I leave Chicago 24 hours ago and NOW they're getting a foot of snow

I'm one of those freaks who really enjoys a good snowstorm. Man, I missed it by 24 hours. I also missed that big earthquake in LA, 1993 or 94 or something, only because my friend Michael scratched his eye and we missed our flight to LA - the earthquake was later that night. Having said that, I've been through several tornadoes, again back in Chicago, and you know, it's not that exciting when the civil defense sirens are blaring and you're the one running for your life, or when you're huddling in the basement with a flashlight and a battery-powered radio waiting for the roof to blow off and desperately trying to remember if it's the southwest corner of the basement you want or don't want (remember when they used to tell you to tune the TV to no station, just static, and that the hum would tell you how close the tornado was?). Anyway, tornadoes aren't quite like on the Weather Channel where you get to enjoy it from your jeep, so maybe earthquakes aren't as fun either. Still...

Anyway, I miss my snow.

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If you travel abroad, you may have been assigned a number rating your likelihood to be a terrorist or criminal

Can you imagine the scores Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld must have gotten?

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Open thread

Take it. It's yours. Come up with some good stuff. Read More......

Calling Bullshit

It's the job of a real journalist.

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Already too busy for the truth

Sometimes I want to think of George Will as being better than the utter liars who control the Republican party. Then I read his columns and realize I'm being far too Christian.

In today's column, Will sticks up for hurt puppy George Bush whose manhood was threatened recently by meeting Senator-elect Jim Webb (D-VA). You'll recall that Bush asked Webb how his son, a US service member in Iraq, was doing, and Webb said he'd like his son home. Bush then got real snippy with Webb and told him, that's what not what I asked you. Webb says he was furious with Bush's retort.

Nice comment to make to a father who, during the Christmas season, says he misses his son. That's not what I asked you. Real classy.

But you won't read about Bush's snippy and calloused remark in George Will's lengthy op ed about the incident in today's Washington Post, an article syndicated around the country. Oh no. Will and his editors somehow conveniently left that little fact out, the most important fact of the entire story, so the story reads as though Bush simply inquired about how Webb's son was doing, and Web got pissed off.

Here's how George Will and his editors portrayed the story:

When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "I'd like to get them [sic] out of Iraq." When the president again asked "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "That's between me and my boy."

Makes Webb sound mighty mean, if you didn't know that Bush just got snippy with him. Now read the original source to find out what really happened:

At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t.

But George Will couldn't defend the honor of our totally emasculated president by telling you all the truth, so he had to do with a lie.

George Will, unfortunately, is no different than any other Republican in Washington. When caught between the truth and a lie, as Mae West once didn't say, but could have, they always choose the lie they haven't tried.

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Despite everything, Bush is staying the course

Froomkin distills it:

Because at today's press conference in Jordan, following his abbreviated meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Bush made it abundantly clear that he is waving off the rescue attempt by longtime Bush family fixer James A. Baker III. He'd rather stay the course.

News reports this morning indicate that Baker's bipartisan Iraq Study Group will next week officially recommend a gradual pullback of American troops from Iraq.

But in Amman, Bush went out of his way to mock the notion of a "graceful exit" -- and to insist that he's in Iraq for the long haul. "This business about graceful exit just simply has no realism to it at all," Bush said.

Nothing that Bush has proposed has had any "realism" from the beginning. But, he's not going to change. Hey, it's not his kids over in Iraq. It's just rude people like Jim Webb who have kids fighting in Bush's quagmire.

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CBS' viewership increased after posting vids on YouTube

So, it actually helps TV networks get MORE viewers if their videos are posted on YouTube, but we shouldn't post their videos on YouTube because somehow that harms them (cough, Comedy Central). Okay. And, at the same time, CBS can post their own videos all over YouTube, and they do, but when we post the same videos on YouTube somehow THAT harms CBS. How? Not clear, since CBS is already posting its videos, for free, on YouTube, so it's not like they're worried about their content going on YouTube, and it's not like they're suffering a harm for it being there. So what's the problem again? The networks need to decide if YouTube is a good thing or a bad thing, because in the meantime they're creating a lot of bad blood (Comedy Central).

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Former Russian PM may have been poisoned too

While Bush fiddled, the world burned.

