Even Senator Kyl, Bush sycophant, is now distancing himself from Bush

Ok, this is telling.

NYT:

Senator Jon Kyl, a staunch supporter of President Bush who faces a potentially difficult re-election fight this year, is hearing a lot from constituents in Arizona about the plan to allow a Dubai company to operate shipping terminals at Eastern ports. Most think the deal should be stopped.

"It is almost all critical to dubious," Mr. Kyl said, referring to public opinion at home. "If I have to disagree with the Bush administration, I will."

As a friend of mine pointed out to me earlier today in an email:

Did you know that since George Bush took office, Kyl has voted with the president 96.6% of the time, more than just about any senator running in a contested campaign this year. Kyl votes with Bush so often that when he had a chance to disagree with Bush and vote to provide armor to U.S. troops, he sided with the White House and voted no. When he had a chance to stand up to the president and provide tax relief for Arizonas middle class families, he sided with the White House and voted no. And when Kyl had a chance to fight the presidents student loan cuts, he opted not to do so and sided with the White House.

The new Quinnipiac poll out today says that if a candidate for Congress supports President Bush, 37 percent of Americans are less likely to vote for that candidate.

[Sources: Body Armor Vote 108, 4/21/05; Middle Class Tax Relief Vote #9, 02/02/06; MSN Money; Student Loan Vote #363, 12/21/05; NEA Federal Legislative Update, 1/25/06; Pioneer Press, 12/19/05; Quinnipiac University Poll 3/2/06]

If Senators like Jon Kyl are distancing themselves from Bush, then the administration really is in trouble. Finally. Read More......

Saturday Night (?) Orchid Blogging

Yeah, seems we missed last night... For your perusal:


A Taida Lawrence Gold Medal. Click the image for a larger version.

Consider this an open thread. Read More......

Wal-Mart will carry Plan B, but won't require pharmacists to dispense it

Cutting the embryo in half are we? Read More......

Francine Busby gives Dem. radio address, blasts GOP on port security

Okay, this was a good move --- having the Democratic candidate to replace GOP Congressman/convicted felon Duke Cunningham give the radio address today -- the day after Duke got his 8 year 4month sentence. Francine Busby blasted the GOP on their port issue -- two days after the House GOP leadership blocked a vote on that issue:

House Democrats tried to force a debate and vote on legislation Thursday that would require the 45-day security review and congressional approval of the takeover. That effort failed on a procedural, largely party-line vote.

"Given the record of this administration, 'trust us' is not a safe enough answer for the American people," Busby said, accusing the administration and Republican-led Congress of underfunding ports security and ignoring warnings on Hurricane Katrina.

"At our ports, like our borders, Americans expect and deserve a Congress committed to stopping people who are intent on breaking the law," she said.

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Washington Post is disappointed in their president

Kind of sucks to twist the news to defend the man for four years then have him lose an entire American city. We feel your pain. Read More......

Cliff's Corner

The Week That Was 3/3/06

Another week. More preposterousness to report.

This week The Failed One learned a lesson. It’s one he probably should have cribbed from daddy’s service as RNC Chairman during the days when another petulant, paranoid and permanently frightened president named Nixon was lording over a Republican criminal enterprise. Lying about things that are available on tape is kind of dumb. Like taking your pre-pubescent kid to the Neverland Ranch for a game of strip Duck Duck Goose kinda dumb.

Yes, President Bush lied…again. And he got caught…again. This time it’s the “we never could have anticipated the breaching of the levees” line, which sounded so much like the never anticipating an airplane crashing into a building monologue, you knew it had to be crap. I mean can’t these guys at least come up with creative mendacity to make it a bit more interesting? You know, like it’s the media who’s pretending there’s a civil war in Iraq or Ken Mehlman’s secluded dinner outing with David Dreier was to discuss the merits of the Laffer Curve?

Thus we found out from a videotape released by the AP this week that El Presidente, contrary to his previous claim, was fully briefed about the potential Katrina carnage well before it made landfall. According to the AP, “Bush didn't ask a single question during the final briefing before Katrina struck on Aug. 29, but he assured soon-to-be-battered state officials: ‘We are fully prepared.’” While that statement in itself should have been as suspect at Tom Cruise’s capacity to aid in Katie’s reproducing, I think we should just appreciate that during this particular crisis the president didn’t hop-scotch around the country, hiding in every corner he thought least likely to be demolished.

