THIS is why I've been pushing the Mary Carey story

Bush gets his BIG article in Reuters tonight about how he's unleashing his harshest rhetoric yet against the Democrats. Then check out the 4th paragraph: It's all about Mary Carey, the porn star.

President Bush on Tuesday unleashed his harshest criticism yet on Democrats for thwarting his second-term agenda, demanding they put forward ideas of their own or "step aside" and signaling a more aggressive administration strategy of attack.

With approval ratings the lowest of his presidency and critics suggesting he is already losing political clout, Bush blamed "do-nothing" Democrats for holding up an overhaul of Social Security and delaying votes on his nominees to the federal bench and the United Nations.

The assault highlighted administration frustrations over Democratic tactics, and offered a preview of Republican strategy in the run-up to the 2006 mid-term elections.

"On issue after issue, they (the Democrats) stand for nothing except obstruction," Bush said at the annual President's Dinner, a $23 million fund-raiser attended by Republican leaders, party donors, and a blond porn star and former California gubernatorial candidate named Mary Carey.

That, my friends, is a messaging DISASTER for the White House. I wouldn't want to be one of Bush's press advisers tomorrow morning.

Again, THIS is why I've been pushing the story. You create enough noise, and it gets coverage, and ends up burning Bush in the butt. (Not that we're the only ones pushing this story, but every little bit helps.)

And God bless the Democratic National Committee:

The Democratic National Committee pointed to Carey's attendance of as evidence of an "anything goes" policy by Republicans.

Oh yeah, we also got the sixth paragraph of the Associated Press story on tonight's event. Read my lips: Messaging disaster. Read More......

Open thread

Busy busy day. Time to unwind now. Read More......

"The dog ate my anti-lynching resolution"

From NBC13.com in Alabama:

The U.S. Senate has formally apologized for the failure to outlaw lynching, but Alabama Republican Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions were not among the 80 senators who co-sponsored the legislation.

Shelby's press secretary Virginia Davis said the senator supports the resolution, even though he was in the minority of senators who were not co-sponsors.

Shelby said he did not remember anyone asking him to co-sponsor the bill.

Sessions' press secretary Mike Brumas said Sessions does not endorse everything that crosses his desk, but the senator said in a statement that he backs the resolution.

Great, Sessions supports the resolution, then add your name to it as a cosponsor. You can still do that AFTER the resolution is passed. So, do it. As for Shelby, great, you didn't know about it, well NOW YOU DO. So are you cosponsoring the anti-lynching resolution or not, Senator Shelby?

And I may just add, kudos to the local news in Alabama for picking up on this story AND finding the local angle. There's hope yet, for the media and for the south. I'm serious, it's important to show the rest of the country that some people there actually get it.

(Hat tip to Michelle for sending in this link) Read More......

Religious right blames the media for military's recruiting shortfall

Damn media.

America's Taliban The religious right hate groups is right. Iraq is a frigging paradise and the lefty-pinko American media won't tell our brave young men and women the truth about how great it is. Cosmos and pina coladas abound. The men are hot, and the women are hotter. There are no guns, no bullets, no car bombs, no hostages, no snipers and no green zone, and certainly no beheadings (there's only one head you'll get in Iraq, baby!). What is this talk about 5 and 10 and 20 US soldiers getting killed each day? Hello? They're on vacation! A very long one, sure, but see, they've simply been in, uh, one of Iraq's many beautiful beach resorts. Silly silly mainstream media. Why do they hate America?

Read More......

What a Surprise: Bush Anti-Global Warming Staffer heading to ExxonMobil

Michael's post below states what (almost) everyone knows...there is no longer a debate about global warming. That is except for the Bush White House and the major oil companies. So no great surprises from this AP story...the Bush staff guy who edited all the global warming documents....he's going to work at ExxonMobil....some things are just too perfect:

A former White House official and one-time oil industry lobbyist whose editing of government reports on climate change prompted criticism from environmentalists will join Exxon Mobil Corp., the oil company said Tuesday.

The White House announced over the weekend that Philip Cooney, chief of staff of its Council on Environmental Quality, had resigned, calling it a long-planned departure. He had been head of the climate program at the American Petroleum Institute, the trade group for large oil companies.

Cooney will join Exxon Mobile in the fall, company spokesman Russ Roberts told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from its Dallas headquarters. He declined to described Cooney's job.

Rewarded for a job well done no doubt. Read More......

Now the fundies are pissed that Bush doesn't think Baptists own God

Oh, it was so nice when he was YOUR president, wasn't it, my friends in the religious right hate groups?

