Because in their America, Bush is the omnipotent and all knowing one

And there is no room for dissent, even if he is getting their kids killed:

Organizer Howard Kaloogian accused Sheehan of "giving hope and encouragement to our enemies."

The crowd, which organizers said topped 3,000 but appeared closer to 1,500, chanted "Cindy, Go Home" and compared her to Jane Fonda, whose visit to a North Vietnamese gun site in 1972 earned her the nickname "Hanoi Jane."

In one heated moment, members of the pro-Bush crowd turned on what they mistakenly thought were a group of anti-war protesters, cursing them, threatening them and tearing down their signs. A police officer rushed the group to safety.

And their leader, Howard Kaloogian, is a long-time right wing activist from California. He was a leader in the effort to recall Gray Davis. Another cog in the right wing machine. Read More......

Saturday Night Open Thread

Have it your way. Read More......

Oops

Washington Post editorial

Mr. Bush breezily praised the constitutional process as if it were the antithesis of the military conflict, rather than a political expression of the same Iraqi power struggle. He boasted that Iraq will have a constitution that "honors women's rights" and "the rights of minorities" even though the prevailing draft raises serious questions about both.

In fact, depending on the future balance of power in the Iraqi parliament, the constitution as it stood late this week could allow the emergence of a Shiite mini-state in Iraq's south closely allied to Iran, with de facto rule by clerics and a continuation of the oppression of women and non-Shiites already widely reported in the region. American military defense of such an entity would be hard to justify.

Hat tip to DailyKos Read More......

More Bush Lies Coming Home To Roost

One of the nastiest traits of Bush and his cronies is cynically using the death and/or capture of brave American soldiers for partisan political purposes -- and they don't care if it means lying to the soldier's family and friends to do it. They did it with Jessica Lynch and they did it again with Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former pro football player who died from friendly fire. The military lied about that to his family and the country to encourage support for Bush's unnecessary war and push recruitment. An Army investigation determined they knew within days how Tillman died but kept it a secret and shredded evidence. Still, no coverup here. Really? The Pentagon is now investigating that investigation. Don't you hate it when facts keep coming out? Read More......

Now he's telling us Iraq will involve sacrifice

Over three years since the build up to Iraq began, two and a half years into the mess, and well over two years since he said major conflict has ended, Bush used today's radio address to tell Americans the conflict will require sacrifice. Here's why:

Mr Bush's message was part of renewed push to counter critics of his Iraq war policy and boost his standing in the polls.

The latest Gallup survey showed that just two in five Americans approved of the job he was doing while 56 per cent disapproved of his performance.

Compared to other post-World War II presidents at this point in their second term, only Richard Nixon had a lower job approval rating and he was in the midst of the Watergate scandal, Gallup said. The others were all above 50 per cent.

Read More......

Open threads and butterfly bushes

Who knew those supposed "butterfly bushes" they sell at the garden store actually work. The neighbor here in Chicago has one, it's full of Monarch butterflies non-stop. I shot a few pics, if any turn out, will post later.

And that is our zen open thread of the morning. Read More......

Venezuela Cracking down on Missionaries

Robertson's threat of assassination has led Venezuela to stop allowing new missionaries into the country:

Venezuela's government has temporarily suspended permits for foreign missionaries after a U.S. televangelist said Washington should assassinate President Hugo Chavez.

The policy announcement came four days after conservative evangelist Pat Robertson said Washington should execute Chavez, a former soldier who often accuses the United States of plotting to kill him.

The chief of the Justice Ministry's religious affairs unit, Carlos Gonzalez, said Friday authorization of permits for missionaries would be curbed while the government tightened regulations on preachers inside Venezuela.

President Chavez draped Robertson around the neck of George Bush. He knows how close those right wingers are to Bush:

The Venezuelan president said Friday President Bush would be to blame if anything happened to him after the comments by Robertson.

"He was expressing the wishes of the U.S. elite ... If anything happens to me then the man responsible will be George W. Bush. He will be the assassin," Chavez said at a public event. "This is pure terrorism."

As we all know too well, Bush and company have been goading and challenging the world on terrorism for four years now. Terrorism is apparently in the eye of the beholder. Read More......

Dowd: Bush has "jumped the couch"

Brilliant:

W. has jumped the couch.

Not fallen off the couch, as he did when he choked on that pretzel.

Jumped it.

According to UrbanDictionary.com, "jump the couch" has now become slang for "a defining moment when you know someone has gone off the deep end. Inspired by Tom Cruise's recent behavior on 'Oprah.' Also see 'jump the shark.' "

Read More......

Saturday Morning Open Thread

Where do we begin? Read More......

Cindy Sheehan is about to go boom

I just watched Cindy Sheehan on Bill Maher. When Maher asked her jokingly that if she didn't get satisfaction from George Bush, would she go over his head to Cheney or Rumsfeld, she replied:

"You know what Bill, I have gone over his head, I've gone to the American people. And we employ him, he's our employee."

She has found her voice, and I gotta say, she's got a great voice. She's quick, she's smart, and I think that she's going to be a great face for the American people's growing frustration with the war.

Seeing Cindy tonight, I saw an average American speak in her own voice, and having it heard. And it's resonating. I predict that we've seen just the beginning of Cindy Sheehan. Read More......

Shites, Kurds reject Sunnis (and Bush)

So the Constitutional process is falling apart. Good thing Bush personally intervened and put the prestige of his office on the line to save it:

The decision to move forward was a heavy blow for the Bush administration, which had expended enormous energy and political capital to forge a constitution that included the Sunnis. On Thursday, in a last-ditch effort to get a deal, President Bush telephoned Abdul Aziz Hakim, a cleric and the leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, to press him to offer a more palatable compromise to the Sunnis.

Read More......

Ok, who took my Sci-Fi Friday away?

I am not a happy Atlantian this evening. I'm in Chicago and, just like several of you had emailed me about, the Sci-Fi channel now appears to be a DIGITAL cable channel in Chicago (and so is HBO now). So both are now gone from the boob tube I always watch when in this fair city I'm from.

Not a happy camper indeed. Read More......

Desire V Duty On Supreme Court

Linda Greenhouse of the NYT (who gets to cover the Supreme Court; I'm jealous) has a very good piece on Justice John Paul Stevens, who is unusually candid when he gives lectures. Stevens puts to the lie the far right claims that justices love to impose their will on rulings.

One ruling that many people objected to from the last session was on the right of local govt's to "take" private property. His personal preference was to see "free market forces" do their job, but Stevens saw no way to ignore the law. Many states and the federal government are passing laws to supersede that right and they should prevail in the long run.

The other ruling was on deciding the Federal govt's right to enforce drug laws trumped California's medical marijuana laws. Whiel Stevens absolutely
agreed with the desire of California to let ill people use marijuana to ease their pain, he knew the right of Congress to regulate commerce was too important to let personal feelings hold sway.

So two rulings, one that angered many (especially on the right) and one that angered many on the left. Stevens was sympathetic and even in agreement with the protestors on both issues, but placed the law ahead of his own desires. What better illustration of a good judge doing his duty could one ask for? Judicial activism my ass. Read More......

What would Pat Robertson say?

Just another primate, indeed! Read More......

