White House admits Rove involved in US Attorneys firing scandal

All roads lead to Rove. And who said Fitzmas was a bust? Read More......

Open thread

Have Battlestar Galactica taping on TiVo, and honestly don't really even care if I watch it. Is it just me, or have they destroyed that show this season. I suspect because they're preparing for the spin-off, and as they always do, they steal the good writers, or make them work double-time, but the thing has become one big, long, boring, overwrought soap opera. Best damn show on TV, and they've gone and ruined it. Again, just me?

UPDATE: Just watched tonight's episode. There's an hour of my life I'll never get back. I actually fast-forwarded through part of it, it was that bad. Read More......

Jerry Falwell embraces adulterous Newt Gingrich on behalf of religious right

Do any of these people believe at all in what they preach? I mean, seriously. Now adultery isn't a problem for the religious right. Not to mention, Gingrich is divorced - twice - and now on his THIRD wife. And he asked his first wife to sign divorce papers while she was recovering from cancer surgery.

Seriously, do Christan conservatives believe in anything at all? Because they sure put on a great act of trying to force their views on the rest of us, while not living by the same values themselves. Read More......

Bush administration caught screwing Cold War veterans

Anyone surprised? From the Rocky Mountain Daily News:

Federal officials secretly schemed to limit payouts for sick and dying nuclear weapons workers, including thousands from the Rocky Flats plant outside Denver, newly released documents show....

The U.S. Department of Labor oversees the program to compensate workers whose illnesses can be tied to working with radioactive and other toxic materials at nuclear weapons plants, such as the now-defunct Rocky Flats.

More than 60,000 ill atomic bomb makers, including thousands from Rocky Flats, have sought help. About 16,000 workers nationwide have received a total of $2.6 billion. Far more have been denied or still are waiting for help....

Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., said, "Clearly, the administration put dollars above honoring the nation's promise to the Cold War veterans."

He added this is "almost worse" than the bad conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. That was negligence, Udall said, where "this seems to be a pretty callous plan that the administration knew could harm sick veterans."

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Open thread

Was watching Stephanopoulos this morning. 27 more US troops dead in Iraq this week, thanks to Bush, Cheney, McCain, Lieberman and all the other Republicans who have enabled this disaster of a president by insisting that the only way to honor the troops is to keep them fighting a war that Bush already lost. And now 27 more are dead. Funny concept of honor. Read More......

Greenspan and his miraculous new ability to see problems in the market

The man who missed the internet bubble bursting, didn't see the growing housing bubble or bad financial lending policies and went along with the massive tax cuts while heading to war, now that he's no longer the Chairman of the Fed, now Greenspan sees trouble ahead and says it in plain English. After years of saying a lot of nothing, Greenspan can't speak out enough about the problems that the economy is facing. It's clear that problems are ahead and a recession could strike due to wild spending by Bush and the Republicans all while cutting taxes and losing track of billions in Iraq. Thanks for finally learning how to be clear when talking about the economy, but maybe it is about 18 1/2 years too late. What a fraud and thanks for nothing. We could have used this kind of clarity a few years ago but I guess he's just cashing in on the speaking circuit for his personal retirement plan. Read More......

Gay former NBA player is a winner

Pam Spaulding reports on her encounter with gay former NBA basketball player, and Human Rights Campaign 'Coming Out Project' spokesman, John Amaechi.

Former NBA player, author and HRC Coming Out Project Spokesman John Amaechi spoke and took questions at the National Black Justice Coalition's Black Church Summit reception this evening, and he's a real gem. HRC is lucky to have Amaechi out there as a spokesperson, because he has both credibility and courage. Now that he's out, he's truly committed to changing hearts and minds by blowing away the stereotypes and combatting the ignorance out there that kept him in the closet.

Amaechi's a busy man; he's been on the road promoting his book Man in the Middle (he noted that he's done over 300 interviews so far), and has been called upon to respond to the Tim Hardaway situation as well as tackle Ann "Faggot" Coulter's idiocy. And he's handled it all with such candor and grace.

John Amaechi gave a frank, refreshing talk tonight at the NBJC-sponsored event; there was a sizeable crowd that showed up to hear what he had to say. Your intrepid blogmistress was there and I brought back a few thoughtful quotes to share.

Here's his appearance on Jon Stewart
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Senator Schumer calls for Att. Gen. Gonzales to resign

From ThinkProgress Read More......

Fire Gonzales

NY Times says fire "the Failed Attorney General":

We opposed Mr. Gonzales’s nomination as attorney general. His résumé was weak, centered around producing legal briefs for Mr. Bush that assured him that the law said what he wanted it to say. More than anyone in the administration, except perhaps Vice President Dick Cheney, Mr. Gonzales symbolizes Mr. Bush’s disdain for the separation of powers, civil liberties and the rule of law.

