Oh, what a web we weave...

Lets get one thing straight: Bush apologists and the talking demagogues on Fox, MSNBC, CNN and the rest—are full of bullhockey when they try to justify the Bush Administration’s sacking of 7 U.S. Attorneys by comparing it to " Bill Clinton firing all of them."

It is customary (with plenty of precedent) for an incoming administration (particularly of a different political party) to request resignation letters from U.S. Attorneys. Ronald Reagan did just that, and replaced all of them when he came into office. That is not unprecedented for a newly elected president. And, yes, U.S. Attorneys do serve at the pleasure of the President.

What is unprecedented is mass firings in the middle of a presidency! The Congressional Research Service did a study that showed that the recent firing of 7 U.S. Attorneys is unprecedented in recent history. The study covered U.S. Attorneys serving less that a four year term from 1981 to 2006.

The disgraceful facts are:

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lied under oath when he said politics played absolutely no part in the firings. He also lied when he said he "never saw documents" and "never had a discussion" about the firings.

Karl Rove lied when he said he had no role in the firing. Moreover, evolving evidence reveals he used his influence to appoint political cronies who had no experience.

President Bush participated in regular meetings about the prosecutors.

Monica Goodling, Justice Department Council to Gonzales, refused to testify before the Judiciary Committee—citing the 5th Amendment on grounds of self-incrimination.

And apologists wonder why the Judiciary Committee demands testimony that is under oath?

The Man's best friend!

Mass communication in Latin America

War is only hell for some

It doesn't take a rocket scientist

Ann Coulter, right wing coward!

Ann Coulter is Queen of Fascism, using lies and half truths and smears. Normally, I would not waste time nor ink on writing or drawing about her—but I confess I can’t pass up her hypocrisy and blatant cowardice regarding her smear of John Edwards.

In a speech to a conservative gathering in Washington, she said she could not talk about John Edwards because if "you use the word faggot" you have to go into rehab.

When challenged about her comment by Alan Combs, the Queen turned into a jelly spined coward . She maintained that it "was a joke" and said the term "faggot" was not anti-gay.

"The word I used has nothing to do with sexual preference. It is a schoolyard taunt, and unless you're going to announce here on national TV that John Edwards, married father of many children, is gay, it clearly had nothing to do with that. It's a schoolyard taunt, "clucked Coulter. It turns out the Queen of Fascism is, in reality, the Queen of Chickenpoop!

For those of you out there who entertain the idea that this woman has even an ounce of integrity, consider this: The first definition of the word faggot in Webster's Dictionary is "a male homosexual."

The White House Liar's Club

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” - Sir Walter Scott

It is not exactly a news flash that the Bush Administration is populated by liars and those who do not hesitate to obstruct justice. Lewis Libby was convicted by what jurors described as detailed and overwhelming evidence. Some, jurors wondered why Karl Rove and Vice President Dick Cheney weren’t in the docket. Good Question!

The real trial revelation is not in Libby’s guilt. The real revelation is the disclosure of the Bush administration’s attempt to coverup their fabricated strategy to facilitate an unjustified war on Iraq----a war that has cost the lives of over 3,500 Americans, that has ruined the lives of over 10,000 severely wounded Americans, that has killed an estimated 500,000 Iraqis and has cost U.S. taxpayers $500 billion dollars.

Bush, Cheney et al. sold the war on their lies that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons. Bush offered proof in a speech saying Hussein tried to buy aluminum tubes and yellow cake from Nigeria. The CIA sent (former ambassador) Joseph Wilson as an envoy to investigate. In a critical New York Times op-ed piece, Wilson strongly refuted Bush's claim.

This enraged the White House--- and Cheney, in an effort to discredit Wilson, sent his flunky Libby out to leak the story that Wilson’s wife, Valerie Plame was with the CIA and she sent her husband to Nigeria to counter the Bush scenario.

The coverup effort was exposed when two CIA officials and a State Department official testified under oath that Valerie Plame had nothing to do with Wilson's mission. He was sent because Dick Cheney's query seeking to buttress the Bush claim.

Libby's defense attorney claimed that Scooter was a scapegoat for the Administration. Surprise, surprise!

Cowardly Lions on the Yellow Brick Road

Watching the pathetic congressional debate over a "non-binding" opposition statement to Bush’s warmongering, reminds me of the old saw about a gentleman farmer and his mule.

The city farmer could not get the mule to pull the plow no matter how he tugged, cajoled or switched the animal. Finally a leathery neighbor farmer walked up with a length of two by four and whacked the mule between the eyes. Aghast, the city farmer said, "Why did you do that?" The crusty old neighbor replied, "Son, in order to get a mule to do anything, you first have to get its attention!"

It seems to me that if the Democrats had the gumption of a Sloth they would take congressional purse strings, tie a knot around the Iraq money bag and metaphorically slug Mr. Dense between his beady eyes. Then launch an informational campaign to inform the public that they (along with several Republicans) have taken the first step in saving US troops from gradual slaughter on the alter of Bush’s incompetence and hubris.

