Howie's first here

Indeed.

Jo*in*Vermont
Tue, 07/10/07
9:18 pm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~good post

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

electricity off here during the All Star Game and I miss an inside the park home run? dang

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It shows that for the last 20 years, the Sun's output has declined, yet temperatures on Earth have risen.

Where is this "able" Senator was 4 years ago?
Late, it’s simply late now for him and for many other Demos "professionals" to think “how we leave Iraq"..., it must be thought out BEFORE we enter.
That able Senator better retire..., lol!

============

Did you watch the video?  The Congress gave the President authority in October 2002, few thought he would use that authority to disregard the UN inspectors and make a case from yellow cake and aluminum tubes, both fabricated stories, by March 2003.

To disregard Biden's work since the invasion, as an opportunity to gloat over one's convictions four years ago, is extremely foolish and the kind of stuff that will make Democrats losers.

Here is where you can click to see Joe Biden's videos - like the one in the last thread

http://www.joebiden.com/multimedia/

Howdy ♥

Dang, I missed the entire game - hear the NL is only down by 1 at the moment.

Long ago, my mom was jealous that dad took another girl to the ballgame... there was an in-the-park homer and Mary Alice was clueless, said 'huh?'... anyway, dad started dating mom shortly afterwards and 54 years later the rest is history :-)

Sad that the Army can't meet it's recruiting goals. I don't want to be sending any new recruits into Iraq. Unfortunately, others get recalled time and again. Hey, let's get outta there and not send any more troops at all.

Derek Lee is up Thankful....chance to tie it up.
Denise | 07.11.07 - 12:01 am

He walked - it's the bottom of the 9th.

2 out, 2 on...
Denise | 07.11.07 - 12:01 am

...

CLICK ON   JOE BIDEN TO PRESIDENT BUSH

Saw THE NEWS HOUR - PBS tonite and there was a lot of talk by newspaper people in Iowa and San Diego about ambivalence - people want out of Iraq but they still fear the consequences of leaving the wrong way and leaving a mess.

This is where Biden will lead the Democrats to a blending of the two horns of the dilemma.

Another walk - bases loaded.

NL hasn't won since 1996
Denise | 07.11.07 - 12:04 am


Dang...flied out.
~ ~ ~ ~

nite all, sweet ones.

Mini-un-retirement

Is it just me or can you imagine that anti-attorney general is a w sycophant in more than one way, if you know what I mean?

Another good article from 2003 by Naomi Klein....she says the Iraqis will find that their country has sold out  from under them .   So sad.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/madfloridian/1379

"A people, starved and sickened by sanctions, then pulverized by war, is going to emerge from this trauma to find that their country has been sold out from under them. They will also discover that their newfound "freedom"--for which so many of their loved ones perished--comes pre-shackled with irreversible economic decisions that were made in boardrooms while the bombs were still falling.

They will then be told to vote for their new leaders, and welcomed to the wonderful world of democracy."

Remember the Superfriends and the Hall of Justice cartoon in the 70s?

Remember when Justice was American?

Madonna's demand that everyone asking her questions in a press conference during LiveEarth memorize their questions, and keep eye contact at all times without taking notes.

How Bushian! How Elitist! How Control-freaky! How Stalanistic! Did I mention how  totalitarian!? Elitist?

Madonna, google William Jennings Bryant, Paul Wellstone, The Progressive Movement in America  the 1930s. 

Remember M, Paris Hilton went to jail, MJ almost did.

Money is not everything.  Thereis such a things Justice. Or, I guess, there USED TO BE.

Hey, M, otherwise, love ya.

its always nice to come back to the blog after a few days away and find everyone in the same mood saying the same thing???

And while I'm here....

The real impact of Wolf Blitzer's interview with Michael Moore, is that........

WOLF BLITZER  admits THAT WHAT CNN AND OTHER MSM'S DO IS NOT JOURNALISM, BUT A BUSINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry for all those ! points, but for God's sake, what world are we living in???????????? 

I haven't clapped harder in my life than Rachel Maddow's statements on Olberman tonight on healthcare!

only one !

It's gotta be on crooksandliars eventually!

I wonder  if the Iraqi people know that their oil is in process of being stolen by western oil companies.  I would imagine so, since they, like most of the world, are more savvy than we.  American people seem to be the last to know that we're taking their oil.

Good for Moore yesterday and today.    CNN prolly won't have him on again for years.  Maybe Keith will..one can hope.

So far a few repugs are nicely bashing putz while still voting for his war.  I do see the dems dilemma, tho they have recourse; the purse and impeachment, if they have the courage. 

16 - Amen PA, Amen!

And the fool repeated it SEVERAL times. 

is there a link to tonight's MM on blitzer?

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoft...

should do it...

Nicole Richie? The elite are run amuck! Elite, you mean like chimp?

Remember when the right asked, "What will Clinton's behavior do to the children, who would have never known the gory details, if they weren't trumpeted by Congressional Repugs?

