Personnel Management. “Her information now is the only information that hasn’t been hacked.” “It’s hard to argue that if she had put it on a government server, it would have been safer.”

Exactly! There was no breach of Clinton's e-mail security, however the one that affected the State Department e-mail server was the "worst one ever."

So like I said, what in the hell is Hillary apologizing for?

German human rights group files criminal complaint against Bush Administration in wake of torture report.

Courtesy of Democracy Now:  

A human rights group in Berlin, Germany, has filed a criminal complaint against the architects of the George W. Bush administration’s torture program. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has accused former Bush administration officials, including CIA Director George Tenet and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, of war crimes, and called for an immediate investigation by a German prosecutor. The move follows the release of a Senate report on CIA torture which includes the case of a German citizen, Khalid El-Masri, who was captured by CIA agents in 2004 due to mistaken identity and tortured at a secret prison in Afghanistan. So far, no one involved in the CIA torture program has been charged with a crime — except the whistleblower John Kiriakou, who exposed it. We speak to Michael Ratner, president emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights and chairman of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, and longtime defense attorney Martin Garbus.

So here's my question.

Are we going to allow ourselves to be shown up by the Germans? 

After all we have several human rights groups here in America, so what in the hell is the holdup?

Today is the day that they are releasing the CIA torture report. About damn time!

Courtesy of USA Today: 

"There are some indications that the release of the report could lead to a greater risk that is posed to U.S. facilities and individuals all around the world," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Monday. "So the administration has taken the prudent steps to ensure that the proper security precautions are in place at U.S. facilities around the globe." 

The report's release by the Senate Intelligence Committee sparked a fierce debate in Congress. 

Some lawmakers said it's important for the report to be released so the U.S. government will never again use torture as a method of interrogation. Others said it will inflame extremist groups in the Middle East and elsewhere and threaten the lives of U.S. diplomats, military members and other Americans overseas. 

The Intelligence Committee is expected to release Tuesday a 500-page summary of a 6,200-page report on the the CIA's use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, humiliation and other "enhanced interrogation techniques" against al-Qaeda prisoners during the George W. Bush administration. 

While the revelations of torture are not new, the report will detail the broad scope of the controversial practices, which took place at secret detention centers in the Middle East and Asia. It also will allege that the CIA tried to hide what they were doing from Congress and the White House. Perhaps most controversial of all, it will conclude that the CIA's tactics failed to gather any useful information to save American lives. 

"The president believes that, on principle, it's important to release that report, so that people around the world and people here at home understand exactly what transpired," Earnest said. He added that "something like this should never happen again."

There are of course dire warnings that the release of this report will result in attacks on American soldiers overseas, of course many of those are coming from folks who are about to look really bad when this thing comes out, but in the end I think it is important that Americans come to terms with what we did.

We mistreated people for no other reason than somebody somewhere did not like them and told the CIA that they were a terrorists. Based on such slim evidence we captured and tortured some of these people for many years.

These techniques created far more terrorists than we have ever captured or killed, and it has inspired the formation of groups like ISIS which are now terrorizing people all over the Middle East. 

And because we were afraid we turned a blind eye to what was being done in the name of protecting the homeland.

Which by the ways sounds uncomfortably like something that was said in Nazi Germany in the 1940's.

Mike Huckabee joins Sarah Palin in endorsing Joe Miller. Bit late don't you think Huck?

Courtesy of Alaska Dispatch:

 The Republican primary is Tuesday, and the major candidates include Miller, Treadwell, and Dan Sullivan. 

Huckabee, in a statement provided by Miller’s campaign, is quoted as saying that Miller “embodies the kind of values our country so desperately needs.” 

Miller “is unequivocally pro-life, pro-family, and pro-traditional marriage,” the statement quotes Huckabee as saying. “And above all, he understands that life and liberty come from God.” 

Miller last week was endorsed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, but Huckabee’s support might be even more valuable. 

