Senator Shelby

Obligatory post:Atrios.

It's just too funny. And by funny I mean sad.

It's actually a shame because I generally think Mr. Shelby is a good guy. Liberal Media!!!

Friday Finale

Go out on a "high" note. Thanks to Ali A.

Things you have to believe to be a Conservative today:

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you’re a conservative radio host. Then it’s an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.


The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.


Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of illness.


“Standing Tall for America” means firing your workers and moving their jobs to India. (weinish: RNC call center in India)


A woman can’t be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.


Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.


The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans’ benefits and combat pay.


Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run for governor of California as a Republican.


If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won’t have sex.


A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.


HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at heart.


Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing health care to all Americans is socialism.


Global warming and tobacco’s link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.


Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush’s daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush needed a “we can’t find Bin Laden” diversion.


A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.


Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.


The public has a right to know about Hillary’s cattle trades, but George Bush’s driving record is none of our business. (weinish: either are his insider trading deals)


You support states’ rights, which means Attorney General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have a right to adopt.


What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the ’80s is irrelevant.


Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

Create your own, it's fun!

Have a nice weekend!

9/11 Book

I got mine today, and will start it momentarily. Soon as Dees downloads all this fuggin Ween.

Meanwhile, David Corn of the Nation says it's bad News for the Bush Reich. Basically what I said, but smarter.

Bush Wonders

Dumbya speaks to Urban League:

"Have the traditional solutions of the Democrat Party truly served the African-American community?" Mr. Bush said. "It's what I hope people ask when they go to the community centers, places — as we all should do our duty and vote, people need to be asking these very serious questions."

Well, it's sorta hard for the democrats to put their plans to work when people in your party undermine everything, and only allow funding for half the effort. So, again, disingenuous is Bush.

But he's right, when they goto the polls they should be asking questions, like, "How did this guy become president?"

Liar

Thanks to Josh Marshall:

A difference of opinion between Tucker Carlson and the 9/11 Commission ...

There is nothing random about the documents he took. Berger stripped the files of every single copy of a single memo which detailed the Clinton administration's response to the Y2K terror threat.

Tucker Carlson
Crossfire
July 22nd 2004
Then there's 9/11 Commissioners Gorelick and Gorton ...

DOBBS: Let me ask you, not necessarily directly on point, but certainly related. Sandy Berger, the former head of the national security -- national security adviser under the Clinton administration, accused of, and admitting taking classified documents from the National Archives, those notes, whether copies or originals still unclear. Did the commission review that material, to what -- can you shed any light on what happened there? Slade Gorton, first.

GORTON: Well, we can't shed any light on exactly what happened there and on Sandy Berger's troubles with the Justice Department and the Archives. What we can say unequivocally is we had all of that information. We have every one of those documents. All of them have -- are infused in and are a part of our report.

DOBBS: So the commission was denied no information as a result of whatever Sandy Berger did or did not do at the National Archives?

GORTON: That's precisely correct.

GORELICK: And we have been so assured by the Justice Department.

Dobbs, Gorton & Gorelick
Lou Dobbs Tonight
July 22nd 2004

Half of America

White Powder at Kerry HQ.

Umm, one party does this stuff, one doesn't.

Terrorists Hate Liberals...

you see!

Thanks to Jesus General 

Bush's Armed Forces

Promoting Values.

Krauthamer

Sometimes I wish he was crippled in the mouth.

Anyway, he writes in the Daily News:

Did we invade the wrong country? One of the lessons now being drawn from the 9/11 report is that Iran was the real threat. The Iraq War critics have a new line of attack: We should have done Iran instead.

Well, of course Iran is a threat. But how exactly would the critics have "done" Iran? Iran is a serious country with a serious army. Can you imagine the Iraq War critics actually supporting war with Iran?

I don't know who these critics are that he speaks of because he doesn't mention them, OF COURSE. But if the Bushes wanted to attack Iran instead of Iraq they would have won the election since: 1) Al Qaeda was in Iran 2) 9/11 Jackers went through 3) there are WMD!

This "leading mind" can make all the comments he wants, and attribute thought to a bunch of people, but it's another absurd column.

I'll give you this, Iran probably would've been a better idea. They were and are a real threat to America, and other Mid East nations. The Iranians aren't exactly sad we attacked Iraq. Since Dumbya and Crew blew their credibility on Iraq they can't even go into Iran. Had they done it in reverse they'd still have credibility!

But they're a bunch of tough talkers. They don't have the balls to do Iran or North Korea. Actually, Bush and Cheney never had the balls to personally do any war. They're very good at saying, "We won't back down..." "We" of course being other people.

They'd probably get by with doing Iraq had they done Iran FIRST!

"Left, left, more, mooooooore, back to the right, perfect! "OK boys, put the goalposts right there."

Not-for-Gays

Thanks to Revlon.

Single White Female seeks Single White Male.

A Few Bad Men?

BBC News:

The US military has found 94 cases of confirmed or alleged abuse of prisoners by its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Senate hearing has been told.
Though some cases have been reported before the number is significantly higher than previously acknowledged.

But the report said no systemic problems contributed to the abuses.

The report was ordered after abuse allegations at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison first came to the attention of senior army officials in February...

The report said the cases included theft, physical assault, sexual assault and death.

But it described them as unauthorised actions taken by individuals, in some cases combined with the failure of a few leaders to provide supervision and leadership.

"The abuses that have occurred are not representative of policy, doctrine or soldier training," the report said.

I don't buy for a second that the abuse was not systemic. Anyone who has ever been in a fraternity/sorority, or has ever done something they don't want made public, knows to AVOID THE CAMERA!