They could then announce that the billions in savings would go to immediate "spare- no- expense" rehabilitation and financial support for the thousands of young men and women who left severed arms, legs and psyches along the path of Bush lies justifying the invasion of Iraq. The rest could go to national health care and education.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict the "aiding al Quaida" tar bucket is at the ready to smear such action. So what else is new? The tar bucket is already in use. The Democratic ninnies have to decide whether they are going to stand for what is right or what they construe to be politically safe. What is it about 70% of public opinion being with them that they don’t understand?

Don’t let the Bushites frame the question. Don’t let more Americans die for Bush’s mistakes and lies.

Bush Foreign Policy

Or else what?

The Decider Defies Gravity

Fantasy Island 

Bush in Fantasyland again!

During the presidential campaign Senator John Kerry alluded to the Bush administration’s mistakes in their handling of the war in Iraq. He was bluntly asked, on national television, if he thought American troops were dying “for a mistake”. Kerry weaseled his answer.

We now know the answer is yes. President Bush admitted on national television that American soldiers are dying in Iraq for his mistakes. The only people who don’t understand that are the twenty or so percent of our population who blindly salute to the stirring strains of Hail To Our Serial Liar Commander-in-Chief.

The tattered remains of “ cakewalks , mission accomplished, weapons of mass destruction, al Qaida-Iraq-9/11 connections” drifted out of sight in the wake of Bush’s ever changing rational for abandoning the fight against terrorists to invade Iraq.

In his address to the nation he told us we need another 20,000 troops to correct his “mistakes” for which he “takes responsibility” while pointing out the deadly chaos is not really his fault.

He told us there were two reasons for the violence. One, there “were not enough troops to secure the neighborhoods” and two, “there were too many restrictions on the troops we did have.”

Really? Let me see if I understand this. We, the most powerful nation in the world invaded Iraq! We occupy Iraq! We own Iraq! Who, pray tell, placed “too many restrictions” on the way we have used our troops in Iraq?

Reports by the General Accountability Office and by the Iraq Study Group agree that repeated deployments to Iraq have strained the U.S. military to the point where training is being shorted, equipment is in disrepair and the force is increasingly unready to fight other conflicts and homeland defense missions. Yet, our President stands there with a straight face and talks of sending warships to the area and threatens military action against Syria and Iran.

The speech was not about the state of our nation. It was about the state of his fantasies. By the way, whatever happened to the”great job” Rumsfeld did managing the troops in Iraq?

Crow, well done! 

"New 'surge' uniform---one each---sign here." 

Bush contemplates Iraq critics 

No caption needed 

Brothers 

The Age of Un-Accountabililty

An axiom of human relationships in a civilized, democratic society is that one should be held accountable for one’s actions. There are exceptions, of course, but being President of the United States is not, per se, one of them.

At our government level we do that by the elective process or by impeachment.
Throwing the "rascals" out is a time honored (if not timely) tradition. Impeachment is a more drastic and cumbersome tool, rarely used and occasionally vulnerable to petty politics and venal agendas.

Article II, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution charts the grounds for impeachment: "the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

Representative Nancy Palosi is quoted as saying "impeachment is not on the table" for the new democratic majority when it comes to dealing with the actions of President Bush over the past six years. Why not?? Look at the record!!

Abuse of Power -U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor declares Bush’s domestic spying program unconstitutional. In a stinging indictment of Constitutional abuse by the Bush Administration, she ruled the program violates the Administrative Procedures Act, the doctrine of separation of powers and the First and Fourth amendments of the Constitution.

"There are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution. So all ‘inherent powers’ must derive from the Constitution," Taylor wrote in her opinion.

Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University points out that if the judges ruling is upheld on appeal, the President will be guilty of violating federal law at least 30 times and that could provide grounds for impeachment.

High Crimes-- Bush has declared the Geneva Convention does not apply to his "war on terrorism" and therefore especially aggressive interrogation techniques are ok. The Geneva Convention standards have been followed for more than a half-century by almost 190 countries, including the United States.

The War Crimes Act of 1996, passed by a Republican Congress, makes it a felony to violate the Geneva Conventions. Bush has authorized techniques such as prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures long periods in stress positions, strapping prisoners to metal contraptions and force feeding to mention a few.

While Bush payed lip service to "we do not torture," he authorized a secret "rendition" program that transfers detainees to facilitate torture such as beatings with hands and sticks and being hung up for falaqa—beatings on the sole of the foot.

Former director the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center, Vincent Cannistraro, told Newsday newspaper in February 2003, that a senior al-Quaeda detainee had been sent from Guantanamo Bay to Egypt because he was refusing to cooperate with his interrogators. In Egypt, Cannistraro said, "they promptly tore his fingernails out" to get him talking. Referring to the "franchising" out, he said Syria is a country , like Iraq, where they torture people. They use electrodes, and water torture. They take torture to the point of death, like the Egyptians.

