Open thread

This one is for the cumbaya chorus.

(If a joke is told to someone who won't get it because that's the joke, is it really not a joke at all, or is it an especially good one?) Read More......

Open thread

Many of you may know that Anderson Cooper is the official media mascot of AMERICAblog (well, he's actually neck and neck with Mo Dowd). Anyway, check out this video from World News Now in 1999, I believe. Read More......

GOP Senate's top priority is passing constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage and flag burning

There's an election this November. The Republicans who currently control the US House and the US Senate think flag burning and gay marriage are the top two issues in America today. Check out your wallet, your gas tank, your health care plan, and the condition of your friends and relatives fighting in Iraq, then think real hard about whether gay marriage and flag burning are the top two issues on YOUR agenda.

Then vote. Read More......

Like father, like son after all

Despite all his very visible and obvious efforts to the contrary, W is his father's son:

Through his presidency, George W. Bush has worked hard to avoid repeating the mistakes of his father. He has done almost everything differently, yet now finds himself in the same hole despite trumping his dad by winning a second term.

He is roughly at the same place in the polls where the elder Bush was at the low point of his presidency, with only about three of every 10 Americans registering approval. Like his father before him, this president faces a rebellion among conservatives, an uncertain economic outlook and the prospect of Republican losses in November.

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Pope asks why God let Holocaust happen

Get a mirror. Read More......

Open thread

Chat amongst yourselves. Read More......

Murtha says Dept of Defense covered up potential US war crime in Iraq

It's one thing to claim that this is one terrible incident that doesn't reflect who are troops really are. But it's another thing when, yet again, the military command is covering it up. And it's not the first time. There was the Tillman death - the family still can't get honest answers from DOD - Abu Ghraib, and more.

The culture of corruption in this administration doesn't stop at the Capitol steps.

More from AP.

The fallout from the killing of as many as two dozen Iraqi civilians by Marines could undermine U.S. efforts in Iraq more than the Abu Ghraib prison scandal did, a lawmaker who is a prominent war critic said Sunday.

The shootings last November at Haditha, a city in the Anbar province of western Iraq that has been plagued by insurgents, were covered up, said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.

"Who covered it up, why did they cover it up, why did they wait so long?" Murtha said on "This Week" on ABC. "We don't know how far it goes. It goes right up the chain of command."

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Bush changing spin, not policy, on Iraq

The media is still ruminating about what they viewed as the major admission from Bush this week that he shouldn't have said "bring it on" and "dead or alive." Russert actually called that "remarkable." Just because he apologized for saying a couple things, doesn't mean he's changed any policy. He's spinning the press again. Reuters seems to understand the difference:

President George W. Bush, beset by public doubts about his leadership, has opted for a more humble tone in discussing the Iraq war, including admitting mistakes, as a way to rebuild his credibility, analysts said on Friday.

Bush's shift in attitude during a Thursday news conference with British Prime Minister Tony Blair was an indication he understands the depth of public discontent with the war and the criticism that he is too stubborn to adjust his policies, they said.

Bush's change in tone did not signal a change in policies, however. He and Blair refused to set a timetable for withdrawing troops and Bush said conditions on the ground would dictate future decisions about troop levels and commitments in Iraq.

Somewhat different tone to appease the media. No change in policy. And most of the press fell for it.

Maureen Dowd understood this in her column yesterday (yes, it's hidden from the public at Times Select:

While it was nice to hear President Bush admit he had made mistakes, he was talking mostly about mistakes of tone. Saying he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive" would have been O.K. if he had acted on it, rather than letting Osama go at Tora Bora and diverting the Army to Iraq.

At his news conference with a tired-looking Tony Blair, Mr. Bush seemed chastened by Iraq, at least. But he continued to have the same hallucination about how to get out: turning things over to the Iraqi security forces after achieving total victory over insurgents and terrorists.

Tone is not policy. Read More......

Sunday Morning Open Thread

Kinda slow holiday weekend, but I imagine the talks shows will give us something to talk about. Looks like Iraq and immigration are the subjects of the day (although, not kidding, the Today Show just opened with the "news" of the Jolie/Pitt baby -- is that really the top story?):

FOX NEWS SUNDAY...: Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) and Staff Sgt. Alfred Lanier , head honor guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

THIS WEEK (ABC...: Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), musician Tony Orlando and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne Jr .

FACE THE NATION (CBS...: Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.).

MEET THE PRESS (NBC...10:30 a.m.: Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), Kate O'Beirne of the National Review and Post columnists David S. Broder , David Ignatius and Eugene Robinson .

LATE EDITION (CNN), 11 a.m.: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa , Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Salih , Jordan's Prince Hassan bin Talal and Tim Russert of "Meet the Press."

Russert's got a new book out that he's peddling. Is it me or is Russert becoming a caricature of himself? Read More......

Bush to block NSA lawsuits

Screw democracy and rule of law. Let's just hide everything behind "national security" and a rubber stamp congress - Democrats included - that only gives a damn when they are being investigated. This latest move by the White House reminds me once again of what an absolutely pathetic job Democrats in congress did when they allowed Hayden to pass right through. Go ahead and let the WH run roughshod over the law and the American public but don't come looking for voter support in November when you let this happen. Where were the Democrats when we needed them? Read More......

EU gives itself yet another year for constitution

What the hell, why bother to consult with voters? Just keep trying to ram through a piece of crap that means everything to everyone, without listening to concerns of voters and maybe sooner or later they can find a way around democracy and just make it happen. The undemocratic supporters of this constitution somehow think that there are shared values throughout the region but I don't see them as clearly as they like to think. It was a mistake to just force, without proper consultation from voters, Eastern European countries and then plan to add in even more. It's a great idea in theory, but way too soon in practice, showing the Gallic adoration of theory over practice.

I'm all for the EU being a single political union but this was done too quickly and this sorry excuse for a constitution was more of a dream of the older generation than the younger generation. It looked to me like a last ditch effort of that older generation to make something happen before they all retired. The new generation of EU leadership should have taken a step back and re-thought what it was all about and how Europe has changed since WWII. Instead, they just towed the line for the retiring generation, forgetting who is going to have to live and work with the consequences. The problems of the dead EU constitution are all self-inflicted.

You might notice that none of the member state leaders who were pushing the constitution, actually offered to remove power from the country level (i.e. from themselves) and centralize it. No, they all preferred talking about the new EU and how great it would be but just how effective could a loose confederation be when power was still at the state level? They all wanted to talk, but nobody was really interested in giving up their local power. This process is in desperate need of fresh ideas and new leadership. This middle ground pleases no one and too many answers are still left unanswered. What we have on offer today is a waste of taxpayer money and it's going nowhere. Read More......