NSYNC star is gay

Hey, I don't make the news, I just report it.

(Glad to see ABC gave a plug to our pal, Andy Towle, from towleroad.com) Read the rest of this post...

White House hosts birthday party for Energy bill

I wish this was a joke or a headline from "The Onion." Unfortunately, it's another joke on the American people. Only the Bush White House and the GOP could be celebrating energy policy these days. They're apparently quite proud of the energy bill that passed last year. But, Think Progess explains what a difference a year makes:

One year ago today, Congress finalized the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which lavished $14.5 billion in tax breaks on energy firms, nearly 60 percent of which went to “oil, natural gas, coal, electric utilities and nuclear power.”

One year ago, the average national gas price was $2.14. Today, it’s $3.00. The country is no closer to ending its addiction to oil, and fuel economy standards are still stuck at 27.5 miles per gallon (where they’ve been for 20 years). Meanwhile, “five of the world’s largest energy companies are expected to report combined second-quarter profits next week of more than $30 billion.”

Yeah, a celebration for screwing the American people. Read the rest of this post...

Retaking Baghdad . . . part deux

I saw the report that more troops are being moved to Baghdad yesterday, but I wanted to refrain from commenting until numbers were announced. Reports vary slightly, but the New York Times says that the total number of new troops to Baghdad is 8,000, half U.S. and half Iraqi, so let's go with that one.

I don't know how exactly many Iraqi forces are in Baghdad, but according to the Times there are about 7,200 U.S. troops there. So while this increase is a solid percentage change, the actual total number of U.S. troops per Baghdad resident is still extremely low. Baghdad has 6 million people, so we're going to go from 1 U.S. soldier for every 833 Iraqis in Baghdad to 1 per every 536. Further, as of last month, there were reportedly about 45,000 Iraqi forces operating in Baghdad, so this big new operation increases that number by a whopping . . . 11%. I find it very hard to believe that this difference will have a significant effect. As usual, this is a policy change that the administration (and the press) are making sound like a much bigger deal than it really is.

The Times article goes on to say that Baghdad will now be subject to an "oil spot" strategy, wherein areas will be secured and then expanded outwards. In theory, the oil spot idea is generally beneficial in counterinsurgency, as you build local support and control/expand rather than play whack-a-mole like we have been. But, unfortunately, I think it's probably too late for this to be effective. Doing it right will require ceding much of the city to other influences, especially the Shia militias, which will consolidate power and set up mini-governments throughout the various neighborhoods. And because of the relatively small number of total troops, the Coalition will eventually be faced with the choice of either moving troops -- thereby abandoning the oil spot strategy -- or waiting for Iraqi troops to get the numbers and capabilities to take the areas themselves. Don't hold your breath.

But here's the most ridiculous thing: just six weeks ago, there was a much-balleyhooed "Baghdad Offensive," which reportedly involved 75,000 Iraqi and Coalition troops. It was supposed to retake the city, and military leaders and pundits predicted that the insurgents would be routed and order restored. So obviously that didn't exactly go according to plan. And more to the point, if 75,000 couldn't do it, how are an extra 8,000 going to make a difference? Or maybe, just maybe, this announcement is, dare I say, politically motivated? Because six weeks ago, President Bush was making a Surprise Visit to Baghdad, at which he and Prime Minister Maliki announced the massive Baghdad operation. Now Prime Minister Maliki is visiting to the U.S. and there's a new plan to secure Baghdad. Well, I'm sure it's just a coincidence. Read the rest of this post...

Cong. Hinojosa blasts English language bill as "code for official discrimination"

The GOP wants to make immigrant bashing a campaign issue for their base. Congressman Hinojosa called it what it is:

Congress' standoff over immigration legislation flared into emotional rhetoric Wednesday over a House proposal to make English the nation's official language. A Hispanic lawmaker said that was "code for official discrimination."

Rep. Ruben Hinojosa, D-Texas, lashed out at Republicans during a House hearing on the proposal, saying the effort was designed by the House majority to "derail comprehensive immigration reform and fan the flames of anti-immigrant sentiment before the election."

You gotta love the GOP sponsor's response:

Rep. Mark Souder, R-Ind., said without an organized, official language, "we are all going to descend into chaos."