..President Bush has declared that he believes in a god who speaks to different religions. While many Evangelicals believe the president has accepted Christ as his Savior, some have been somewhat disturbed by such things as the White House celebration each year of Ramadan. The president may have added to those Evangelicals' concerns yesterday (June 13) when he told a group of international exchange students that he believes in a god who is not confined to one religion. "I believe there's an almighty god who speaks to different faiths -- and I believe freedom is a gift from that almighty," the president said. At the White House ceremony, President Bush went on to praise the exchange students for teaching their American classmates about Islam, and noted how one Muslim exchange student helped his Michigan high school classmates learn about the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Quoting the student, Bush said, "When I got to one of my classes on the first day of Ramadan, I was totally amazed. There were signs everywhere in the class saying 'Happy Ramadan, Abdul.'" The apparent celebration of Ramadan at the Michigan school seems in sharp contrast to the increasing hostility towards Christianity in many public school systems around the U.S.

Why does George Bush hate America? Read More......

White House refusing to explain why Bush is okay attending dinner with a porn star

Hey, Concerned Women for America, how you liking your family values president now?

Articles here and here. Read More......

Gay wedding in the Canadian military

This is why we [heart] Canada. Well, among other reasons :-) Read More......

Conyers holding hearings on Downing Street Memo!

Our favorite watchdog Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) is holding hearings on the Downing Street Memo at the DNC because the GOP won't allow him to have the hearings no the Hill.

From AfterDowningStreet.org:

On Thursday June 16, 2005, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Wasserman Room at 430 S Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Congress Members will hold a hearing on the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence of efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.

The hearings are being held at the Democratic National Committee because the Republicans controlling the House Judiciary Committee refused to permit the ranking Democratic Member to use a room on the Hill. See Article. Nonetheless, Republicans are welcome to attend.

Later on the same day at 5:00 p.m. ET in Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House, a large rally will support Congressman Conyers who plans to deliver to the White House a letter addressed to President Bush and signed by over 500,000 Americans and at least 94 Congress Members.

Read More......

Finally, video is up of Mary Carey press conference

I shot it with my digital cam, so it's okay quality but not exactly Columbia Pictures here. It opens with Mary posing, then goes into the press conference, statements, Q&A; from the reporters. It's about 22 minutes, 8 meg download (sorry).

I'll try summarize it in a bit, but in the first 30 seconds, listen closely to when the guy in front row asks about the "booms" getting in the way (i.e., the microphones) and Mary thinks he says "boobs".

Anyway, here's the link on Kyle's site to the video (so far we have it in WMV format, he's working on mp3 audio as well). Read More......

Finally time for an open thread

Man what a busy day.

I just realized the NY Daily News has a great piece on Mary Carey today. Note this paragraph:

But some Christian evangelicals demanded an explanation.

"I've sent three E-mails to [GOP Chairman] Ken Mehlman saying, 'Hey, give us some kind of explanation here,'" said the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association. "I think I'd be more interested in getting votes, rather than raising money."

Gee, Don. You mean GOP chair Ken Mehlman went limp on sexually-oriented family values issues? Gosh, now, I wonder why that was? I've been asking for months if Ken was going to be a fifth-columnist and end up being a bit light in his loafers in his support for the family values agenda. And what do you know, he appears to not be too concerned about porn stars dining with the president. Not to mention, you didn't hear the White House too worried about a $1200 a weekend man-whore asking questions of the president either.

Now if we can just get the Republicans to like the rest of us.

PS Kyle is still working on the video and the audio from the press conference. It will be up shortly. Read More......

Uh oh, he's THAT Brian Wilson, ooooooh......

Media Bistro informs us that the FOX reporter in the pic above, the one who really enjoyed his interview with Mary Carey, was none other than Brian "Who the fuck are you?!" Wilson. You remember him. The FOX reporter who was so disruptive at the Howard Dean/Harry Reid meeting last week? The FOX reporter that went ape shit on the Washington Post's Mike Leibovich?

Brian REALLY seemed to be enjoying his interview with the porn star. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But I'm not sure the Concerned Women for America are going to be very happy that their favorite news network is clearly enjoying mingling with a Jezebel.

See a short video clip of Brian enjoying himself with Mary here. Brian is asking Mary if she really thinks Karl Rove is sex.

In case you don't recall, here's my scoop on that little encounter last week.

And Brian, you might want to look into her eyes next time. Read More......