Are we now to expect that our children should now aspire to be torturers, liars, and ignorer's of the law, did I mention Patholigical Liars"

Not to mention the new F word!

fscm

Not to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!vNot to mention the new F word!vvvvNot to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!Not to mention the new F word!

 FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFfff

You mean phuck?

i like the "F" word. it has so many direct uses.

Teasers;

Former Surgeon General Says That He Was Muzzled by the Busheviks. Imagine That? "Anything that doesn't fit into the political appointees' ideological, theological or political agenda is ignored, marginalized or simply buried," Dr. Richard Carmona, who served as the nation's top doctor from 2002 until 2006, told a House of Representatives committee.

Some one thing going right!

Justice in 2007 is getting the same rights we had before the Busheviks; Protected e-mail: An appeals court panel upholds citizens' rights 7/11 

I think it's only a matter of time before people, even in the CM, realize that putz is insane and must  be removed.

The Washington Post reports this morning that our increasingly cornered commander in chief will initiate an end run around Congress and, it's implied, around himself, through a fresh "campaign emphasizing his intent to draw down U.S. forces next year and move toward a more limited mission if security conditions improve" [emphasis added].

The White House's working theory, as reported yesterday by the New York Times, is that it should do unto itself what Congressional Republican apostates -- in league with those defeatist Democrats -- are huddling over anyway. The administration can then, true to form, claim to have seized the initiative. Presto ... the Commander Guy is still in charge, ever the decider.

Said an unnamed source on the inside, "When you count up the votes that we’ve lost and the votes we’re likely to lose over the next few weeks, it looks pretty grim.... Lots of people are concluding that the president has got to get out ahead of this train." (An intriguing and perhaps unconsciously refined metaphor: Was he thinking "train wreck"?)

Just in case, the White House is also getting out ahead in the phraseology department, which is, of course, key to any effective re-education program. It's already calling whatever machinations it is plotting a "post-surge redeployment," or, in the military's preferred acronymic lingo, a PSR, (pronounced "PISSER").

But this rumor of attitudinal retooling would seem to put the proverbial cart before the horse. Given the president's incessant, stubborn insistence that the U.S. is going nowhere until Iraqis have secured their elusive stability, and given that that stability is what he sees as his cherished legacy, would Mr. Bush really permit himself to be pushed around -- to any degree -- by a mere, co-equal branch of government?

However much I agree with Frank Rich's Sunday assessment of our "cowardly" president, everything points to a rigid, last-stand mentality on Mr. Bush's part on this one. His theme song will remain "My Way."

http://pmcarpenter.blogs.com/p_m_carpenters_commentary/2007/07/bushs-desperati.html 

Yes, people are starting to get it.

"Bush to Shift Message on Iraq." Not Policy, Just Message. What a Traitor to Our GIs. Bush is a Sociopathic, Narcissistic, S.O.B.

ten there's the legendary baroque music theorist, johann fux...real guy!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fux

ten should be then

Jo Fux for president. You wanted an independent, now you've got one!!! Fux will go all the way!!!

Mike Malloy tonight gave Mike Gravel some cosmic and unassailable advice On Nova M radio.

google Nova M radio.com

Even, I was frustrated with Gravel tonight.

He savvily made the approporiate adjustment, when Malloy corrected him.

Mike Gravel will not win.

Sweet Jesus, keep MIke Gravel in this campaign as long as possible. Also Ron Paul!!!!!!!!!

Gravel tells the truth as he sees it,>  You can't pay Corporatist Money for THAT.  

The center is informed by the fringes, just like Frat Boys learn how to be cool, by money-less, inner city kids. 

Obama, could you teach W to be truly and sincerely "cool?" 

Gravel, Mike Malloy was trying to help you, because you do tell the truth like Howard, and very few else do.

Take Malloy's advice to heart for the sake of your own and our cause., no condescention. You're Altruistic, baby.

More power to ANY truth tellers in this age of corporate deception, which, by the way is warned of in the Bible, the age of Uber-deception.

The current administration is the Lucifer that our constitution has beeen warning against. 

Damn, the Corporatist Conspiracy Media. 

Just be carefuly HOW you tell the truth!

Gravel, based on his bio, which will NEVER be reported by the Corporate Media, deserves to be heard, despite his performance short-comings.  He gets it! He stopped the draft, almost single-handedly.  When was the last time you heard that reported on FOX Noise? And they have they socio-pathic audacity to Omit this FACT of history.

Fascism does not = the facts 

Hillary, if you have a shread of decency, you will wait until the groundswell for single-payer has reached a fever pitched, then you can say you were right all along, even though you sold your soul for your silence for the last ?? years.

Just like Obama can say that he was right all along about the self-desctuctiveness of the made-up Iraq "war."

Good morning, BFA, yet another cold and rainy day here. The heat in the uilding is turned off and last night I was swathed in sweaters and swaddled in blankets. This is July?

