The rumor mill is buzzing about all the changes in the Bush admin. Just buzzing.

All those changes in the Bush administration must mean something more, right?. So, here's a good rumor to chat about overnight from TPM who got it from TNR:

Spurious rumor alert: Negroponte to State to replace Rice, who is tapped to replace ailing Cheney.

Buzz away. Read More......

Brownback is definitely running for Prez.

Gay obsessed Sam Brownback, the Republican Senator from Kansas, is entering the GOP campaign for President on January 20th. He's going to try to out-gay-bash Mitt Romney. And, McCain will have to join in, too. This could get pretty outrageous considering their other challenger does drag as Wing Nut Daily is quick to point out. Read More......

al-Maliki does his part for Bush's latest p.r. strategy

Just in time for Bush's upcoming speech, al Maliki announces his new security plan. He's going to get tough, really tough. What a coincidence:

Iraq's prime minister promised on Saturday a new crackdown on sectarian gunmen who kill hundreds of people a week in Baghdad, but has yet to endorse any proposal from President George W. Bush to send in more American troops.

In a pugnacious speech for Army Day, Nuri al-Maliki said a plan was in place for Iraqi forces to crush illegal armed groups "regardless of sect or politics" -- suggesting he may be ready to tackle militias loyal to his fellow Shi'ites, a key demand of Washington and of Saddam Hussein's once dominant Sunni minority.

His announcement, along with a defiant response to critics of his decision to hang Saddam a week ago, comes as Bush conducts a major reshuffle of commanders and diplomats in Iraq and prepares to unveil a new strategy next week that officials say may include a proposal to add 20,000 U.S. troops in Baghdad.

Wonder if that additional $1 billion that The NY Times says Bush plans to spend in Iraq on "social programs" did anything to influence his decision. Read More......

Open Thread

We've had a winter heat wave up and down the East Coast. It was in the mid-70s today in Washington. It was disturbingly warm for January. Meanwhile, CNN is showing the avalanche because of all the snow in Colorado.

Weird. Read More......

Bush is just going to throw more soldiers and more money at his Iraq problem

Wow. They are really grasping. Bush is just throwing soldiers and throwing money in to the black hole of Iraq. Nothing Bush has done so far in Iraq has worked. Nothing. He's got to be held accountable:

President Bush’s new Iraq strategy calls for a rapid influx of forces that could add as many as 20,000 American combat troops to Baghdad, supplemented with a jobs program costing as much as $1 billion intended to employ Iraqis in projects including painting schools and cleaning streets, according to American officials who are piecing together the last parts of the initiative.

The American officials said that Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, formally agreed in a long teleconference on Thursday with Mr. Bush to match the American troop increase, made up of five combat brigades that would come in at a rate of roughly one a month, by sending three additional Iraqi brigades to Baghdad over the next month and a half.

Nonetheless, even in outlining the plan, some American officials acknowledged deep skepticism about whether the new Iraq plan could succeed.

The American people have deep skepticism, too. The President is out of control. It's like he's on one of his old benders. And, the intervention didn't work. Read More......

It's oversight season - finally

The long-awaited oversight of the Bush/Cheney regime is beginning reports the Associated Press:

From the war to environmental policy and secret surveillance, the Democrats who now control both the House and Senate are armed with subpoena power and ready to summon panels of witnesses.

These newly empowered Democrats plan to put the Bush administration under scrutiny like never before.

"One of the clearest messages of the last election was that the Republican leadership was just AWOL when it came to holding the Bush administration accountable," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Explains why the Bush team is lawyering up. They've got some explaining to do. Six years worth of explaining. Read More......

Food recall, again

Nothing to worry about and I'm sure we won't hear of any more because the Republicans made consumer protection and health for Americans in such great shape. Thanks for thinking about everyone.

Each package bears the establishment number "EST. 1106" inside the USDA mark of inspection. The sausage products were distributed to retail and institutional establishments in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, the agency said.

USDA said the problem was discovered through microbiological testing completed by a non-government laboratory.

So what exactly is the USDA able to do these days since the GOP stripped the organization of money and people? Why does the GOP hate Americans and their safety? Read More......

The anti-gay theocrats are going after divorce in Virginia now

Don't say we didn't warn you. To the theocrats, taking rights away from the homos was the low-hanging fruit. But, their victories over the gays emboldened them. Now, they are coming for the straight people -- and they want to change the rules for divorce. But, let's be realistic. That's just a first step -- a slippery slope. You know they really want to ban divorce:

After its victory in last year's fight over a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage in Virginia, the Family Foundation of Virginia announced Thursday that it will push to change the state's divorce laws to make it more difficult for parents to end their marriage.

The Family Foundation, which opposes abortion and promotes socially conservative values, said it will lobby the General Assembly this year to amend the state's long-standing no-fault divorce law, which essentially allows a husband or wife to terminate a marriage without cause.

The foundation is advocating "mutual consent divorce" for couples with children, which would require a husband and wife to agree to divorce before a marriage can be legally terminated, except in certain instances, such as abuse or cruelty. The proposed legislation would not affect childless couples.

"Right now, one spouse can unilaterally end [the marriage], and not only is their spouse unable to stop the divorce, their abandonment does not preclude them from having custody of their child," said Victoria Cobb, president of the Family Foundation. "When we send a message that one can up and leave their family and have no consequence, the Old Dominion is encouraging divorce."

Gays never had the right to marry. So, they work hard to deny us rights but they aren't taking away anything that we already have. But watch the right wingers start to chip away at the rights of straight people. It's divorce now. But they won't stop there. They're going to go after birth control and anything else having to do with sex. Read More......

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Now that was an interesting week. From the very low point of watching the death toll surpass 3,000 in Iraq to the very high points of watching Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi become the leaders on the Hill.

The strongly worded letter they sent to Bush yesterday defines the new political world we're in. There are limits to his power -- and his abuse of power.

So, keep it cranking. Read More......

Republicans now speaking out against Bush plan to escalate in Iraq

We hated him before it was cool. Read More......

Is that an eclair in your pocket...

Just when I'm sure that the US has a strong hold on the bizarre and outrageous, I read something like this.

A Canadian lawyer has been awarded more than C$10,000 ($8,550) in damages by a British Columbia court after he was falsely arrested and strip-searched over rumors he planned to throw a pie at the prime minister.

A judge ruled on Wednesday that police had no objective basis to believe that Cameron Ward planned a pie attack when he was arrested in a crowd that was watching then-Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien during a visit to Vancouver in August 2002.

The arrest was a bit surprising, but a strip search? For a pastry assault? Read More......