Because in their America, Bush is the omnipotent and all knowing one

And there is no room for dissent, even if he is getting their kids killed:

Organizer Howard Kaloogian accused Sheehan of "giving hope and encouragement to our enemies."

The crowd, which organizers said topped 3,000 but appeared closer to 1,500, chanted "Cindy, Go Home" and compared her to Jane Fonda, whose visit to a North Vietnamese gun site in 1972 earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane."

In one heated moment, members of the pro-Bush crowd turned on what they mistakenly thought were a group of anti-war protesters, cursing them, threatening them and tearing down their signs. A police officer rushed the group to safety.

And their leader, Howard Kaloogian, is a long-time right wing activist from California. He was a leader in the effort to recall Gray Davis. Another cog in the right wing machine. Read More......

Saturday Night Open Thread

Have it your way. Read More......

Oops

Washington Post editorial

Mr. Bush breezily praised the constitutional process as if it were the antithesis of the military conflict, rather than a political expression of the same Iraqi power struggle. He boasted that Iraq will have a constitution that "honors women's rights" and "the rights of minorities" even though the prevailing draft raises serious questions about both.

In fact, depending on the future balance of power in the Iraqi parliament, the constitution as it stood late this week could allow the emergence of a Shiite mini-state in Iraq's south closely allied to Iran, with de facto rule by clerics and a continuation of the oppression of women and non-Shiites already widely reported in the region. American military defense of such an entity would be hard to justify.

Hat tip to DailyKos Read More......

More Bush Lies Coming Home To Roost

One of the nastiest traits of Bush and his cronies is cynically using the death and/or capture of brave American soldiers for partisan political purposes -- and they don't care if it means lying to the soldier's family and friends to do it. They did it with Jessica Lynch and they did it again with Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former pro football player who died from friendly fire. The military lied about that to his family and the country to encourage support for Bush's unnecessary war and push recruitment. An Army investigation determined they knew within days how Tillman died but kept it a secret and shredded evidence. Still, no coverup here. Really? The Pentagon is now investigating that investigation. Don't you hate it when facts keep coming out? Read More......

Now he's telling us Iraq will involve sacrifice

Over three years since the build up to Iraq began, two and a half years into the mess, and well over two years since he said major conflict has ended, Bush used today's radio address to tell Americans the conflict will require sacrifice. Here's why:

Mr Bush's message was part of renewed push to counter critics of his Iraq war policy and boost his standing in the polls.

The latest Gallup survey showed that just two in five Americans approved of the job he was doing while 56 per cent disapproved of his performance.

Compared to other post-World War II presidents at this point in their second term, only Richard Nixon had a lower job approval rating and he was in the midst of the Watergate scandal, Gallup said. The others were all above 50 per cent.

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Open threads and butterfly bushes

Who knew those supposed "butterfly bushes" they sell at the garden store actually work. The neighbor here in Chicago has one, it's full of Monarch butterflies non-stop. I shot a few pics, if any turn out, will post later.

And that is our zen open thread of the morning. Read More......

Venezuela Cracking down on Missionaries

Robertson's threat of assassination has led Venezuela to stop allowing new missionaries into the country:

Venezuela's government has temporarily suspended permits for foreign missionaries after a U.S. televangelist said Washington should assassinate President Hugo Chavez.

The policy announcement came four days after conservative evangelist Pat Robertson said Washington should execute Chavez, a former soldier who often accuses the United States of plotting to kill him.

The chief of the Justice Ministry's religious affairs unit, Carlos Gonzalez, said Friday authorization of permits for missionaries would be curbed while the government tightened regulations on preachers inside Venezuela.

President Chavez draped Robertson around the neck of George Bush. He knows how close those right wingers are to Bush:

The Venezuelan president said Friday President Bush would be to blame if anything happened to him after the comments by Robertson.

"He was expressing the wishes of the U.S. elite ... If anything happens to me then the man responsible will be George W. Bush. He will be the assassin," Chavez said at a public event. "This is pure terrorism."

As we all know too well, Bush and company have been goading and challenging the world on terrorism for four years now. Terrorism is apparently in the eye of the beholder. Read More......

Dowd: Bush has "jumped the couch"

Brilliant:

W. has jumped the couch.

Not fallen off the couch, as he did when he choked on that pretzel.

Jumped it.

According to UrbanDictionary.com, "jump the couch" has now become slang for "a defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end. Inspired by Tom Cruise's recent behavior on 'Oprah.' Also see 'jump the shark.' "

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Saturday Morning Open Thread

Where do we begin? Read More......

Cindy Sheehan is about to go boom

I just watched Cindy Sheehan on Bill Maher. When Maher asked her jokingly that if she didn't get satisfaction from George Bush, would she go over his head to Cheney or Rumsfeld, she replied:

"You know what Bill, I have gone over his head, I've gone to the American people. And we employ him, he's our employee."

She has found her voice, and I gotta say, she's got a great voice. She's quick, she's smart, and I think that she's going to be a great face for the American people's growing frustration with the war.

Seeing Cindy tonight, I saw an average American speak in her own voice, and having it heard. And it's resonating. I predict that we've seen just the beginning of Cindy Sheehan. Read More......