Barbara Bush is pissed, and I don't mean the young one

From my buddy Steve at the Washington Note. Some juicy gossip that mama bear is about whack Cheney, among others. Read More......

White House thinks 55% of Americans are "deeply irresponsible"

Reuters

"Those Democratic congressional leaders who try to suggest that we don't have a plan are deeply irresponsible," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan, who reiterated it was possible to bring some troops home next year.

A snap poll by CNN/Gallup/USA Today after Bush's speech said 55 percent of respondents believed Bush did not have a plan to "achieve victory for the United States in Iraq."

Reuters grows a set. Who knew? Read More......

Open Thread

Keep it coming. Read More......

Ann Coulter's penis, not that she has one, but I've never seen evidence to the contrary

You may not have noticed, because I try not to give the skank much attention, but Ann Coulter's latest hate-filled diatribe included the insinuation that Cong. John Murtha may not have really earn the Purple Hearts he received in Vietnam. Gosh, sound familiar?

Here we have Ann attacking John Murtha while defending Oliver North:

And unlike Murtha, who refuses to release his medical records showing he was entitled to his two Purple Hearts, we know what North did. (These Democrat military veterans are hardly shrinking violets when it comes to citing their medals, but they get awfully squeamish when pressed for details.)

Of course, I've never seen any medical records proving that Ann eats or doesn't have a penis (not that there's anything wrong with being anorexic or hermaphroditic, nor that I'm insuinating Ann is either of those, I'm just saying I've never seen any medical records.)

There's reason to believe the McCarthyite Wing of the Republican party may kick off a larger campaign in a few days to Swift Boat Murtha. If that happens, I think we need to go nuclear in response. Teach the Coulters and all the rest that the real world of politics is a lot more brutal than a glass of Slim-Fast. If they want to play dirty, then someone needs to slam them down, hard enough, so that it never happens again.

Stay tuned. Read More......

Two more countries withdrawing troops from Iraq

Didn't hear this in the "victory" speech yesterday:

Two of America's allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops.

Bulgaria and Ukraine will begin withdrawing their combined 1,250 troops by mid-December. If Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea reduce or recall their personnel, more than half of the non-American forces in Iraq could be gone by next summer.

How come all of our allies are doing the "cut and run"? Read More......

Court orders South Africa to let gays wed

Jesus. Now even South Africa is better on human rights than we are (at least in some areas). Wonder how long it will take before other countries start boycotting us? Read More......

BREAKING: Pentagon about to sign deal to broadcast Sean Hannity's right-wing radio show on Armed Forces Radio

Well, that didn't take long. It took forever for the Pentagon to finally accept having Ed Schultz's liberal radio show on the Armed Forces Radio as a counter to conservative Rush Limbaugh (and, from what I've heard, they still haven't started airing Schultz). Yet now, as soon as the Armed Forces Radio is finally approaching being fair and balanced, one openly-conservative show to one openly-liberal, they go off and try to sign Sean Hannity's ABC radio show to un-even the score.

(And let me make clear, by saying it's one to one, I'm being generous. Armed Forces Radio carries Limbaugh, "Dr." Laura, and religious right freak James Dobson as well. I didn't see any obvious lefties on their entire line-up.)

I can't disclose my source on this. You're just going to have to trust me.

Now, it's possible the Armed Forces Radio network - more aptly called the American Forces Network Broadcast Center - is planning to bring Hannity on board and balance his show with a second liberal show, say something from Air America would be nice. But I've not heard anything definitive about that. All I know is that it sure looks like the Pentagon, once again, may be trying to propagandize to our troops with a Republican message at the expense of giving them both sides of the story.

Again, perhaps the Pentagon is about to seek the rights to Air America's broadcasts as well, and that would be quite smart of them, and in that case, I'd have no objection to them getting Hannity too, to even things out. But as it currently stands, it's looking very 2-1, conservative to liberal, at Armed Forces Radio, and that isn't right. Especially after they were more than happy to have zero liberal commentators to balance Limbaugh for all these years.

Propagandizing the Iraqis is one thing, but don't our troops deserve to hear from all sides, even those troops who just so happen to be Democrats? Or aren't Democrats in uniform as American as the rest of our troops?

