Bush admin. stymies Congressional inquiries on domestic spying

There really is no surprise here that despite uncharacteristic flashes of independence by some Republicans, the White House has managed to once again roll the GOP. House and Senate Republicans abdicated their oversight responsibilities after getting pressure from the President with a 39% approval rating:

Representative Heather A. Wilson, the New Mexico Republican and committee member who called for the investigation last week, said the review "will have multiple avenues, because we want to completely understand the program and move forward."

But an aide to Representative Peter Hoekstra, the Michigan Republican who leads the committee, said the inquiry would be much more limited in scope, focusing on whether federal surveillance laws needed to be changed and not on the eavesdropping program itself.

At the same time, the Senate Intelligence Committee put off a vote on conducting its own investigation after the White House, reversing course, agreed to open discussions about changing federal surveillance law. Senate Democrats accused Republicans of bowing to White House pressure.

For weeks, the Bush administration has been strongly resisting calls from Democrats and some Republicans for a full review into the National Security Agency's surveillance program, saying that such inquiries were unnecessary and risked disclosing sensitive national security information that could help Al Qaeda.

We have a President who broke the law. The White House has basically acknowledged that and thumbed their noses at Congress. And, why not? House and Senate GOPers have no independent thoughts. Rove programs them. They have no sense of their constitutional obligation to be a separate branch of government. That's reason enough for them to lose control of Congress. Read the rest of this post...

Greenland is melting

Every week, it seems there is more evidence of the impact of global warming. And, there seems to be an increased intensity with the new information. The Washington Post has another article on a dire environmental report -- this one on Greenland's melting glaciers:

Greenland's glaciers are melting into the sea twice as fast as previously believed, the result of a warming trend that renders obsolete predictions of how quickly the Earth's oceans will rise over the next century, scientists said yesterday.

The new data come from satellite imagery and give fresh urgency to worries about the role of human activity in global warming. The Greenland data is mirrored by findings from Bolivia to the Himalayas, scientists said, noting that rising sea levels threaten widespread flooding and severe storm damage in low-lying areas worldwide.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration ignores reality and science. Bush is creating quite a legacy for himself. Read the rest of this post...

What did Cheney drink and when did he drink it?

There are growing questions about what role alcohol played in the near death this weekend of a key Bush ally when he was shot by Vice President Cheney.

The White House continues to stonewall on the issue, today refusing to answer any questions at all about growing discrepancies between what the Vice President's surrogates initially claimed, and what the evidence now reveals - that Cheney was in fact drinking before the accident.

What was Cheney's blood alcohol level when he shot Harry Whittington in the face? And if the authorities don't know, why don't they know? The latest news reports suggest that the police didn't even try to interview Cheney until the day after the shooting - a time by when all alcohol would have left his system - and even then, Cheney's entourage turned the police away (imagine you pulling that one on the police after having shot someone - I'm sorry officer, come back another time). Why didn't the police come the night before? Did the fact that Cheney was drinking have anything to do with it? Why was Cheney so busy with a dinner party, after shooting his friend, that he couldn't take time to talk to the police?

And what about the victim, Whittington? What were his blood alcohol levels? Certainly if he was toasted that would at least rebut the repeated line we've been given that there was no alcohol in sight. The man was rushed to intensive care, you have think they tested his blood for everything, including alcohol. So why isn't the White House releasing that data?

And just as importantly, what is a man with several heart attacks under his belt doing drinking? Is Cheney, who recently had blood clots, on no medication that might prove problematic with even one glass of alcohol? That's hard to believe when you look at the letter released by Cheney's own doctor during the 2000 presidential race:

# Coronary artery disease: Mr. Cheney has had several prior heart attacks and has undergone one bypass surgery (in 1988). He is followed closely at GW. His heart disease is treated with medication and is followed closely by myself and Dr. Jonathan Reiner, head of our Cardiac Invasive Laboratory. A most recent update of Mr. Cheney's cardiac history is attached in a letter written by Dr. Reiner. His vigorous lifestyle and exercise tolerance are excellent.

# Hyperlipidemia: Mr. Cheney has had a long history of elevated cholesterol. This has been vigorously and successfully treated with medication.

