Open thread

Joe and I went to a very important gathering of the vast left-wing conspiracy tonight. Got to see Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) speak, very cool guy. Saw Henry Waxman at another table across the room (didn't get to congratulate him on the Condi subpoena). And even got to meet Rahm briefly. Read the rest of this post...

America: Democrats good, Republicans bad

Latest poll says the Democrats are right on Iraq, and the Republicans have captured the all-important 12% of Americans who think things are getting better in Iraq.

Yes, 12% agree with George Bush, John McCain and Joe Lieberman.

That's worse than the Terri Schiavo numbers, and that was a pitiful 20-30%. 12%. That's what the Republicans have become. The party of 12%. Wow. Read the rest of this post...

House passed Iraq Spending Bill

Major step forward today. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Iraq spending bill by a vote of 218 - 208 with 2 members voting present. Now on to the Senate.

John Murtha gave the Democrat's closing and he wants accountability. That's what the Iraq spending bill imposes on Bush -- who, under the GOP leadership in Congress -- had NO accountability. But Murtha made it clear that the Democrats are holding the White House accountable for the policy mistakes they've made. Also, John Murtha is not happy that John McCain was making jokes about IEDs:

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Rep. Patrick Murphy, who actually served in Iraq, delivers a powerful speech on Iraq.

Watch Patrick Murphy speak during the House debate on the Iraq spending bill. He's terrific. It's personal for him. Bush and the GOP don't intimidate Murphy. He's watched his buddies die. Nineteen of them:

Click To Play

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Open thread

Joe is grabbing some videos from the House floor debate on the Iraq spending bill. Read the rest of this post...

Indicted GOP governor of Kentucky declares emergency in order to repeal benefits for gay couples

The sitting Governor of Kentucky is considering calling the state legislature into a special session to pass a law preventing the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville from providing domestic partner benefits for unmarried and same-sex partners of their employees. The Governor is in a difficult primary (he was indicted last year) and is apparently holding this out as a reward for the mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging base if they support him. It's ironic that he used the Terri Schiavo "special session" excuse for addressing yet another religious right "emergency." (How about a special session to address the emergency that a guy under indictment is leading the state under the guise of a moral crusade?)

The University of Kentuckys Board of Trustees voted yesterday to provide DPBs. U of L did so a few months back. A conservative republican candidate for Attorney General called the move patently unconstitutional, since Kentucky voted on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in 2004.

Ironically, that AG candidate looks an awful lot like a porn star from the 1970s (hey, he made it personal first). His name is Stan Lee.

Kentuckys two largest newspapers, the Louisville Courier-Journal and the Lexington Herald-Leader both wrote editorials in support of DPBs.

I do find it amazing that the religious right claimed that these anti-gay state constitutional amendments (and the federal one) would have no impact on anything else other than gay marriage. Now we're finding out otherwise, from the horses' own mouths. Now they're telling us that when the states banned gay marriage they also banned providing health insurance, inheritance, hospital visitation and more to gay couples. Funny, but I don't recall hearing any of that when the religious right was pushing these things. Of course, we also know from Ohio that these state amendments have also outlawed domestic violence laws. I'm not kidding. Women who have been abused by their boyfriends, fiancees, etc., can now no longer seek the protection of domestic violence laws because in Ohio you can't be given rights unless you're married. Now we're talking targeting straight women who are victims of violence.

This is who the Republican party has sided with. And this is what the anti-gay marriage crew is all about. They're about taking away every single right gay people, and even straight people, have in America today. All as a part of their personal Baptist jihad against every other Christian, every other faith, and every other American. Read the rest of this post...

Republican Senator demands Senator Reid leave office, calls him un-American for saying that Iraq is toast

As we mention often on AMERICAblog, when the Republicans speak about Democrats they're speaking about themselves. It's called a "tell" in poker. A nervous twitch that gives away the kind of hand you have. In Republican politics, it's a verbal twitch - they simply can't help but describe themselves when attacking Democrats.