These people were not only NOT avoiding cameras, they were revelling in being on camera! Hello? Nake pyramids?

Between General Geoffrey Miller who defended his actions at Guantanamo, and then was deployed to Iraq, and the fact private contractors were basically telling our soldiers what to do, in all likelihood these soldiers believed they were allowed to do the things they were doing. In other words, IT WAS SYSTEMIC!

Certainly, the actions are inhumane, and violate a number of accords/conventions, but we're not talking about the best and the brightest. These people were prison guards who took orders. The US Government is managing to blame them, and not the higher-ups. Surely, they bare responsibility, but they have no power. The government has it all.

The private contractors had a job, and that job is to make money for their firms. In order to make money they employed any and every method they deemed necessary. The goal was to extract information at any cost. These people were instructing our soldiers on how to treat prisoners! Combine that with Miller, who was basically given a green late in Cuba, and then carried that green light to Iraq, and you have the "prison scandals." It's not as if there weren't already problems at Camp X-Ray. The government just didn't care, there were no photos.

This points to so many problems, one of the glaring ones is the use of private contractors who play by different rules (profit motive in war). But in the end, I don't believe a word the Senate committee has to say about this issue, especially when you have senators hell-bent on protecting their dumb leader.

Uhhh, Dick?

WaPo reports:

One week after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, White House counterterrorism director Paul Kurtz wrote in a memo to national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that no "compelling case" existed for Iraq's involvement in the attacks and that links between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's government were weak.

Not only did Osama bin Laden resent the Iraqi government's secularism, Kurtz's classified memo stated, but there was no confirmed information about collaboration between them on weapons of mass destruction.

Yesterday, after a lengthy investigation, the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States laid out a detailed body of evidence supporting Kurtz's view. Although recent polls have shown that more than 40 percent of the American public is still convinced that Iraq collaborated with al Qaeda and had a role in the terrorist attacks, the commission reported finding no evidence of a "collaborative operational relationship" between the two or an Iraqi role in attacking the United States.

It stated that representatives of the two may have been in contact in 1994 or 1995, 1998 and possibly 1999, largely because of what the commission described as a shared hatred of the United States. But the commission found that their interests were largely out of sync, and nothing came of the contacts.

More lies to come.

Protecting Wyoming, Arkansas, Oklahoma...

This is still the most ridiculous, and underreported issue:

New York City's anti-terror resources are being grossly underfunded by the White House and Congress, which treat the critical money as "pork-barrel spending," the new 9/11 report charges.

Instead of helping New York arm itself against another attack, Washington lawmakers are engaged in a "free-for-all" for the federal aid, the panel concluded.

Thank god for two Senators in every state.

But what do you expect? Federal aid to states is decreasing, so congressmen and congresswomen do everything possible to grab their slice of the pie regardless of the problems it causes for terrorist hotspots. Senators from Texas, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusettes, Illinois, Washington, California, Georgia, North Carolina, Michigan, Maryland, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Texas (basically, places where major cities are - I'm sure there are others) should band together and MAKE THIS AN ISSUE! Sure, states with smaller cities do need to worry, but the terror budget for those places, albeit smaller, should suffice, all things being relative:

"Homeland-security assistance should be based strictly on the assessment of risks and vulnerabilities. In 2004, Washington and New York City are certainly at the top of any such list. Congress should not use this money as a pork barrel," the report says

I don't think half of the states should get ANY MONEY for Homeland Security! The states with the most to lose are also the states that pay the most in taxes to the government in taxes, and get the least amount of federal spending in return. It's not as if we're not paying for the FBI, CIA, DIA, and various other groups who should be trying to thward attacks in larger and smaller states. It's not as if these states don't have police forces locally and statewide who should be doing their jobs. It's not as if we're complacent now, unaware of the threats. It's not as if these states are being left empty handed by not getting this money. These things alone make those states safer. If some terrorist is going to poison the water supply in some random state, or cross a border in North Dakota, extra terror cash will not likely stop these things.

These smaller states should get no cash in Homeland Security spending, or at least nothing substantial.

Me

It's a late start. Woke up at 6:15am. Show starts at 6...

Sovereign

Busy, Busy, Busy, writes: John Negroponte explains it all for Allawi.

The prime minister of sovereign Iraq was apparently under the misapprehension that that he was the prime minister of a sovereign country when he decided to offer amnesty to Iraqi insurgents in the interest of reconciliation. Worse, in not excluding from his offer insurgents who had attacked Americans, he was behaving as if an Iraqi life was worth no more and no less than an American life. But the American ambassador, a certain John Negroponte, soon disabused him of such notions. From the LA Times:

On one point, Ambassador Negroponte was clear: The United States would oppose any effort by the Iraqi interim government to grant amnesty to insurgents who participated in attacks on Americans. Prime Minister Iyad Allawi has said that the government is working on a broad amnesty proposal aimed at those who participated in the insurgency.

"I would take exception to that," he said when asked how he would respond if the amnesty extended to those who had attacked or killed Americans.

The ambassador did not specify whether the exception he had in mind would take the form of a frank diplomatic note or something more severe. Still, the prime minister of sovereign Iraq got the hint and amnesty will now be offered to Iraqis who sought to harm other Iraqis, but not to Iraqis who attacked soldiers of the army that invaded and occupied their country.

The NY Times' version of the story is most notable for being placed under the headline "U.S. Diplomat Starts New Job by Deferring to Iraq Rulers":

[Ambassador Negroponte] gave a nod to an Iraqi government proposal to offer amnesty to some insurgents who put down their weapons, but said amnesty would not apply to those who had killed American or allied troops.