Iraqi Constitution: Bush Better Beware

Here's a link to a very general outline of the proposed Iraqi Constitution. One section caught my eye and should give Bush pause:

Chapter Two -- Article 35 -- c. All kinds of physical and psychological torture and inhumane treatment are prohibited, and any confession is considered void if it was taken by force, threats and torture. The person who was harmed has the right to ask for compensation for the financial and moral damage he/she suffered.

Apparently, these Iraqis don't have the stomach for fighting terror, the wimps. So as soon as this Constitution is in effect, Bush better get the Iraqis to give US soldiers immunity from the law. You can't expect Bush to defend democracy without using torture, can you? Read More......

A little Friday dog blogging

Enough of the cats. Now it's time for a real pet.

This is my sister's new dog, Carmela (I keep calling her Camilla, shivers...). My sis had to put her other dog to sleep earlier this week, the dog had a heart condition and was really suffering. I was surprised, but glad, that she got another dog. And this little gal is just adorable. I just met her an hour ago, she's 2 months old, half Yorkshire Terrier (I think) and half poodle - they call it a Yorkie-poo, believe it or not. The dog is adorable, small, affectionate, calm, but also can be excitable and have fun too. So far the perfect dog. And cute too :-)

As always, these are my cell phone pics.



This is me tickling Carmela



This is Carmela attacking my dad's gym shoe.



And this is her lord-of-the-jungle pose. Read More......

How Low Can he go?

Gallup Poll has Bush's approval dropping to 40%. Atrios has the details. Read More......

Press as Patsies, Redux

Dan Froomkin writes in his column today about the super special invitation received by the White House Press Corps to have a super secret off-the-record bbq with Bush last night. Froomkin got the inside scoop:

Nevertheless, I'm told that several reporters expressed squeamishness about last night's event, particularly as the press-pool vans drove by antiwar protester Cindy Sheehan's "Camp Casey" site. And later, a small handful watched askance as the rest fawned over Bush, following him around in packs every time he moved.

How disgusting can they can be? Fawning over Bush instead of reporting on him. And, it's worse:

Incidentally, Bush isn't the only one holding off-the-record dinners with reporters this summer. I'm told senior adviser Karl Rove has held several in the last month himself.

Give me a break. Nothing with Rove should be off-the-record. No wonder Rove thinks the media are a bunch of patsies. Read More......

Open Thread

What do you know? Read More......

Robert Novak's Latest Idiocy

John is off to the airport, again, for a family reunion this weekend. He'll be checking back in a few hours when he lands - in the meantime, I thought I'd put a bit more content up to hold you all over. Enjoy.

Novak keeps churning out his column long after he squandered all his credibility serving as a bag man for Rove and Bush. His latest confused rant says that the Dems are playing possum on the John Roberts nomination (if only!)and that they plan to Bork the guy as soon as the hearings begin. Proof positive? Kennedy's "tough guy" sidekick James Flug has returned to his side. Flug was a Kenndy aide in the 60s, worked on his presidential run and worked with Kennedy to focus on and block extreme Republican court nominees from Nixon's days to today. So what do I know? Maybe Flug coming back is a sign Kennedy and the Dems are taking the fight about Roberts very seriously.

Then I read the small print and realized that Flug rejoined Kennedy on Capitol Hill MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO! Yep, his return to Kennedy's staff some two years ago -- long before anyone had heard of Roberts -- clearly indicates they're gunning for him. What a scoop. And what an embarrassment Novak is. Read More......

About Pat Robertson...

A lot of things have annoyed me about the coverage of Pat Robertson's latest unChristian, unAmerican and unbelievable broadside -- this one calling for the assassination of Venezuela's leader. First, as Jon Stewart so nimbly demonstrated, Robertson is an esteemed, beloved figure on the Republican side. They use him to raise money and get votes and generally treat him like a major figure. He is NOT the wacky uncle that everyone ignores. And when Robertson tosses off one of these vicious and wacky comments, Bush and most far right "Christian" groups can't even bring themselves to denounce cold-blooded murder.

But the part that annoyed me the most? Almost none of the coverage made clear that Chavez is the democratically elected leader of his country. Bush encouraged a military coup -- which overthrew Chavez's government -- and then gave the thumbs up to the junta that wanted to replace him. Only a stirring demonstration of people power forced the military to back down (much to Bush's chagrin) and Chavez was put back in place. He's since won reelection under a vote that was less contested than Bush's two paths to glory in 2000 and 2004. How can anyone call Chavez a critic of Bush and then fail to point out that Bush encouraged his overthrow? Especially since this proves Bush is lying when he claims to be spreading democracy. You can't support democracy just when it suits you -- as Bush has done his entire presidency.

And yet even middle of the road USA Today referred to Chavez as a "populist strongman." He is NOT a strongman (whatever you think of his pronouncements or policies). Chavez is the democratically elected leader of Venezuela and sits on one of the world's largest supplies of oil -- and Bush wanted him overthrown. He has every reason to distrust and dislike Bush, as does any Venezuelan who believes in democracy and the sovereign rights of nations to be left alone. Read More......

Conservative court upholds $500,000 penalty against USA Next (Bush's social security surrogates)

You remember USA Next? Bush's surrogates who were/are supporting his social security privatization scheme. They're also the folks now fighting a $25m lawsuit from a gay couple whose photo they stole and used without permission in a nationwide ad campaign comparing gay marriage to hating our troops.

Well, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit - one of the most conservative courts in this country - just upheld a $500,000 penalty against USA Next on a different matter in which USA Next sent a misleading mailing to seniors that made it look like the mailing was from Social Security. It seems USA Next has a habit of presenting misleading, illegal advertising and yet another Court has called them on it -- this time, a conservative appeals Court.

With friends like these, Mr. Bush...

You can read the court opinion here. Read More......

Morning open thread

Sci-Fi Friday and Orchid blogging. Mmmmmm..... Read More......

Bush personally intervening in Iraq Constitution

Damn, he is getting desperate. Having Bush directly working on the Iraqi constitution is really going to give that document cred:

Talks over the Iraqi constitution reached a breaking point on Thursday, with a parliamentary session to present the document being canceled and President Bush personally calling one of the country's most powerful Shiite leaders in an effort to broker a last-minute deal.

Mr. Bush intervened when some senior Shiite leaders said they had decided to bypass their Sunni counterparts, as well as Iraqi lawmakers, and send the document directly to Iraqi voters for their approval.

Probably just wants to make sure they ban same sex marriage. Read More......

Bedtime open thread

Off to bed for me. Chat away. Read More......

Pat Boone says Cindy Sheehan is a pot smoker

I am so not kidding.

My favorite part of what Boone had to say was how Cindy and the other anti-Bush protesters are the same people who were protesting against Vietnam (gee, smelling a Swift Boat-style attack here against Cindy Sheehan?). I assume Boone means we now know that the Vietnam protesters were wrong and that the Vietnam war was really a great idea that went spectacularly well.

Yes, Iraq war supporters believe Vietnam is the model for success.

Why does George Bush hate grieving mothers? Read More......

Bush trying to weaken UN language about climate change and helping the poor

Ok folks, it's time the rest of the world stood up and flipped the US the finger. Please, help us. 50% of us can't stand this man, please stand up to him, tell him you're not going to let him destroy the planet and leave people to starve.

This article is simply disgusting. The rest of the world could stand up to Bush and make a stink, finally, about his irrational and dangerous policies. Read More......