“He-he, Kansas, that sounds safe, he-he. We should be able to hide among the slaves there.”

Meanwhile, when it comes to the UAE Port scandal—oops, he did it again. President Bush, while pretending to wait 45 days for a review by the Senate, you know that human appendix to our Constitution, decided what the hell, he’s had personal business relations with these guys, so why not just lie and go forward with the transaction? What’s this crap about a representative Republic? And it’s not like “anybody could anticipate” a dirty-bomb attack coming via a falsely labeled shipment container in Miami.

Next I hear in a blockbuster deal we’re selling our police departments to the Crips, firehouses to Hezbollah and EMT units to Jack Kevorkian. White House Security meet your new Capo: John Hinckley. Hey, this president is a leader and unificator, so don’t you friggin question him! America Hater! Terrorist Lover! Will & Grace Watcher! Get on your knees like you’re Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter just whipped it out!

And really how could you question The Courageous One? At least 34%-38% of Americans approve of his performance. Which just goes to show you, one-third of Americans could support a flare-up of genital herpes if it self-identified as Republican and spent days with an Xbox in the Oval Office. Yet, Mr. Bush, it does mean a majority of people now think your anti-terrorism strategy is failing, your Medicare plan is as nasty as your mother and you've got such enormous boobs on your economic team that Pam Anderson’s getting envious.

It’s ok though. You needn't worry. Republicans in Congress have repeatedly shown after much false bravado, that they are very simply wimps. They won’t swear in witnesses, hold real hearings into treason or forcefully examine your lawbreaking Peeping Tom Act. They’re vestigial, like a whale’s legs, Tom Delay’s conscience or Bob Dole’s penis. I’m sure they’ll find some way to back off doing any oversight and once again cut and run from holding you accountable for any of your myriad transgressions against our Democracy.

NOTE: Cliff's Corner will be on hiatus next week, off to the warmer environs of Longboat Key, Florida. Will say hi to Katherine Harris (it's old runny face's district) and pass on vote-buying cash for anyone in need of electoral assistance. Read More......

Budget Busting Bush

He's destroying the fiscal future of the nation, too:

President Bush's budget would increase the federal deficit by $35 billion this year and by more than $1.2 trillion over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office reported on Friday.

The nonpartisan budget office said that Mr. Bush's tax-cutting proposals would cost about $1.7 trillion over the next 10 years and that his proposals to partly privatize Social Security would cost about $312 billion during that period.

Remember he snuck that social security privatization in to his budget with little fanfare....Probably thought no one would read the document.

Is there any facet of his job that Bush hasn't screwed up? Just asking. Read More......

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Yes, it's early....but give us some news. Read More......

"God will be my judge on Iraq"

This, the latest from Bush's closest friend and partner in crime Tony Blair. I have never understood the gentle touch that Blair has received from both the public and the media compared to what Bush has received. Blair is every bit as repulsive as Bush but he only sounds better. What is it going to take for the British public to reject Blair?

Contradicting warnings from advisers not to mix politics and religion, the Prime Minister said that his interest in politics sprang from his Christianity and its "values and philosophy" had guided him in public life.

Explaining how he managed to live with the decision to go to war in Iraq, Mr Blair replied: "If you have faith about these things then you realise that judgement is made by other people. If you believe in God,it's made by God as well."

Roger Bacon, who has been trying unsuccessfully to meet Tony Blair since his son, Major Matthew Bacon, 34, was killed in Iraq, said last night: "This would explain why he won't see the parents. How can he speak to us when God told him to send the troops out to Iraq so our sons could be killed?"

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Randy "Duke" Cunningham gets 8 year sentence for bribery

I understand why the Republicans don't want to get serious about clamping down on corruption but what is the matter with the Democrats? Maybe they are afraid of having a winning issue for the elections? Anyway, Cunningham was taken directly to prison after the sentencing yesterday. So will Katherine Harris be the next one to fall?

He was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for back taxes. He also must forfeit an additional $1.85 million for cash bribes he received, plus the proceeds from the sale of his mansion. Burns said Cunningham must pay the restitution at a rate of $1,500 a month while in prison and $1,000 monthly when he's released.

While the congressman was living the good life, "he was squandering precious tax dollars for, among other things, systems the military didn't ask for, didn't need and frequently didn't use," Halpern said.

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