This latest example is rather serious - Senators do not attack other Senators, it simply isn't done (believe it or not, there still is some level of civility in Washington). Far-right Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma (Inhofe ran years ago on the banner of "God, gays and guns," and just two years ago said he'd fire any of his staff who he found out to be gay) is so incensed that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said publicly that George Bush has lost the Iraq war that Inhofe is now demanding that Reid be forced out of office for his "un-American" crimes.

Asked if the Nevada Democrat should resign from his leadership position because of his comments, Inhofe said: "I think it’s more serious than that. I think there should be a recall . . . for saying something as un-American as that.”

Inhofe wouldn't know what it means to be an American if it hit him in the ass. So let's talk about un-American crimes. At the top of the list there's risking the lives of 160,000 brave American service members for a lie, and a lie that's now a lost cause all because our commander in chief is a blithering idiot. I think killing 3,300 American soldiers, and sending even more to risk their lives, because Senator Inhofe can't admit a mistake, well, that's a pretty un-American crime in my book.

Then again, consider the source. Inhofe is a darling of the far-right of the Republican party. Let's share a few of Inhofe's other profound statements of late:

1. Sen. James Inhofe compared the Kyoto Treaty to Nazism.

Inhofe referenced a Russian report on global warming while speaking on the Senate floor. Referencing the report, Inhofe said, "There have been examples in our fairly recent history of how a considerable portion of Europe was flooded with the brown Nazi ideology, the red Commie ideology that caused severe casualties and consequences for Europe and the entire world. Now there is a big likelihood that a considerable part of Europe has been flooded with another type, another color of ideology--[and he is speaking of global warming here--again, another type, another color of ideology]--but with very similar implications for European societies and human societies the world over. He also said that imposition of the Kyoto Protocol ``would deal a powerful blow on the whole humanity similar to the one humanity experienced when Nazism and communism flourished.'' And that was the chief economic advisor to Russian President Putin. The world has certainly turned on its head that we Americans must look to Russians for speaking out strongly against irrational authoritarian ideologies." [Congressional Record, 10/11/04]

2. Senator Inhofe compared the EPA to the Gestapo. [The Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), 2/19/05], and here.

3. Inhofe: The threat of catastrophic global warming the "greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people . . ." [Congressional Record, 1/28/03]

4. Then there's this doozy, about God causing September 11:

"One of the reasons I believe the spiritual door was opened for an attack against the United States of America is that the policy of our Government has been to ask the Israelis, and demand it with pressure, not to retaliate in a significant way against the terrorist strikes that have been launched against them." Senator James Inhofe (R-OK), Senate floor statement, on 2002-MAR-4

Obviously no one takes Inhofe seriously, probably not even God. But what does matter is how extreme the current leadership of the Republican party has become. You're now un-American if you think that Iraq is a disaster. That makes the overwhelming majority of Americans un-American, at least according to the leadership of the Republican party. Beyond the Terri Schiavo Republicans, there may not be anyone left in the party by the time the current crop of Republicans get through with it.

Oh, and one more thing. Recalling a senator is unconstitutional. Leave it to one of the leading minds of the Republican party to not even understand how our Constitution works. Read the rest of this post...

Army says that extending tours (again) for our troops in Iraq is good for them and their families

No, really. They just said this. It's GOOD for our soldiers, for their families, their morale, and for the overall "stress" on the Army for our soldiers to now be stuck longer in Iraq. Hell, if it's that good for them, I suppose we can expect a permanent deployment sometime in the future to solve all the stress problems our soldiers are facing.

These people really are a piece of work. Any question remaining as to who really hates the troops? Read the rest of this post...

House panel votes to subpoena Rice on Iraq

This is what democracy looks like. Read the rest of this post...

White House now afraid Iraqi govt. may seek political solution to the war. Huh?

I honestly have no idea how the Bush administration thinks Iraqi democracy is supposed to work. Here's the thing: Democracy means, in general, government by majority. Iraq's majority is religious Shia. Ergo, under the political system we set up in Iraq, religious Shia are going to control the government. If administration officials don't want Iraq's majority to actually run the country, maybe they should stop talking about democracy. If they do *actually* believe in democracy, as opposed to "rule by people we like," they need to come to terms with what that looks like.