Time for another open thread

So, in a week or two, the blogosphere should be fully back from vacation. Wondering what the big issue will be - Rove, Iraq... Read More......

Iraqi Constitution Misses Latest Deadline; Situation Growing Dire

The NYT says negotiations are reaching a "breaking point" and Sunnis threatening to tell their people to reject it in October. (What do they call what they've been doing?) It doesn't look good right now.... Read More......

Lead gay rights groups oppose John Roberts

From HRC, NGLTF, NCLR and PFLAG:

WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Lesbian Rights and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays put out a united statement today to announce opposition to John G. Roberts' nomination to the Supreme Court...

Read More......

How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None.

Nothing is wrong with the light bulb; its conditions are improving every day.

Any reports of its lack of incandescence are a delusional spin from the liberal media.

That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect.

Why do you hate freedom?

(Just something cute someone emailed me)

I just got emailed an updated, and better, version from Stephen:

How many Bush administration officials does it take to change a light
bulb?

1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be changed;

2. One to attack the patriotism of anyone who says the light bulb needs
to be changed;

3. One to blame Clinton for burning out the light bulb;

4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret
stockpile of light bulbs;

5. One to give a billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the
new light bulb;

6. One to arrange a photograph of Bush, dressed as a janitor,
standing on a step ladder under the banner: Light Bulb Change Accomplished;

7. One administration insider to resign and write a book documenting
in detail how Bush was literally in the dark;

8. One to viciously smear #7;

9. One surrogate to campaign on TV and at rallies on how George Bush
has had a strong light-bulb-changing policy all along;

10. And finally one to confuse Americans about the difference between
screwing a light bulb and screwing the country.

Read More......

Iraq Just Like America in 1776...Not

The only thing Bush changes more than his excuse for invading Iraq is what he compares this unnecessary war to in order to make it seem noble. Bush and his supporters have compared the conflict to World War II, World War I, the Revolutionary War and just about anything else you can think of except Vietnam. Now they're comparing the writing of the constitution of Iraq to America's own Constitutional process. As Bill Maher said on his Friday show, give me a break: for one thing, Alexander Hamilton's people weren't responsible for the genocidal killing of tens of thousands of Benjamin Franklin's people. For another, the writing of the Constitution wasn't interrupted by violence like this in Iraq:

In violence today, armed insurgents locked a family of seven in a single room in Khadra, western Baghdad, placed explosives throughout the house, and then exploded them. Two women and five men were killed in the blasts, an Interior Ministry official said.

Two roadside bombs blew up as an armed convoy used by President Talabani was traveling south of Kirkuk to Baghdad, the local police said. Insurgents then opened fire, killing two bodyguards and wounding six, Brig. Sarhad Qadir of the Kirkuk police said.

Oh and in a very related event, 36 more bodies of men were found naked and slaughtered on a border town near Iran. No civil war to see here, keep moving. Read More......

McCain wants to teach fables as science, too

Shouldn't be a huge surprise, but McCain wants to the teaching of Bible stories as science in classrooms:

McCain told the Star that, like Bush, he believes "all points of view" should be available to students studying the origins of mankind.

The theory of intelligent design says life is too complex to have developed through evolution, and that a higher power must have had a hand in guiding it.

Read More......

Open thread

Really really really considering a nap... Read More......

Does new UK anti-terror law require deportation of UK and US religious right leaders?

Sure sounds like it, this should be fun.

Next time Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, or anyone working for the religious right visits the UK, I want to see our loyal British readers petition their government to have these people deported for fostering hate in violation of anti-terror laws. In fact, you can petition your government right now to put these people on an official watch list:

Clarke also said a "database of individuals around the world who have demonstrated these unacceptable behaviors will be developed" and made available to immigration officers monitoring those entering Britain. He did not specify who would compile the list or how extensive it might be.

More on this story here:

The British government will deport and ban people who "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence," the country's top law enforcement official announced Wednesday.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke outlined the new policy, the most detailed explanation to date of proposals announced this month by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Clarke said a list of "unacceptable behaviors" includes the use of Web sites, writing, preaching, publishing or distributing materials that "seek to provoke others to terrorist acts" or "foster hatred."

"Individuals who seek to create fear, distrust and division in order to stir up terrorist activity will not be tolerated by the government or by our communities," Clarke said.

Well this should be easy. Pat Robertson has called for the State Dept to be nuked and for the assassination of a foreign head of state, and let's not forget his thinly-veiled threats against 3 sitting US Supreme Court justices. As for fostering hatred, there is ample evidence to convict Britain's and America's religious right of that.

They wanted a war on terror, let's give them one. They wanted a government that throws citizens in jail with no due process, let's give them one. They want to live in a society where anyone can be imprisoned simply because of their minority views, let's give them one. Read More......

TIME magazine tried to influence the 2004 election to Bush's favor

Bastards. What is this, Star Trek or something? The Prime Directive doesn't let TIME magazine do its job if that job will affect the world around us?

So TIME is now saying its purpose in life is NEVER to do ANYTHING that might influence US politics. I guess that means TIME can shut down its politics division, no more writers or editors needed for that.

Read what E&P found in today's LA Times story that Michael cites in the post below:

The article details conversations involving Karl Rover, “Scooter” Libby, Matt Cooper and Robert Novak. But near its conclusion it raises an emerging issue, promoted by Michael Wolff of Vanity Fair, among others: If Time magazine had gone public about Rove’s conversations with Cooper it might have had some impact on the Bush-Kerry race for the White House last year.

Not until this summer did Cooper ask Rove for a waiver to talk to the grand jury, and ultimately the public, about their conversation. The L.A. Times article today notes that he did not do this before “because his lawyer advised against it.” But the reporters add that in addition “Time editors were concerned about becoming part of such an explosive story in an election year.”

The story concludes: "The result was that Cooper's testimony was delayed nearly a year, well after Bush's reelection.”

This is a point that, as E&P notes, Vanity Fair makes in its current issue. The mainstream media was complicit in hiding this story for two years from the American people. And we now find out that TIME intentionally influenced a US election as a result.

It's one thing for TIME to do its job and ignore the effects of its reporting and overall work on US elections, it's quite another for TIME to make decisions BASED ON whether they'll influence US elections. That's about as journalistically unethical as it comes, and makes TIME no better than FOX News. Read More......

RoveGate: The Cliff Notes

Here's your chance to catch up on RoveGate, the outing of a CIA agent by the White House during a time of war and Bush's lies to the American people. The LA Times tells it all in this doozy, from Cheney's simmering disdain for the CIA to Powell's desperate attempts to make sure his UN speech wasn't filled with hearsay (close, but no cigar). It's a great primer. (I only took issue with the wording of one sentence.) And the sweetest info comes at the very end:

Individuals close to the case say that Fitzgerald is likely to wrap up his inquiry this fall.

Read More......

Open thread

Just got up. Coffee headache in full swing (it is 4pm in Paris, after all). Off on a search and destroy mission for a major cup of Joe. Read More......

No News Here, Just keep moving

Just heard the promo from Matt Lauer on our local news about the Today show this morning. Okay, here it is: a look inside the jail in Aruba where that kid is being held; an update on Olivia Newton-John's missing boyfriend; and what life is like on Death Row for Scott Petersen. Wow. A major news trifecta.