Yeah, no kidding.

At this point an endorsement from Satan would be received more warmly by Alaskans than one by Palin.

Personally I am not sure why Huckabee is bothering considering that Miller is currently trailing both Sullivan and Treadwell. Besides the election is today and I doubt that many primary voters will even be aware of this endorsement before the polls open.

It's almost like Huckabee simply wants to get his name mentioned during the Alaska primary in case he decides to run for president in 2016. 

The Dispatch also noted that Treadwell received a last minute endorsement from astronaut Buzz Aldrin, which is probably even less helpful than the Huckabee endorsement. 

The favorite, Dan Sullivan's big endorsement came from Condoleezza Rice, another name that probably does not impress very many Alaskans.

For my money the most important endorsement in this race came from Palin. Not because it could help Miller in any way, but because it was the final nail in his political coffin.

Condoleezza Rice bails on Rutgers commencement ceremony after students and faculty protest.

Courtesy of ABC News:  

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has backed out of delivering the commencement address at Rutgers University following protests by some faculty and students over her role in the Iraq War. 

Rice said in a statement Saturday that she informed Rutgers President Robert Barchi that she was declining the invitation to speak at the graduation. 

"Commencement should be a time of joyous celebration for the graduates and their families," Rice said. "Rutgers' invitation to me to speak has become a distraction for the university community at this very special time." 

The school's board of governors had voted to pay $35,000 to the former secretary of state under President George W. Bush and national security adviser for her appearance at the May 18 ceremony. Rutgers was also planning to bestow Rice with an honorary doctorate. 

But some students and faculty at New Jersey's flagship university had protested, staging sit-ins and saying Rice bore some responsibility for the Iraq War as a member of the Bush administration. Barchi and other school leaders had resisted the calls to disinvite Rice, saying the university welcomes open discourse on controversial topics.

Damn, mad props to the students and faculty of Rutgers for taking a stand against a member of one of the most corrupt and  treasonous administrations in American history.

Personally I cannot imagine why ANY institute of learning would allow this criminal onto their campus.

In fact I don't know why those in the Bush administration are not sitting in a cell somewhere waiting for their imminent execution.

Dan Sullivan's campaign for the GOP nomination to run against Senator Mark Begich is in trouble. So who are you going to call, Condoleezza Rice. Wait, who?

Courtesy of the National Journal:  

American Crossroads is bringing on former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to aid an Alaskan Senate candidate who has recently come under fire from Democrats. 

Rice appears in a new 30-second TV ad from the Karl Rove-founded super PAC praising Republican Dan Sullivan for his work in the Bush administration, and defends him from attacks on his Alaskan residency from a group supporting Democratic Sen. Mark Begich. "Remember that serving our country required some time in our capital," Rice says in the Crossroads spot, which has $170,000 behind it, according to Federal Election Commission records. 

The move comes a week after Put Alaska First PAC, the pro-Begich super PAC, launched a TV ad noting that Sullivan purchased a nonresidential fishing license in 2009. The group also aired an ad in February highlighting that the Republican primary front-runner benefited from a Maryland tax credit while voting in Alaska, and that he was born and raised in Ohio. While serving in the White House from 2002-04 and the State Department from 2006-09, Sullivan lived in Bethesda, Md., but still owned a home in Anchorage.

You know while Alaska is a red state, I don't think that reminding voters that Sullivan once worked for one of the worst President's in American history is going to garner him anymore support.

And if the question is concerning this carpetbagger status then having an out of stater speak on his behalf does him virtually no good.

I actually find it interesting that Sullivan is already having this much trouble. After all his only real competition for the nomination is Joe Miller who is essentially a laughing stock up here, and Mead Treadwell who as Alaska's Lt. Governor has so little charisma that he is actually overshadowed by a Governor whose nickname is Captain Zero.

(H/T to the Daily Kos.)