More on Bush's porn star guest, Mary Carey

The incomparable Mary poses before the press conference begins. She was wearing a very nice, conservative black gown, pearl necklace (ba dum dum), and I really couldn't see her shoes. Her fingernails were painted red, white and blue, and her toe nails were painted as well.



Mary shows off the GOP elephant pin she and her boss, Mark Kulkis of Kick Ass Pictures, are sporting to the event. Mary says she's now become a Republican, as of two days ago (I have reason to believe that line is part of her PR stunt).



FOX anchor Brian Wilson having a little one-on-one with Mary. He was SURE enjoying the interview (and I've got video, posting shortly).



This was Mary's "handler" from the National Republican Congressional Committee. The media was VERY interested to know why Mary was given a handler for the day. Probably to warn any unsuspecting important GOP honchos who Mary was before she snapped a picture with them. Note what's in the bottom of the picture - Mr. Handler was enjoying himself. Read More......

Just got back from porn superstar Mary Carey's press conference

Me and my own Jimmy Olson, Kyle from AmIPatriotic.com, just returned from the press conference porn superstar Mary Carey held to show off the dress she will be sporting at this evening's presidential dinner.

We got photos. We got audio. We got video. We even got some inside scoop. Going through it all now, will be posting several updates shortly. Read More......

USA Today -- "The Debate's Over: Globe IS Warming"

USA Today is stating the obvious: that everyone (but Bush) agrees global warming is a serious threat and must be dealt with. Big Business, scientists, even evangelical Christians are talking about what should be done -- none of them are taking issue with the basic facts. This is actually a good front page story about the issue and worth reading. Too bad Bush doesn't read newspapers.

What other obvious headlines would be news to Bush?

"The Debate's Over: Evolution Is A Fact"

"Iraq Had No WMDs and US Had No Solid Evidence That It Did"

"Goverments That Rape, Torture, Kill and Ignore The Rule of Law Aren't Fighting Terror -- They're Committing It"

"Iraq Not Involved In 9-11"

"Republican Elected Officials At State and Federal Level: 98% White and Growing!" Read More......

Our Charming Allies In The War On Terror

Bush is determined to do whatever it takes to spread freedom and democracy around the world...except when it isn't convenient.

For lovely Uzbekistan, the cruel military dictatorship that gunned down hundreds of its own people last month, Bush and Russia blocked an attempt to start an international probe into this massacre. This Washington Post story appeared on A-15 and hasn't made a stir anywhere. Who would be surprised or care that Bush is happy to defend his closest allies when they attack their own people?

Defense officials from Russia and the United States last week helped block a new demand for an international probe into the Uzbekistan government's shooting of hundreds of protesters last month, according to U.S. and diplomatic officials.

British and other European officials had pushed to include language calling for an independent investigation in a communique issued by defense ministers of NATO countries and Russia after a daylong meeting in Brussels on Thursday. But the joint communique merely stated that "issues of security and stability in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan," had been discussed.

Apparently Condi Rice has taken on the mantle of ineffective supporter of reason a la Colin Powell: her State Dept. was shouted down by the Defense Dept. which thinks a military base in Uzbekistan is more important in the war on terror than actually FIGHTING the war on terror by denouncing the slaughter of civilians by corrupt governments. Way to go, Rummy!

And in lovely Pakistan, Kristof of the New York Times reports on the fate of Mukhtaran Bibi -- a brave woman who was ordered raped by the courts but refused to commit suicide afterwards and has become a major activist.

Ms. Mukhtaran used her compensation money to start two schools in her village, one for boys and the other for girls. She went out of her way to enroll the children of her attackers in the schools, showing that she bore no grudges. Readers of my column sent in more than $133,000 for her. Mercy Corps, a U.S. aid organization, has helped her administer the money, and she has expanded the schools, started a shelter for abused women and bought a van that is used as an ambulance for the area.

Her plan to visit the US and denounce honor killings, rapes and acid attacks on women was too much for the gov't, which has grabbed her and thrown her into a dank hole somewhere. Kristof annoyed me with this comment:

I've been sympathetic to Mr. Musharraf till now, despite his nuclear negligence, partly because he's cooperated in the war on terrorism and partly because he has done a good job nurturing Pakistan's economic growth, which in the long run is probably the best way to fight fundamentalism. So even when Mr. Musharraf denied me visas all this year, to block me from visiting Ms. Mukhtaran again and writing a follow-up column, I bit my tongue.

But now President Musharraf has gone nuts.

When will "hard-nosed realists" like Cheney and Bush and Kristof realize that you don't advance the cause of freedom by partnering with and defending the corrupt monarchy of Saudi Arabia, military dictatorships like Pakistan and Uzbekistan, etc? These countries are not fighting terror -- they are committing terror on their own people and literally exporting it around the world.