I think the NY Times is trying to say that Mr. Negroponte practices self-deference.

Weinish notes: One wonders what John Kerry could do differently at this point in time. Hmmm...what can a different man do to clean up the mess of another man? First off, obviously we wouldn't even have this situation, which in and of itself is reason to not support Bush. Second, if Kerry had gone in, chances are the mess would also look different because in all likelihood the US would have deferred to people who understand Iraq. We call those people IRAQIS! As opposed to the Bush plan which is: Fuck up, ignore, Fuck up, ignore. Let see what the Iraqis are saying. Fuck up, ignore. If JFK takes over there will be relief from every citizen, in every nation that is supporting the war, and almost every nation that isn't.

The citizens in those countries will trust Kerry's instincts, and their leaders will have an easier time supporting the United States because throughout most of modern history, nations have supported our causes because they believed in what our aims were. Citizens of other countries realize Iraq is a disaster, but their hatred for Bush results in forcing their leaders to pull out troops and not support the US. These other nations are aware Iraq needs a fix, but they just do not want to support a president they too see as illegitimate and dishonest, to name a few. Again, I believe nations believe in America's cause and would support Bush's replacement, and will. Besides, they aren't supporting us now, and more are falling off, so what's even the point of having Bush serve again? It's not like his gaining world support. So the "Anyone But Bush" thing actually does have some merit.

It's truly amazing that the Bush Clan has messed up almost every single thing they've tried in Iraq, backtracked, and then reached out to Iraq for advice. Then, when they "transfer sovereignty" to a former CIA operative, they still try to pupppet him along, as if they've EVER gotten anything right. As if letting IRAQIS take control of IRAQ won't work!

I'd bet right now that had JFK created the worst possible situation based on the worst possible evidence ever he'd in all likelihood have more nations supporting his cause, more troops, and more Iraqis in control. As the Bush supporters like to say, "he negotiates." Well, I think that MIGHT WORK right now. Negotiating and discussing with Arabs what to do in Arabia!

But then again, to wonder, "I'd bet right now that had JFK..." is itself absurd because only a MORON would start this war. And one did.

Early Heads Up!

One of the best bands in NYC, the Wollesens, this Thursday at the 55 Bar.

Commence!

Big Ups to Hahhvard, Ali G style!

1:27:00 into.

No Loyalty, No Respect

Such is the NFL.

Eddie George can't get fair money, and he has just watched his team pickup Antowain Smith. The two players are similar, but George is a proven leader who never takes a down off.

The Titans wanted George back, but at a reduced salary. The team's final offer was $1.5 million in base salary -- considerably less than the $4.25 million he expected to make this season.

It's a business, but it's ridiculous that you get paid ONLY for what you will do, rather than what you did. Unlike the Knicks who gave Patrick Ewing a major deal at the end of his career as a "thank you."

The Titans owe George the same respect, at least a big ass signing bonus that doesn't kill the cap.

Take it a step further, Mo Clarett carried Ohio State to the National Title as a freshman, and he was expected to take two more years of pounding, which reduces his NFL career by AT LEAST that many years since he never truly developed physically. Why should Clarett have to stay if the school is going to benefit, and it's going to hurt him financially in the long run? He would probably have less time in the NFL than George!

If he ends up on Dallas he'll make them a whole lot better, just from an attitude perspective. It'll also mark the first time I ever root for Prince Bandar Bush's favorite team.

Drudge Packin'

Butt dart Matt Drudge writes:

While local Boston-area residents are bracing for total interruption of their daily lives to make way for the Democrat's convention next week, political highrollers are set to party with stars!

I wonder what he'll write when a bunch of unwanted out-of-towners roll into New York City, a place where there is more disdain for President Bush than probably any place in the nation? Oh, by the way, LETS MAKE NEW YORK CITY A TARGET AGAIN!

I hope these people remember to bring the white hoods. Afterall, summer whites are in fashion.

Concert Fools

Thanks to Faku for this.

All concert goers can relate. I know I've been on the edge of numerous fights, and have certainly had some physical contact over such things, like Antelope Greg, who I tossed over a row of seats.

Like Ali G said...

Bomb Ira...

No, Ali, it doesn't matter.

The Stalinists at the Economist wrote:

GEORGE BUSH'S initial response to the September 11th commission was defensive. He opposed setting up the panel. He negotiated to limit its access to sensitive documents. He tried to stop his national security adviser from testifying, and agreed to testify himself only with Dick Cheney alongside, and not under oath. This week, it became clearer why.

The final report—endorsed by all five Republican members and all five Democrats—does not blame the president for failing to prevent the 2001 attacks. But it, together with new pictures released of the hijackers (see above), will focus public attention again on the administration's claims to have done everything it could to combat al-Qaeda before September 11th 2001; and by raising new questions about links between al-Qaeda and Iran, the report will reopen a debate about the president's priorities in the war on terror.

For the record, they initially supported the war. Dang liberals.

The Report

After watching Tom Kean hand the book to Dumbya today I really thought Bush was going to sign it and give it back.

I may be dreaming, but after Bush told him he planned on studying it, Kean mumbled, "Mr. President, you're not Jewish, it reads left to right..."

Fear not, Dumbya is going to "study it," so based on his fine career as an academic you can be sure things will get accomplished now!