**********
Dan Froomkin, as always, lifts the curtain behind which we see the little fat man playing with the tools to make the puppet move.

There are lots of fat men behind the scenes with this puppet ... and some of them not so small.

===========
A Karl Rove Solution for Iraq?
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Tuesday, July 10, 2007; 12:34 PM

To the extent that Karl Rove still has a reputation as a political genius, he owes it to his signature move: Faced with potential political disaster, Rove never plays defense, he doesn't change course, he attacks the problem head on -- and tries to co-opt the opposition's position.

So it should come as no great surprise that, confronted with a tide of anti-war sentiment and a growing number of defecting Republican lawmakers, the White House is changing not its policy on Iraq, but its message.

Enter the new White House talking point: You want out? We want out, too!

It's a message that has the potential to deflate the growing public frenzy against President Bush's Iraq policy, except for one small problem: It's just talk.

The public wants the bulk of U.S. troops out of Iraq in less than a year. End of story. But the Bush policy is that a drawdown will not take place until certain conditions are met. And the evidence is mounting that even with all the extra troops sent to Iraq since January, those conditions are nowhere near being met. In fact, the kind of Iraq the administration envisions seems more unattainable than ever.

Unless Bush revises his goals, puts forth definitive deadlines or timetables to which he can be held accountable, and stops pretending that he can predict the future in Iraq, then this new talk from the White House should be dismissed as just that.

[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

Well, "uilding" s/b "building" ... fingers must have been too cold to type "b".

Well, c'mon Congress critturs, it's as plain as the nose on his face that the G-man has been doing nothing but lie, lie, lie. It's tie to impeach and indict.

Then start the ball rolling on prick & putz.

=================
Mr. Gonzales's Inattention
Once again, new information raises questions about statements by the attorney general.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007; A14

"I NEVER saw documents. We never had a discussion." Those were the words of Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales in March when trying to distance himself from the Justice Department's controversial decision to fire eight U.S. attorneys. The attorney general was, we now know, mistaken: E-mails and the testimony of former aides prove that he had been involved in that process -- and for nearly two years.

Mr. Gonzales is using a similar defense now in another matter. As The Post's John Solomon reported yesterday, Mr. Gonzales was sent several documents in early 2005 outlining FBI mistakes or abuses concerning national security letters and other intelligence-gathering tools. These notifications are technically known as referrals to the President's Intelligence Oversight Board, which helps police the government's surveillance programs; the notifications are routinely forwarded to the attorney general. Days later, Mr. Gonzales testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was considering reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act, a post-Sept. 11 law that greatly enhanced the president's power to pursue terrorism suspects through such existing tools as national security letters. "There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse" under the Patriot Act, Mr. Gonzales testified on April 27, 2005.

How does the Justice Department square Mr. Gonzales's apparent contradiction? Justice officials note that national security letters predate the Patriot Act. They assert that the violations outlined in the 2005 documents sent to Mr. Gonzales had nothing to do with the subject of the Intelligence Committee hearing and that the use of the Patriot Act had been given a clean bill of health in several government audits at the time Mr. Gonzales testified.

[...]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con...

it was a hot and rainy day here, judy. strange july squalls hit california's ground today. rain in the desert in july??? go figure. i guess its due to everyone's pool tenperature being up too high rather than global warming. damn...i figured it out...its global pool warming, not global warming???

And *tie* s/b *time.* Sigh.

************
Here's a good essay on one of the true evils of our time.

================
Published on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 by The Peninsula (Qatar)
Puppets In The Hands of Corporate Media
by Ramzy Baroud

To speak of an alternative media is to acknowledge the deficiency of the prevailing media, the mainstream, in addressing the issues, catering to the concerns, and responding to the woes of the general public, the overwhelming majority of people who are almost completely disregarded by the corporate media everywhere.

It is disheartening, to say the least, that at a time of unpopular wars, corrupt elites and a widening gap between rich and poor, the corporate media still finds it tasteful to follow the mischievousness of Paris Hilton, now that Britney Spears is getting back in shape after her drug mishaps, or discuss at length and tirelessly the most recent scandals or spectacular performances at Britain’s Big Brother or American Idol.

This is, of course, problematic if one is to consider the role of the citizenry in sustaining a healthy democracy, which itself requires an educated and well-informed public. When the public sphere becomes a puppet in the hands of the corporate media, whose profits and losses are often determined by friendly relations with the state, then a meaningful change in the lives of peoples of democratic societies is simply untenable.

The corporate media is, by definition, forged and sustained with corporate funds, by wealthy individuals whose objective is to amass more wealth, rather than ensure that freedom of speech serves as a guarantor for personal and collective freedom, social cohesion - as opposed to alienation - and democracy. Unlike theocratic or authoritarian societies, which simply stifle freedom of expression altogether, the conduct of the media in Western societies is legitimate from a legal standpoint: it violates no written rules, but the end result is the same.