Deaprtment of Justice to grant Bush Administration immunity from prosecution over the Iraq War. Seriously, WTF Obama Administration?

Courtesy of War is Crime:  

In court papers filed today (PDF), the United States Department of Justice requested that George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and Paul Wolfowitz be granted procedural immunity in a case alleging that they planned and waged the Iraq War in violation of international law. 

Plaintiff Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother and refugee now living in Jordan, filed a complaint in March 2013 in San Francisco federal court alleging that the planning and waging of the war constituted a “crime of aggression” against Iraq, a legal theory that was used by the Nuremberg Tribunal to convict Nazi war criminals after World War II. 

"The DOJ claims that in planning and waging the Iraq War, ex-President Bush and key members of his Administration were acting within the legitimate scope of their employment and are thus immune from suit,” chief counsel Inder Comar of Comar Law said. 

The “Westfall Act certification,” submitted pursuant to the Westfall Act of 1988, permits the Attorney General, at his or her discretion, to substitute the United States as the defendant and essentially grant absolute immunity to government employees for actions taken within the scope of their employment.

Okay I have defended this administration through thick and thin, and often have taken buckets of crap for doing so.

But I simply CANNOT defend this action.

Iraqi woman files class action lawsuit against President Bush over his "war of aggression." Oh PLEASE let this be successful!

Courtesy of Yes magazine:  

George W. Bush keeps a low profile these days, making the rounds on the public speaking circuit, engaging in a bit of philanthropy here and there, occasionally sharing his dog paintings or offering an unsolicited opinion on the immigration debate or national security. 

Given his role in the current media landscape, it may be easy to forget that just 10 years ago he led an invasion of a foreign country that many in the international community saw as criminal. 

Sundus Shaker Saleh, an Iraqi single mother of three, has not forgotten. The violence and chaos that engulfed Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 had tragic consequences for her family and ultimately forced her to flee her homeland for an uncertain future. She has left Iraq, but she is determined to make sure the world hears her story and that someone is held accountable. 

Saleh is the lead plaintiff in a class action lawsuit targeting six key members of the Bush Administration: George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, and Paul Wolfowitz. In Saleh v. Bush, she alleges that the Iraq War was not conducted in self-defense, did not have the appropriate authorization by the United Nations, and therefore constituted a “crime of aggression” under international law—a designation first set down in the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. The aim of the suit is simple: to achieve justice for Iraqis, and to show that no one, not even the president of the United States, is above the law.

I don't have muhc faith in this actually going anywhere, but an anti-war liberal can dream can't he?

Nonpartisan group finds that, without a doubt, the Bush administration is guilty of torture. Somebody organize a jury while I get some rope.

"Yeah, so we broke the law and used torture, What are ya gonna do about it?" 

Courtesy of Raw Story:

A nonpartisan group led by a former top Bush administration official concluded a two-year review on Tuesday that finds the former president and his top advisers knowingly ordered interrogation techniques that U.S. officials have previously referred to as torture. 

“After conducting our own two-year investigation, weighing the credibility of all sources and studying the current public record, we have come to the regrettable, but unavoidable, conclusion that the United States did indeed engage in conduct that is clearly torture,” former Rep. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), who served as undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security during the Bush administration, said in an advisory. 

The 577-page review, put together by the advocacy group The Constitution Project, includes interviews with dozens of people who have first-hand knowledge of the discussions about interrogation techniques and their implementation. Although Bush administration loyalists said at the time that “enhanced interrogation tactics” like stress positions, waterboarding, mock executions, sensory deprivation and prolonged diapering were not torture, this report aims to specifically and finally emphasize that these activities meet the clinical definition of “torture.” 

“As long as the debate continues, so too does the possibility that the United States could again engage in torture,” the report says, according to The New York Times, which received an advance copy. 