This shows just how out of touch the GOP is. Descend into chaos. Like the chaos in Iraq? Or the chaos after Katrina? Rising oil prices and global warming could descend us in to chaos. But non-english speakers? Get serious. Read the rest of this post...

Scarlet Letter Steele says he was only joking

Yesterday, in a Washington Post article, we learned that a "GOP Senate Candidate" identified later as Michael Steele was bashing Bush and the GOP. Today, we learn that he was only kidding:

Republican Senate candidate Michael Steele on Wednesday called President Bush his "homeboy," reversed course on having the president campaign for him and said he was joking when he described his Republican affiliation as a scarlet letter.

The Maryland lieutenant governor, under fire for his comments, told WBAL radio that his remarks were supposed to be off the record with a handful of reporters. Instead, Steele's campaign confirmed Tuesday that he was the unnamed Senate candidate who had assailed the Bush administration and Republican-controlled Congress in a story in The Washington Post.

"I've been quoted as calling the president my homeboy, you know. And that's how I feel. ... It's a term of affection and respect for his leadership of our country in a difficult time," Steele, who is black, said in the radio interview.

Let's see. What makes more sense? Telling the truth when one is hiding behind the cloak of "off the record" or telling the truth after you've busted.

Steele, like the rest of his GOP colleagues, can't be trusted. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

Take it away. Read the rest of this post...

Thanks to the Republicans, the world hates us, more than ever

The 50% of you (or so) who voted for George Bush and the Republicans have this as the legacy you've given to your children. Call it the Pottery Barn rule of elections: You vote for it, you own it.

Distaste for America runs so deep that, for example, at the recent World Cup in Germany the American team was the only one asked not to display its national flag on the team bus. In South Korea, traditionally a U.S. ally, two-thirds of people under 30 said in a recent poll that if there were war between North Korea and the United States, they would side with North Korea.

"Anti-Americanism runs deeper and is qualitatively different than in the past, when it was largely attributable to unpopular U.S. policies," Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, says in a new book on the subject, "America Against the World."

Read the rest of this post...

Dump Condi, conservatives reportedly telling Bush

Poor Condi. Yet another bright career on the verge of being destroyed by Team Bush. I particularly like the swipe at Colin Powell never being loyal to Bush.

Conservative national security allies of President Bush are in revolt against Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, saying that she is incompetent and has reversed the administration's national security and foreign policy agenda.

The conservatives, who include Newt Gingrich, Richard Perle and leading current and former members of the Pentagon and National Security Council, have urged the president to transfer Miss Rice out of the State Department and to an advisory role. They said Miss Rice, stemming from her lack of understanding of the Middle East, has misled the president on Iran and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

"The president has yet to understand that people make policy and not the other way around," a senior national security policy analyst said. "Unlike [former Secretary of State Colin] Powell, Condi is loyal to the president. She is just incompetent on most foreign policy issues."

Miss Rice? Try Dr. Rice. I can't prove it, but I suspect we may have a little case of black-itis going on amongst the conservatives. God forbid the party even consider putting a single (why is that?) black woman at the head of its presidential ticket in 2008. They're looking to take down Condi now. It's also possible that they're looking for a scapegoat for all of Bush's foreign policy disasters. Better to blame the "black chick," the conservatives are thinking, than have Bush's failures be ascribed to the Republican party at large. Read the rest of this post...

Republican bait-and-switch on religion

Our latest videoblogging from PoliticsTV.

Read the rest of this post...

Top Republican pundit says Bill Clinton is gay

Ann Coulter is beloved by a large swath of Republicans. When she repeatedly acts like an idiot, we need to remind her fans and all the other Republicans out there that this is who is representing their party, and this is what their party stands for today.

As Charles Barkley said, "I was a Republican, before they lost their minds." Read the rest of this post...

Wash. State Supreme Court upholds gay marriage ban

Another major setback to the court strategy for gay marriage. This time in Washington State:

The state Supreme Court upheld Washington's ban on gay marriage Wednesday, saying lawmakers have the power to restrict marriage to unions between a man and woman.

The 5-4 decision leaves Massachusetts as the only state to grant full marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples. It was the latest in a series of significant court rulings favoring gay marriage opponents.