PS To give you a sense of how hard it is for liberals, but apparently not conservatives, to get on the Armed Forces Network, check this out. (Schultz was subsequently told his show would run, but it still has yet to appear.) Read More......

SCHWARZENEGGER Part III - It's official, Arnold is selling out the Republicans

Ok, this is getting interesting.

Arnold hires as his chief of staff a top Gray Davis aide who's an openly-lesbian gay-married woman.

Rob rightfully asked if the new chief of staff, Susan Kennedy, was selling out, or was Arnold.

Well, I think we have an answer.

Arnold's wife, first lady Maria Shriver, just picked a new chief of staff too. He's former top Gray Davis aide Daniel Zingale, who is also openly-gay and very-coupled with kid(s?).

I know Daniel, and he's no sell-out. If Arnold is now picking a top Gray Davis staffer as well, then something very interesting is going on here. Arnold realizes ne needs to move to the left, far to the left, for his political survival.

The far-right Republicans in California had their shot at it, and they lost. Arnold did what they wanted, and he got screwed for it. Much like Bush and the Republicans in DC sold out to the far right and look what it got them - a country that disapproves of them heartily.

Very interesting times. Read More......

Bush apparently lied to, or misinformed, the American people during his Iraq speech yesterday

I'm sure this will come as a great surprise. Yes, our president is basing his Iraq victory on faulty information. Sound familiar? Read More......

Question: Is Sean Hannity's ABC radio show currently on the Armed Forces Radio Network?

I'm trying to find out. Does anyone out there have access to this info? I'm already asking friends in town, but just wondering if anyone out there has access to this info?

And what other openly-partisan radio shows do they carry other than Limbaugh (right) and Ed Schultz (left)? Anyone? Read More......

SCHWARZENEGGER Part II - Which one is the sellout?

We first brought this issue up yesterday. After reading this story, I'm convinced that one of these two people is a complete sellout. Either Schwarzenegger just sold out the entire Republican Party to a gay pro-choice activist, or Ms. Kennedy has just thrown away what looked like an impressive career up to this point. AP has now picked up the story and adds some important details:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Wednesday took the first step to shaking up his administration after his resounding special election failure, appointing a longtime Democratic activist as his chief of staff.
...
"She's a woman that is known as being a hardworking woman, dedicated, and is willing to work whatever it takes to get the job done," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference. "She's willing to set her Democratic philosophy aside and do the job and do my vision - to be able to work together with Democrats and Republicans."

Wow, looks like Kennedy is the sellout huh? But then there is this:

"This makes Schwarzenegger a man without a country," said GOP strategist Dave Gilliard, who helped run the campaign to recall Davis. "The Democrats will never accept him or embrace him, and now he's breaking with his base. I don't understand it."

Not so happy Republicans. Victory for us? Well, Ms. Kennedy has this to say:

"I believe in this man, and I believe in what he's trying to do for this state and where he's trying to take California," she said. "I think a moderate Democrat and a moderate Republican - there is not a lot of light between us."

Not a lot of light? Either Ms. Kennedy is a gay activist who doesn't support gay marriage (perfectly possible, though hard to understand since she got married in Hawaii in 1999...), or Arnold has had some serious change of heart.

But wait, there's more...

Kennedy said she voted for all of Schwarzenegger's ballot measures, which would have capped state spending, changed the way legislative districts are drawn and reformed teacher tenure rules.

So I'm totally confused now. One of these two people has just completely walked away from their positions. We're talking about the CHIEF OF STAFF to a Governor. This isn't some random aide, this is the person tasked with making the administration run. I'm really curious to see how the Republicans respond to this move.

It's good to see that AP picked this up, but this story leaves a whole lot more questions asked than answered. Hopefully the media will continue to follow this story.

So tell us, which one do you think is the sellout? Read More......

Noon Open Thread

Time to watch John on MSNBC. Read More......

By the way, I should be on MSNBC at Noon Eastern today

Their "Connected" show, at noon, our segment should be on at the top of the hour. We're going to be talking about the latest Washington scandals. Read More......