Who says the MSM doesn't cover real news? Read More......

Cindy is back in Crawford

She's returned to Crawford. Interesting that Bush and the White House had to make major travel and logisticial arrangements so he could travel to Utah and Idaho basically just to bad-mouth Cindy Sheehan. All he has to do is walk down the road and he could talk to her face to face. Instead, he uses the bully pulpit of his failing presidency to beat up on a mother who lost his son because of his lies. What a wuss. He keeps telling us about how much nerve he has. Not enough to talk to Cindy Sheehan. It's really creepy that he has gone to such lengths to trash the woman. Major presidential speeches in the reddest of red states. Amazing, but not surprising that the MSM lets him get away with this crap. Read More......

Late Night Open Thread

Get us through the night Read More......

Get your bullshit detector here

Oh, this is really good. This might just be a must-wear for any GOP appearance in the future. (Hat tip to DailyKos) Read More......

RoveGate: Bush's Watergate Ready To Blow?

A good broadside at Karl Rove and Scooter and Cheney from Republican and Reagan official Tom Pauken. (Thanks to readers justme and the truth for pointing us to this.) He says it comes down to those forged documents pretending Hussein was trying to get uranium in Niger.

The worst possible scenario for the administration would be if it turns out that the Niger documents in question (which all now agree were forged) were fabricated by individuals who may have had a motive for getting us into the war. Shadowy figures previously linked to the Iran-Contra scandal have been mentioned as possible originators of the forged documents. If there is any truth to these charges, the lid will blow off Washington Â? and the Bush administration will be history.

Read More......

My latest Radar column: Bush dials 9/11, again

From Radar:

Welcome to my September 11 flashback.

Like many others who witnessed the attacks four years ago (I watched the Pentagon burn from my DC apartment), the experience left me particularly susceptible to being unnerved by loud noises. I thought I had long gotten over my minibout of post-traumatic stress disorder, but the other night, at the fashionable Paris bistro La Coupole, there was an explosion of breaking dishes just a few feet from my table. As my French date chattered on obliviously, my brain began to numb, the booth closed in around me, and I fought an overwhelming urge to run outside. But being an intrepid traveler on a hot date, I manfully chose to grin and bear it. Within seconds I had broken into a torrent of tears.

At least George Bush’s summer vacation hasn’t been much better.

The president’s record-breaking five-week sabbatical (are we sure he isn’t French?) has been rudely interrupted by the specter of war and terror in the form of a single mourning mother, Cindy Sheehan. Sheehan’s son Casey, 24, was killed last year in Iraq. Mama bear is pissed, blames Bush for her cub’s death, and is taking no prisoners....

Read More......

Open thread

My neighborhood isn't quite Montparnasse. Read More......

The American Legion will take "whatever means necessary" to stop anti-war protesters

Sounds like a terrorist threat to me.

The American Legion members who decided to adopt this new fascist policy ought to be arrested right now under the Patriot Act and sent to Gitmo, along with Pat Robertson, where they can all enjoy two kinds of fruit and the very form of un-Democratic system of totalitarian government they're all now embracing.

So is there a Republican left in our country who doesn't embrace fascism? I mean, what are we fighting for anyway? The right to turn this country into a state where none of the very freedoms the American Legion vets supposedly fought for are any longer respected?

The American Legion ought to be ashamed of itself for embracing the language and policies of the very dictators so much American blood has been spilt trying to fight over the years. And the White House ought to be ashamed of itself for embracing un-American thugs who are no better at their core than the enemy we face abroad.

I'll put my patriotism up against some American Legion Stalinist any day.

"The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," Thomas Cadmus, national commander, told delegates at the group's national convention in Honolulu.

The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."

Mr. Cadmus' email address: natlcmdr@legion.org Read More......

More of the same from W

More misleading yadda, yadda, yadda, but no real plan:

Bush, whose Iraq policy is under mounting criticism from the public and even some members of his own party, again rejected calls to set a deadline for a withdrawal of troops, saying, ``We're achieving our strategic objectives in Iraq.''

``We will stay on the offense,'' Bush said. ``We will complete our work in Iraq and Afghanistan. An immediate withdrawal from Iraq or the greater Middle East, as some have called for, would only embolden the terrorists and create a staging ground for terrorism.''

Mislead and overstate. That seems to be the policy. Does anyone know what the "strategic objectives" we are achieving in Iraq? An Islam based government? Daily carnage?

And embolden the terrorists? They seem pretty fricking emboldened now. And, Iraq has become their staging ground already. Nice job. Read More......

I'm baaaaaack

Just got home. My Air France flight was, as usual, great. Delicious food, and great service, even in economy. I vowed years ago to never fly a US carrier abroad ever again until they clean their act up, and I'm doing all I can to stick to that promise. They stink. I had the misfortune of flying Delta, business class no less, my last flight back from France a few months ago. What an atrocious experience - disgusting food, I couldn't even finish the pasta surprise they gave us, downright rude flight attendants, and more. And this was business class (paid for by a client). US carriers think you're doing them a favor by crowding into their cramped, obnoxious airlines - well, guess what, that favor is over. Perhaps it's time a few carriers finally moved on to greener pastures. And in the meantime, there's always Air France.

Speaking of nice French people, it's actually amazing to me how NICE the French were over this entire trip. From salespeople, to strangers in stores, to the security people at the airport, they were a hell of a lot nicer than Washingtonians. Yes, it helps if you speak French, but some of my friends don't speak French and with a smile and a "pardon" they were given the red carpet treatment.

I also found out from US Customs an hour ago, just FYI, that you CAN bring back fresh croissants and baguettes from France without a problem. While baguettes get stale pretty quick, next time I am SO bringing a box of pain au chocolat aux amandes!

Ok, more unpacking to do. I'll check back in a bit. Read More......

WaPo: Iraqi Constitution Looking Bleak

Even the tub-thumping, we love war, one-time freedom march sponsoring Washington Post admits that the news on the constitution is grim coming out of Iraq. The proposed constitution could cut back on rights for women, give Islam too much power and worst of all push the Sunnis into a desperate corner.

In short, what some Shiite and Kurd leaders are calling federalism looks dangerously like a recipe for partition or civil war. Perhaps the intractable insurgency has convinced these Iraqis that they must amputate and starve the Sunni heartland. Yet as American soldiers do most of the fighting against the Sunni insurgents, that solution would be disastrous for the U.S. mission and Western security more generally.

Read More......

First Pat Robertson Calls For Assassination, Then He Lies About It

Pat Robertson has lost his mind. Again. Everyone in the world saw the clip of Robertson calling for the assassination of a democratically elected leader of Venezuela. Some White House officials mildly distanced themselves from it (though Bush said nothing and groups like Focus on the Family stayed mum). Now Robertson is lying and even Fox News is calling him on it.

"I didn't say 'assassination,'" clarified Robertson during a broadcast of his "The 700 Club" Wednesday morning. "I said our special forces should go 'take him out,' and 'take him out' could be a number of things, including kidnapping."

He blamed The Associated Press for making him seem to advocate the assassination of a foreign leader.

"There are a number of ways to take out a dictator from power besides killing him," Robertson said. "I was misinterpreted by the AP, but that happens all the time."

However, during the original "700 Club" broadcast Monday night, Robertson clearly mentioned assassination.