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This time, Florida's voting problems may lead to real reform

Those missing 18,000 votes in Florida's 13th Congressional District may result in federal legislation, finally. Senator Dianne Feinstein, who has authored a bill mandating paper trails for electronic voting, is taking the lead in the Senate. And, this time, she has the power to make something happen:

Sarasota's voting controversy has given new life to election reform advocates in Congress, prompting the incoming leader of the House to make the issue a top priority for the new year and triggering hearings in the U.S. Senate.

More than being just a battle over who won the 13th Congressional District, officials on Capitol Hill say what happened in Sarasota has wider implications for the nation, giving a more substantive edge to what previously was mostly a theoretical debate over the reliability of touchscreen voting machines.

"What happened in Sarasota really does highlight the issue," said Howard Gantman, communications director for U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, a Democrat from California who is already vowing to hold hearings on the voting issues early in 2007.

The GOP will oppose real election reform. Counting the votes usually works to their disadvantage -- in Florida anyway.

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Democracy promotion in Africa . . . sort of

Permit me a brief break from the debacles of the Middle East to highlight an interesting action in support of African development.

In a move that nearly triples the world's richest earned cash prize, Egyptian cell phone entrepeneur Mo Ibrahim (currently based in the UK) will award $5 million to the African leader who leaves power with the best record of democratic governance. The contest will rate governance in 53 African nations each year and will grant winning leaders not only $5 million in cash over ten years, but then also $200,000 per year for life. The prize is aimed at decreasing corruption and autocracy in Africa, and has endorsements from President Clinton and Nelson Mandela, among others.

The idea is that many African leaders cling to power because were they to depart peacefully, they would go from kings to relative paupers:

The award will go to African heads of state who deliver security, health, education and economic development to their constituents. In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper, Mr Ibrahim, 60, said leaders had no life after office. "Suddenly all the mansions, cars, food, wine is withdrawn. Some find it difficult to rent a house in the capital. That incites corruption; it incites people to cling to power. "The prize will offer essentially good people, who may be wavering, the chance to opt for the good life after office," said Mr Ibrahim.

I think this is a great idea. First of all, it incentivizes good behavior, which is generally a good thing. Second, it draws attention to the fact that corruption is the most significant political barrier to African development (the most significant overall, of course, being AIDS), and third, it seems to provide a way to do what it actually sets out to do: The lifetime yearly salary helps prevent leaders from being democratic but then using the prize money to establish autocracy, it creates an unbelievable opportunity for positive press for struggling nations, which could ultimately help with foreign investment and development, and it helps point out that monetary aid has its limits, especially when being filtered through stunningly corrupt governments.

I'm all for sending aid to developing nations. In fact, I'm generally for sending aid to anybody who will use it in a constructive way, or help and/or like the U.S., or any combination thereof. Am I especially happy to essentially use bribery to achieve what should be a basic right and value? No. But much of the aid money to Africa is grossly misused, and nobody is happy having their tax dollars go to the leaders of predatory autocracies, so anything creative, interesting, and potentially beneficial -- especially when it comes out of the pocket of a wealthy individual -- gets my vote of support.

I'm not saying it's a silver bullet, of course, but it seems like the kind of creative initiative that doesn't have much downside and has, as Hubie Brown would say, tremendous upside potential. Read More......

Brits now saying 12 sites have been contaminated with radiation

Two British Airways planes are for sure with two others being checked, plus more locations testing positive.

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Hot breaking news on Iraq: more of the same

Same, same, but different. More support, whatever that's supposed to mean and no troop withdrawal. What a story!

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

So, I got up a little late. Did Bush solve the crisis in Iraq overnight?

Anything else? Read More......

More turmoil for the so-called Christian right

The battle continues between the moderates and the extremist wing. This time the extremists are furious over an invitation to Barak Obama to speak at an upcoming event.

Famed pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren on Wednesday defended his invitation to Sen. Barack Obama to speak at his church despite objections from some evangelicals who oppose the Democrat's support for abortion rights.

Obama is one of nearly 60 speakers scheduled to address the second annual Global Summit on AIDS and the Church beginning Thursday at Warren's Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

Sounds reasonable to any reasonable person, but not to the lunatics on the right.

