Why Bush Can't Meet With Cindy Sheehan

USA Today's DeWayne Wickham details the endless apologies for lies and deception that Bush would have to confess. Heck, even the sports page of USA Today has a devastating critique of Bush on Iraq. Is the tide turning? When will the MSM catch up? Read More......

Repairing America's Image Abroad

Bush's buddy Karen P. Hughes is finally ready to start improving our country's image overseas. Gee, not a moment too soon. Here are a few thoughts for her:

***Don't torture prisoners and undermine everything this country stands for -- doing so mocks the values that used to represent a beacon of hope to people around the world.

***When prisoners are tortured, punish the officials in charge; don't give them medals.

***Don't launch illegal wars that are unjustified by the facts, by international law and by common sense.

***Don't cozy up to cruel monarchies that fund extremism like Saudi Arabia. Don't cozy up to Pakistan, a military dictatorship that is the world's biggest supplier of WMD material and know-how to rogue states and terrorist groups. When you do, no one will believe you truly support democracy.

***Don't encourage military coups in Venezuela and then turn around and cynically claim that country's democratically elected leader is a threat to democracy in South America.

Any other suggestions for Karen? Read More......

Open Thread

Just saw Grizzly Man...very good...very intense. Read More......

School Lunches: The Fight Over Fatty Foods

The long, LONG overdue fight over the junk food available in school cafeterias is heating up, as USA Today shows. The junk food industry of course tries to fob off new "policies" as improvements to keep real change from happening. One change they suggested: offering "sports drinks" (which are loaded down with high fructose corn syrup just like soda) as an option. But kids sitting on their ass in class don't need "sports drinks," as one critic pointed out. Healthy, tasty lunch menus -- no, that doesn't include greasy fries and pizza -- can easily be provided once schools break the chain of those awful food service providers and the bribes from Coke and Pepsi to stock their wares. Schools should ban ALL drinks with high fructose corn syrup, offer 100% juice and water, fresh fruit and vegetables, well-balanced meals and re-institute gym class. Or kids will continue to get fatter and fatter and fatter. Read More......

Limbaugh Distances Himself From Limbaugh

Who can blame him? Keith Olbermann has the goods on Limbaugh trying to back off incendiary comments he made about Cindy Sheehan. Gotta love Olbermann. (Thanks to reader pdx for pointing us to this.) Read More......

Bush, Rumsfeld and the MSM Hate Most Americans

John posted below how Bush hates all Americans who oppose his Iraq war and considers them supporters of terrorist.

Today, Think Progress informs us that Rumsfeld thinks Iraq War opponents are Stalinists.

Now David Sirota points out that the MSM, starting with that nasty Norah O'Donnell on NBC, also hate Americans who oppose the war.

Funny thing, most Americans have turned against the Bush Iraq policy, despite the best efforts of the White House, the Pentagon and the MSM. So, neither Bush, nor the MSM which has carried Bush's water all these years, control real Americans on this issue. The American people are way ahead of the politicians and pundits on the war. Read More......

John Thune, who got elected with help from Jeff Gannon, is in trouble

Kos has the details. But Jimmy Jeff's Senator's star is fading fast. When you are a Republican Senator who can't deliver for your constituents despite having a Republican President and a Republican Congress, you basically suck. Read More......

Republican: SCOTUS Nominee Roberts Needs To Reject Past

Yep, Bush is refusing to offer relevant documents from the career of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to the Senate. Why would anyone want to know details of someone's career before giving them a lifetime appointment? Are the Dems really rolling over on this one? Americans won't think you're obstructionist if you stand on principle and list the other nominees who've provided similar information. Americans won't think you're obstructionist when you list all the pillars of our society that Roberts opposes based on the records we do have. Heck, even Republicans admit the info that did slip out is damaging.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a staunch supporter of the president's judicial nominees, acknowledged that some of Roberts' written comments will elicit "some tough questions" from the committee. But he added: "These are comments made a long time ago. I suspect, like most of us, that with additional life experience, his views have matured."

So according to even Republicans, John Roberts needs to reject stances he's made in the past. When do you draw a line in the sand? If it's not for someone who lied about their links to the Federalists, forgot about being a lobbyist, someone who thought the Reagan Administration was too LIBERAL, someone who repeatedly mocked the idea of women's rights and the fact that they face discrimination, someone who repeatedly showed a disdain for basic rights like the right to vote or the separation of church and state and someone who keeps secret about his work for a number of years in the government, well if you don't draw a line in the sand on him, when do you? Read More......

Bush says that if you disagree with his handling of the war in Iraq, you hate America

Oh, so not kidding. President Stalin has come to an all new low.

From E&P;

Meeting briefly with reporters Monday aboard Air Force One, Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman subbing for Scott McClellan, said that President Bush believes that those who want the U.S. to begin to change course in Iraq do not want America to win the overall "war on terror."

Duffy spoke on a day when a surprisingly large antiwar protest met the president during his stay in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.

Speaking to reporters, Duffy said that Bush "can understand that people don't share his view that we must win the war on terror, and we cannot retreat and cut and run from terrorists, but he just has a different view.

Read More......

Open Thread

Gasoline hits $2.61 a gallon. And Bush continues his vacation. Read More......

Another Annoying NYT Article On Intelligent Design

This one talks as if scientists who are religious are an embattled minority who whisper about their faith when no one is listening.

But disdain for religion is far from universal among scientists. And today, as religious groups challenge scientists in arenas as various as evolution in the classroom, AIDS prevention and stem cell research, scientists who embrace religion are beginning to speak out about their faith.

So evolution versus creationism/ID is NOT about shoving one group's narrow religious beliefs into public schools, as we all foolishly assumed. It's about godless scientists versus people of faith. Besides, stem cell research is an ethical issue that all people wrestle with -- even atheists. And AIDS research would have been a good comparison, since the far right lies about basic facts -- such as the efficacy of condoms -- that are simply not in dispute.

The truth is that some of the greatest scientists in history -- Einstein, Isaac Newton -- have been people of faith. And for most major religions, there is no conflict between religious belief and the latest scientific findings. They might have done a serious article detailing this but instead took the side of the IDers who want to force MY children to learn THEIR religious beliefs as science when it's nothing of the sort. This NYT series is getting worse and worse. Read More......

Second military officer comes forward to say DOD knew about Atta BEFORE 9/11

Hmmm Read More......

George Allen is on the Iraq = Normandy message

US News finds that for many right wingers, George Allen is the natural successor to George Bush. Many similarities do exist. Southern Governors, goofy smiles, etc.

Also, within the span of 24 hours, they both invoked the D-Day invasion of Normandy as a rationale for Iraq.

Sunday, on NBC News, Allen said of Iraq, "It's somewhat akin to the Normandy Invasion in World War II." I tivo'd the news and had to rewind it a couple times because I thought I misunderstood him. Normandy?

Then, yesterday, in Utah, Bush invoked Normandy, too:

Bush added, "Each of these struggles for freedom required great sacrifice. From the beaches of Normandy to the snows of Korea, courageous Americans gave their lives so others could live in freedom. Since the morning of September the 11th, we have known that the war on terror would require great sacrifice as well."

So, now it's Normandy. Got that? Read More......

Evangelicals caught misusing federal funds for proselytizing

Surprise Read More......

Open thread

Zee late nite Parisian thread, oui? Read More......