[...]
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007...

putz & McNasty ... both in their alternate versions of reality.

They truly deserve each other.

==================
Bush faces down own party as discontent over Iraq deepens
· Too early to judge success of surge, says president
· But revolt continues as more senators break ranks
Ewen MacAskill in Washington
Wednesday July 11, 2007
Guardian

President George Bush was set for a collision with his own Republican party yesterday after ignoring demands for a new Iraq strategy that would bring US troops home.

In a speech on a visit to Cleveland, Ohio, Mr Bush shrugged aside Republican criticism over the last fortnight that his "surge" strategy is not working. He refused to offer any concessions to disenchanted Republicans and insisted it was too early to judge the "surge", his deployment of an extra 30,000 US troops.

He said: "You have got all the troops there a couple of weeks ago... They have just showed up and are beginning operations in full and you have people in Washington saying 'Stop'." He added: "I believe it is in this nation's interest to give the commander a chance to fully implement [the strategy] and Congress should wait."

In a direct rebuff to his critics in Congress, he said: "Troop levels will be decided by our commanders on the ground, not by political figures in Washington DC." But the Republican revolt continued to grow, with new senators going public to express their scepticism with the "surge".

One of the few boosts for Mr Bush came from senator John McCain, fresh from a visit to Iraq, who expressed support for the president and said he had seen signs that the "surge" was working. "From what I saw and heard while there, I believe that our military, in co-operation with the Iraqi security forces, is making progress in a number of areas," he said.

Mr McCain is one of Mr Bush's few remaining allies on Capital Hill. Partly as a result of his support for the Iraq strategy, his 2008 presidential bid is faltering: his campaign manager and chief strategist resigned, or were fired, yesterday.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,33017...

And the USD continues its steady trend downwards. At least, I've now locked in an interest rate for the apartment mortgage. It's still quite a lot higher than if I had locked in six months ago but looking at the upwards trend, I am thankful to have gotten this one.

=====================
Pound hits 26-year high as trade gap narrows
· Dollar weakens further against all currencies
· Oil reaches highest price in nearly a year
Ashley Seager
Wednesday July 11, 2007
Guardian

The pound hit a fresh 26-year high against the dollar yesterday after news that Britain's goods trade deficit with the rest of the world unexpectedly fell to its lowest since October 2005. But a rise in global oil prices to an 11-month high above $76 a barrel meant the UK will soon be paying more for its imported oil.
The Office for National Statistics reported a trade gap of £6.29bn for May, down from an upwardly revised £6.93bn figure the month before and considerably smaller than City pundits had expected. Analysts said the figures suggest Britain's exporters may be coping better with the strong pound than had been thought.

The pound pushed higher against the dollar on the news and moved as high as $2.024 as the dollar continued to weaken against all major currencies. It set a record low against the euro of $1.37, particularly after the ratings agency Standard & Poors placed $12bn of sub-prime bonds on review for a possible downgrade.

Analysts said investors continued to focus on the differences in interest rates between the US and other countries, many of which are raising interest rates while the Federal Reserve has held them steady at 5.25% for the past year and may have to start cutting them if the problems in the housing and sub-prime loans market spread to the wider economy. "It's still an interest rate differential game," said Gregory Salvaggio at Tempus Consulting.

[...]
http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,33017...

Perhaps we should take a lesson from China for our corrupt leaders ... after all, putzCo firmly believe in the death penalty ... for all but their close ones, of course.

==================
Disgraced Chinese food regulator is executed
By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Published: 11 July 2007

When it came, retribution was swift and unyielding - after all, a whole country's food and drugs' exports were at stake.

Zheng Xiaoyu, formerly the man responsible for ensuring the safety of China's foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals, was executed yesterday for corruption.

The Supreme People's Court approved the death sentence for Zheng, 62, the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), for taking kickbacks worth 6.5 million yuan (£420,000) from drug companies to ensure he would approve medicines that should have been taken off the market.

The execution stands as a warning after a series of health scandals have damaged the "Made in China" brand at home and abroad.

"Zheng Xiaoyu's grave irresponsibility in pharmaceutical safety inspection and failure to carry out conscientiously his duties seriously damaged the interests of the state and people," the court said in a statement. The case went to China's top court under new rules that allow judges there to overrule death sentences from lower courts. The new regulations have seen the number of death sentences in China fall, but this time the court was swift in its decision. "The social impact has been utterly malign," the court said of Zheng's actions, adding that even though he had confessed and returned the bribes, this was not enough to warrant mercy.

[...]
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia...

Yes, these rollbacks are somewhat frightening to see, especially when one recalls that Benny's pre-Pope assignment was head of the Church's contemporary version of the Office of the Inquisition.

The *Grand Inquisitor* reincarnated perhaps, just as so much evil on the US side of the Atlantic seems to have been?