Conservative evangelical Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, e-mailed reporters Tuesday to protest the visit because of Obama's support of abortion rights. "Senator Obama's policies represent the antithesis of biblical ethics and morality, not to mention supreme American values," Schenck wrote.

Saddleback responded with a statement acknowledging "strong opposition" to Obama's participation. The church said participants were invited because of their knowledge of HIV/AIDS and that Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life," opposes Obama's position on abortion and other issues.

"Our goal has been to put people together who normally won't even speak to each other," the Saddleback statement said. "We do not expect all participants in the summit discussion to agree with all of our evangelical beliefs. However, the HIV/AIDS pandemic cannot be fought by evangelicals alone. It will take the cooperation of all Ã?— government, business, NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) and the church."

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Looks like everyone is getting along so well

Bush is trying his best to get al-Maliki to shake hands in the first but he just can't get him to smile. Oh young love...
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Open thread

So, in reading Joe's post below, I'm trying to fully comprehend if the Baker commission is adopting "cut & run" or "Vietnam"? Because it sounds a little of both.

What it sounds like they're saying is the following:

Tell the Iraqis we're pulling out, yes we are, but don't make any real plans to pull out because that would be setting a deadline/timetable, and those are bad things, unless they're good things. The fact that the Iraqis think WE have a deadline, that's good, because it will inspire them to fight harder. (I suppose we're just assuming that the Iraqis are stupid and that they don't read the New York Times and thus they don't know that Bush's threat to withdraw is apparently a feint.) But at the same time, the insurgency won't, somehow (I'm assuming with the help of magic pixie dust) find out that we have set a timetable for withdrawal (or then again, we haven't) and thus insurgents won't just wait for us to cut and run before they fight even harder.

A bit more trouble on the horizon, the plan wants us to kind of, sort of withdraw some of our troops, maybe to big bases in Iraq, or even to move them to surrounding countries. Well, that doesn't sound like bringing our boys home, and let's not forget, this war is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars that we don't have, and our military is already overstretched and can't really fight any more wars, so how does this solution solve those problems? It doesn't. It also begs the very large question of, if our troops are withdrawing to finally get them the hell out of Iraq, then why deploy them on the periphery of Iraq, unless you're considering sending them back in, if needed, and if you are, then here we go all over again.

And finally, to the extent Bush does adopt a partial troop withdrawal, where does that leave the remaining tens of thousands of US service members still in Iraq? It leaves them with fewer comrades to support them. So in that sense, this is Vietnam in reverse. Rather than upping our engagement slowly, to death, we're going to withdraw-but-not-withdraw slowly, to death.

All I can say is, this is the Republicans' war and I'll be very interested to watch how out it turns out as the 2008 elections approach.

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Iraq Study Group will recommend "gradual pullback" of troops

Via The New York Times, another leak timed for the Bush/al Maliki meeting:

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on Wednesday on a final report that will call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stop short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal, according to people familiar with the panel’s deliberations.

The report, unanimously approved by the 10-member panel, led by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, is to be delivered to President Bush next week. It is a compromise between distinct paths that the group has debated since March, avoiding a specific timetable, which has been opposed by Mr. Bush, but making it clear that the American troop commitment should not be open-ended. The recommendations of the group, formed at the request of members of Congress, are nonbinding.

A person who participated in the commission’s debate said that unless the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki believed that Mr. Bush was under pressure to pull back troops in the near future, “there will be zero sense of urgency to reach the political settlement that needs to be reached.”

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Open Thread

The news just never stopped today. It was wild -- and none of it was good. Everything Bush touches becomes a disaster. Read More......

That dinner of Bush's that the Iraqi Prime Minister is blowing off, it was actually a "summit," not just a simple dinner

According to the Associated Press, that little "casual dinner" with George Bush, as the White House is calling it, that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki is blowing off tonight, well it wasn't just a dinner, it was a "high-stakes summit," per AP.

And Reuters is calling it "a crisis meeting."

So this was a rather huge meeting, a key meeting if not the key meeting, of Bush's trip. And the Iraqi Prime Minister canceled while Bush was already in the air. I guess they don't like Bush in Iraq any more than we like him here.

