Papa Bush runs to defense of baby Bush. It seems the world hates the latter.

Papa's response to the complaints against junior are classic:

Bush said he was surprised by the audience's criticism of his son.

"He is working hard for peace. It takes a lot of guts to get up and tell a father about his son in those terms when I just told you the thing that matters in my heart is my family," he said. "How come everybody wants to come to the United States if the United States is so bad?"

News flash. George W. Bush is not the United States. He just happens to the be idiot current serving as our president. The fact that much of the world, along with much of the US, think he's an idiot has nothing to do with whether the United States is a nice country or not. We are a nice country, and he is an idiot. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.

This logical fallacy is just more evidence of the Bush dynasty's fatal arrogance. Read More......

Strange AP article on Bush being "reinvigorated" on Asian trip

So how did their "analysis" conclude that he has been reinvigorated why he failed to get allies in the region, South Korea in particular, to jump on his initiative to board ships going to North Korea? Sounds like yet another setback to me. The "analysis" goes on to talk about his election failures and how nobody is talking about that or the sacking of Rumsfeld, so what does that have to do with Bush being reinvigorated? A breather before the storm when he arrives back in the US and continues his partisan attacks and pushes for more extremist judges, but hardly anything that resembles being reinvigorated. A brief flash of bluster with his pro-war friend from Australia but that's standard when Bush and Howard are together. What rubbish. Read More......

US Airways bigots tells Muslim Imams they're no longer welcome on airline

Outrageous story. It's one thing for US Airways to remove six Muslim clerics from a flight yesterday because passengers complained that they saw the Imams praying. Okay, I'm not sure what you do when passengers start freaking out. But it's quite another thing for US Airways to refuse to let one of the Imams buy ANOTHER ticket today when he tried to re-book his flight. Why did US Airways refuse to sell the Imam the ticket? Because he was involved in a "security incident," and US Airways policy is to ban such people.

Get that? The security incident was that the guy prayed in an airport. He's an Imam, that's the Muslim equivalent of a priest. He prayed. So now he can't fly on US Airways ever again.

Someone needs to sue US Airways and own that airline. Absolutely disgusting. Read More......

Unfortunately, Heather Wilson (R-NM) and Mean Jean Schmidt (R-0H) will be back in Congress

Ugh. So close:

More than a week after Republican Rep. Heather Wilson claimed a razor-thin election victory, her Democratic challenger conceded Tuesday, saying a recount would cost too much and there was no guarantee it would reverse the result.

In Ohio's 2nd District, Rep. Jean Schmidt, a Republican, clinched re-election Tuesday when additional ballot counts gave her an insurmountable edge of about 3,300 votes over Democratic challenger Victoria Wulsin.

At least they'll be in the minority now. And, hopefully, we won't hear too much from either of them. Read More......

Tammy Duckworth named head of Veterans Affairs for Illinois

One of the biggest outrages of the 2006 cycle was when the Veterans of Foreign Wars endorsed Veteran Tammy Duckworth's opponent. Duckworth lost both of her legs in Iraq. Her opponent never served in the military. Although she lost, Duckworth was a class act throughout the campaign and after. Now, she's got a new job - still serving:

Iraq war veteran and failed congressional candidate Tammy Duckworth has a new mission: directing the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Tuesday.

Leading the agency was a logical next step following a losing bid to replace retiring Republican Rep. Henry Hyde, said Duckworth, a Democrat and former Army helicopter pilot who lost her legs after a rocket-propelled grenade attack north of Baghdad.

"As a soldier I fought for my country, and now I thank Governor Blagojevich for giving me the opportunity to fight for my fellow Illinois veterans," Duckworth said in a news release.

Read More......

History of problem with UCLA taser cop

From the LA Times:

The UCLA police officer videotaped last week using a Taser gun on a student also shot a homeless man at a campus study hall room three years ago and was earlier recommended for dismissal in connection with an alleged assault on fraternity row, authorities said.... In May 1990, he was accused of using his nightstick to choke someone who was hanging out on a Saturday in front of a UCLA fraternity.

And before UCLA scapegoats this gent and thinks the affair is over, let's not forget that the UCLA written policy says it's okay to use taser against passive resistance. Somebody more than this copy needs to pay. Read More......

One way to help Iraq

Today's NYTimes article is, understandably, getting a ton of attention for the news that the McCain Plan is being seriously considered -- that is, adding approximately 20,000 troops (to the current 145,000). As I've written before, I'm entirely unconvinced that a troop increase of less than 15% will have a significant effect, and CENTCOM commander General Abizaid has expressed similar views in Congressional testimony.