Let us sincerely hope not.

=======================
Catholics fear Pope's revival of traditional ways
By Peter Popham in Rome
Published: 10 July 2007

Pope Benedict XVI faces uproar among liberal Catholics amid signs that he is trying to turn back the clock on an era of modernisation and reform.

From today, the Church wakes up to a new set of rules regarding the way in which the Mass may be celebrated. For the first time since 1962 the Tridentine Mass, the form of the service always said in Latin, will be permitted.

It is the Pope's personal effort to heal a rift created when the followers of French Archbishop Lefèbvre rebelled, and insisted on continuing the use the Mass introduced at the Council of Trent in the 16th century.

But even before the publication of the new rules the intensity of opposition has shaken the Church. One bishop interviewed by La Repubblica said the day the Pope's letter was published confirming the reform was "the saddest day of my life".

The Pope has confirmed that the existing form of the Mass, dating from the Second Vatican Council of the 1960s, will continue to be the standard one, said in the language of the local congregation.

But many liberal Catholics see the return of a Mass which, in the form in which it was used until 1962, stigmatised "heretics", "schismatics" and Jews and which presented the Catholic Church as the only true version of the faith, as a reckless step backwards.

And when they review the changes Benedict has brought to the papal wardrobe, they see a pattern. Ever since his installation in April 2005, the German Pope has been speeding back to the future.

[...]
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/art...

Courtesy of DU and Think Progress ...

===============
Senate Panel Cuts Off Funding For Cheney Office

http://www.democraticunderground.com/dis...

And MUST run!

well, i wish i was in the land of cotton..no not really..well, i wish i was in the land of...hmmm...let me think for a moment...hmmm...double plug (inside joke)...well, i wish i was in the land of justice...hmmm...no, not probable...ok, i wish i was in the land of low prices...no that doesn't really grab does it...so, i wish i was in the land of freedom where everyone's got the same chance and no one's forgotten, don't look away, don't look away...

...to some old song...

Now funding for Gonzales must be cut off.  Start cutting the strings, one every day or so.

hi, i'm invisible, are you invisible...

I've been reading the comments about the cutting of funding for Cheney.  People think that this is the beginning of hard facts with which to begin impeachment. 

I imagine that want to get rid of p&p ASAP, as we do.  It's possible the dems are going after indictment as well and if the repugs don't go alone with it, their careers will be over, which hopefully they are anyway.

The thing that's so weird is that the WH has never been repug, but always neo-con and fac$$$$.  Why didn't the moderate repugs take action long ago, knowing that their party was co-opted? 

What do you do when you know that the President of the United States AND the Vice-President of the United States are criminals? How do you go about trying to get someone to make the first move if you are not a District Attorney or a special Prosecutor or a member of Congress? Who do you go to that will help? What kind of reward or benefit can you promise someone in order for them to go out on a limb and charge the President and Vice President with criminal conduct?

This sounds like a scene from a movie doesn’t it? Unfortunately it isn’t a movie, its real life, right now. We have a President that has broken so many laws that coming up with charges is child’s play. The biggest hurdle is getting someone with big enough legal standing, and a good sense of right and wrong and the courage to actually start the ball rolling.

sea, do you read other people's comments? or do you just stream thoughts?

nevermind.

As you read these words George W. Bush is poised to humiliate Senate Republicans yet again -- and Senate Republicans, with only a few exceptions, are poised to accept this new humiliation and say, yet again: Yes, boss.

From the minute George Bush planned to let Osama bin Laden escape from Tora Bora by diverting our military to his obsessive hunger for the Iraq war, the conduct of Republicans in the Senate has been one of the most morally shameful abdications of conscience and duty in the history of the American Congress.

On Iraq, George Bush is trapped in his own private Guantanamo, a detainee of his personal and uncontrollable obsession about this war, no matter what the truth, no matter what the cost, no matter what the consequences.

Imagine Cheney impeached and Gore jumping in.  LOL

Putz is truly a twin of Caligula.  And he and Çheney have now become, IMO, the 2 most desperate .....you fill  in the blanks.  I agree that they wlll likely nuke Iran to carry out this country's destiny.  They'll have to create a greater disaster ...and our congress gave him carte blanche to go into Iran w/o congressional approval, thanks to AIPAC and our liver-bellied congress who will regret being beholden  to lobbyists.