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Democrat Kissell concedes in NC-08

Damn. This was a tough one. Kissell ended up losing to incumbent Robin Hayes by 329 votes.

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Bush team wanted "massive" press coverage to show Bush is in command. That's not what they're getting.

Oops. Be careful what you ask for:

Get used to seeing the Four Seasons Amman. That's the site of Thursday's breakfast and news conference for President George W. Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and the U.S. networks are sending their news anchors there, ensuring massive coverage of an event that the White House has said is unlikely to produce any major announcement or development. But the White House, which is eager to show that the President is focused intently on Iraq, is welcoming the coverage.

Bush may be intently focused on Iraq, but his trip became more disastrous by the hour today. That coverage the White House wanted is filled with bad news and talk about the failures of Bush's foreign policy. The entire world got to see that the President of the United States flew half way around the world to get blown off by the Prime Minister of Iraq.

So that's the coverage the White House is getting. Take a look at what the network websites are reporting:


MSNBC headlines: Al-Maliki-Bush meeting postponed for a day: Iraqi officials then cancel three-way meeting with Jordan in surprise move

ABC reports:

Prospects for the already-delayed meeting were put into further doubt when al-Maliki canceled a presummit dinner with Bush. But White House Spokesperson Dan Bartlett denied there was a snub, saying it was nothing more then a schedule change.

Even before the meetings began, ABC News had learned the Pentagon was considering essentially writing off Iraq's deadliest province for American forces, pulling U.S. troops out of Anbar, and moving them to fight what may be an even more difficult battle: the fight for Baghdad.

CBS notes:

The change of plans appeared to surprise some members of the president's entourage. Boarding the motorcade for the trip to the palace, White House press secretary Tony Snow said there were still discussions about whether a photo op Wednesday night would include al-Maliki.

Probably not the coverage the White House was expecting.

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US apologizes and pays $2 million to man falsely accused of terrorism

Our government can't catch real terrorists, but they sure know how to terrorize innocent Americans:

The U.S. government has agreed to pay $2 million to an Oregon lawyer who was wrongfully arrested as a terrorism suspect because of a bungled fingerprint match and has issued an apology for the "suffering" inflicted on the attorney and his family.

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Defense Dept and right-wingers claim, falsely, that story of Iraqis burning each other alive is fake

It's over, you lost. Iraq is dead. Everyone knows it. You aren't going to put this genie back in the bottle. You lost, you bat-shit crazy far-right pathological lying freaks. The Terri Schiavo days are over. No one likes you any more. But please do stay vocal about your denail over Iraq - we still need to win back the presidency in two years.

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When culture wars have culture wars

A very healthy culture war is brewing in the religious right. So far, the hate-riddled dinosaurs are winning. But it's going to get interesting. I really believe we're witnessing the beginning of the end of the current leaders, and direction, of the religious right hate groups.

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Powell to Bush: Admit it. Iraq is a civil war

Colin Powell is still on his quest for redemption. He's saying Iraq is a civil war and Bush needs do deal with that reality. Think Progress has the video.

Too bad Powell wasn't so honest and forthright in 2002 and early 2003.

It's just one bad thing after another for Bush today on Iraq. From this Powell slam to the major dis' by al-Maliki to al-Sadr's followers quitting the government. That's not even counting the all the violence. It just feels the whole debacle is crashing down around him. Bush went to Jordan to show he's in control. Instead, he's looking weak -- really, really weak. Read More......

Iraq Prime Minister cancels dinner with Bush on eve of summit

That's called, you gonna Sista Souljah ME? I'm gonna Sista Souljah YOU.

You'll recall that the Bushies leaked a memo from top Bush adviser Stephen Hadley yesterday saying that Maliki was a schmuck. I suspect that the memo was leaked as part of a larger Bush-Rove strategy to blame the failure in Iraq on Maliki - this is laying the groundwork for Bush's eventual cutting and running from Iraq ("gosh, we were winning until that Maliki fellow took over"). So, consider this Maliki's way of saying fung-oo back to Bush (and Maliki is getting blowback from the Al Sadr folks in the parliament, so this is his way of snubbing Bush to curry their favor).

