22,950 and counting

22,950

That's the number of Iraqis killed in 2006. The ones they know about. Could be higher. Read More......

Susan Collins is one of Bush's top enablers

There's been lots of outrage about Bush's signing statement on the Post Office reauthorization bill. But, thanks to Kay in Maine, we can lay some of the blame on Senator Susan Collins. See, just last week Susan Collins was tooting her own horn about the new Post Office bill she authored. (Yes, there's a war and Katrina and global warming. And, yes, Susan chaired a committee that could have done oversight. But, the Post Office bill is Susan's biggest accomplishment.)

What a difference a week makes when you're Susan Collins and George Bush is your President. Kay points out that Susan Collins has a history of enabling Bush to violate our constitutional rights:

Interesting. I guess loyalty to Bush isn't working too good for Susan. She's been the cheerleader on many occasions for Bush's agenda for the past six years on such things as the Patriot Act (allows the Bush Administration to wiretap our phones without a warrant) and the Military Commissions Act (she even denounced this one publicly, but then couldn't wait to show up and vote 'aye' for it!), but now that she's put forth a piece of legislation, she apparently never thought that Bush would go behind her back and take away the right to privacy afforded to the American citizens in this country!

Apparently, Ms. Collins is shocked, just shocked that Bush would use her legislation to claim the power to snoop in our mail without a warrant. Kay has the response to Susan's whining:

You're too late now Susan. Americans have warned you and others like you that Bush is slowly and silently taking the rights of the American away.

Susan is a hapless Republican. She does their bidding -- then gets used. Oh, she feigns outrage, but let's be honest. Susan has enabled Bush for the past six years. She never did any oversight of Bush. She never really challenged him. Why wouldn't Bush abuse Susan's post office legislation? She never gave him any reason to think he couldn't.

Susan Collins is going to run as far away from George Bush as she can for the next two years. But, she's created the monster. They deserve each other. Read More......

Open Thread

Thread openly. Read More......

US immigration to introduce world to Bush-style personal data controls

Another brilliant PR move by the administration. Why would anyone want to even bother visiting the US with such loose controls over there personal data? The Bush administration has such a terrible record of protecting personal data, even when they're supposed to be protecting the data, so one can only imagine what will happen with the records. Of course, it is now probably only a matter of time before the other countries around the world inflict similar programs on Americans.

Millions of Britons who visit the United States are to have their fingerprints stored on the FBI database alongside those of criminals, in a move that has outraged civil rights groups.

The Observer has established that under new plans to combat terrorism, the US government will demand that visitors have all 10 fingers scanned when they enter the country. The information will be shared with intelligence agencies, including the FBI, with no restrictions on their international use.

US airport scanners now take only two fingerprints from travellers. The move to 10 allows the information to be compatible with the FBI database.

Read More......

Pelosi to Bush: The days of the blank check are so over

Nancy Pelosi laid out the new rules for George Bush today on Face the Nation. If Bush wants to escalate the war, he's going to have to justify it. The days of the blank check are over. The days of no justification are over.

Taylor Marsh caught the interview on You Tube. Definitely worth a watch...all 9+ minutes. Taylor has a link to Bob Geiger's very good analysis. (I've had the good fortune of spending time with both Bob and Taylor recently...smart, smart people...glad they are on our side.)

There are so many great lines from Pelosi in her interview. She's tough. One of my favorites: "Congress is ready to use its constitutional authority of oversight to question what is the justification for this spending." Now, remember, we're dealing with a President who has disdain for the Constitution.

Bush has never justified a thing -- and he can't. You get the sense he's just making this all up as he goes along. His head must be spinning now. And, we all know, that instead of providing a rational for his plan, Bush is going to get even more stubborn -- and be more convinced he's right. After all, Bush thinks he is on a mission from God.

Meanwhile, Think Progress reports that, as expected, when it comes to Bush's escalation plan, the Republican leadership is on board. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is a YES. McConnell, like his GOP leadership colleagues, would never ever ask Bush to justify anything -- no matter how many lives will be lost, no matter how much it costs. Read More......