“What sets the United States apart as a world leader, in addition to our military might, are our values and respect for the rule of law. All the available evidence led us to conclude that, for many of these detainees, the U.S. violated both international law and treaties and our own laws, greatly diminishing America’s ability to forge important alliances around the world,” former Rep. James R. Jones (D-OK) added in the group’s advisory. 

The report also notes dozens of instances in which U.S. officials and U.S courts treated similar tactics as torture when applied to U.S. persons, and urges the Obama administration to declassify a 6,000-page Senate report on the extent of torture’s use during the Bush years. 

“This has not been an easy inquiry for me, because I know many of the players,” Hutchinson told The New York Times. “But I just think we learn from history. It’s incredibly important to have an accurate account not just of what happened but of how decisions were made.” 

Okay so now that this report is finished and it leaves NO doubt that the Bush administration engaged in criminal activities. let's have the whole slimy bunch of them arrested for treason.

All criminal investigations into the Bush torture program have been called off by the Obama administration.

Fuck!

So nothing. These bastards destroy our reputation, lie us into two unnecessary wars, spy on our citizens, and damn near near bankrupt the country, and nothing happens to them?

No of course not. But just let President Obama fail to leave a tip after eating lunch and the impeachment hearings will commence posthaste.

Fucking Republicans!

In case you missed it here is "Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War" narrated by Rachel Maddow

If you did not get the chance to watch this last night I urge you to take the time to watch it here, It is too important to miss in my opinion.

One of my strongest reactions while watching this last night, was to the sheer hypocrisy of the Republican party. Many of who DARE to criticize  President Obama's decisions to end the Iraq War, after supporting the start of it so aggressively while ignoring the fact that the reasons given for going in were based on shaky, if not false, information.

If they had any sense of honor they would have all stepped down from their political positions years ago.

And speaking of shameful we have the insanity of John McCain DEMANDING more information about the four American deaths in Benghazi, while the blood of 4,486 dead United States military members drips from his old arthritic hands.

If ANY member of the Senate should have seen what was happening and put a stop to it, it was ex POW John McCain. But what did he do? He continued to push for an extension of the war well past the point where virtually everybody else had deemed it unnecessary, and wrong.

In a perfect world I would see George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, Dick Cheney, and Paul Wolfowitz, executed for treason after being tried for war crimes. But I would also like to see John McCain stripped of his office and thrown into jail as well, for supporting a criminal war and ignoring information that he knew to be false.

Open thread for MSNBC's "Hubris: Selling of the Iraq War" hosted by Rachel Maddow.

Here is just one except courtesy of Mother Jones:  

One chilling moment in the film comes in an interview with retired General Anthony Zinni, a former commander in chief of US Central Command. In August 2002, the Bush-Cheney administration opened its propaganda campaign for war with a Cheney speech at the annual Veterans of Foreign Wars convention. The veep made a stark declaration: "There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein now has weapons of mass destruction. There is no doubt he is amassing them to use against our friends, against our allies, and against us." No doubt, he proclaimed, Saddam was arming himself with WMD in preparation for attacking the United States. 

Zinni was sitting on the stage during the speech, and in the documentary he recalls his reaction: 

It was a shock. It was a total shock. I couldn't believe the vice president was saying this, you know? In doing work with the CIA on Iraq WMD, through all the briefings I heard at Langley, I never saw one piece of credible evidence that there was an ongoing program. And that's when I began to believe they're getting serious about this. They wanna go into Iraq. 

That Zinni quote should almost end the debate on whether the Bush-Cheney administration purposefully guided the nation into war with misinformation and disinformation. 

But there's more. So much more.

As I am sure many of you know David Corn, of Mother Jones, wrote the book that this documentary is based on with fellow journalist Michael Isikoff. It is definitely going to be "must see TV" for those of us who were railing against this war from the very beginning, and will hopefully provide an incentive for journalists to revisit this issue and perhaps, fingers crossed here, somebody will actually have to answer for why this country was lied into a war, and why so many thousands of our military members were sent to their deaths under false pretenses.