So, ironically, Bush and his puppet are each trying to scapegoat the other as the cause for the utter disaster in Iraq. Talk about poetic justice.

From ABC:

Prospects for the already-delayed meeting were put into further doubt when al-Maliki canceled a presummit dinner with Bush.

Oh, and don't miss the rest of the article - we are absolutely screwed in Iraq:

Even before the meetings began, ABC News had learned the Pentagon was considering essentially writing off Iraq's deadliest province for American forces, pulling U.S. troops out of Anbar, and moving them to fight what may be an even more difficult battle: the fight for Baghdad.

Professor Noah Feldman from New York University helped write the Iraqi constitution.

He said, "As Baghdad goes, so goes the nation."

But the fact that the Pentagon is considering abandoning Anbar shows the "ineffectiveness of the strategy and troop commitment to this point," Feldman said. "We have spent so much blood there."

It's especially ironic that the White House claimed this weekend that the violence in Iraq was really only in Baghdad, not anywhere else. First off, that's a lie, as Joe already noted. Just look at Anbar province where we've already lost the war entirely. Secondly, note the experts saying that Baghdad sets the stage for the rest of the country - so if Baghdad is where all the violence is, then that means Iraq is REALLY in trouble. Either way, the White House is still playing games with us, rather than leveling.

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Why you should love Jim Webb

John posted a link about the Webb-Bush encounter last night after it was reported over at TPM. The Washington Post has a bit more of the encounter, specifically Webb's response to Bush:

At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.

"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House....

...If the exchange with Bush two weeks ago is any indication, Webb won't be a wallflower, especially when it comes to the war in Iraq. And he won't stick to a script drafted by top Democrats.

"I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall," Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. "No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. [But] leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is."

Webb is the polar opposite of Joe Lieberman.

And while Webb's "boy" is in Iraq fighting in the Iraqi civil war that Bush created, Bush's "girls" are creating an international incident in Argentina. Nice. W should be very proud about what he's doing to other people's kids.

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The peace wreath stays

It's amazing that there was even a debate to begin with, but the Denver-area peace wreath is staying and the local community board, who wanted to take legal action and who perhaps found peace offensive during the Christmas season, is gone.
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Frist not running for President

Another one bites the dust. Hotline is reporting that Frist won't be running for President in 2008. All that groveling to the theocrats -- the Schiavo "diagnosis," the gay-bashing -- was for nothing. Well, it did help the GOP lose the Senate.

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al-Sadr allies quit Iraqi Government over Bush meeting

Following through on their threat, AP is reporting that the al-Sadr bloc is backing out of the Iraqi government:

Lawmakers and cabinet ministers loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have suspended participation in parliament and the government to protest Prime minister Nouri al-Maliki's summit with U.S. President George W. Bush.

A statement issued Wednesday by the 30 lawmakers and five Cabinet ministers said their action was necessary because the meeting constituted a "provocation to the feelings of the Iraqi people and a violation of their constitutional rights." The statement did not explain that claim.

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Senate Republicans: losers and in debt

Okay, it's not a big surprise when political operations are in debt after elections. But, that's usually the case for Democrats, not Republicans. The Senate GOP is going to have a tough year in 2008. They have to defend 21 seats compared to 12 for the Democrats. And, thanks to Liddy Dole, they're starting out in debt:

In an urgent appeal to donors this week, Sen. Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, the chairwoman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, beseeched contributors to "help us retire our debt."

"If we let this debt linger, it will cripple our efforts to recruit great candidates for the next election and begin our drive to win the one additional seat we need to regain the Senate majority," Dole wrote.

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, which was confirmed by NRSC spokesman Dan Ronayne. "We do have a debt, as Senator Dole noted," Ronayne said.

The Senate Republicans are in debt and Chuck Schumer is still running the DSCC. That's a good way to start the 2008 campaign.

And one important note about a 2008 Senate race: Maine's Susan Collins is not a moderate. She wants Mitch McConnell and Trent Lott to be her leaders. If those two ran the Senate like Collins wants, it would undermine the entire progressive agenda. Every now and then, Susan does cast a moderate vote. But day in and day out, she votes with Bush and the GOP. Collins is a reliable Republican in DC, but portrays herself as a maverick back in Maine. That will have to be exposed this time.