Anyone waiting for Bush to speak out about these horrible developments in Uzebkistan or Pakistan is waiting in vain. Anyone who realizes we need to act on our own to defend heroes like Ms. Mukhtaran should call the Consulate General of Pakistan and let them know we're watching.

Its number is 212-879-5800 and press "0" for the operator. Read More......

Senate offices intentionally lying about Lynching Vote last night

READ THIS PLEASE, I EXPLAIN HOW VOTES WORK IN THE SENATE

This is getting very interesting. I've gotten feedback from a number of friends and contacts who have called the Senate offices of the members who did NOT co-sponsor the anti-lynching resolution. They're lying to you folks, well, lying in the "intentionally misleading" way.

First, a bit of background to anyone who's new. The Senate voted late last night to pass a resolution apologizing for years of failure to pass anti-lynching legislation. The legislation was held up a LONG time, year ago of course, because of southern Senators filibustering it. Well, ABC reported last night that the apology had to be passed late at night, and they weren't going to hold an actualy roll call vote (the kind where you see how your Senator voted), because a number of Senators didn't support the apology! That led me to write about it here on my blog, and other blogs also joined in asking who exactly isn't opposed to lynching?

That's brings us to day. The Senate offices are now intentionally misleading people about where their bosses stood on this legislation.

Here's what they're saying:

1. My boss couldn't vote for the resolution because he was out of town last night.

2. My boss couldn't vote for the resolution because it was a voice vote - meaning, there was no recorded vote of who was for it or against it - it was simple a "all those in favor say 'aye', all those opposed say 'no'" kind of vote. And no one keeps a written record of the ayes and nos.

3. What do you mean my boss didn't support the resolution, it passed unanimously?!

All of those are cute, and they're also intentionally meant to mislead you.

The vote last night was a voice vote. That means all you need is one guy in the Senate chamber to have it pass (as I understand it, there were some 6 Senators or so there last night). That one guy says something about asking unanimous consent that SRes39 (the resolution) be agreed to. The presiding chair says "all those in favor say aye, all those opposed say no, the ayes appear to have it, the ayes do have it." And bam, it's done. All you need is one Senator sitting there saying aye and it's "unanimous."

A "roll call vote" is when they literally go through each Senator's name and he or she has to vote yes or no. They didn't do that last night, on purpose, so there would be no record of the "no" votes.

What we are talking about, and what we are angry about, is NOT who did or didn't vote for the resolution. In principle, NOBODY voted for the resolution and, at the same time, EVERYBODY did because it was passed "unanimously." What we are upset about is that you ALSO can "cosponsor" legislation before and AFTER it is voted on. Cosponsoring legislation is a way of showing your support the legislation, and usually your intention to vote for it. Apparently this resolution had 84 cosponsors, but 16 Senators refused to cosponsor it.

The question is therefore, why did Senator X refuse to cosponsor legislation, in essence, opposing lynching?

But it gets better. A senator can add themself as a cosponsor even AFTER a resolution is passed. That means the 16 hold-outs can STILL now add themselves as cosponsors of the resolution.

So why don't they?

PS Feinstein's office and Sununu's office are telling people the vote was "unanimous." Cute, but not the point. Conrad's office is claiming that the Senator was out of town and thus couldn't vote for the bill. Again, cute, but not the point. The real question is why didn't the 16 Senators add themselves as cosponsors, and why don't they now?

The Republican Senators who won't take a stand against lynching:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Gordon Smith (R-OR) (he's fine)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

Find their phone numbers here. Read More......

The FINAL list of Senators refusing to oppose lynching

I say "final." Ha. We've cross checked our list with a list that reportedly just came from the Senate. And my list below, the one from the previous post, appears correct. So, until further notice, these are the spineless Senators who for some reason or other didn't want to be on the record saying that it was a bad thing that southern senators fillibustered anti-lynching legislation all those years.

I'm going to write more later about why this matters, but let me just say this. We complain about the far right trying to amend the Constitution to ban gays, about Bush lying his way into a war, about the GOP trying to take over and usurp the entire federal judiciary, yet 27% of Republican Senators are still holding out on the wisdom and morality of lynching black people. Think about that. And then ask yourself is it any wonder all these other legislative crimes happen when these bastards can't even agree about lynching? And you thought we had it bad.

Find your Senators' phone number here, and call them:

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (he's now a cosponsor)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Gordon Smith (R-OR) (he's fine)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH)

And while we're at it, here's one African-American writer's take on all of this. Read More......