".....And neither have Gen. Odom nor the Times taken into consideration the recent report of columnist, Georgie Anne Geyer, who's found evidence that Bush "is more convinced than ever of his righteousness." [Geyer, "A spreading terror," Dallas Morning News, May 31, 2007] According to Geyer: "Friends of his from Texas were shocked recently to find him wild-eyed, thumping himself on the chest three times while he repeated 'I am the president!' He also made clear he was setting Iraq up so his successor could not get out of 'our country's destiny.'" [Ibid]

Given that U.S, ground forces (and their weapons) have been nearly exhausted, the only plausible way for Bush to commit his successor to the war in Iraq would be to "double down" on his first disaster by attacking Iran's nuclear energy facilities, perhaps with nuclear weapons. As Robert D. Novak recently reported, Marine General Jack Sheehan refused to become "czar" of Iraq operations, because he believed that "hawks within the administration, including Vice President Cheney, remain more powerful than the pragmatists looking for an exit strategy in Iraq." [Robert D. Novak, "'Scouting' the Hill on Iraq," Washington Post, July 9, 2007]

In addition, we have Seymour Hersh's expert opinion, recently expressed to an audience at the Campus Progress National Student Conference, that "George Bush's and Dick Cheney's wet dream is hitting Iran." Finally, ask yourself: How did Bush and Cheney respond to rebukes of the November 2006 elections and the Iraq Study Group report? By escalating the war in Iraq!

More to the point, such an attack probably would bring Iraq's holocaust to the entire Middle East, thereby binding Bush's successor to "our country's destiny." As it is, Turkey already has massed 140,000 soldiers on its border with northern Iraq and al Qaeda in Iraq already has threatened to wage war against Iran unless it stops supporting the Shiites in Iraq.

Thus the question: Given the probable defection by key Senate Republicans, can the feckless (and thus desperate) Democrats that American voters placed in a legislative majority last November limit or end America's war in Iraq before Bush and Cheney expand it into Iran? Don't count on it.

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/8615 

That's enuf D&G for me.  G'nite and let's send congress some courage and Light.

mprov, I post partial articles and almost always post my own thoughts.  Tonight I decided to read comments about the cutting of funds.

Pardon all the typos and improper modification of nouns and missed pronouns.  Good grief, my fingers have their own way of posting.  LOL

Nite, mprov 

And, of course, I read blog comments. :-)

Good monring, eveybody

Hand's all swollen from nipping tile, so won't be writing much. 

I know few here watch the network news.

Just wanted to point out an NBC exclusive story last night about Iraqi young women and even little girls forced into sexual slavery in Syria because there are no jobs or safety for them in Iraq.

So much for the sublime goodness of forced democracy.

It's the top story here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/

Wow.  I did not know that. Lucky I have to make a real effort to praise anybody.

Self-esteem always struck me as a crock. 

58.

Yes, but is that story supposed to justify an invasion of Syria?

All the CM stories out of Syria are always bad. 

47.

The thing about people who follow the leader is that they'll follow 

any new leader that comes along.  Democrats have to accept that 

they have to play the part.

The DLC was on the right track.  Their only problem was the agenda

they developed.   

37.

Must pay close attention to adjectives.  They're not just for literary value now.

"verified" coming out of Gonzo's mouth means he doesn't believe what he's

been shown.

I should perhaps make the point that while belief cannot be disproved,

the truth cannot be proved or verified.  Think about it.  Only that which is not

can be proved to be what it is not.  It can be proved that an apple is not a

pear.  It cannot be proved that an apple is an apple.  Indeed, it could also

be a pomme or even just an Apfel.

When Gonzo uses the adjective "verified" you can be sure he's lying.

Ditto when he used the adjective "specific" in connection with "nothing 

improper" 

Must pay close attention to adjectives.  They're not just for literary value now.

"verified" coming out of Gonzo's mouth means he doesn't believe what he's

been shown.

I should perhaps make the point that while belief cannot be disproved,

the truth cannot be proved or verified.  Think about it.  Only that which is not

can be proved to be what it is not.  It can be proved that an apple is not a

pear.  It cannot be proved that an apple is an apple.  Indeed, it could also

be a pomme or even just an Apfel.

When Gonzo uses the adjective "verified" you can be sure he's lying.

Ditto when he used the adjective "specific" in connection with "nothing 

improper"

***************************************

Weird.  When I copy and paste the garbled version, it all shows up. 

Ah, but only in the comment window.  The comment itself is still garbled.

Let's see what happens when I run it through a text note.

Must pay close attention to adjectives.  They're not just for literary value now.

"verified" coming out of Gonzo's mouth means he doesn't believe what he's

been shown.

I should perhaps make the point that while belief cannot be disproved,

the truth cannot be proved or verified.  Think about it.  Only that which is not

can be proved to be what it is not.  It can be proved that an apple is not a

pear.  It cannot be proved that an apple is an apple.  Indeed, it could also

be a pomme or even just an Apfel.

When Gonzo uses the adjective "verified" you can be sure he's lying.

Ditto when he used the adjective "specific" in connection with "nothing

improper" 

OK, so in rich Opera, the program inserts a hard return when one is composing and it's somehow related to the ID on the left side.

Wonder what would happen, if one started composing eight lines down. 

124.

Indy Steve -

IMO Hoke (Colburn) won't be driving Miss Daisy (Werthan) or anyone else.

I hope you enjoy the cake though.

bbl

132.