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On eve of summit, White House leaks memo trashing al-Maliki

The Bush White House, which is always bitching about leaks, itself leaked a memo that trashed al-Maliki on the eve of the summit between the Iraqi P.M. and Bush:

“His intentions seem good when he talks with Americans, and sensitive reporting suggests he is trying to stand up to the Shia hierarchy and force positive change,” the memo said of the Iraqi leader. “But the reality on the streets of Baghdad suggests Maliki is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.”

That could all be true. But, the memo was written by Stephen Hadley who was part of the team that got us in to this mess. It's hard to believe that any analysis about Iraq by anyone in the White House can be trusted.

But it's a classic move from a Bush White House staffer to leak a memo about national security to benefit their their own political agenda.

You have to wonder if the Iraqis have a similar memo about Bush that reads:

The reality on the streets of America suggests Bush is either ignorant of what is going on, misrepresenting his intentions, or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action.

Because a memo like that would be accurate -- not that Bush has any good intentions.

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Big day for George Bush. He wants to show the world what a tough, determined leader he is. That's a mighty big task because almost everybody outside the U.S. already thinks he is an incompetent, dangerous idiot. Anyone who thinks that is, of course, right.

Get it started... Read More......

Bush to focus on Iraqi troop training

Now there's the leader that we all know and love. Who else would have thought to promote the Iraqi army picking up more responsibility for the mess Bush created? And, this time, he really, really means it. Really.
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EU nations clueless when it comes to dealing with racism

Tell me something I don't already know. A year after the race riots that crossed the country, I still have the pleasure of hearing how racism is much more of an American problem. It exists, sure, but the differences in addressing the issue are about 40 years apart. The main similarity that I see at the moment is that some people in both America and Europe are obsessed with immigrants and preaching the same kind of hatred.

Most European Union nations are doing little to report incidents of racism or discrimination, the EU's racism monitoring agency said Tuesday.

The agency gave EU governments poor marks in its report for 2005 on the state of racism and xenophobia in the 25-nation bloc, concluding that the EU as a whole must increase efforts to combat discrimination.

The upside here is that there is at least a recognition that the problem exists.
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Open thread

Bedtime Read More......

Move over Borat, here comes Bruno - the gay, conservative Nazi-loving Austrian

I feel like I should be offended, but instead I think this is going to be hysterical. Actually, this sounds awfully familiar - has this other character been done already?

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Judge strikes down Bush's authority to designate groups as terrorists

Everyone hates him now.

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Bush gets snippy over Iraq

Prissy, snippy, pathetic, idiot.

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Are Google and YouTube promoting law-breaking?

I just took a look at YouTube's video home page and found four videos that are of questionable legality. If these videos in fact infringe on someone else's copyright, it's particularly troubling that Google and YouTube would actively facilitate this infringement by highlighting the infringing video on their video home page, thus increasing the damage immeasurably. I mean, they'd be literally begging people to infringe.

After YouTube shut down my account last week for the high crime of showing a Jon Stewart clip, I've turned over a new leaf. I love Big Brother, and now understand that it's my civic duty to help keep America safe from the terrorists and TiVos, so I'm going to help Google and YouTube keep themselves clean, and make America a little more free and beautiful.

Please, Google and YouTube, stop promoting criminal activity on your own home page. It's one thing to claim you clamp down on infringing videos when you find out about them, but it's quite another to promote such videos on your video home page when they sure don't look like they're being posted by FOX, NBC or Comedy Central. That would make the videos a copyright infringement, and YouTube's highlighting of them would make them a co-conspirator which, by their own rules, would mean that YouTube ought to shut itself down.

Why do Google and YouTube hate America?

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The Bush Library

The jokes write themselves. But Arianna writes them anyway. :-)

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Iraq's acne

Bush and co. had the following to say about Iraq today:

The New York Times and other U.S. news outlets have now adopted the term "civil war" to describe the violence.

The White House acknowledged on Monday Iraq was in a "new phase" but denied it amounted to civil war.

Yes, a new phase. Like sporting blue hair, or entering puberty - but with rocket-propelled grenades.