As you can probably tell I am already amped up to see this and if you are as well feel free to leave your impressions here.

Make sure you clear your calendars for the premiere of the documentary "Hubris: The Selling of the Iraq War." Which is scheduled for Monday on MSNBC, and will be hosted by our own Rachel Maddow.

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I often call myself a "Bush Democrat" meaning that I was essentially an Independent until George W. Bush was elected, and then I decided it was time to take sides in what I saw as a war against the American people being waged by the Republican party.

I KNEW before the first shot was fired that the reasons given for going into Iraq were false, and I simply could not believe that the media in this country refused to call the administration out on that.

My most constant frustration with President Obama is that he has refused to go after the people that falsified the information that got us into the Iraq War, and the politicians who supported it even though they HAD to have known, or at least suspected, the truth.

I'm not stupid. I have seen the incredibly partisan climate we currently live in, and realize that IF the President had attempted to launch an investigation, or charge the ex-President and his staff with treason, it would have split this country irreparably, and we would right now be fighting that long threatened civil war that some on the Right are itching to start.

Having said that, I for one certainly hope that at some point, with documentaries like this getting the truth out to the American people, the time may soon be right to revisit this criminal enterprise and find justice for the thousands of young Americans who died needlessly in a war that NEVER should have taken place.

Why Hillary Clinton may be the Republicans worst nightmare come to life.

Courtesy of the Daily Beast:

Message to the Republican Party: Be afraid, be very afraid. 

Hillary Clinton stands atop of the Democratic 2016 scrum, set to resume where Bill left off. A second Clinton candidacy would likely put the white vote in play and jeopardize the GOP’s dominance in the Old Confederacy. Recent polls put Hillary ahead of possible Republican challengers in vote-rich Texas and in Kentucky, home of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Tea Party favorite Rand Paul. 

Unlike her husband, Hillary is personally disciplined. Unlike Barack Obama, she has demonstrated an ability to connect with beer-track voters across the country. 

And that is where the GOP’s problem begins. In addition to benefiting from Obama’s ascendant coalition of younger voters, minorities and women, Hillary connects with the white working class and would likely improve upon Obama’s showing among this bloc. Instead, of the forced optics of Obama sitting down to a beer with the prof and the cop, voters would likely be treated to moments of a relaxed Hillary knocking back a boiler-maker in Youngstown or Dearborn. 

Clinton could make a serious play in the South and build upon existing margins in the Midwest. North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas would be in play. Indeed, Hillary could reclaim the newest bloc of swing voters: America’s wealthy

You know I think we have already accepted that if Hillary decides to run she will undoubtedly have almost the entire Democratic field to herself, but I have to wonder who among thee Republicans would be willing to take her on?

I think we can expect the guys that are in it for a shot at exposure and future book deals like Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich to throw there hats in the ring, but who else would take the plunge?

I would think that even such stalwarts of the party like Jeb Bush and Chris Christie would hesitate to go up against Hillary in 2016, for fear of being destroyed by her incredible political machine and losing whatever credibility they currently enjoy.

And as for the Republican women like Nikki Haley, Michele Bachmann, or Condoleezza Rice, I doubt that ANY of them would be able to help their own with Hillary, though I do admit it would make GREAT television.

What do you think?

Gallup finds Hillary Clinton is the most admired woman in the world and Sarah Palin is the fifth most admired person in the world. Wait, what?

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

A new Gallup poll again hands the secretary of state the title of the “most admired woman” in the world, with 21 percent selecting her. First lady Michelle Obama comes in a distant second at 5 percent, followed by Oprah Winfrey at 4 percent.

Okay well all of that makes sense, I even kind of understand Condi Rice at the number four spot, but Palin at five? WTF?

And how in the HELL does she beat out the extraordinarily brave Malala Yousafzai? That is ridiculous!

So what is she so admired for?

Her political presence? There isn't one.