IMO Hoke (Colburn) won't be driving Miss Daisy (Werthan) or anyone else.

I hope you enjoy the cake though.

* rdorgan
Tue, 07/10/07
3:16 pm

I didn't understand that at all, but I do like cake. YUM!

+++++

Indy Steve -

It looks like I'll have to spell it out to you.

You persistently elevate Edwards to Presidential material (which I agree his is) as do others, especially in the MSM, elevate H Clinton (ditto, IMO, presidential).

Well I find it interesting how both the Edwards and Clinton camps paint Obama as not being ready for primetime -- that the best that the Edwards and Clinton camps can say of Obama is that he is though ready for sub-primetime (ie. vice-president). Well, IMO he's ready for primetime just as much as the other two.

So to rephrase my statement:

IMO, Hoke (Colburn, ie. Obama) won't be driving Miss Daisy (Werthan, ie. H Clinton) or anyone else (ie. Edwards, etc.).

Congrats to Vermonters! The Simpsons in Springfield, VT. What a hoot!!!! Always knew that show had a liberal bent. he he.

+++

mary vb -

Yeah, the closest Springfield to me (ie. Springfield, MA) didn't stand a chance -- it doesn't have a nuclear power plant (ie. the contest amongst the 14 Springfields across the country was to see which city/town was the closest to the Springfield in the Simpsons show, based on these criteria -- a bowling alley, a pub, a prison and a nuclear power plant).

http://tv.yahoo.com/the-simpsons/show/211/news/urn:newsml:tv.ap.org:20070710:simpsons__springfield__ER

By JOHN CURRAN, Associated Press Writer Yesterday at 2:32 pm

...

"Vermont wins," read the purple lettering beside the doughnut-chomping patriarch of America's favorite dysfunctional family on "The Simpsons Movie Springfield Challenge" Web site.

"Ninety-three hundred people, and we won," said an exultant Town Manager Bob Forguites. "I think it's pretty neat, myself."

Springfields in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee also made bids, submitting videos meant to playfully connect their cities to the fictional Springfield in "The Simpsons."

Competition was fierce: Massachusetts got U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy — the inspiration behind the voice of Mayor Quimby on "The Simpsons," to appear in its entry.

"Just think," Kennedy said. "You'll even be able to enjoy some real chowdah."

...

Gotta give Biden his due, plus I want you to show up early and have coffee and donuts with Joe, Sat. morning July 14th in Peosta IA. at NICC just off 20. good training sessions followed by lunch with John Edwards, more training and a reception with Barack Obama after the afternoon sessions.

anybody need a ride from the airport?

Dear Joan,

Last week, at countless picnics, small town festivals and backyards, Americans once again joined together, linked by our collective patriotism, and celebrated the birth of our nation. 

Yet in recent years, some have tried to question the patriotism of those who dare to hold our elected officials accountable.  Well, I refuse to concede my patriotism to those who would take this country to war on false pretenses, and unnecessarily risk the lives of our dedicated young men and women.

Join the Progressive Patriots Fund and Show Your Patriotism Today!

When we founded this organization, I decided to call our group the "Progressive Patriots Fund" because I wanted to take back the language that some on the other side of the aisle have tried to use against progressives for far too long.     

I try everyday to be a true progressive patriot.  A progressive patriot values our constitution and would defend it at all costs.  A progressive patriot stands up and speaks out when they see our country headed down a dangerous road.   A progressive patriot recognizes the greatness of this country and will not stand silently by as our reputation in the world is diminished.

By becoming a member of the Progressive Patriots Fund today, you will not only be supporting our efforts to promote a progressive reform agenda and helping to elect progressive democrats across the country, but you can also demonstrate your patriotism with our brand new "I'm a Progressive Patriot" bumper sticker.  With your contribution of $100, $50 or $25, we'll send you one of these great bumper stickers.

Join the Progressive Patriots Fund and Show Your Patriotism Today!

Russ Feingold
United States Senator
Honorary Chair, Progressive Patriots Fund

good things come in small packages --

-- small crowds:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070711/NEWS09/707110363

Vet's idea intrigues Obama

By JASON CLAYWORTH
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

An unemployed senior citizen and Army veteran from West Des Moines caught the attention of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Tuesday when he pleaded for the United States to withdraw time limits on educational benefits given to soldiers.

Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois, said in front of a Des Moines crowd of about 600 people that John Strong had "an outstanding idea." The crowd cheered.

"We might introduce legislation next week," Obama told Strong. "Maybe we'll name it after you."

Josh Earnest, an Obama campaign spokesman, said the senator "was serious enough about it to ask his Senate staff to start figuring out questions" about costs and how it might work.

Currently, many GI benefits that help veterans pay for college expire in 10 to 12 years after the person has left service. That is a problem, Strong, 66, told Obama.

Strong obtained a four-year college degree in social sciences in 1964 and then became a psychologist specialist for the military, serving in Europe from 1966 to 1968. He took early retirement from Greyhound several years ago and hasn't been able to find a job since.