Obstruction of Justice--Bush refused to provide testimony and evidence demanded by the Senate Intelligence Committee and by the 9-11 Commission. He refused to testify under an oath or with any record being made of his answers and had members of his administration lie to both bodies. His obstruction assured that we will never know exactly what went wrong before those attacks and adds an uncomfortable element of jeopardy to our prevention efforts

Abuse of Power--Bush declared that he has the power to detain and imprison anyone, indefinitely, by designating them as "enemy combatants" or "terrorists." He sponsored legislation to codify indefinite detention and denial of habeas corpus rights.

High Crimes and Misdemeanors--Serious misconduct in office comes under this umbrella. When Katrina roared into New Orleans, the president had a duty and obligation to protect its citizens by initiating drastic emergency action that only he was authorized to undertake in the face of a potential disaster. (President Eisenhower ordering the national guard to protect the integration process in Mississippi) Instead he flew to California to campaign and was three days behind the curve while more than a thousand Americans died and New Orleans was decimated.

The underlying question is where would we be today without the actions of President George Bush of diverting U.S. troops from Afghanistan and invading Iraq?

There are several no-brainer answers:
More than 2,900 American servicemen and women would be alive!
More than 22,000 American servicemen and women would not be wounded!
Roughly 600,000 Iraqis would not be dead as result of the invasion
Iraq would not be the rallying point of Islamic radicals!
Incidents of worldwide terrorist activity likely would not have doubled!
The U.S. would have had $400 billion for other purposes!
The Taliban would not be making a comeback in Afghanistan!
Osama Bin Laden might have been captured! (Speaking of accountability)
Our Constitutional rights would not be in jeopardy due to the hysteria engendered by Bush’s fear mongering!

So what are we to do with a President who has wrought such havoc abroad and at home—just watch him ride off to Texas and await the judgement of history? What lesson will future presidents learn from the way those with responsibility deal with Mr. Bush? Can anyone seriously suggest that Bush’s lies about Iraq do not rise to the level of impeachability as Clinton’s lie about having extramarital sex in the White House?

After 9-11, President Bush issued a stirring call to arms to right the wrongs of that attack. Patrick R. McCaffery, a Silicone Valley auto-body-shop manager with two children joined the National Guard to do his part for homeland security. Instead, he was sent to Iraq as Bush consistently linked the attack on the New York Trade Center with Saddam Hussein’s government. There, McCaffery died. His mother reported that her son "said we had no business in Iraq and should not be there."

Belatedly, Bush admitted that Iraq had "nothing" to do with 9-11, too late for Patrick McCaffery. And we can’t bring ourselves to hold Bush accountable? How sad for our country!

Bill Sanders

T'was The Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas, when at the White House
Big brother was watching by using his mouse.
Money bags were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes Abramoff would again be there.

Chaney and Rummy were snug in their beds.
While visions of cakewalks danced in their heads.
Condi and Powell in their statesmen caps
Practiced explaining their memory lapse.

When out in Iraq, there arose such clatter
The Decider decided that none of that mattered.
He and Chaney to the window did dash
To denounce their critics as "traitorous trash!!"

The moon on the crest of the fallen dictator
Gave an open invitation to the nuts of Al Quaeta
More rapid than eagles, the terrorist came!
Where they once feared to tread, they strutted with out shame!

Meanwhile, out at Abu Graib,
Interrogators plied the tools of their trade
Prisoners were herded into permanent detention,
Where no one has heard of the Geneva Convention.

As dry leaves before the wild hurricane fly
Detainees disappeared, like clouds in the sky.
Quantanamo Bay took four hundred or so,
The black hole of retention took the rest, don’t you know?

Then, in a twinkling, on the White House roof
Came the prancing and pawing of a fancy Texas boot.
George looked down as we waved our vote
He shouted, "Too late, you missed the boat!

He was dressed in his flight gear, from head to boot,
Victory Accomplished his whistle did toot.
"No democratic Iraq?", we defiantly said.
Clearly the irony was over his head.

His eyes how they squinted-- an attempt to be merry.
He said, Stay the course or you might end up buried. .
He spoke with a mouth that was full of food!
(Where he comes from in Texas that’s not considered rude.)

He held the constitution. With his knife he did whack
And neatly carved out the Patriot Act
Now the laws of this country, he can decree,
No longer apply to you or to me.

With money and tax breaks, he went right to work
Filling silk stockings, then turned like a jerk
And laying his fingers in front of his nose,
He called down the chimney for his Texas clothes.

He sprang to his copter. Gave the pilot a sign
And they all flew away, leaving us behind.
But I heard him exclaim since he did not linger,
"Happy Christmas to all!" Then he gave us the finger.

Bill Sanders