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we are trying to assassinate him, we should go ahead and do it," Robertson said Monday.

Pat Robertson: unholy, sinful and a big fat liar. Read More......

Open Thread

Discuss. Read More......

Lives Of Women Endangered By Politicians

A study in the Journal of the AMA determined after looking at hundreds of scientific papers that a fetus up to 29 weeks is unlikely to feel pain and there's no need for anesthesia during abortions. Laws in numerous states are demanding that anesthesia -- one of the most dangerous and difficult of procedures -- be administered anyway. Two thoughts:

1. This is just like the "debate" over evolution. There is no scientific evidence for creationism but they insist the mountains of evidence for evolution are "incomplete." There is no evidence anesthesia is necessary during this procedure but the far right will insist the mountains of evidence saying it's not needed is "incomplete."
2. This is not about abortion. Anesthesia is very tricky to administer and can endanger lives. Politicians are endangering the lives of women unnecessarily and without any medical evidence to back them up. They will literally be killing women to make a political point. Whatever you think about abortion or any ethical issue, dangerous and unnecessary medical procedures should be administered only on the advice of a doctor and because sound medical evidence says it's needed, not because some politician wants to score points. Read More......

Gary Hart Blasts Dems For Timidity

In today's Washington Post, Gary Hart blasts the war and the Dems who supported it and are afraid to say they made a mistake:

History will deal with George W. Bush and the neoconservatives who misled a mighty nation into a flawed war that is draining the finest military in the world, diverting Guard and reserve forces that should be on the front line of homeland defense, shredding international alliances that prevailed in two world wars and the Cold War, accumulating staggering deficits, misdirecting revenue from education to rebuilding Iraqi buildings we've blown up, and weakening America's national security.

But what will history say about an opposition party that stands silent while all this goes on?... In their leaders, the American people look for strength, determination and self-confidence, but they also look for courage, wisdom, judgment and, in times of moral crisis, the willingness to say: "I was wrong."

To stay silent during such a crisis, and particularly to harbor the thought that the administration's misfortune is the Democrats' fortune, is cowardly....

The real defeatists today are not those protesting the war. The real defeatists are those in power and their silent supporters in the opposition party who are reduced to repeating "Stay the course" even when the course, whatever it now is, is light years away from the one originally undertaken. The truth is we're way off course.

Read More......

Bush Hates Facts -- Example #2743

The Bureau of Justice Statistics compiled a report that would surprise no one -- certainly not minorities. Blacks, Hispanics and whites are all stopped by traffic cops at about the same rate, but blacks and Hispanics are 2 to 3 times as likely to have their car searched, get a ticket, be threatened with force and so on.

Of course, Bush hates facts so the head of the dept. Lawrence Greenfeld was pushed to make changes and downplay this news on racial profiling in a press release. He refused, was threatened with being fired and losing benefits and was finally demoted. What else is new with Bush? Tell the truth, do your job -- get punished.

Mr. Greenfeld refused to delete the racial references, arguing to his supervisors that the omissions would make the public announcement incomplete and misleading. Instead, the Justice Department opted not to issue a news release on the findings and posted the report online.

Some statisticians said that decision all but assured the report would get lost amid the avalanche of studies issued by the government. A computer search of news articles found no mentions of the study.

And the official who pushed him to delete that info? She got a promotion. Read More......

Open Thread

What else? Read More......

Dowd on W's "twisted logic"

Scarily true:

For political reasons, the president has a history of silence on America's war dead. But he finally mentioned them on Monday because it became politically useful to use them as a rationale for war - now that all the other rationales have gone up in smoke.

"We owe them something," he told veterans in Salt Lake City (even though his administration tried to shortchange the veterans agency by $1.5 billion). "We will finish the task that they gave their lives for."

What twisted logic: with no W.M.D., no link to 9/11 and no democracy, now we have to keep killing people and have our kids killed because so many of our kids have been killed already? Talk about a vicious circle: the killing keeps justifying itself.

Read More......

Bush takes on Cindy

Interrupting his vacation and his little jaunt to Idaho, Bush addressed Cindy Sheehan directly:

President Bush, confronted by antiwar protesters on his travels, Tuesday renewed his refusal to meet with high-profile activist Cindy Sheehan, asserting that she does not speak for the majority of families who have lost relatives in combat.

Bush dismissed demands from Sheehan and others to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq. "I think immediate withdrawal from Iraq would be a mistake," he said. "I think those who advocate immediate withdrawal from not only Iraq but the Middle East are advocating a policy that would weaken the United States."

Think about that. Not so much what the bonehead said, but the fact that Bush is now having to deal with Cindy.

She's under his skin...and ruined his vacation. Read More......

Heading to the airport in Paris

Ugh. It's 7am here. Heading out in a few minutes. Back in DC early this afternoon. Chat with you all then. Man I'm gonna miss this place. Read More......

Why Bush Can't Meet With Cindy Sheehan

USA Today's DeWayne Wickham details the endless apologies for lies and deception that Bush would have to confess. Heck, even the sports page of USA Today has a devastating critique of Bush on Iraq. Is the tide turning? When will the MSM catch up? Read More......

Repairing America's Image Abroad

Bush's buddy Karen P. Hughes is finally ready to start improving our country's image overseas. Gee, not a moment too soon. Here are a few thoughts for her:

***Don't torture prisoners and undermine everything this country stands for -- doing so mocks the values that used to represent a beacon of hope to people around the world.

***When prisoners are tortured, punish the officials in charge; don't give them medals.

***Don't launch illegal wars that are unjustified by the facts, by international law and by common sense.

***Don't cozy up to cruel monarchies that fund extremism like Saudi Arabia. Don't cozy up to Pakistan, a military dictatorship that is the world's biggest supplier of WMD material and know-how to rogue states and terrorist groups. When you do, no one will believe you truly support democracy.

***Don't encourage military coups in Venezuela and then turn around and cynically claim that country's democratically elected leader is a threat to democracy in South America.

Any other suggestions for Karen? Read More......

Open Thread

Just saw Grizzly Man...very good...very intense. Read More......

School Lunches: The Fight Over Fatty Foods

The long, LONG overdue fight over the junk food available in school cafeterias is heating up, as USA Today shows. The junk food industry of course tries to fob off new "policies" as improvements to keep real change from happening. One change they suggested: offering "sports drinks" (which are loaded down with high fructose corn syrup just like soda) as an option. But kids sitting on their ass in class don't need "sports drinks," as one critic pointed out. Healthy, tasty lunch menus -- no, that doesn't include greasy fries and pizza -- can easily be provided once schools break the chain of those awful food service providers and the bribes from Coke and Pepsi to stock their wares. Schools should ban ALL drinks with high fructose corn syrup, offer 100% juice and water, fresh fruit and vegetables, well-balanced meals and re-institute gym class. Or kids will continue to get fatter and fatter and fatter. Read More......

Limbaugh Distances Himself From Limbaugh

Who can blame him? Keith Olbermann has the goods on Limbaugh trying to back off incendiary comments he made about Cindy Sheehan. Gotta love Olbermann. (Thanks to reader pdx for pointing us to this.) Read More......

Bush, Rumsfeld and the MSM Hate Most Americans

John posted below how Bush hates all Americans who oppose his Iraq war and considers them supporters of terrorist.