"A lot of us never used" the educational benefit, "and now that we're older, we need it," Strong said after the rally.

Obama held the town hall meeting at Des Moines Area Community College's Urban Campus in Des Moines.

...

During the event, Obama said the war will cost Iowa's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Des Moines, $756.6 million through 2007. That's enough to build 89 new elementary schools or the equivalent of providing almost 239,000 adults and 340,000 children with health care, he said, quoting statistics from the National Priorities Project, a nonprofit taxpayer watchdog group based in Massachusetts.

"We can't do everything that needs to be done as long as we continue" with the war in Iraq, Obama said. Obama reminded people that he opposed the war in 2002.

"I knew it wasn't a politically popular position but I believed then and I still believe that being a leader means that you'd better do what's right and leave the politics aside because there are no do-overs on an issue as important as war,'' Obama said. Obama has worked to contrast his position with those of Clinton and former Sen. John Edwards, who voted to authorize the war.

Chris Taylor, the Midwest regional press secretary for the Republican National Committee, said it's easy for politicians to make comparisons about how the war money could have been spent. However, Taylor said, they fail to recognize the possible consequences of such actions.

"As we all know, if we pull out all at once, it will become an immediate breeding ground for al-Qaida," Taylor said. "I'll continue to say it's much better to fight them in Baghdad than Boston."

Don't ya just love it when repubs mouth that B to B thing ?

(ie. "I'll continue to say it's much better to fight them in Baghdad than Boston.")

Jeez repubs, including midwest ones, must really dislike Boston to keep dragging Boston into that argument.

BTW, Ted Kennedy is right, Springfield, Boston and all the other cities and towns serve up some really killer chowdah. 

Joan was the one that linked me to Feingold's site originally and they still send me Dear Joan e-mails.

Joan and I could agree that besides Gore, Russ is one Presidential candidate we could both enthusiastically get behind.

too bad jc isn't around to improve the bumper sticker, we miss Judy Lynne Cadoret

miss you too Joan, but I understand

...

miss you too Joan, but I understand

+++

Phil -

I second that emotion.

Russ Feingold was my candidate for this round.  I stil don't understand why he isn't running.  Not too late, Russ!

But, I'm mainly posting to propose calling Bush's strategy in Iraq the "String it Out" strategy.  No matter what he does, Bush always claims we need more time to "see if it works".  Then when it doesn't, he says the next strategy needs more time to "see if it works".  Lather, rinse, repeat.

He's just looking to string out this war until it's dropped on the next President to clean up his mess.

Time to end "String it Out". 

one of the pitchers in the All-Star game was named Putz

too bad seashell isn't a baseball fan as she could have given us some color commentary

the power outage screwed up my alarm and I overslept and the cows were crowded around the gate waiting to be fed this morning

My veterinarian is coming for a herd health visit and then a post-op visit to my surgeopn followed by hay making

I'm not leaving but I'm probably gone for the day

Peace  

chertoff says he has a "gut feeling" we will get attacked this summer.
oh, really. so what r u doing with all that money we are given ya?

maybe setting up those attacks.

rich

good one

Stay the Course McCain and his friend String it Out Bush

you had best not come to Iowa without an exit stategy for the war and waiting til 09 isn't one

the retugs are trying to stop the Webb ammendment to make sure our troops are given equal time off between deployments.

this needs to be said over and over and over. the retugs don't support the troops.

striving for the big tent --

-- inclusiveness:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4958299.html

July 10, 2007, 10:03PM
 

Woman who had sex change declines Obama invite

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Four supporters of Barack Obama were getting a rare chance to dine with the Democratic presidential candidate Tuesday night, with one change to the guest list.

Florida firefighter Jennifer Lasko, chosen from among thousands of small-dollar donors, declined her invitation after local media reported that she used to be a man named John.

Aides to the Illinois senator said they weren't aware of Lasko's sex change before inviting her, but they encouraged her to attend after the news reports surfaced. Lasko decided that she did not want the attention that the dinner would attract.

"We would have loved to have her at the dinner with Senator Obama and the other guests," said Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki. "We hope they have the opportunity to meet at another time."

The campaign invited Christina Cheatham, a rising senior at Georgia College and State University, to take Lasko's place. Cheatham entered the dinner contest with a $5 donation and was rewarded with an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, including a site-seeing tour and dinner at a steak restaurant.

...

as I was leaving I found a

new thread

4.

FRED from OR
Tue, 07/10/07
11:38 pm

....
Did you watch the video? The Congress gave the President authority in October 2002, few thought he would use that authority to disregard...
---------

That's correct: "few" and Biden is NOT among them.
Enough said.

Hopefully what these real poll numbers show is that Americans are fed up with war and are ready to consider other issues which have a much more fundamental impact not only on global security but on the stability of the world as a whole.