Jew$ Bring us the News

Alan Green$pan says the President's tax cuts helped us avoid a severe recession:

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said yesterday that President George W Bush's three rounds of tax cuts prevented a severe recession and helped spark the current economic recovery

Conjecture.
But then:

We need a mechanism which adjusts programmes as we move forward," Greenspan said.

Greenspan renewed his call for Congress to put back in place a budget mechanism that requires any new spending increases or tax cuts to be offset by spending reductions in other government programs or tax increases in other areas.

The Bush administration has supported such pay-as-you go procedures for government spending but not tax cuts.

EXACTLY! That's the issue. These "conservatives" are against that because they want to cut taxes, and buy votes by blowing up the budget. Moderate conservatives McCain, Hagel, Snowe, Collins, Chafee, and others are FOR PAYGO, but most irresponsible republicans are not.

So sure, I'll give you boosting the economy that's led to more wealth for the rich, the highest after tax profits for corporations in 50 years, and shitty job creation, but lets point out how absurdly irresponsbile these characters are.

Troop Diet

It seems that our forces are thinning!

It seems like just a year ago Rummy thought we'd have enough.

Wait, that was just a year ago.

Oh, and it seems were over budget.

So Preznit proposes more Tax Cuts.

KFC

I just watched the PETA video of what goes on, and went on, at this chicken plant. You should watch it, but not with a 3 piece in your hand.

These people should be in prison. Anyone who can be this cruel to ANYTHING that is living should not be on the streets. There's a rumor (i'm spreading) that Preznit Bush will speak out on the issue, "I'm appalled by the actions of just a few cuckoo men..."

9/11 News

Well, the report hits the stores today and I'm sure at least 7 people will read it, and that includes Congress.

Whether Bush is attacked, or Clinton is attacked, is really irrelevant since the public really doesn't want to hear the 9/11 Report being used as political ammo, per se. So in the end, I'll call it a wash. A difference is Bush is dealing with it now, and Clinton isn't in office! Of course they will try to turn Kerry into Clinton (not on the economy, of course).

There was a poll taken a few weeks back that seemed to imply that many Americans now equate Bush's handling on terrorism at home with the handling of Iraq. That's not good news for him. Again, Americans most likely won't be concerned with Clinton because they're tired of it. Partisans aren't, but their minds are made up regardless. If Americans view Bush negatively because of this report, and equate Iraq with the way Dumbya handles the war on terror, things don't look good.

Liberal Arts

More "liberal" films.

Proof of a few things: 1) Conservatives aren't funny. 2) Conservatives are rarely creative. 3) Media is liberal, but it's owners sure aren't, hence having to create films to get out the message, as opposed to NEWS.

Am I all wet here (shutup, Scoop)?

Spanglish Folk

WaPo reports that Latino voters prefer Kerry to Bush almost 2 to 1:

Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) holds a strong lead over President Bush among the nation's Hispanic voters, with a majority rejecting the president's handling of the economy and the war in Iraq, according to a survey by The Washington Post, Univision and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

At a time when Bush and Kerry are running about even among all registered voters, Kerry enjoys a 2 to 1 advantage over Bush among Latino registered voters. Hispanics give Bush lower approval ratings than the overall population does, and the poll shows that the bulk of the Latino community continues to identify with the Democratic Party.

Last thing Bush wants is news of this sort. In all likelihood, like in almost every other head count for minorities, the numbers are worse than this article even indicates. Minorities are always undercounted, except, of course, when conservatives talk about border crossers and illegals. In those cases, the numbers somehow become exaggerated! Sooo, if Latinos are moving against Bush, and more and more continue to vote (if true) it's bad news for Jorge and Jeb.

More good news for JFK.

Another Convo

I'm not so worried.

revlo: do they EVER take responsibility for anything?
WEINISH: uhhh, no?
revlo: it's amazing
WEINISH: is it? when you're shameless?
WEINISH: i mean, they'll do anything to protect their dumb leader
revlo: the dems immediately said "it was a mistake" for the berger thing
WEINISH: yep
revlo: they didnt blmae the gop for putting it in his briefcase
WEINISH: IMMEDIATELY.
WEINISH: pfffffffff
WEINISH: that's comedy
WEINISH: what kills me is the sock thing. which is entirely false...so here they have a real opportunity to point out something a dem did, and they STILL have to lie.
revlo: i know
revlo: i do still love the fact that EVERYONE had access to these files in the govt
WEINISH: dude, don't assume that people are that dumb...sure, there are died in the wool bush lovers, for whatever reason, but many voters don't pay attention to these things, and don't care. they don't know who the VP is, let alone sandy berger in july.
revlo: p.s. my dad went to undergrad with sandy berger
WEINISH: where?
revlo: cornell
revlo: they were in the same year
revlo: possibly the same frat
WEINISH: :-)
revlo: he thought it was hilarious
revlo: he and clinton both
WEINISH: i mean, sure i wonder what people make of this, but if you're watching fox you're not voting for Kerry REGARDLESS
revlo: right
revlo: or it's the farenheit 9/11 scenario, where if you're voting for bush going in, you're 95% still likely to vote for him
WEINISH: and if you're watching CNBC chances are you have made up your mind anyway...it's sorta irrelevant. but i agree, it's sad that elected officials will just sit their and lie continually, and insinuate ad nauseum. i'd love to kick the fucking shit out of santorum and delay.
revlo: pebbles and marbles like things on my mind

A Convo

The Derl and I think Berger is responsible for a lot more than they're letting on.