On Thursday, Senator Arlen Specter, the senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, hinted very obliquely that perhaps Mr. Gonzales’s time was up. We’re not going to be oblique. Mr. Bush should dismiss Mr. Gonzales and finally appoint an attorney general who will use the job to enforce the law and defend the Constitution.

Think about that last line. Everyone, every President and every American, should want and expect an A.G. who will enforce the law and defend the Constitution -- everyone, that is, except George Bush. Read More......

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

Don't forget to set your clock ahead if you haven't already.

The Boston Globe provides the listing of speakers and topics. Iraq, Walter Reed, Scooter and some Presidential politics will dominate. One good thing is that there are two guests who aren't the same old usual suspects: Jim Webb and Claire McCaskill I heard McCaskill on Imus last week. She was very good. And, Webb is just something else:

"This Week With George Stephanopoulos." Topics: Iraq; military health care; women's issues , and music. Guests: Senator Jim Webb, Democrat of Virginia ; Bob Dole, former Republican senator of Kansas; Loretta Lynn, country and western singer....

"Fox News Sunday" with Chris Wallace. Topics: 2008 election, Democrats divided over Iraq. Guests: Fred Thompson, actor and former Republican senator of Tennessee; Representative Maxine Waters, founder of Out of Iraq Caucus....

"The Newsmakers." Topics: Presidential politics, revamped presidential primary schedule, and the Iraq war's effect on candidates and the Republican party. Guest: Mike Duncan, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee....

"Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer. Topics: Iraq war; veterans' care; the Libby trial. Guests: Senator Charles E. Schumer ; Senator Arlen Specter ; Senator Claire McCaskill ....

"Meet the Press" with Tim Russert. Topics: Baghdad Security Conference; veterans' care; 2008 election. Guest: Zalmay Khalilzad, US ambassador to Iraq....

"Late Edition" with Wolf Blitzer. Topics: Baghdad Security Conference; war in Iraq; war on terror ; Walter Reed fallout; 2008 election; the Libby trial. Guests: Hoshyar Zebari, foreign minister of Iraq; Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. , presidential candidate; Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of S.C. ; Bob Dole, former senator of Kansas; Donna Shalala ; Mike Huckabee . 11 a.m. [Eastern] (CNN)

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The surging surge is officially announced

Earlier in the week we heard about the request for more troops for Iraq but now it's official. Bush is asking for 8,200 more troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Maybe if we give it another few days this number will also grow because his request looks like just another hodgepodge of throwing anything out there and seeing how it works as opposed to an actual plan. Are more increases what we should come to expect with the surge just continuing to surge and surge and surge? The patsies from the GOP are gone and the public wants answers and wants accountability. Voters have had enough of this adventure and with the daily news of more bombings (31 killed today) there will continue to be a need for more with no end in sight.

Unless the pro-war politicians start sending their kids off to the recruiting stations or the College Republicans launch a recruitment campaign within their circles, the US will still be unable to deliver enough troops to even maintain what limited control they have today. The GOP has made America weaker with their failed global adventures. Read More......

Majority of Americans prefer character over policy

This doesn't really explain the Bush voting, where he had neither character nor policy, but 2008 candidates might find this interesting.

A new Associated Press-Ipsos poll says 55 percent of those surveyed consider honesty, integrity and other values of character the most important qualities they look for in a presidential candidate.

Just one-third look first to candidates' stances on issues; even fewer focus foremost on leadership traits, experience or intelligence.

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Karl Rove was involved with political firing of US Attorneys

Surprise. But this time it's different. Now Karl can be forced to testify by subpoena, and under oath. Oh, and by the way, Attorney General Gonzales is looking at perjury charges.

Presidential advisor Karl Rove and at least one other member of the White House political team were urged by the New Mexico Republican party chairman to fire the state's U.S. attorney because of dissatisfaction in part with his failure to indict Democrats in a voter fraud investigation in the battleground election state.

In an interview Saturday with McClatchy Newspapers, Allen Weh, the party chairman, said he complained in 2005 about then-U.S. Attorney David Iglesias to a White House liaison who worked for Rove and asked that he be removed. Weh said he followed up with Rove personally in late 2006 during a visit to the White House.

"Is anything ever going to happen to that guy?" Weh said he asked Rove at a White House holiday event that month.

"He's gone," Rove said, according to Weh.

"I probably said something close to 'Hallelujah,'" said Weh.

Weh's account calls into question the Justice Department's stance [NOTE FROM JOHN: under oath, I might add] that the recent decision to fire Iglesias and seven U.S. attorneys in other states was a personnel matter - made without White House intervention. Justice Department officials have said the White House's involvement was limited to approving a list of the U.S. attorneys after the Justice Department made the decision to fire them.

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