What Is Wrong With People?

11:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Uncategorized | 29 Comments

The hunt is on tonight to find whoever cut the leg off a pit bull. The abused dog was found wandering the streets of Atlanta this week.

The bone exposed on its hind leg — likely chopping it off with an axe. Veteranarians say the wound was no accident — that it was a clean cut with something very sharp. They suspect someone wanted the pit bull to fight, but the dog was too gentle.

C.K. and I firmly support knocking the block off the psycho who did this to this poor animal.

Topic: Crime

It’s As If There’s A Culture of Corruption

10:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Politics | 6 Comments

It helps that the Republicans are in fact, corrupt. Yes, the “criminalization of politics” is true because so many Republican politicians are involved in criminal behavior.

A majority of Americans say the indictment of senior White House aide I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby signals broader ethical problems in the Bush administration, and nearly half say the overall level of honesty and ethics in the federal government has fallen since President Bush took office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News survey.

Again: “has fallen since President Bush took office”

So, let’s see, if it’s fallen “since President Bush took office” that would mean that sane people see the previous occupants as more honest and more ethical.

Who was that? Who was that man? Hmmmm.

Oh yeah. Bill Clinton (D).

History Repeats Itself

10:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Politics | 26 Comments

AP: “Libby’s lawyer signals memory defense”

Ronald Reagan, during the Iran-Contra scandal: “I don’t recall”.

Those Republicans and their faulty memories.

The Increasingly Low Standards of The New York Times Editorial Section

9:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Politics | 2 Comments

I’m glad I get access to TimesSelect because I subscribe to the Sunday Times in print, because if I paid for this sort of swill from David Brooks I’d want a refund. Big time.

So some Democrats were not content with Libby’s indictment, but had to stretch, distort and exaggerate. The tragic thing is that at the exact moment when the Republican Party is staggering under the weight of its own mistakes, the Democratic Party’s loudest voices are in the grip of passions that render them untrustworthy.

Right, because its not like the Vice President set up an operation to use national security information from the CIA in order to fuel a political smear campaign. Right? Just crazy liberal imagination run wild, right. Mmmmkay. Then again, this is just part of Brooks’ pattern.

Putting Down The Rabid Dogs

9:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Democrats | 3 Comments

So, the Bush presidency plans to reboot itself after a middling 2005. Thanks to Democratic solidarity and the unpopularity of his social security privatization plan, that action is dead in the water. True, Bush got to nominate a supreme but at best in Roberts he got a non-crazy conservative and not the Bork clone his base is so cuckoo for. Thanks to his incompetence in Katrina and the continuing futility of the war in Iraq, he has essentially lost the support of independents with only his base keeping him out of the sub-40 approval rating.

Based on my reading of the tea leaves, the best weapons Bush has in 2006 is the supreme court and the reauthorization of the Bush tax cuts. Democrats are going to have hold the line on those two issues, while also actually winning elections (a novel concept, I know) which means no more appeasement. Right now, Bush is weak on the Iraq war, and if Dems seek to do the morally correct and politically wise thing — they’ll make 2006 a referendum on getting out of Iraq and getting back to killing terrorists.

For all intents and purposes, 2006 is the last real year of the Bush presidency. Come 2007, people will be angling for the presidential nomination. I have a feeling that if Dems are even halfway good at holding the line, the GOP base is going to nominate someone from the crazy wing of the party without a chance in hell of winning the general election (ie. Tancredo, Gingrich or George “I Heart The Racist Hangman’s Noose” Allen), instead of the more pragmatic electable wing (Jeb! or McCain) which would be a heck of a help.

America Continues to Reject Far Left Radical Al Franken

5:10 pm EST October 29th, 2005 | Politics | 23 Comments

As a result of Michelle Malkin, Newsbusters and other brave Right-Wing Defenders of Freedom^TM, America continues to reject the far left writings of noted humorist Al Franken. I mean, c’mon, his book is… #4 on Amazon.

What will Al do? We salute you, brave right wing nutjobs.

The Truth (with jokes)

Things That Happen When You Elect Republicans

9:10 am EST October 29th, 2005 | Politics | 34 Comments

1. They ignore warning signs about terrorist attacks
2. They leak classified information to the media
3. They lie under oath and obstruct justice in an investigation about national security violations
4. They send our country into war without an exit strategy and without a good reason
5. They create massive deficits while only cutting spending on vital social programs and veteran benefits
6. They fill vital government positions with political cronies, leading to death and disaster

Stink of Bush Hurts Kilgore

5:10 pm EST October 28th, 2005 | Politics | 1 Comment

In Virginia, yet another poll is showing momentum for Tim Kaine, while the GOP-aligned Jerry Kilgore is suffering. Even the conservative Washington Times can’t deny the obvious: Republican corruption is hurting Jerry Kilgore.