NOTE FROM JOHN: First, I have to wonder whether we need a cultural and political strategy (answer: YES) to go along with this court strategy. It's not like judges rule in a vacuum. We've done very little to try to convince the public of the rigtheousness of our side in this debate, then we wonder why the courts slam us down. (Having said that, 3 months before the election is NOT the time to run ads on this issue, as noted yesterday.)

Second, we need a political-court strategy - you don't win court cases when conservative GOP judges keep being appointed to the court.

And finally, this "legalize marriage" court strategy looks increasingly like a runaway train, out of our control and stealing all the oxygen from the good work that's been done over the past decade on job discrimination and so much more. You pick your battles strategically. (Well, you do if you want to win, and have any political sense.) No one is saying we roll over and play dead. But I am saying that we only have so much time and so much money - we need to use those limited assets wisely. And blowing the entire wad on marriage strikes me as foolish and counterproductive. Someone in the community with some influence needs to stand up and say "enough already," and get our agenda back. Read the rest of this post...

ConocoPhillips - 65% profit increase last quarter

Wow. How 'bout a tax break for those folks? Read the rest of this post...

Iraqi tribes begin to assert themselves

This is actually somewhat encouraging. Iraqi tribes have been largely overlooked in the political process, but in many parts of the country, especially the rural areas, they are the most vital influence on daily life. Many of them fight each other, but relatively few are overtly Islamist, so when confronted with fundamentalists (like those in Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army), some tribes are beginning to push back. The U.S. should be scrambling to engage tribal leaders and supporting detente among tribal elements.

If tribes can help secure rural areas, the support for insurgents and/or Islamist Shia forces may decline, giving them less room to operate and less national legitimacy. Read the rest of this post...

"Yo Blair!" comes to DC, still searching for his dignity

Must really sting being the leader of a great nation and still playing second fiddle to Condi, who has such a powerful record of success in international affairs. That "special relationship" that everyone loves talking about is only special in that Blair gets invited to the Bush ranch while others are denied that impressive honor. Wow. I love the Blair apologist interviewed in this AFP article who has to stretch all of the way back to Kosovo to find an example of it not being a one-sided relationship. And since Bush?

Uh guys, that was during Clinton and Clinton has been gone for a while. Help me out here, but I can't think of an example of where Blair had any meaningful positive impact on Bush's policies. I would argue the opposite, that without The Poodle going along with the neocon strategy of invading Iraq, Bush probably would have not gone it alone because those 50 troops from Tonga and Mongolia might not have been enough to give Bush enough confidence to invade. Since Bush and Blair have connected, Blair has submitted on the major issues and has been an enabler. Woof, woof. Come get your Beggin' Strips, Tony. Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning. What happened overnight? Read the rest of this post...

Reckless tax cuts and wild spending creating problem for Treasury

The credit card congress strikes again. Hacking at tax revenue for the richest Americans and spend-now-think-later policies are putting the pinch on Treasury who has to find a way to make it all work. The Bush-era GOP magic economic formula sounds a lot like Reagan era voodoo economics except Reagan didn't have the black hole of spending for Iraq to contend with and even so, climbing out of that hole was hard enough.

The report acknowledged the debate delicately, saying "the issue of how, or even if, these policies need to be financed remains a source of discussion among economists."

But the Treasury's view reflects "a recognition the federal government has to finance the tax relief" to avoid a rise in government debt, Robert Carroll, deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis, said in an interview.

The report stressed that the economic effects of extending the tax cuts "depend crucially on whether they are financed by lower spending or higher taxes in the future."

Read the rest of this post...

Bush "Obviously the violence in Baghdad is still terrible"

Gosh, ya don't say? If the boy in the bubble says it, it's OK but for anyone else to say it, they're anti-American and the reason why the war is failing. Forget that it's failing due to bad policy, it's the critics who are responsible for the violence and chaos. When will the GOP allow an honest discussion on this disaster so we can actually create a plan and move on? Probably not until they lose an election and are forced into a corner, would be my guess. Then again, Bush's recognition of the violence is somewhat of a starting point but we're a long way away. Read the rest of this post...