Walgreen's puts 4 Illinois pharmacists on leave for refusing to fill prescriptions for emergency contraception

Good. This is turning into a growing problem, and it's absurd for these pharmacists to talk about their religious and moral beliefs. I go to the pharmacy for medicine, not spiritual advice. If you're opposed to the death penalty, don't apply for a job as an excecutioner. If you're allergic to animals, don't become a vet. And if you hate kids, don't become a pediatrician. It's absurd that these people have decided to be pharmacists, then turn around and saying being a pharmacist is against their religion. Great, it's not against mine. Give me my damn prescription. Read More......

It's World AIDS Day

Are we making any progress?:

Rage and remorse marked World AIDS Day in Africa on Thursday as the continent worst hit by the global crisis remembered millions of deaths in a pandemic that even new drug treatments are doing little to slow.

In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, President Olusegun Obasanjo went for a morning jog with HIV patients while in the tiny kingdom of Lesotho officials launched the world's first door-to-door national HIV testing campaign.

But Swaziland, which has one of the highest adult HIV infection rates in the world at some 40 percent, scrapped World AIDS Day events entirely while South Africa's health minister repeated her much criticized prescription of garlic and beetroot as an AIDS treatment.

Across Africa, AIDS patients blasted political leaders for failing to come to grips with the disease and the international community for doing too little to help.

The New York Times paints a grim picture:

The AIDS story this year is mostly one of failure: the failure of rich countries to give the promised money, the failure of poor nations to muster the political will. All around, it's a failure of leadership.

Read More......

Now there are Intelligence worries about Cunningham

This story keeps going:

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has asked committee attorneys to review former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham's work on the panel to ensure he didn't improperly influence committee actions or decisions.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., ordered the review after learning of Cunningham's guilty plea Monday to charges of corruption and tax evasion for taking $2.4 million in bribes, mostly from two defense contractors, in exchange for steering government business their way, said committee spokesman Jamal Ware.

Hoekstra also ordered Cunningham's access to classified information terminated immediately, Ware said Wednesday.

So, how is it that a top White House staffer who violated national security still has access to classified info? Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Okay, what now? Read More......

Meaningless words

And they wonder why the public no longer trusts them or believes them. It's always just a pile of meaningless words and attempts at catchy phrases. Read More......

Poll: majority of Americans do not trust Bush with Iraq

Bush does not get it yet that he has crossed the tipping point on the issue of Iraq. He sold the invasion as a walk in the park and it is not. He told the world that there were WMD and they did not exist. He talked about torture and yet the Americans are using torture and his administration wants to somehow legalize it. He tried making connections to 9/11 and they are not there.

He lied repeatedly so it's no wonder the American public no longer believes him. Why should they? Read More......

NYT: Bush makes Nixon look good

Snap, snap!

Thursday's NYT editorial:

Americans have been clamoring for believable goals in Iraq, but Mr. Bush stuck to his notion of staying until "total victory." His strategy document defines that as an Iraq that "has defeated the terrorists and neutralized the insurgency"; is "peaceful, united, stable, democratic and secure"; and is a partner in the war on terror, an integral part of the international community, and "an engine for regional economic growth and proving the fruits of democratic governance to the region."

That may be the most grandiose set of ambitions for the region since the vision of Nebuchadnezzar's son Belshazzar, who saw the hand writing on the wall. Mr. Bush hates comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq. But after watching the president, we couldn't resist reading Richard Nixon's 1969 Vietnamization speech. Substitute the Iraqi constitutional process for the Paris peace talks, and Mr. Bush's ideas about the Iraqi Army are not much different from Nixon's plans - except Nixon admitted the war was going very badly (which was easier for him to do because he didn't start it), and he was very clear about the risks and huge sacrifices ahead.

A president who seems less in touch with reality than Richard Nixon needs to get out more.

Ok, I had to go look up Belshazzar, and here's what I found. This is a hoot:

Pathetically, Belshazzar was a hollow man. His life was based on a series of bad assumptions about himself. He had a facade of royalty, a name and title that he held on to for dear life. He threw parties that suggested regal authority, he issued commands, spoke of gods, and used religious implements as articles of ridicule and dishonor. He acted as if he were someone important and substantial, but he was none of those things. He was a man who imagined that because he sat on a great throne, he was a great person. He imagined that because thick walls surrounded him, he was safe from harm. He imagined that because he spoke with bravado when drunk, he was brave. But none of those things were true.

Gee, sound like anybody you know? Read More......