Over the past two months Mr. Kilgore’s lead in the polls over Democrat Tim Kaine has slipped away, as the national Republican Party has faced indictments, investigations, a Supreme Court nominee forced to withdraw and a president bruised over his handling of Hurricane Katrina and his spending plans for rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

Heck, Kilgore is skipping a Bush speech in VA for an NAACP event. He’s running away as fast as he can.

Some Democrats Do Stupid Things

4:10 pm EST October 28th, 2005 | Uncategorized | 9 Comments

The only thing I hate as much as right-wing cons is dumb Democrats, and when folks on the left do dumb things like Steve Gilliard did here – it pisses me off. Look, Michael Steele is a sock puppet for the Republican party and even if you think he is a shill for conservative bigots (as I happen to believe) – the best response is not doctoring a “Sambo” photo off him. Frankly, its among the dumbest responses you can come up with and even stupider to call the campaign of a Democrat weak for wanting their ad pulled from your, frankly, 2nd grade level rhetoric.

We’re going to beat Michael Steele in November like the phony that he is, but not by being idiots about it.

Topic: Useful "Liberals"

Culture of Corruption In Handcuffs

3:10 pm EST October 28th, 2005 | Politics | 67 Comments

Bottom line: The White House leaked classified information to the media, while a member of the White House staff lied under oath and obstructed justice. And they’re supposed to be the national security party.

Any minute now Dick Cheney will be telling us how Scooter Libby was “outside the loop”.

Top Cheney aide Libby indicted, quits post

The vice president s chief of staff, I. Lewis Scooter Libby Jr., was indicted Friday on charges of obstruction of justice, perjury and making false statements in the CIA leak investigation, a politically charged case that casts a harsh light on President Bush s push to war.

Libby, 55, resigned and left the White House.

Democrats:

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said the CIA leak case is about how the White House both manufactured and manipulated intelligence” to boost its case for the Iraq war.

Reid also said Libby’s indictment shows the Bush administration tried to discredit anyone who dared to challenge the president.”

Senator John Kerry, meanwhile, is calling the C-I-A leak case evidence of White House corruption at the very highest levels.” The former presidential candidate says that’s far from the honor and dignity” Bush pledged to restore when he was elected five years ago.

If you want ethics in government, don’t vote Republican. If you want to trust your government not to leak classified information to journalists for political gain, certainly don’t vote for Republicans.

>> Statements on Assistant to the President and VP Chief of Staff Indicted
>> Unanswered Questions
>> According to right-wing blogs, perjury related to the leaking of national security information is no big deal. Where were these guys 10 years ago when the Republicans thought alleged perjury was a hanging offense?
>> “Remember, I. Lewis Libby doesn’t just work for the Vice President.”
>> Libby replacment also aided leaking of classified data

More: Bush claimed in his statement that Libby “worked hard on behalf of the American people”. Before or after he leaked classified data for political gain, or before or after he lied under oath in a criminal investigation? Somebody should ask.

>> DNC:

“This is a sad day for America.

“Beyond the evidence that the White House manipulated the intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq, a group of senior White House officials not only orchestrated efforts to smear a critic of the war, but worked to cover up this smear campaign. In so doing, they ignored the rule of law, endangering our national security and the brave men and women who dedicate their lives to protecting our nation’s security. I. Lewis Libby was a part of this internal White House group.

“This is not only an abuse of power, it is an un-American abuse of the public trust. As Americans, we must hold ourselves and our leaders to a higher standard. We cannot fear dissent. We cannot fear the truth. And we cannot tolerate those who do.

“More importantly, we can’t ignore the glaring questions this case has raised about the rationale the Bush Administration used to send us to war in Iraq, a war that continues. American soldiers are still in harms way. Over 2,000 brave Americans have lost their lives, thousands of American soldiers have been wounded, and thousands of American families have made the ultimate sacrifice. Still, the President has no plan and no exit strategy. And still he hasn’t answered the question, what are we doing in Iraq and when can our troops come home?

“President Bush faces a serious test of leadership; will he keep his pledge to hold his Administration to high ethical standards and give the American people what they deserve, and will he answer to the American people for these serious missteps?”

>> Republicans Try to Change the Subject
>> Perspective:

Reacting to the suggestion that Rove’s lack of an indictment today is somehow “good news” for the White House, Meacham said that’s the equivalent of saying “I don’t beat my wife anymore.”

>> I gotta say it’s the height of hackery for Glenn Reynolds to look into the whole case and solely take issue with Nicholas Kristof’s opinion columns and not Judith Miller’s administration-penned propaganda missives disguised as “news reporting”.
>> Eli uncovers Bush’s moving target for ethics, or his administration’s lack thereof

>> Hello, HuffPo readers. More bombthrowing here.