tderl: (berger)he hates america!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WEINISH: stop!
tderl: and wears baggy socks!!!
WEINISH: His socks were made in China...CHINA!!!!
tderl: communist socks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WEINISH: I support an Amendment outlawing SOCKS!
tderl: and he threw out the documents!!! he hates the environment too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
tderl: tree killing america hater!!!!!
WEINISH: rumor is, he shot vince foster in the back of the head while his plane was about to crash, and then he parachuted out of the plane with a chute made from those documents, hence why they can't be found!
tderl: i'm shocked by these allegations.
tderl: then again what else can you expect from someone that was in the clinton adminstration?
tderl: i bet he engaged in sexual relations with madelaine albright.
WEINISH: I expect blow jobs! meanwhile, did u hear a story that's slightly smaller than off-track betting in the Himalayas? That our Vice President's company was doing business with IRAN!tderl: why would i care about that when we MAY HAVE FOUND NUCLEAR WEAPONS BURIED IN CONCRETE IN IRAQ!!!!!!!
tderl: stay focused!
WEINISH: really? did we?
tderl: maybe.
WEINISH: that's as good as we did.
tderl: there is a 38% chance that we did.
WEINISH: that's serious shit, yo. did you say concrete? that's dangerous shit. if that concrete were to fall on a soldier during the excavation process he/she may die.
WEINISH: is there any travel logs related to the shipment of Concrete to Iraq in recent weeks?
tderl: unless it was yellow cake. that shit is moist and delicious.
WEINISH: yellow cake is soooooo gooooood. i can think of at least 16 words to describe it.
tderl: it is dangerous though. must be kept in a special CIA napkin.
WEINISH: ahh, the napkin...i hear sandy berger uses napkins for notes...it's all coming together!
tderl: he uses napkins to wipe the korean food he eats regularly for lunch from his fat chin. KOREAN FOOD!!!
WEINISH: Dude, now you're talking AXIS POWERS! AXIS OF EVIL!
WEINISH: So, Commie sympathizer, Sandy "Red" Berger, eats North Korean food on top of a concrete slab that may, or may not contain Nukes, while cleaning his face with napkins that he stuffed in his socks that had secrets proving that the planes on 9/11 were being remotely controlled from Westchester by one...BILL CLINTON....of course, while he was receiving head from an assortment of bitches.
WEINISH: who may be gay, and trying to get married.
tderl: don't forget that he didn't recycle the napkins.
tderl: oh, and he likes 8 year old boys.
WEINISH: goes without saying.
WEINISH: he's a COMMIE
WEINISH: (and he hates america. both the nation, and the band.)
tderl: he may as well be a trial lawyer.
tderl: since that might be the only thing worse than sandy berger.
tderl: that and ketchup of course.
WEINISH: a trial lawyer, mohammad atta, and Saddam Hussein walk into a bar...
WEINISH: the bartender says, "we don't serve your kind..."

Teresa Invested with Dick!

I just saw this story about Teresa Heinz-Kerry having invested in Halliburton in the 90s, and all of all things, you won't believe what she did: SHE MADE A PROFIT!:

Teresa Heinz Kerry liked the Cheney-run Halliburton enough to buy and sell more than a $250,000 in company stock in 1996, netting a tidy profit of up to $15,000, records show.

Uhh, I'm not concerned with people who invested in Halliburton, Enron, WorldCom, etc. An investor should assume that the company that he/she invests in is honest. And I'm pretty positive that in the yearly prospectus there wasn't a section labeled, "Halliburton: Investing With the Shah!"

Yes, Dick, you're a scumbag liar, and YOUR company was doing illegal business with Iran, and hiding profits in the Cayman Islands, I'm sure. Disguising this as a Kellogg, Brown, & Root deal is a joke. Sorry, that's a stock answer I'm not buying, and either is Teresa.

Watergate!!!!

Silly Republicans! Pseudo Racist Tom Delay is invoking WATERGATE! Such comedy.

And you'll never guess who they're blaming for 9/11? Take ONE GUESS!

Uhh, Terry the Mc is on the attack. Thanks to the Drudge Packer.

The truth shall prevail, at least that's what the religious people tell us. And God knows, these fuckers love their Jesus!

To be honest, I'm not even sweating this one bit. Americans are smarter than Americuns.

Economy

Greenspan believes this:

The economy was moving through a "soft patch," based on a number of weaker-than-expected statistics in June, he said.

Delivering the Fed's midyear economic outlook to the Senate Banking Committee, Greenspan said that in most respects economic conditions through the first half of the year have "been generally quite favorable," with overall growth at a strong rate that has finally generated a significant rebound in job growth.

I couldn't help but think of this:

And economic growth is passing working Americans by. The average weekly earnings of nonsupervisory workers rose only 1.7 percent over the past year, lagging behind inflation. The president of Aetna, one of the biggest health insurers, recently told investors, "It's fair to say that a lot of the jobs being created may not be the jobs that come with benefits." Where is the growth going? No mystery: after-tax corporate profits as a share of G.D.P. have reached a level not seen since 1929.

Fucking Krugman, so SHRILL!

The Differences

I'm watching CNN with Bill "Hummer" Hemmer and he's discussing the ISSUES with Cliff May of the RNC and Democratic consultant Vic Kamber. Of course, they disagree on everything, hence the show. But the ridiculous comment that you'll hear over and over was made by May:

If Dick Cheney happened to take some documents the Democrats would be burning him at the stake, and you Vic would be accepting an invitation from Michael Moore for a Bury Dick Party.

This is paraphrased from my one time listen, but that's the gist.

The obvious flaw in all of this is quite simple: Sandy Berger doesn't have a history of being dishonest, and a trail of deception like Dick Cheney. Even Republicans acknowledge Berger's past when they mention he's a good guy, BUT of course they can't help themselves to go further...

