Larry Craig Buries Himself

4:41 pm EST August 28th, 2007 | Republicans | 14 Comments

Shorter Larry Craig: “I pled guilty to procuring homosexual sex in an airport bathroom because the newspaper kept saying I was gay.”

Really Larry Craig?
Really?

Really?

Bush: Remember When I Said Iraq Was A Nuclear Threat?

4:39 pm EST August 28th, 2007 | News | 19 Comments

He was only off by one letter.

“And Iran’s active pursuit of technology that could lead to nuclear weapons threatens to put a region already known for instability and violence under the shadow of a nuclear holocaust.

Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere. And that is why the United States is rallying friends and allies around the world to isolate the regime, to impose economic sanctions. We will confront this danger before it is too late.”

Here we fricking go again.

Topic: Iran

1 Spot Left

12:22 pm EST August 28th, 2007 | Uncategorized | 5 Comments

I have one fantasy football slot left open in my league. Speak now, for the draft is coming up quick. If you haven’t received an invite yet, I don’t know you want in.

Topic: Oliver's World

Conservatives: There Are No Poor

11:53 am EST August 28th, 2007 | Politics | 81 Comments

Herbert Hoover

This sort of spin, I think, represents one of the major differences between conservatism and liberalism I’ve been pondering a lot lately. Conservatives sort of look at the world as it is, with inequities, inefficiencies and disparities and say "well, tough". To them, if you’re poor – oh, well and nothing can be done about it, certainly not anything that could even remotely affect the ability of the rich to take in as much money as possible no matter what. Cons so want to ignore any of these problems they seek, as in that blog entry, to just define away the issue. They would rather go into a harangue about why there is no spoon than argue in favor of anything to fix the situation.

Franklin Roosevelt

Progressives on the other hand, see problems and think about how we should fix them. That doesn’t say we’ve got all the answers or that all the solutions will work – but it’s more than just throwing your hands up in the air and saying "shit happens".

UPDATE: Bruce says that I’m mischaracterizing his post. But the express intent of his post is to minimalize poverty in America because comparatively our poor have it head and shoulders above the rest of the world. As someone with familial roots in one of those poor countries, that’s clear to me. But that does not automatically lead to the conclusion that we shouldn’t work to fix the issue. Poor people in America have it better off than poor people in the rest of the world. Guess what, so do the rich people. Doesn’t change the fact that we also ought to be able to use those resources and knowledge and willpower to help people up.

Conservatives don’t want to do anything about this issue than cut taxes for the top and pat people on the head and have them hope for trickle down. Progressives want to actually address the issue. That’s a world of difference.

Hugh Hewitt & Teh Gay

11:18 am EST August 28th, 2007 | Republicans | 9 Comments

Conservative blogger, talk show host, and Mitt Romney shill Hugh Hewitt is calling for the resignation of Sen. Larry Craig for his arrest allegedly soliciting gay sex in a men’s bathroom. Yet when Republican Sen. David Vitter was shown to be a customer of prostitution services, Hewitt issued no such call.

The only difference? Craig is teh gay.

Free Advice

7:26 pm EST August 27th, 2007 | News | 7 Comments

If you’re going to lecture a national politician like Barack Obama over the meaning of a political theory like “federalism” you should probably at least spell his name right.

It’s B-a-r-a-c-k not B-a-r-r-a-c-k.

Republican Senator Larry Craig In Bathroom Arrest

5:42 pm EST August 27th, 2007 | Republicans | 18 Comments

There they go again.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.

Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.

The question is was Craig scared into gay sex by looming black men like the Republican down in Florida.

UPDATE: Larry Craig is Mitt Romney’s Idaho campaign chair.

With today’s announcement, Senator Larry Craig said, “Our government is in need of a proven leader like Governor Romney, who will put in place benchmarks and streamline our government using proven conservative principles. His message is resonating with voters and I’m looking forward to helping him on his way to winning the Republican nomination.”

UPDATE 2: The Romney campaign is now scrubbing the web of information connecting Larry Craig and Mitt Romney.

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) – who has pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in connection with an incident where he allegedly solicited a plainclothes police officer in a men’s restroom – is one of Mitt Romney’s top backers in the Senate. A clip of Craig praising Romney was until just moments ago available on Romney’s YouTube channel, but is now listed as “a private video.”

Explaining why he’s backing Romney, Craig says in the video that it’s in part because “he has very strong family values.”

“That’s something I grew up with and believe in,” Craig explains.

That video is now apparently literally and figuratively inoperative.

UPDATE 3: YouTube video of Larry Craig calling Bill Clinton a “nasty boy” on Meet the Press from 1999.

Rich Whiteman Is Looking Out For You

2:41 pm EST August 27th, 2007 | Uncategorized | Comments Off

Vote Rich Whiteman for President.

“Why are you running for President?” The answer is simple: Rich Whiteman has the skills, background, and comprehensive vision to lead our country into a new age of civil growth and prosperity. He is a product of our great country and enduring freedom and opportunities. He is a patriot for all things American. A political outsider who is not beholden to Washington special interest games. Rich is a successful businessman and captain of industry, and will apply those same corporate ideals to running the biggest enterprise in the world: the United States of America. He will be a true CEO President.

Topic: Humor

Surge

12:37 pm EST August 27th, 2007 | News | 3 Comments

As you read this, remember some guy in Iraq got new glass in a store window, so take this information with a grain of salt.

This year’s U.S. troop buildup has succeeded in bringing violence in Baghdad down from peak levels, but the death toll from sectarian attacks around the country is running nearly double the pace from a year ago.

Some of the recent bloodshed appears the result of militant fighters drifting into parts of northern Iraq, where they have fled after U.S.-led offensives. Baghdad, however, still accounts for slightly more than half of all war-related killings _ the same percentage as a year ago, according to figures compiled by The Associated Press.

The tallies and trends offer a sobering snapshot after an additional 30,000 U.S. troops began campaigns in February to regain control of the Baghdad area. It also highlights one of the major themes expected in next month’s Iraq progress report to Congress: some military headway, but extremist factions are far from broken.

In street-level terms, it means life for average Iraqis appears to be even more perilous and unpredictable.

The AP tracking includes Iraqi civilians, government officials, police and security forces killed in attacks such as gunfights and bombings, which are frequently blamed on Sunni suicide strikes. It also includes execution-style killings _ largely the work of Shiite death squads.

The figures are considered a minimum based on AP reporting. The actual numbers are likely higher, as many killings go unreported or uncounted. Insurgent deaths are not a part of the Iraqi count.

Topic: Iraq