Today, Think Progress informs us that Rumsfeld thinks Iraq War opponents are Stalinists.

Now David Sirota points out that the MSM, starting with that nasty Norah O'Donnell on NBC, also hate Americans who oppose the war.

Funny thing, most Americans have turned against the Bush Iraq policy, despite the best efforts of the White House, the Pentagon and the MSM. So, neither Bush, nor the MSM which has carried Bush's water all these years, control real Americans on this issue. The American people are way ahead of the politicians and pundits on the war. Read More......

John Thune, who got elected with help from Jeff Gannon, is in trouble

Kos has the details. But Jimmy Jeff's Senator's star is fading fast. When you are a Republican Senator who can't deliver for your constituents despite having a Republican President and a Republican Congress, you basically suck. Read More......

Republican: SCOTUS Nominee Roberts Needs To Reject Past

Yep, Bush is refusing to offer relevant documents from the career of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts to the Senate. Why would anyone want to know details of someone's career before giving them a lifetime appointment? Are the Dems really rolling over on this one? Americans won't think you're obstructionist if you stand on principle and list the other nominees who've provided similar information. Americans won't think you're obstructionist when you list all the pillars of our society that Roberts opposes based on the records we do have. Heck, even Republicans admit the info that did slip out is damaging.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a staunch supporter of the president's judicial nominees, acknowledged that some of Roberts' written comments will elicit "some tough questions" from the committee. But he added: "These are comments made a long time ago. I suspect, like most of us, that with additional life experience, his views have matured."

So according to even Republicans, John Roberts needs to reject stances he's made in the past. When do you draw a line in the sand? If it's not for someone who lied about their links to the Federalists, forgot about being a lobbyist, someone who thought the Reagan Administration was too LIBERAL, someone who repeatedly mocked the idea of women's rights and the fact that they face discrimination, someone who repeatedly showed a disdain for basic rights like the right to vote or the separation of church and state and someone who keeps secret about his work for a number of years in the government, well if you don't draw a line in the sand on him, when do you? Read More......

Bush says that if you disagree with his handling of the war in Iraq, you hate America

Oh, so not kidding. President Stalin has come to an all new low.

From E&P

Meeting briefly with reporters Monday aboard Air Force One, Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman subbing for Scott McClellan, said that President Bush believes that those who want the U.S. to begin to change course in Iraq do not want America to win the overall "war on terror."

Duffy spoke on a day when a surprisingly large antiwar protest met the president during his stay in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he addressed a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention.

Speaking to reporters, Duffy said that Bush "can understand that people don't share his view that we must win the war on terror, and we cannot retreat and cut and run from terrorists, but he just has a different view.

Read More......

Open Thread

Gasoline hits $2.61 a gallon. And Bush continues his vacation. Read More......

Another Annoying NYT Article On Intelligent Design

This one talks as if scientists who are religious are an embattled minority who whisper about their faith when no one is listening.

But disdain for religion is far from universal among scientists. And today, as religious groups challenge scientists in arenas as various as evolution in the classroom, AIDS prevention and stem cell research, scientists who embrace religion are beginning to speak out about their faith.

So evolution versus creationism/ID is NOT about shoving one group's narrow religious beliefs into public schools, as we all foolishly assumed. It's about godless scientists versus people of faith. Besides, stem cell research is an ethical issue that all people wrestle with -- even atheists. And AIDS research would have been a good comparison, since the far right lies about basic facts -- such as the efficacy of condoms -- that are simply not in dispute.

The truth is that some of the greatest scientists in history -- Einstein, Isaac Newton -- have been people of faith. And for most major religions, there is no conflict between religious belief and the latest scientific findings. They might have done a serious article detailing this but instead took the side of the IDers who want to force MY children to learn THEIR religious beliefs as science when it's nothing of the sort. This NYT series is getting worse and worse. Read More......

Second military officer comes forward to say DOD knew about Atta BEFORE 9/11

Hmmm Read More......

George Allen is on the Iraq = Normandy message

US News finds that for many right wingers, George Allen is the natural successor to George Bush. Many similarities do exist. Southern Governors, goofy smiles, etc.

Also, within the span of 24 hours, they both invoked the D-Day invasion of Normandy as a rationale for Iraq.

Sunday, on NBC News, Allen said of Iraq, "It's somewhat akin to the Normandy Invasion in World War II." I tivo'd the news and had to rewind it a couple times because I thought I misunderstood him. Normandy?

Then, yesterday, in Utah, Bush invoked Normandy, too:

Bush added, "Each of these struggles for freedom required great sacrifice. From the beaches of Normandy to the snows of Korea, courageous Americans gave their lives so others could live in freedom. Since the morning of September the 11th, we have known that the war on terror would require great sacrifice as well."

So, now it's Normandy. Got that? Read More......

Evangelicals caught misusing federal funds for proselytizing

Surprise Read More......

Open thread

Zee late nite Parisian thread, oui? Read More......

"Peak Oil" Makes It To The NYT Magazine

A devoted faction of Americablog readers have been pushing the argument over "peak oil" at every opportunity. They can rejoice! The NYT Magazine has a lengthy, interesting article about peak oil that goes into the debate in-depth. In short, the world has perhaps a trillion of barrels of oil in reserve, per the NYT. But peak oil is a genuine concern worth looking at. The biggest revelation is a top Saudi expert who has retired and isn't afraid to say that the demand is increasing too dramatically for suppliers to keep up.

''You look at the globe and ask, 'Where are the big increments?' and there's hardly anything but Saudi Arabia,'' [Husseini] said. ''The kingdom and Ghawar field are not the problem. That misses the whole point. The problem is that you go from 79 million barrels a day in 2002 to 82.5 in 2003 to 84.5 in 2004. You're leaping by two million to three million a year, and if you have to cover declines, that's another four to five million.'' In other words, if demand and depletion patterns continue, every year the world will need to open enough fields or wells to pump an additional six to eight million barrels a day -- at least two million new barrels a day to meet the rising demand and at least four million to compensate for the declining production of existing fields. ''That's like a whole new Saudi Arabia every couple of years,'' Husseini said. ''It can't be done indefinitely. It's not sustainable.''

A crisis could come in 1 year or 2 or 10, says the writer and it will be all the more painful because we're doing nothing to prepare. Read More......

Bush Iraq Strategy = 9/11 x 5 + WWI + WWII

The five day campaign to sway America begins. Still no plan to solve the Iraq mess but he is spinning out of control:

President Bush compared the fight against terrorism to both world wars and other great conflicts of the 20th century as he tried to reassure an increasingly skeptical public on Monday to support U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

With the anti-war movement finding new momentum behind grieving mother Cindy Sheehan, Bush acknowledged the fighting in Iraq is difficult and dangerous. But he told the Veterans of Foreign Wars national convention the fight is necessary to keep terrorists out of the United States.

As he did in last year's election campaign and more recently as war opposition has risen, Bush reminded his listeners of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 - reciting the date five times in a 30-minute speech. (my emphasis)

"We're not yet safe," Bush said. "Terrorists in foreign lands still hope to attack our country. They still hope to kill our citizens. The lesson of Sept. 11, 2001, is that we must confront threats before they fully materialize."

Read More......