Howevver, when someone like Dick Cheney has a pattern of being dishonest, and currently has an investigation going on against the company he personally ran, it's normal that you would question their removal of secret documents!

Issues

Halliburton has em.

Cheney's office referred calls to the Bush campaign, which played down the disclosure. "This was the daily baseless political attack by the Democrats," said Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt. "Today the hatchet man was Frank Lautenberg. . . . This is an attempt by the Kerry campaign to avoid a discussion of the issues."

Right, because the Vice President's former company doing business with Iran isn't an "issue!"

Sandy Berger is an issue:

And the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, said: "That is not sloppy. I think it is gravely, gravely serious what he did, if he did it, and it could be a national security crisis."

and

The decision came after Mr. Berger endured a day of furious criticism from Republican leaders, who accused him of breaching national security and possibly passing classified material to Mr. Kerry's campaign.

Issues.

Hang 'Em Hiiiiiigh

Ridiculous. Pakistan to help U.S. hunt for Bin Laden(3).

Long story short: Pakistan has many terrorists. Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan sells nuclear materials to Axis of Evil nations. President Bush and Co. ignore this, and feel slap on the wrist is fine. Khan walks, and is national hero(1). Then U.S. asks Pakistan to pickup the pace right before convention and election to capture World's Most Wanted Man, Osama bin Laden, who Bush, after calling him "most wanted" said he "wasn't that concerned" with him(2). Since U.S. went light on Pakistan for selling nuclear secrets, they agree to help Bush win reelection.

Yes, this is exactly what is happening.

I suggest reading both stories: 1 & 2, and then looking at today's news, 3.

All a coincidence.

Stir It Up...

Hardly as important as the Berger story, when the VICE PRESIDENT's FORMER COMPANY WAS DOING BUSINESS WITH A MEMBER OF THE AXIS OF EVIL!

U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat, said the probe into possible sanctions violations should address the role of the Republican vice president.

"The question must be asked: did this possible violation occur between 1995 and 2000 while Dick Cheney was the CEO of Halliburton?" Lautenberg said in a statement released by his office.

Proud to have you, Frank. Get this scumbag, and please, bury him alive, but do it after the election so they don't have a chance to replace this piece of shit/liar.

Just for the record, he was on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and denied that this ever happened. I guess this is another lie that never happened.

NEWSFLASH!

FOX IS REPORTING: BERGER MAY BE OPERATING FOR KERRY!

In response, FOX is going to HIRE BERGER, and place his show right after Olie North's!

Ain't Wastin' Time No Moooore...

California Congressman Duncan Hunter wastes no time in connecting Sandy Berger's theft of documents to John Kerry's campaign! I mean, I thought they'd "give it a way, give it a day...":

Rep. Duncan Hunter, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Fox news channel Tuesday that Berger may have taken the documents to help Kerry's campaign.

"I've seen Sandy Berger's protestations and he's proclaimed his innocence and his good faith and said it was just a mistake -- he was just sloppy. I think we accept that," Hunter said.

But Hunter said there was a "certain discipline" needed to separate politics from public duty, "and obviously he's violated that discipline."

I'm assuming the FOX News Channel responded with, "We think your assessment is 100% accurate!"

Notice in the article, the investigation started in OCTOBER, and Berger spokesman David Gergen commented "I don't even think he believes he still being investigated..." Meaning, the timing of this, a few days before the convention and the release of the 9/11 Report is suspect.

This is Priceless:

But law enforcement sources told CNN that some of the papers he is said to have taken from the National Archives were stuffed into his socks as well as other parts of his clothing.

That allegation drew sharp responses from two of Berger's associates. President Clinton's former spokesman, Joe Lockhart, said Berger "categorically denies that he ever took documents and stuffed them in his socks.

"That is absurd," said Lockhart, who is now advising Berger. "And anyone who says that is interested in something other than the truth."

Even if this WAS true, and it's highly doubtful, the investigation would be over since stuffing things in his socks is basically an admission that you know you're doing something wrong. And if that's the case, the investigation which began in October would likely be public already.

It's like, even when they catch you doing something, they have to lie anyway to make it seem worse. You know who "they are."

You Fucked Up, YOU BITCH!

Dudes, Sandy Berger has got to be kidding me:

"In the course of reviewing over several days thousands of pages of documents on behalf of the Clinton administration in connection with requests by the Sept. 11 commission, I inadvertently took a few documents from the Archives," Berger said.

"When I was informed by the Archives that there were documents missing, I immediately returned everything I had except for a few documents that I apparently had accidentally discarded," he said.

Why is he throwing shit out? He either really thought they were copies, or there was something to hide.

I think finding out what he threw out is very key. It's not as if the 9/11 Commission hasn't seen everything regarding these files already, so what's one to think? I have to figure that he really is just a moron who made a mistake.

I heard Ron Kuby waxing about how wrong it is, blah blah blah, making it seem scandalous. Wonder how Ron knows? HE DID IT ONCE! To think, Berger may have made a mistake that Ron made, and yet, now it's scandalous to Ron!

It's No Ploy, It's No Gimmick...

C'mon, it's both. Dumbya attempts to buy more votes by pushing through irresponsible tax cuts in the face of mounting deficits.

Ohhhhh Cannnnaduhhhh...

May ban the Fair and the Balanced.

State of Confusion...

Is where the Ed Page of the NYPOST finds itself.