Part of what it looks like is a significant role for Moqtada al-Sadr and his millions of followers. The administration hates Sadr because he hates us, and he has frequently encouraged his followers to fight Coalition forces. Ironically, the actual Sadrist positions are not entirely opposed to our ostensible goals for Iraq: Sadr is a nationalist, opposed to splitting up the country; he somehow manages, despite his Mahdi Militia often attacking Sunnis, to maintain a kind of legitimacy with Sunnis; he is not nearly as tied to Iran as other Shia leaders.

So we have a leader who is independent, nationalist, relatively free from Iranian influence, and connected to Sunni groups, and we . . . call him the most dangerous man in Iraq because he hates us. Now, I'm not a fan of Sadr. I think his views on religion, rights, and, er, the rule of law are horrific. But he's the reality, and I prefer to deal with that than the fiction that we can isolate a group that controls the largest Shia bloc in the entire Iraqi parliament.

The Bush administration, of course, continues along in fantasyland:

Gates's comments also unsettled Iraq strategists on the Bush team who fear that too many signals about the limits of U.S. patience could backfire, rather than induce the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to get its act together. "If they feel we're going to leave, they'll cut deals with Moqtada Sadr" and other bad guys, says one Iraq expert who consults with the White House.

We don't want Maliki to think we're going to leave, because if he does, he'll cut political deals with powerful leaders who can control the levels of violence and influence the civil war, which is, of course, the reason we still have nearly 150,000 troops in Iraq? Well, then. One would think it's a big story that the Bush administration doesn't want a political solution in Iraq. I suppose if they don't recognize how democracy works in the U.S., then I shouldn't expect an understanding of how it works in Iraq. Meanwhile, though, thousands continue to die for this stupidity. Read the rest of this post...

NY Post publishes fake AP story in order to blast Dems

Wow, even FOX News hasn't tried this little trick. The conservative tabloid, New York Post, owned by Republican media magnate Rupert Murdoch, published a story today criticizing Democrats for giving a "death sentence" to millions of Iraqis. The only problem? The AP never wrote any such thing. You wouldn't really call this plagiarism - I'm not sure what you call it. Faking someone else's byline in order to print a story blasting a political enemy. Wow. TPM's Greg Sargent spoke with the AP reporter, David Espo, who the NY Post claims wrote the story. Espo says:

"I didn't write anything remotely like that. My name was on the story and I didn't write it anything like the way it was printed."

Publishing a fake AP story. I certainly hope the Associated Press is going to weigh in on this one. Read the rest of this post...

Massachusetts to cancel abstinence-only classes

The new governor planning to scrap Mitt Romney's program to bring failed religious right theory to the classrooms of Massachusetts.

Governor Deval Patrick wants to end state-sponsored , abstinence-only sex education in Massachusetts, a year after Governor Mitt Romney ordered the Department of Public Health to redirect a long-standing federal abstinence grant to classes that focus exclusively on encouraging teenagers to avoid sexual encounters.

Patrick proposed forgoing the $700,000 grant, which the state has received since 1998, joining at least six other states in rebelling against increasingly restrictive federal mandates about how the money can be used.

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Iraq won't release civilian death info., but Bush knows sectarian violence is down

We keep hearing that progress is being made in Iraq. Just last night, Bush told Charlie Rose that sectarian violence was down:

As the two men sat face to face in a room in the Waldorf-Astoria, Mr. Rose raised the issue of military buildup almost casually, saying, “How is what’s sometimes called ‘the surge’ going?”

Mr. Bush’s answer was mixed. “The good news is that sectarian death is down in Baghdad,” he replied. “The bad news is that spectacular car bombs still go off, in a way that tends to shake the confidence of the Iraqi people that their government can protect them.”

Huh. So, Bush knows sectarian violence is down. But, the Iraqi government won't release information about deaths from sectarian violence. What a coincidence:

The United Nations criticized Iraq's government on Wednesday for not disclosing politically sensitive civilian casualty figures and said the humanitarian crisis there was rapidly worsening....