Her intelligence? Seriously?

Her reality show career? Hah!

Her parenting? Double Hah!

Seriously I simply do NOT get it.

I went to the actual Gallup site to see if it was the way the question was asked. This is what they said:

The open-ended nature of the question produces the names of people with high top-of-mind name identification, most often hailing from the world of government and politics; the list also includes individuals who have become famous serving humanitarian causes and others whose fame comes from the business and entertainment worlds.

Okay so essentially it is based on name recognition.

These are the names of people that the individuals asked knew off of the top of their heads. And sadly Palin was mentioned quite a lot this last year. Sure mostly it was to mock her, or use her as a comparison for how badly the Paul Ryan pick was, but you not THAT bad.

I would LOVE to have heard a follow up question asking the respondents WHY they chose who they chose. I think for those who chose Palin wall you would hear is the sound of crickets.

If it makes you feel any better look who shows up as3rd, 4th, and 5th on the mens side of the poll.

Oh yeah. Mitt Romney as the third most admired man, and George W. Bush as the fifth, certainly puts the whole thing into perspective.

Guess which polling group is now the LEAST admired? Yeah, that's right Gallup.

Lawrence O'Donnell uses Sarah Palin to shame John McCain over his remarks about UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Oh, this is going to leave a mark!

I was all fired up last night about these insulting and derisive statements from Lindsay Graham and John McCain directed at Susan Rice and was prepared to go all medieval on their asses.

But then I watched the Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and realized I simply could NOT have done it any better.

Here take a look for yourself. It is a thing of beauty.

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Jon Stewart calls the RNC out on their deceitful tactics. Don't worry he makes it funny.

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Stewart has some fun with this, which is actually a little cathartic for me, since I spent much of my time watching the various speeches last night wanting to tear my hair out by the roots.

Literally EVERY SINGLE speech given, with the possible exception of Condoleezza Rice's speech, was filled with misrepresentations and outright lies about either what the President said, or what the President has done.

Essentially it seemed to me that the Republicans have so little to run on that they are forced to manufacture something negative about Obama, that they can then spend EVERY SINGLE speech attacking. I have heard of the straw man argument, but this is a entire straw man campaign.

To put it more succinctly, "Fuck the Republicans, they're liars!"

I am not sure that Condolezza Rice has ever watched The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell before.

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I have to say that I found that very satisfying on a number of levels.

I literally used to fantasize about seeing a member of the Bush administration drilled by a tough, no nonsense, journalist like O'Donnell.  Absolutely made my day yesterday.

US and Iraq to agree on setting timetable for withdrawal of troops. That's right "timetables"!

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Thursday that U.S. and Iraqi officials agree that timetables should be set for a U.S. troop withdrawal, but conceded that nailing down a broader pact on future relations is difficult.

Appearing together at a news conference, Rice and Zebari also mutually asserted that a final agreement between Washington and Baghdad on a a broad document spelling out the nature of any future U.S. troop presence and Washington-Baghdad relations is close to fruition, but not yet complete.

"We have agreed that some goals, some aspirational timetables for how that might unfold, are well worth having in such an agreement," Rice told reporters after meeting with Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The two sides had come together on a draft agreement earlier this week and Rice made an unannounced visit to Baghdad to press officials there to complete the accord.

This is one of the most bizarre things about the McCain campaign.

While the news about withdrawing troops and establishing timetables is dominating the news, he is still talking about "winning the war" and "how the surge is working".

Does John McCain not have access to a newspaper? I mean I know he cannot work his computer to search for pertinent news items but surely he may have overheard one of the cable networks discussing this new direction.

And if we are all done killing Iraqis which war does John McCain talk about winning? He has already established the majority of his credibility around his ability to win wars, but with no wars to win what does he run on?

He tried to start some shit with Iran and Russia but could not get traction there. So essentially John McCain is the "war candidate" looking for a war.

I can't say that makes me feel very secure.