# Skin cancer: Mr. Cheney has been treated for skin cancer. He continues to be monitored closely for any recurrences.

# Knee injuries: Years ago, Mr. Cheney underwent successful surgical therapy of his right knee for old athletic injuries. There has been no recurrence.

# Gout: Mr. Cheney has had several minor episodes of gout of the foot. I monitor this closely.

# Allergy: Pomegranates (anaphylaxis).

# Cancer screening: Mr. Cheney is up to date with his colon cancer and prostate cancer screening. His last PSA (prostate specific antigen blood test) and colonoscopy were normal.

# Medications: Mr. Cheney takes a long list of medications which are monitored closely by myself and Dr. Reiner. He has shown no side effects of any of these medications which would alter intellectual performance or impair his judgment.

Cheney takes a "long list of medications" but none of them have any interaction with alcohol? That's rather amazing, since even my over the counter allergy pills can make me loopy if I drink too close to taking one. But we're to believe that Cheney, the walking heart attack, was fine drinking before picking up a gun and shooting his friend in the face.

Why does this matter? Because we don't need yet another reckless, callous, holier-than-thou above-the-law guy running the country. This incident is just further confirmation that the Bush cartel thinks they're above it all, and have no obligation to explain a thing they do. Read the rest of this post...

GOP Intelligence Committee chair reaches deal with Bush to "fix" FISA

That's nice. Imagine a country where the government can routinely violate federal law by spying on its own innocent citizens, and when it gets caught, it simply "fixes" the law. That means, it changes the law in order to make the illegal behavior legal.

Communist China?
Soviet Russia?
Cuba?
North Korea?
Islamist Iran?
George Bush's United States of America?

Well, yes!

Oh, put aside the fact that the government, for four years, broke the law in order to do something pretty reprehensible, spying on its own citizens. No, the response to that, according to today's Republican party, is to sweep the law-breaking under the rug and change the law in order to let the criminal get away with it, and worse, in order to make the crime now legal and ongoing.

Bush broke the law and the Republican party leadership doesn't care. And why should they? Republicans control the White House, the US Senate, the US House of Representatives, and the US Supreme Court. They control EACH institution. So why should they feel responsible?

So long as we have one-party rule in Washington, just as at the local level, it eventually corrupts whoever is in power. The Democrats learned that lesson after 40 years in power. It only took the GOP 10 years to become just as corrupt. Read the rest of this post...

Bush okay with the way Cheney explained how he shot the 78 year old guy

What a surprise. Think Bush is ever going to challenge his boss?

President Bush pronounced himself "satisfied" today with Vice President Cheney's explanation of a hunting accident in which a 78-year-old Texas lawyer was shot and wounded. He said Cheney "handled the issue just fine."

After Bush talked to the reporters I suspect he immediately called Cheney to see if what he said was okay. This is right out of a Saturday Night Live skit. Read the rest of this post...

Iran "freedom fries" the Danish pastry

Ahh, the similarities between the American religious and political extremists and their counterparts in Iran. Birds of a feather... Read the rest of this post...

Name one thing contained in the Democrats' reform proposal?

Without looking up anything online, name one thing that you remember about the Democrats' reform package they introduced a few weeks ago.

I'm asking because the issue came up at a lunch today a group of us had with Clinton campaign advisers James Carville and Paul Begala (they've got a new book out, check it out). When the question came up, I certainly couldn't name even one proposal in the package - suggesting that the Dem message isn't getting out there.

Anyway, was a very interesting lunch, and I think we came away with some good ideas on how to help the Dems/liberals/moderates move forward. More to come on that front. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Off to lunch. So what's in the news other than what we've discussed already today? Read the rest of this post...

What did the framers of the Constitution think about email?

Just curious, since Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia thinks you're an "idiot" if you try to read things into the Constitution:

Scalia criticized those who believe in what he called the "living Constitution."

"That's the argument of flexibility and it goes something like this: The Constitution is over 200 years old and societies change. It has to change with society, like a living organism, or it will become brittle and break."

"But you would have to be an idiot to believe that," Scalia said. "The Constitution is not a living organism, it is a legal document. It says something and doesn't say other things."