I know that most people whose heads aren't rammed up their own asses understand that the New York Post is hardly a newspaper, but what concerns me is the way it's published. They have the "great sports section" and then the dumbed down news, hoping to drag unsuspecting New Yorkers on board the Stupid Ship.

The gist of this article, that the party has no war credibility based on the actions of the California legislature with regard to one situation, not described in any detail, is laughable.

But fear not, as the Post itself reported for months, the "ink no longer gets on your fingers", even though it does. They couldn't even get that right. Btw, GEPHARDT IT IS!

I Saw the Governors...Holding Hands...

NYTIMES reports that Governors are worried about National Guardsmen not guarding the nation:

Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, a Republican of Idaho and departing chairman of the National Governors Association, also said through a spokesman that he was worried about the deployment of 2,000 members, or 62 percent of his National Guard, who are now training in Texas for a mission in Iraq.

"In the past we've been able to call on the National Guard," said Mark Snider, a spokesman for the governor. "We may not be able to call on these soldiers for firefighting capabilities."

Now we know why Bush wants to cut all the trees down! I'm with Bush! Too bad the recruits aren't.

Ocean Man...

Former Republican EPA official to vote for Kerry:

In 1988, Train was co-chairman of Conservationists for Bush, an organization that backed the candidacy of George W. Bush's father.

Thanks to Atrios.

The whole story.

I'm making today Song Tuesday, for no reason whatsoever. Therefore, all subjects will reference songs, hopefully you can be creative.

Andy's Chest

Friend Simon tips me off to gay Sully's take on Cheney versus Edwards.

Two great lines:

His vote for war against Saddam completes the astonishing conclusion of the Democrats' primary season: their Iraq policy is now identical to the president's.

Uhh, move the posts, move em, move em, right there. Prefect. It's the other way around, Andy. It was the democrats, after the invasion, and after the President destroyed any chance of real alliance, and good will, who were demanding control be ceded to Iraqis, have Iraqis make decisions affecting the armed forces within Iraq, and a host of other things I don't feel the need to spell out right now. But it is funny to see Sully frame it that way. The Preznit got it so wrong, and then turns around one day and starts listening to the Iraqi people! What an idea! Where'd you get, Dumbya?

And:

Think Luke Skywalker versus Darth Vader; Austin Powers versus Dr Evil; and the boyish charms of the 1990s versus the cold fear of the new millennium.

To think, a conservative also referencing STAR WARS and AUSTIN POWERS! oh the irony and the coincidence!

Out Here on the Gaza Strip...

Update!

It seems that Arafat is losing some control, but unfortunately, Qurei, who seems rather moderate, relative to Arafat, may be on his way out.

The Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei, told reporters that the resignation letter he presented to Mr. Arafat on Saturday still stood, and that Mr. Arafat had not provided a written response. Mr. Qurei, who has been in his post less than a year, said he was quitting to protest the lawlessness in Gaza and the disarray among the security forces, which are controlled by Mr. Arafat.

"The Palestinian citizen in the street is saying: 'Why are they fighting? Is there any authority?' " Mr. Qurei said. "Chaos will not achieve our aims; it cannot bring victory. The winner is our enemy."

Will this conflict ever end?

Two States...

These are the two Iraqs according to WaPo:

Iraqis:

Voices joined theirs, shouting "God is great." The message turned political: "We will avenge you, Bush. Why do you kill our young men?"

US Military:

The head of the U.S. force, Lt. Col. Bill Salter, stuck to his talking points.

"The Iraqi security forces are helping get the situation stabilized," he said, standing in the midst of chaos. "They are doing a great job."

I'm sure our media will prominently feature storyline #2, since the viewing of crying Iraqis, shredded body parts, and anti-US sentiment is neither newsworthy, or relevant.

What was this Putz Thinking?

Legal, illegal, I have no idea, or should I say, whether or not what Sandy Berger took was important, I have no idea. But that doesn't make him any less of a moron.

I guess they'll investigate this guy, and if anything matters, we'll hear about it.

Berger inadvertently took copies of several versions of an after-action memo on the millennium bombing plot from the Archives last fall, said his attorney Lanny Breuer. The lawyer said one or more of the copies were then inadvertently discarded...

Berger discovered several versions of the classified memo in a leather portfolio he had taken to the Archives, his attorney said. He returned them and papers on which he had taken notes about materials he had reviewed. Those notes, Breuer said, were not supposed to have been removed from the Archives without review by employees there. Berger's actions, said Breuer, were the result of "sloppiness" and were unintentional...

One or more missing versions of the 15-page memo could not be located among Berger's possessions, and he thinks he probably discarded the papers, Breuer said.

The missing copies, according to Breuer and their author, Richard A. Clarke, the counterterrorism chief in the Clinton administration and early in President Bush's administration, were versions of after-action reports recommending changes following threats of terrorism as 1999 turned to 2000. Clarke said he prepared about two dozen ideas for countering terrorist threats. The recommendations were circulated among Cabinet agencies, and various versions of the memo contained additions and refinements, Clarke said last night.

Breuer said that Clarke had prepared a "tough review" and that the document was something of a critical assessment of what agencies did well and what they failed to do in the face of the millennium threat.

Clarke said it is illogical to assume Berger would have sought to hide versions of the memo, because "everybody in town had copies of these things." He said he could not recall most of the recommendations, but one that he did remember -- having FBI field offices send wiretap material to Washington for translation instead of translating it locally -- still has not been accomplished

I can't figure out what this guy was thinking if this info was public. Was it truly a mistake? Was it for his own notes so he could defend Clinton down the line? Who knows?