But tucked away in the article is the news that of 144,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, whose ostensible mission is to hand over Iraq to Iraqis, just over 3,000 are working with Iraqi Army, police and border units. 3,000! That's 2% of our troop outlay doing the most important mission in the country. And the administration claims there are roughly 323,000 Iraqis trained, which means one American advisor for every 108 Iraqis being advised. Not exactly an ideal student-to-teacher ratio.

If Democrats are looking for legislative opportunities to help change the course in Iraq -- and there aren't many, due to the overwhelming control of foreign policy by the executive branch -- passing a resolution to vastly increase the advisory assignments (by shifting duties, of course, not increasing overall numbers) in Iraq would be a good start. Read More......

They'll be greeting us with flowers

Until we make them run a mile for water and then don't give it to them.

Read More......

6 out of 10 Americans preferred Bush I

I never thought that Bush the elder would ever be so popular but that's what happens when you have the village idiot in the White House. Read More......

Poll: Majority of Iraqis want us out within a year, support attacks on US troops

This war brought to you by your Republican party.

74% of Shiites and 91% of Sunnis in Iraq want us to leave within a year. The number of Shiites making this call in Baghdad, where the U.S. may send more troops to bring order, is even higher (80%) In contrast, earlier this year, 57% of this same group backed an "open-ended" U.S. stay.

By a wide margin, both groups believe U.S. forces are provoking more violence than they're preventing -- and that day-to-day security would improve if we left. Support for attacks on U.S. forces now commands majority support among both Shiites and Sunnis.

Read More......

Why Karen Carter's run-off race in Lousiana matters

Tim Targaris explains in detail. But suffice it to say that Karen Carter is a great progressive voice running in the deep south. And she's taking on a man who personally embodies the corruption that took down the Republican party this election, except this guy is a Democrat. His name is William Jefferson, and you might remember him as the guy who stocked away $90,000 in his freezer until the FBI found it. Jefferson is also making a mainstay of his campaign gay-baiting and attacking Carter for being pro-choice. Yes, not only is the man a crook, but he's proudly running as an anti-gay and anti-choice candidate. Because, you see, Jefferson says HE'S the values candidate. Uh huh, the guy with $90,000 hidden in his freezer is the values candidate. With his affinity for freezers, let's see how he likes it in the cooler.

This guy needs to go. He's not only going to be an albatross around our necks, but do we really need this kind of corruption in our government? I don't think so.

You can support Karen via our ActBlue page here. Please help out if you can. Read More......

Bush Pioneer/Top GOP fundraiser sentenced to 18 years

Tom Noe epitomized the GOP's corruption in Ohio. When the Toledo Blade uncovered his rare coin scam last year, the unraveling of the cesspool that was the Ohio Republican party began. Now, the GOP is in political shambles and Noe is going to jail for a very long time:

Tom Noe, convicted of stealing millions from a fund for Ohio’s injured workers to live a fraudulent lifestyle that included luxury homes in two states, will pass into retirement age in a prison uniform.

Judge Thomas Osowik, citing the “overwhelming evidence” against Noe, 52, sentenced him to serve 18 years in a state prison, and for the sentence to begin after he serves 27 months on an unrelated federal offense.

Noe would be 72 when released.

Judge Osowik said Noe, the former Republican fund-raiser who helped the successful campaigns of Gov. Bob Taft and President Bush, took the money from the rare-coin funds he managed for the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation “for one purpose: to present some type of facade that you had this bottomless cup of wealth and luxury at your disposal when in fact it was at the state’s expense.”

The Toledo Blade broke the Noe story in early April of 2005. The GOP's top leaders from Governor Taft to Ken Blackwell all jumped to Noe's defense. They've all gotten what they deserved. Read More......

Pentagon is considering massive troop increase (oh, but it's just a short-term massive increase)

They're calling it the "surge option." Massive increase in troops to get things under control. It sounds more like the Pentagon's version of a Hail Mary pass, except a lot of people will die:

Pentagon officials conducting a review of Iraq strategy are considering a substantial but temporary increase in American troop levels and the addition of several thousand more trainers to work with Iraqi forces, a senior Defense Department official said Monday.

The idea, dubbed the “surge option” by some officials, would involve increasing American forces by 20,000 troops or more for several months in the hope of improving security, especially in Baghdad. That would mark a sharp rise over the current baseline of 144,000 troops.

The same brain-trust that got us in to this mess just can't figure out how to get us out of this mess. Instead of de-escalating, they're on the verge of escalating the mess.

Don't forget. Increasing the number of troops in Iraq by 20,000 is John McCain's brilliant idea, too. Read More......

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

It's 22 degrees in Portland this morning and I have to walk my dog.

Start threading. There's a lot happening. Read More......

Nepal's king to be held responsible for protestor deaths

What a concept here...being held responsible for deadly actions. Maybe that crazy concept will even make it to the US with the new Congress. Read More......