Republican Party: Never Forgive, Never Forget

Remember "Postcards From Buster," the innocuous show on PBS that Republicans treated as if it were beaming softcore porn into our children's minds? The lovely Republican head of the Dept. of Education belittled gay and lesbian families and sent out the message to young schoolchildren that they should be ashamed of their parents. When everyone finally got a look at the episode in question, it was so banal that even the NY Post ran a review saying "What's the big deal?"

Thought the story was over? No way. A small item in the NY Post on 6/13 says federal funding for the group that makes it was cut late Friday night. $23.3 million for PBS's Ready To Learn (a cooperative program between PBS and the Dept. of Education) was cut by a House appropriations committee. Never forgive; never forget. Read More......

My RADAR interview with Presidential Porn Star Mary Carey is up now

I interviewed Mary the other night for my RADAR column. It was good. Enjoy.

It is Mary Carey’s dream to meet the President of the United States. Of course, it’s also her dream to have sex with Karl Rove, Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Pat Buchanan, Alan Colmes, and one player from every NBA team. One of those dreams will come true tonight at the 2005 President’s Dinner & Salute to Freedom; when George W. Bush sits down to break bread with 6,000 Republican boosters, Carey will be there...

Read More......

The latest list of Senators who refused to sign the anti-lynching resolution

This is the latest list I have - please feed me updates. Only one Democrat, all the rest are Republicans. What was Howard Dean saying about the GOP being the party of white guys? That would be 27% of the Republican Senators who refused to oppose lynching, vs. 2% of the Democrats. Enough said.

One final point. From what I recall during my stint in the Senate, you can add yourself as a cosponsor retroactively even after the resolution has passed.

Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Michael Crapo (R-ID)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Judd Gregg (R-NH)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Trent Lott (R-MS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Gordon Smith (R-OR) (he's fine)
John Sununu (R-NH)
Craig Thomas (R-WY)
George Voinovich (R-OH) Read More......

Open thread

Going through my emails now. Read More......

18 Additional Co-Sponsors on the Anti-Lynching Resolution

UPDATE: Latest list is here.

This is the list of Senators who signed on as co-sponsors yesterday, bringing the total to 78:

Sen Max Baucus D-MT
Sen Christopher Bond R-MO
Sen Jim Bunning R-KY
Sen Conrad Burns R-MT
Sen Lincoln Chafee R-RI
Sen Saxby Chambliss R-GA
Sen Mike DeWine R-OH
Sen Elizabeth Dole R-NC
Sen Johnny Isakson R-GA
Sen James Inhofe R-OK
Sen Mel Martinez R- FL
Sen Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Sen Pat Roberts R-KS
Sen John Rockefeller D-WV
Sen Jeff Sessions R-AL
Sen John Thune R-SD
Sen John Warner R-WA
Sen Ron Wyden R-OR

Who's still missing? And, more importantly, WHY? Read More......

Open Thread

Let's get it started... Read More......

Brain cell breakthrough at University of Florida

Bjorn Scheffler, neuroscientist at the University of Florida, led the research team which released the news of their study which grew mature brain cells in a laboratory for the first time. They were able to identify master brain cells and then grow them in large batches.

"It's like an assembly line to manufacture and increase the number of brain cells," said Dr. Bjorn Scheffler, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida who led the study.

"We can basically take these cells and freeze them until we need them. Then we thaw them, begin a cell-generating process, and produce a ton of new neurons."

The impact of this could be tremendous for people suffering from brain diseases and possibly cancer as well. What a great story.

Read More......

Wash Post refuses to mention porn star in big story about GOP fundraiser

How do you do an entire story about the big GOP fundraiser on Tuesday and NOT mention the fact that the biggest story already is that a porn star is going and has created quite a scandal on the far right? Seriously, what the hell is going on with the Washington Post? Is the paper so out of touch that they didn't know about this story, or do they just not think it's newsworthy to include, in what is pretty much a puff piece, the fact that there's a rather nasty scandal surrounding the dinner?

Or is the Washington Post simply interested in sucking up to the Bush administration, so they don't want to say anything that criticizes the president's big fundraiser?

This is absolutely astounding. How do you not even mention it? Then again, these are the people who put the Downing Street Memo on page, what was it?, 512?

Well, I'll be attending the porn star's press conference, with camera in tow. Screw the Washington Post. Come back here late tomorrow, COB, to get the real story. Read More......

Bedtime (somewhere) open thread

Gnite Read More......