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CNN: Hastings reportedly won't lead House Intell committee

CORRECTION: I mistakenly wrote that Hastings was the guy with the $90,000 in his freezer. That was not Hastings, but instead was Rep. William Jefferson (D-Louis.), who is in a run-off against Democrat Karen Carter on December 9. Jefferson is a hypocritical pig who voted pro-gay and pro-choice, but now is claiming he's anti-gay and anti-choice and is attacking Carter for being pro-gay and pro-choice. The man is a pig. Please contribute to the campaign of his opponent, Karen Carter. More on Carter v. Jefferson here.

Hastings is still a bad apple.

Hastings and a friend, attorney William Borders Jr., were indicted in 1981 for conspiring to solicit bribes from two convicted racketeers in exchange for sentences that wouldn't include jail time. Borders was convicted the following year and sent to prison. Hastings maintained his innocence and was acquitted in 1983.

In 1987 a panel of federal judges ruled that Hastings had lied and manufactured evidence during the trial, and recommended to Congress that he be impeached.

The evidence against Hastings presented during the subsequent House impeachment and Senate trial was largely circumstantial, focusing on calls between Hastings and Borders during the federal investigation of the scheme.

The House in 1988 voted 413-3 to impeach Hastings and the Senate voted 69-26 to convict and remove him from office. Pelosi and her current second-in-command, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, both voted to impeach.

Representative John Conyers of Michigan, who may become Judiciary Committee chairman if Democrats win the House, led the impeachment effort. Conyers, who is black, said Hastings's status as the first black federal judge in Florida didn't excuse his behavior.

``Judge Hastings has been the architect of his own undoing,'' Conyers said before the impeachment vote. ``Judge Hastings has committed high crimes and misdemeanors and should be impeached.''

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The National Guard just tried to recruit my 9 year old nephew

Seriously. Dad took the call. The person on the other end wanted to talk to my 9 year old nephew. Dad asked why. Because they wanted him to consider enlisting in the reserves or the National Guard. Dad said there's only one problem, the kid is 9. Person on the other end said oh, well I should probably remove his name from our lists. They said that my nephew probably signed up for something online and that's why they called.

Yeah, sure.

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White House staff lies, says Iraq violence just in Baghdad

The Washington Post reports today that Anbar province is a disaster. Violence is out of control based on a intelligence analysis by the U.S. Marines. Yesterday, after NBC said Iraq was in a civil war, a White House spokesperson said the violence in Iraq is limited to Baghdad via Froomkin:

NBC's First Read reports that the response was swift: "The White House is objecting this morning to descriptions of the Iraq conflict as a civil war. National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said, 'The violence is primarily centered around Baghdad and Baghdad security and the increased training of Iraqi Security Forces is at the top of the agenda when [Bush and Maliki] meet later this week.'"

Anbar isn't Baghdad. The violence in that country isn't "primarily centered around Baghdad." It is far more widespread. They lied. Again. Everyone at the Bush White House spends a lot of time lying and spinning about Iraq. They should put as much energy in to trying to solve the crisis. But, then, they'd have to admit it is a crisis.

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Gingrich: We must restrict free speech online to stop terrorists from destroying an American city

Go to Russia or Tehran if you hate freedom this much. I have had it with Republicans who hate America, who hate our freedoms, who hate what this country stands for, and who think that the only way to save our freedoms from the terrorists is for us to destroy those freedoms first. Honestly, how do these scaredy-cat, quaking-in-their-boots, America-haters even dare call themselves patriotic Americans? They are terrified of their own shadow, these Republicans.

Interestingly, and incredibly stupidly, Gingrich made this announcement at a freedom of speech dinner in New Hampshire. That's a bit like declaring that we all need to eat more veal at a PETA rally in San Francisco.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.

Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.

"We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade," said Gingrich, a Republican who helped engineer the GOP's takeover of Congress in 1994.

We already lost a city, Newt. It's called New Orleans. And it was your party, the Republicans, who lost it. You were more concerned about furthering some neo-con agenda abroad than actually protecting Americans at home.