Reuters nails Bush

Just read it. Rarely has any reporter gotten it as clearly as the one who wrote this article about Bush trying to link Iraq AGAIN to the war on terror. The article calls him on every lie.

I especially like the quote from the pathetic Vietnam vet who thinks the only way you "support" the troops is by sending them to die for a lie without the necessary armor. Exposing that lie, and exposing the fact that our troops don't even have the supplies they need to stay alive - that's anti-troop. But supporting a policy that sends our soldiers to their deaths for no reason, and in fact for all the wrong reasons, that's true love.

I hear freedom is slavery too. Read More......

Early Evening Paris Blogging

Some pics I took yesterday around my neighborhood, in Montparnasse. And, as always, consider this an open thread :-)



A woman crossing the rather busy intersection of Boulevards Montparnasse and Raspail.



A man sitting outside La Rotonde.



An old bicycle waiting for its owner outside the Vavin metro stop on Blvd. de Montparnasse. Read More......

Who would Jesus assassinate?

Religious right leader Pat Robertson calls for the assassination of the president of Venezuela. Nice. Read More......

Pope Hopes To Inspire Youth

World Youth Day is over and Pope Benedict is clearly no pop star a la John Paul II, but he was still able to attract massive crowds (and fringe cult Opus Dei was especially prominent, according to the LA Times). The Church likes to pretend JPII really lit a fire among young people, but that just isn't true. JPII oversaw a dramatic DECLINE in young people feeling called to enter religious orders. In other words, no new priests. JPII was simply a disaster for inspiring growth in the West because the Church lied and misled its flock, abused boys, and increasingly insisted to be a good Catholic you had to close your mind to common sense. Pope Benedict isn't going to change that at all and the Church is going to continue to suffer. Read More......

Deadline for Iraqi Constitution extended

No agreement yet after all. CNN just had live coverage where the National Assembly received the draft, but gave themselves three more days to work on issues.

Hmmmm..... Read More......

Iraqi Draft Constitution: Governed by Islamic Law

Word out of Iraq is that they have a constitution. Doesn't look good for women:

Shiites and Kurds were sending a draft constitution to parliament on Monday that would fundamentally change Iraq, transforming the country into a loose federation, with a weak central administration governed by Islamic law, negotiators said.

The draft, slated for action by a Monday deadline, would be a sweeping rejection of the demands of Iraq's disaffected Sunni minority, which has called the proposed federal system the start of the breakup of Iraq. Shiites and Kurds indicated they were in no mood to compromise.

So is this Bush's "noble cause"? Read More......

Afghanistan Sinks Into Turmoil

Afghanistan has never been a success story. Now, most of the country is controlled by drug lords and the Taliban. And the news is getting worse, per the NYT.

This year is already the deadliest for American soldiers in Afghanistan since the war of 2001, and the violence is likely to intensify before the nation's legislative elections on Sept. 18.

One culprit? Bush's buddies Pakistan.

The Afghan officials said it was increasingly clear in recent weeks that the elections were not the only target and they accused Pakistan, in particular, of supporting a long-term strategy of destabilization in Afghanistan to keep the country weak. "Maybe they see a stable Afghanistan as a threat to themselves," the security official said.

The simple truth is that Bush can't do ANYTHING right. Read More......

Open Thread

Im writing this on a God forsaken French keyboard. For those who dont know the keyboard is all screwed up different keys than ours or theyre in the
wrong position. Im not even daring to write apostrophes or dashes as God only knows where they are. Grrrr.... Read More......

Still More On The False God Of Intelligent Design

The NYT does another big piece on creationism -- again, it's portrayed as a debate, as a back-and-forth argument about the world around us. A "balanced" article would have emphasized that ID has virtually no backing in the scientific community -- they claim 400 scientists support ID or at least think it's worth debating. I can find 400 scientists who think UFOs and aliens visit earth regularly. 400 scientists is what, .0001 percent of all scientists in the world? You don't teach grade school children "both sides" -- you teach them what is widely accepted. Period.

The article calls ID a "school of thought," when it should be called a religious belief with no scientific standing which can't be proved or disproved because it depends on faith. The article hints at how its all been stirred up by just a handful of people funded by the Discovery Institute and ALL their successes are at school boards and in politics -- none of them are in the laboratory or in science journals. Shouldn't that be the focus of every article?

William Safire even weighs in via his grammar column. Annoyingly, he ends it with a quote from an apparently clueless Nobel laureate at Brown University named Leon Cooper:

''If we could all lighten up a bit perhaps, we could have some fun in the classroom discussing the evidence and the proposed explanations -- just as we do at scientific conferences.''

First, middle school kids aren't trained scientists debating an issue. Second, can you imagine the outcry if a science teacher really "taught the debate" and emphasized that ID -- as far as science is concerned -- is total hogwash? Read More......

Krugman: Don't "prettify" Iraq

Tough sometimes to face reality. Easy to deny it like we did with the 2000 elections. A simple request from Krugman, tell the truth about what's going on:

But we aren't doing the country a favor when we present recent history in a way that makes our system look better than it is. Sometimes the public needs to hear unpleasant truths, even if those truths make them feel worse about their country.

Not to be coy: election 2000 may be receding into the past, but the Iraq war isn't. As the truth about the origins of that war comes out, there may be a temptation, once again, to prettify the story. The American people deserve better.

Read More......

NY Times: Dems Divided on Roberts Hearing

Yet, another story about discord among Democrats. One would almost think that Democrats have somehow become relevant again:

The party's liberal base, whose contributions during judicial confirmation fights earlier this year have helped the Senate Democratic campaign fund amass twice as much as its Republican rival, is pressing for another vigorous fight against Judge Roberts as documents from the Reagan administration clarify his conservative credentials.

But as Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and other liberal stalwarts on the Judiciary Committee step up their criticism of Judge Roberts's record, other Democrats are reluctant to join them.

"I am turned off by senators trying to act like they have already found the guy out and they know what he is like," said Senator Russell D. Feingold, a Democratic committee member from Wisconsin who spent last week focused instead on calling for a pullout from Iraq. "I am not part of any Democratic effort to 'set the table' " for the hearings by laying the groundwork to criticize Judge Roberts, he said.

Hey, Russ, can you at least try to get him to answer some questions during the hearing? And get all the documents? There are some big issues...like the right to privacy...that need answers. Remember, this is the same White House that lies and hides the facts. Don't expect they've changed on the Supreme Court nominee. Plus, when I read this, I can't shake the fact that Feingold voted for Ashcroft's nomination in 2001. At the time, the Judiciary Committee was evenly split. Without him, the Judiciary Committee would have tied and the nomination would have probably died. But, he sided with Bush on that one. Read More......

Monday Morning Open Thread

What's this week got in store? Read More......

WaPo: Dems. are divided on Iraq

Washington Post has an article about discord among the Democrats over Iraq. News Flash: There's no coherent strategy from the Democrats. The most salient point to me, was in the last paragraph:

"The American people are much farther ahead in their thinking about the war than the White House or the Republican Congress," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.). "They understand we can't continue down this same failed course in Iraq."

Kennedy's right. The American people have had it. Question is whether the Democratic leadership can figure that out. Read More......

Open Thread

So final episode of "Six Feet Under." Wow, pretty intense ending. Great show.

And now, another Entourage. Loving that Vince, Mandy Moore better not screw him over again.