Naderade

Obviously, Nader is a douche bag, and of course, I expect nothing less from Republicans who are truly dishonest at their core, as long as the means justify the ends.

The ridiculous thing is there's a host of people in Michigan, and other states, that find these tactics legitimate. I met a complete moron at the Fourth of July fireworks celebration, and I mentioned this tactic. He responded, more or less, with, "Well, that's just politics...they both do it..." Reality, they don't both do it. Republicans do it. Republicans do Willie Horton. Republicans do Harvey Gant. Republicans do the John McCain. Republicans do it, and democrats are inherently less evil, unfortunately for them. Hence, why I could probably never work for them, I'm sorta evil too.

Anyone surprised? It's devious, and clearly a ploy to not have their weak-ass candidate face a strong opponent, mono y mono (i did it for the bushlover! there's a whole other story here!).

They'll take any help they can get to ensure that their Jesus gets four more years to defeat Allah. It's a Holy War, BITCHES!

Must See TV

This is the interview between Carole Coleman and Dumbya.

UNREAL! MUST WATCH TV!

"Nobody cares more about the deaths than I do..."

Uh huh.

He's like a child who just lies without knowing it.

Ron Burgundy is Real!

Frank Rich's NYTIMES Sunday column has become must read material.

Arnie

Schwarzenegger calls Dems "girlie men." It's really pretty comical. I think the better story is how fake he sounds when he starts talking about trial lawyers, and unions. It really is funny stuff.

I mean, sure the comment is sexist, but what do you expect from a guy who spent a career doing steroids and taking free feels at womens' breasts and vaginas? Well, I expect him to become a Republican, and I expect the party to support him, of course. The motto should be "We Don't Care, As Long as We Win!"

Personally, I don't give a flying fuck about that stuff. I think it's great that he's speaking on night one of the convention. He's an embarrassment.

You can view it here.

More Iraq Lies...

Atrios points out this time it's just Tony who is concerned about Iraqi mass graves. I'm sure we can find Bush referencing the graves once or twice.

There are certainly mass graves, and Saddam is the scum of the Earth, but for years human rights groups have been pointing this out, and these issues have been consistently ignored by people who aren't "nation builders." But when it became politically convenient to start referencing these mass graves, well, then you heard Dumbya talking it up.

I would pay money to have a reporter ask him where Saddam got the weapons to kill all those people! But then again, one would have to actually give press conferences in order to field questions.

Iran, Not Iraq

Apparently, Al Qaeda was in Iran, and practically every other country BUT Iraq.

Ali G really summed up the difference:

YOUNG MAN: Isn't there a real danger that someone give a message over the radio to one of them fighter pilots, saying, `Bomb Ira---' and the geezer doesn't heard it properly and bombs Iran instead of Iraq?

MR. BAKER: No danger.

YOUNG MAN: How does you make countries do stuff you want?

MR. BAKER: Well, the way you deal with countries on foreign policy issues . . . is you deal with carrots and sticks.

YOUNG MAN: But what country is gonna want carrots, even if it's like a million tons of carrots that you're giving over there ---

Right now I'm sure Iraqis would prefer our carrots than our armed forces. Jokes aside, those who have Nukes, they don't get attacked, those that don't do. Hence, another reason to be skeptical about WMD in Iraq from Day 1. If you think for a second that Iraq is not the equivalent to Alderan, than you are blind. The gist of that story was when Darth Vader blew up the planet to show the rest of the galaxy "the power of this Death Star." Iraq was just an example for the rest of the nations.

John Kerry is Not Al Gore

Kerry is setting up legal network to avoid Florida redux. Sad that we even have to do something like this.

Last week's story involving Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida is mind boggling if you read through what went down according to this story.

Kerry's a bad ass, and we haven't seen it yet. He won't let these scumbags shelve democracy twice:

"A million African-Americans disenfranchised in the last election," he said at the N.A.A.C.P. convention in Philadelphia on Thursday. "Well, we're not just going to sit there and wait for it to happen. On Election Day in your cities, my campaign will provide teams of election observers and lawyers to monitor elections, and we will enforce the law."

Bush was going to respond, but having never been to the N.A.A.C.P. convention, he was unable. Still trying to figure out where Harlem is.

Old Europe

9/11 conspirator to possibly walk because of our torture methods:

German prosecutors are preparing to drop all the most serious charges against the only man convicted for the 11 September attacks, because they fear that crucial American evidence was obtained by torturing detainees.

Apparently they like using Old Rules, the ones that we used to use.

Kris Benson's Wife

A source (laugh) has told me that many major league teams are staying away from acquiring him because of the website.

Uh-raq

Things are going well. Truck bombs. Sadr's newspaper re-opens. US gets "ok" to bomb Fallujah.

We used to talk about something called an "exit strategy."

Pay Not Keeping Pace

NYTIMES Sunday front pager about wages vs inflation.  Prez will continue to talk of recovery, surely.
 

"There's a bit of a dichotomy," said Ethan S. Harris, chief economist at Lehman Brothers. "Joe Six-Pack is under a lot of pressure. He got a lousy raise; he's paying more for gasoline and milk. He's not doing that great. But proprietors' income is up. Profits are up. Home values are up. Middle-income and upper-income people are looking pretty good."

Yeah, a bit.

The Ever-positive WSJ

Soon to be reporting all of the succesful landings at various airports.

Iraq is doing so well!

For those out there that like to point out all of the good things in Iraq, and there clearly are good things, I'd like to point out that for $200 Billion, or so, there BETTER BE SOME GOOD THINGS!