...The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government had withheld data on civilian deaths amid spiraling sectarian violence between majority Shi'ites and once dominant Sunnis.

Seriously, why would anyone believe anything Bush says about Iraq? He has never leveled with the American people. Ever. Read the rest of this post...

Melamine tainted animal feed used across the US

How long has the FDA known about this and when are they going to start protecting American consumers instead of hiding behind China-bashing? Rogue companies can exist anywhere, but neither those companies nor the Chinese government are responsible for the US food supply safety. That would be the responsibility of the FDA who conveniently overlooks this fact.

Thousands of hogs in at least five states and poultry at a Missouri farm ate salvage pet food that had been laced with an industrial chemical, the Food and Drug Administration said yesterday , opening potential avenues for the contaminant to enter the human food supply.

Urine from hogs in California , North Carolina, and South Carolina tested positive for melamine , a chemical contained in rice protein concentrate imported from China . Hogs in New York , Utah, and, possibly, Ohio also ate tainted pet food, but their urine has not yet been tested.

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Laura Bush wants you to know that when it comes to Iraq, no one is suffering more than the First Couple. No one.

Listen, you Americans, Laura Bush wants you to know the President is suffering over Iraq. In fact, Laura told Anne Curry on the Today Show, that the American people need to know that "no one suffers more than their President and I do." No one? She's as delusional as her husband. Of course, her husband is the person who caused the suffering -- and is the one person who can end it.

I would wager that there are 3,300 families in America that are suffering more than George Bush. And, there are tens of thousands of injured soldiers who are literally suffering.

Suffering, my ass:

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Bush and Cheney are becoming increasingly shrill. They're sounding more and more desperate. Maybe, just maybe, they have an inkling of how disastrous and what a failure the Iraq war is. Maybe. Let's see what absurdities they come up with today.

Get cranking. Read the rest of this post...

OHSA's mission under Bush and GOP - protect business

Forget about workplace safety and think more about business profits. It's a familiar story with Bush and the GOP Congress who choose business over individuals at every possible opportunity.

Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court.

The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others. For example, OSHA has repeatedly identified silica dust, which can cause lung cancer, and construction site noise as health hazards that warrant new safeguards for nearly three million workers, but it has yet to require them.

“The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency,” said Dr. David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University who has written extensively about workplace safety. “If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they’ve forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.”

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Americans continue to be first line of defense on food safety

Congress is moving this in the right direction, publicizing the stories of those individuals who have been on front line of testing the US food supply. It's amazing to even believe that the politicians who were voted in to serve the public could be so incredibly ignorant, but that's what the GOP Congress was all about.

It is interesting to see Congressman Barton of Texas pointing the finger at China instead of his own party who created this situation. Is China now responsible for US food safety? I'm not excusing the Chinese companies from their share of the blame, but the much bigger problem is the politicized train wreck of an FDA that the Republican congress built. It was not China's fault that salmonella-tainted peanut butter was on the market despite being a known issue. It was not China's fault that e. coli spinach was being sold despite the FDA knowing about the problem for years. Barton and the GOP would love to make this a battle against China but that is only a small side show but the GOP struggles with accepting responsibility on all issues. Read the rest of this post...

Rahm to give knock-out speech on Wednesday

A damning indictment of not just the Bush administration, but of what the Republican party has become. They put party above country, always. And as a results, careers are ruined, countries are destroyed, and people die.

Perhaps my favorite excerpt - how Republican partisanship screwed the people of Iraq:

* The person chosen to oversee Iraq’s health care system was the community health director for the former Republican governor of Michigan. The man he replaced was a physician with a master’s degree in public health and post-graduate degrees from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and UC-Berkeley and taught at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he specialized in disaster response.

* A 24 year-old with a background in commercial real estate was hired by the Authority to reopen and manage the Iraqi stock exchange.

* The daughter of a prominent neoconservative was tapped to manage Iraq’s $13 billion annual budget.

Nothing was free from political influence.

It's no wonder Bush lost the Iraq war. These people think government is one big jobs program for their friends and family. Read the rest of this post...