Conservative columnist George Will endorses Democratic position on Iraq, calls for withdrawal

When hard-line conservatives admit that the Democrats were right over a year ago, you know it's over (for Iraq, and for the Republicans). More from Editor & Publisher. Read More......

John McCain was for Bush's "troop surge" in Iraq before he was against it

McCain, who was supporting Bush's planned escalation in the Iraq war is now saying he may not support the escalation. Of course, McCain's reason for flip-flopping is insane: Bush's proposal may not send as many additional US troops to die in Iraq as John McCain would like, and Bush may not plan on keeping those additional troops in Iraq as long as John McCain would like to keep them there.

Categorically insane. Categorically a Republican. Read More......

George Bush's Iraq: "We've substituted one dictatorship for another"

The President's statement after Saddam was hanged praised the justice system in Iraq:

Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial -- the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime.

Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule. It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not have been possible without the Iraqi people's determination to create a society governed by the rule of law.

Wrong as usual. One more time we see that just because Bush says something doesn't make it true. In fact, if Bush says something about Iraq, the opposite is true. An official on the ground in Iraq who knows what's actually happening provides a different perspective on the country's justice system to The NY Times:

When the tribunal’s appeals bench announced that it had upheld the death sentences on Dec. 26, three weeks into the appeal, even prosecutors were stunned. Defense lawyers said Mr. Hussein was being railroaded under pressure from Mr. Maliki, who told a BBC interviewer shortly after the Dujail verdict that he expected the ousted ruler to be hanged before year’s end.

The suspicion that the judges had submitted to government pressure was shared by some Americans working with the tribunal, who had stifled their growing disillusionment with the government’s interference for months.

The appeals court’s eagerness to fast-forward Mr. Hussein to the gallows — and the scenes at the execution itself — broke the floodgates of restraint for at least one Western official who worked for the court. “I am disgusted,” he said. “We had thought the court would be a beacon of light in a very dark landscape. But the way it has come out with the hanging, we’ve substituted one dictatorship for another.”

It was Condi Rice who gave the go ahead for the execution according to the Times' sources. She overruled the concerns of the U.S. military. That's a pattern with Condi and her boss. They ignore the military's advice and cause them more problems. Now, Condi and her boss have turned Saddam in to a martyr. Heckuva job, Condi. Read More......

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Here's the line-up. Will McConnell, Graham, Lott and Blunt stand by Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq? It's a yes or no question:

ABC's "This Week" _ Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., David Obey, D-Wis., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif.; former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft; former Rep. Harold Ford Jr., D-Tenn.

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CBS' "Face the Nation" _ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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NBC's "Meet the Press" _ Sens. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

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CNN's "Late Edition" _ Iraq's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie; Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss.; House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, presidential candidate.

___

"Fox News Sunday" _ Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Provide the commentary. Read More......

Iraq oil contracts to be delivered on silver platter to Big Oil

And who says the war wasn't about oil? What good American wouldn't want to die for the honor and juicy contracts of Exxon, BP or Shell? At least they die knowing that they are securing the comfortable retirement plans of retired Big Oil CEOs. All of those Iraqis who are being killed every day must also be ecstatic over this deal which helps Big Oil realize their dreams and leaves the Iraqi people with the short end of the stick once again.

The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.

The huge potential prizes for Western firms will give ammunition to critics who say the Iraq war was fought for oil. They point to statements such as one from Vice-President Dick Cheney, who said in 1999, while he was still chief executive of the oil services company Halliburton, that the world would need an additional 50 million barrels of oil a day by 2010. "So where is the oil going to come from?... The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world's oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies," he said.

Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would permit Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq's oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise. But it will operate through "production-sharing agreements" (or PSAs) which are highly unusual in the Middle East, where the oil industry in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world's two largest producers, is state controlled.

Where would we be without Big Oil and their many contributions to the world? Read More......