What's the latest in non-HBO world? Read More......

Bill Gates Funding Intelligent Design Center

The NY Times has a solid piece on the Discovery Institute, the far right religious group posing as a scientific think tank. It shows how they've pushed more and more into public policy and influencing school curriculum by repackaging creationism in a clever manner and changing the debate from science vs. religion (ie evolution versus ID) to "teach the controversy," which sounds reasonable because most parents don't realize what they're really saying is "teach our narrow religious beliefs in science class."

The big surprise for me was finding out the Gates Foundation has provided targeted funding to a branch of the Discovery Institute called Cascadia, which focuses on regional transportation. (They're giving $10 million over ten years.) Cascadia even set up its own separate web site so people wouldn't keep linking it with the creationists. But how can any part of a think tank devoted to attacking science, dumbing down our kids' education and shoving their own fundamentalist beliefs into public schools be trustworthy? The Discovery Institute is the enemy of science and a good education. Why would Bill Gates want to be linked to it in any way? Read More......

Newsweek's CW: Bush has gone overboard on 9/11

Newsweek's snarky, weekly column, "CW," which they tell us is "an informal distillation of the ever-changing thinking of Beltway pundits and the chattering classes." Basically, it's the buzz among the MSM and other DC smarty pants. This week, they give Bush a down arrow noting:

His "9/11 link" pro-war offensive is getting offensive. What he's selling, America ain't buying.

Okay, I won't rant about how the MSM has let Bush use 9/11 as a political tool for almost four years now. I will just say, if the MSM is cluing in that Bush is overplaying the 9/11 references, then he is in trouble. Scary thing for the White House is that they have nothing else...nothing...to justify Iraq, now. Read More......

Sunday evening open thread

I'm back Wednesday. :-( Been reading the news today, interesting stuff. Hagel and Vietnam, whoosh. I can't wait until the Red Staters finally start to wake up about what a monster Bush has actually created.

Schadenfreude: When Republicans get the government of their dreams, and fuck everything up. Read More......

Americablog: The Big Hits Of The Week

A weekly rundown of the top postings on Americablog. These are the stories that drew the most traffic and generated the most comments.

Americablog isn't just for weekdays anymore. The weekend is getting more and more traffic as people realize Americablog never sleeps.

THE WEEKEND

John (temporarily) in Paris discovered the power of stern language with two fiery pieces, "Bush Is A God Damn Liar" and "Leave September 11 The Fuck Alone."

Cindy Sheehan stayed high in our interest with Joe in DC's two items "Front Page of Washington Post for Cindy Sheehan" and "Bush Uses Radio Address To Talk To Cindy Sheehan."

The Washington Post's bizarre decision to sponsor a Pentagon war rally climaxed with John (temporarily) in Paris urging readers "Tell The Washington Post To Stop Sponsoring pro-Bush rallies." The Post later dropped its support.

And Iraq's neighbor got a little nervous after Joe in DC highlighted the breaking story that "Bush Says He'd Use Force Against Iran."


MONDAY

The harrasment of a grieving mother continued as Joe in DC pointed out with postings "Shotgun Hospitality For Camp Casey" and "The neighbors are getting cranky."

"What Makes People Gay?" from Michael in New York inspired lengthy debate.

Karl Rove is never far from our thoughts, thanks to Joe in DC's update "More On Why The FBI Didn't Believe Rove From The Start."

And Michael in New York continued his questioning ways with "What To Do With Europe's Muslims?"

TUESDAY

Cindy Sheehan still had us rapt with attention. That brutal desecration of the war memorial was detailed in "The Neighbors Are Getting REALLY Ugly" from Joe in DC and John (temporarily) in Paris's look at "Pro Cindy Sheehan Protest At US Embassy, Paris, Wed Aug 17."

Michael in New York took Bush to task for not condemning that nasty act with "Mockery Of The Fallen: Why No Outrage?"

And Karl Rove (who feels the legal noose tightening around him) got his due with "Michael Wolff Is Absolutely Right About Rove and the Media" from Joe in DC.


WEDNESDAY

Some nice news for Cindy Sheehan came with the posting "Some Actual Texas Hospitality For Cindy" from Joe in DC.

John (temporarily) in Paris highlighted Bush's inability (or refusal) to take this country's security seriously with his comments on "More Information Suggesting 9-11 Commission Wasn't Giving All The Facts" and "Next US Plane Hijacked Or Blown Up Is Bush And The GOP's Fault."

The Clinton blame game continued with "State Dept. Warned Clinton About Bin Laden In 1996." Michael in New York is waiting for Clinton to be blamed for the rise of communism, world hunger and the assassination of Lincoln.

And Michael in New York highlighted a Rolling Stone article on Republican successes in Congress with "Bush Hobbled By Rove? Hardly."

THURSDAY

The massive media coverage of Cindy Sheehan was celebrated with Joe in DC's useful roundup "Wow. One Woman Can Make A Difference." Sadly, the day would end with his followup "Cindy's Mother Has Had A Stroke...."

Joe in DC also mocked Dick Cheney's tough guy stance with "Cheney: We'll Get 'Em One At A Time."

And a popular web roundup of quotes from Republicans during the Clinton years that should apply doubly to Bush got attention with "Republicans Speak Out Against The War" from Michael in New York.


FRIDAY

Man whore Jeff Guckert got renewed attention via "Gay Washington DC Newspaper Publishing Jeff Gannon as a Columnist" from John (temporarily) in Paris

Joe in DC bemoaned the dumbing down of education with "Dr. Frist: Teach Creationism in Schools."

Michael in New York highlighted a Paul Krugman column in "Bush Stole 2000 Election, 2004 Election, and They'll Do It Again."

And the Pope showed poor timing by staging a youth rally at the same time "Pope Wants Immunity In US For Hiding Crime Of Molesting Boys" said Michael in New York. Read More......

Open Thread

What do we need to know? Read More......

Hagel: Iraq looking like Vietnam and "We're not winning"

More blunt talk from the Republican Senator from Nebraska:

A leading Republican senator said Sunday the war in Iraq is looking more like the Vietnam conflict from a generation ago.

Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, who received two Purple Hearts and other military honors for his service in Vietnam, reaffirmed his position that the United States needs to develop a strategy to leave Iraq.

"Stay the course is not a policy," said Hagel, a possible White House contender in 2008. "By any standard, when you analyze 2 1/2 years in Iraq ... we're not winning."

Another Republican calling for an exit strategy. Clearly Hagel didn't get the talking points. Now, the White House is going to have to develop a smear strategy to deal with Hagel. He's a decorated war veteran, just the kind of target this White House loves. Read More......

Bush staff trashing Cindy

Man, those guys are ugly. Mike Allen has a piece in the Washington Post today asking if Bush screwed up by not meeting with Cindy. It's clear that the White House staff to whom Allen spoke are freaked out by this situation. It's also clear that they are trashing Cindy Sheehan. They lay out a litany of complaints against Sheehan with the hope that by discrediting her, they discredit her movement. One thing is also very evident. The Bush White House has spent a lot of time talking about Cindy Sheehan. If only they spent as much time strategizing about how to fix Iraq as they did how to beat up a mother who lost her son there. Read More......

Morning open thread

Will post some more Paris photos later. Chris in Paris gets home today, need to clean the house! Read More......