Proponents of the living constitution want matters to be decided "not by the people, but by the justices of the Supreme Court."

"They are not looking for legal flexibility, they are looking for rigidity, whether it's the right to abortion or the right to homosexual activity, they want that right to be embedded from coast to coast and to be unchangeable," he said.

So, Justice Scalia, I guess you're "an idiot" if you think the Constitution says:

1. Bush can spy on email and telephone conversations, since those things didn't exist when the framers wrote the Constitution.

2. Scalia must also think you're an idiot if you believe that the framers ever intended blacks to drink from the same drinking fountains as white (let's face it, I don't think they had drinking fountains in 1789, but perhaps I'm wrong), but we do know that the framers never intended the slaves to be free.

Of course, people like Scalia probably DO have problems with Supreme Court decisions promoting desegregation (legislatures should decide civil rights, not courts, he'd say). Yet, Scalia likely has no problem reading into the Constitution Bush's new authority to spy on email and telephone conversations. Why? Because Scalia is an activist judge, and his cause is far-right Republican politics. There is no consistency among Republican leaders anymore. They believe in nothing but the supremacy of their whim at the moment. Read the rest of this post...

Dem. Senators: Bush/Gonzales too close to Abramoff to investigate

Senate Democrats raise the ante. The White House wants to distance themselves from Jack, but that's going to be tough. Abramoff is their guy:

Thirty-one Senate Democrats on Thursday asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to remove himself from the investigation into the Jack Abramoff scandal, saying the lobbyist's dealings with President Bush and others in the administration should compel Gonzales to step aside.

"FBI officials have said the Abramoff investigation 'involves systemic corruption within the highest levels of government,' " the Democrats wrote in a letter to Gonzales. "In light of your previous service as White House Counsel and your close connection to many Administration officials, the appearance of conflict looms large."

Not that conflict of interest ever bothered the Bush team. But, the way the White House has tried way, way too hard to deny a relationship with Abramoff. Read the rest of this post...

Wal-Mart ordered to sell emergency contraception in Mass.

Three Mass. women sued the behemoth -- and won:

Wal-Mart pharmacies in Massachusetts must carry emergency contraception pills, the state's pharmacy board has ruled.

The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Pharmacy on Tuesday ruled in favor of three women who filed complaints claiming that the stores refused to fill their prescriptions.

Prior to this ruling, Wal-Mart only sold this prescription in Illinois and only because it is mandated by state law. Read the rest of this post...

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Any new outrages? Read the rest of this post...

Death squads operating in Iraq?

Why is it that death squads always seem to follow John Negroponte? Now there are reports of roaming death squads in Iraq.

Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister in charge of domestic intelligence, said the investigation followed U.S. military claims that soldiers detained 22 men wearing police uniforms who were about to kill a Sunni Arab man last month.

"We have been informed about this and the interior minister has formed an investigation committee to learn more about the Sunni person and those 22 men, particularly whether they work for the Interior Ministry or claim to belong to the ministry," Kamal told The Associated Press.

"I think there are many people inside the Interior Ministry involved with these deaths or giving the uniforms of colleagues to criminals," she said.

"These officials are helping the criminals by informing them on where targeted people are going or where people are living. They are helping them in different ways."

Read the rest of this post...

Lord Cheney: I can do just about anything I like

And if you don't like it, tough. Whether it is ignoring the fact that he is a senior officer in a democratic country, which means that the public has a right to know what is going on, or his most recent declaration that he can declassify information at will, this guy was clearly born at the wrong time and in the wrong country. He sounds more like the perfect Politburo member instead of a Vice President of the US.

How about we start returning to democracy in the US, huh? What a concept. Read the rest of this post...

Bush poll numbers dropping again

People know Bush now and they don't like him. They know he's kind of dumb, ineffective, jumps the gun without thinking (which has led to unnecessary wars and more), and they're fed up with him. They're still waiting for the Dems to provide them with an alternative, but way before the election the American people realized they elected an idiot to office, and nothing has changed now. It's a great opportunity for the Dems, but they need a plan and some backbone, and a straight shooter to deliver it. Read the rest of this post...