(Hat tip: Networkworld.com)

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Majority Leader Reid: This Senate is going to work

The GOP has left the country a mess. And, the Democrats have to clean it up. Unlike the leisurely, unproductive work pace under the current GOP leadership, Harry Reid is going to make the Senators earn their pay:

Reid also said he's doing away with the ''do-nothing Congress'' that Democrats campaigned against this year as they ousted the Republican majority in both chambers of Congress. The Nevada Democrat, who is wrapping up his final days as Senate minority leader, will take control of the Senate agenda when the new Congress takes the oath of office in January.

''We're going to put in some hours here that haven't been put in in a long time,'' Reid said. That means ''being here more days in the week and we start off this year with seven weeks without a break. That hasn't been done in many, many years here.''

Reid told the AP that ethics reform, stem cell research funding and increasing the minimum wage are his top legislative priorities. But, the GOP is leaving much work from this year unfinished.

And, for all those pundits speculating about whether Bush meant it when he said he would be reaching out to Democrats, here's the answer:

Reid said he hopes that President Bush is willing to work with the Democratic congressional leadership, but the early signs have not been encouraging. He said the White House has not reached out to him since his meeting with Bush in the Oval Office on Nov. 10. ''Sorry to say,'' Reid said.

Bush did his photo op, then it was back to partisan business as usual. Rove still rules. So be it.

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Bush to push al-Maliki to stop violence. This war was Bush's idea in the first place.

Bush is ready to push al-Maliki around later this week. He's going to ask for a plan which is really ironic. al-Maliki needs to ask Bush for his plan. After all, this war was Bush's idea. Bush invaded al-Maliki's country. He is the one who should have had a plan to prevent it:

President Bush said Tuesday morning he will press Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a plan to contain the escalating sectarian violence, though he refused to characterize the situation in Iraq as a civil war.

Previewing the message he will carry with him to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet Maliki for a summit later this week, Bush said he will ask Maliki, "What do we need to do to succeed? What is your strategy in dealing with the sectarian violence?"

Bush started this war without a plan. None of the Republicans in Congress ever asked for a plan. Now, every day, American soldiers and Iraqi citizens pay a price for their incompetence. But, Bush is acting like none of this is his fault.

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Corrupt Jefferson resorts to gay-bashing. Karen Carter must win in Louisiana's Second District

Help Karen win. Contribute here. Every dollar matters.

It should come as no surprise that William Jefferson is one of the biggest hypocrites of the year. The Louisiana Congressman, who had $90,000 stashed in his freezer, is viciously attacking his opponent in the December 9th runoff for taking the exact same positions that Jefferson has taken.

This tidbit from New Orleans City Business gives the flavor of the race:

In her run-off against Congressman Bill Jefferson, D-New Orleans, state Rep. Karen Carter, D-New Orleans, will face questions about her strong support of gay rights and abortion. Because of her stance, Carter has been endorsed by Emily’s List and received donations from the group, an activist pro-choice organization.

Expect the issue to be raised by Jefferson in the runoff. He is cultivating religious leaders to support his campaign. Many African-American ministers are already supporting Jefferson, and the congressman is hoping to pick up the support of white pastors as well.

When third-place finisher state Sen. Derrick Shepherd, D-Marrero, officially endorsed Jefferson at a news conference last week, one of the reasons he cited was Carter’s stance on social issues. How this will play with voters in the final days of the race remains to be seen.

Jefferson is an affront to the Democratic party. He's the symbol of corruption. Now, he's becoming a beacon of gay-bashing for political purposes. Both of those were almost exclusively the domain of the GOP.

Jefferson has been a strong advocate of both gay rights and choice in his career. He actually had a 100% voting record (pdf version) with the Human Rights Campaign a couple years ago. 100% -- yet, now he's anti-gay. This year, Jefferson has a 100% voting record on choice issues. 100% -- yet, now he's anti-choice. He'll do anything and say anything to win. He's a hypocrite.

Karen Carter won't back down from her pro-gay, pro-choice positions. She has to win. Gay-bashing and corruption cannot prevail in the Democratic party. The runoff is December 9th. This is now a race between a true Democrat and a corrupt, bigoted incumbent who is acting like a Republican. Help Karen win. Contribute here. Every dollar matters.

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Bush is in Estonia and Latvia today playing the role of world diplomat. This trip is designed to get other countries to do more to make up for his failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. Such an embarrassment.

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