Month: October 2007

GOP tries Arm Twisting Bush Dogs Over Contempt Citations

No Comments

This comes as no surprise. After all, as much as pukes like Joe Lieberman would have us believe it, being a Bush dog is not a statement of strength, but a statement of weakenss, so with dear leader at 26 percent, the Republicans are threatening attack ads, because they might support investigations into Bush wrongdoing.

This is cowardice, and when these folks act this way, it depicts the entire Democratic party as a bunch of cowards who can’t be trusted. That is why they are a liability that needs to be minimized.

This isn’t Dan Burton and his watermelons. This is an investigation into turning the Justice Department into a wing of the Republican party. It is worse than anything Nixon ever did.

Message to Bush Dogs, stand up for your country and grow a backbone. This isn’t politics, this is the country that you have to say.

To quote REPUBLICAN Dick Thornburgh, George Herbert Walker Bush’s Attorney General:

“The citizens of the United States must have confidence that the department is conducting itself in a fair and impartial” manner, “without actual political influence or the appearance of political influence.

Unfortunately, that may no longer be the case,” Thornburgh said.

Senator Hagel Begs Bush for Negociations With Iran

No Comments

Steve Clemons had Hagel’s letter leaked to him. He denies that the source was Hagel. He also notes that Admiral William J. Fallon, Commander, U.S. Central Command (Centcom), the guy who thinks that Petraeus is a worthless Eddie Haskell suckup, has, “allegedly communicated with the Senator that serious articulations of American interests and consideration of the options Hagel recommends are much needed in this current political and policy environment.”

Translation: Someone call off the insane folks in DC.

Not that I think that batsh$# insane Cheney, and the petulant brat will listen, though it is significant that this is getting leaked, and passed around the military.

Bill Donohue. Professional Bigot at it again.

No Comments

The Picture in question:

Miller apologizes for street festival poster
Promo drew complaints from Catholic group
By TOM DAYKIN
tdaykin@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Oct. 29, 2007

Miller Brewing Co. Monday apologized for allowing the company’s brand logos to appear on a poster promoting a San Francisco street festival that some viewed as offensive to Catholics.

The poster was a parody of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” featuring men and women wearing leather. It promoted the Folsom Street Fair, an annual event that features exhibits on sexual practices. This year’s fair occurred in September.

…

We know the real reason that Bill Donohue got his nipples in a twist*, it wasn’t the leather. It was the black Jesus. This guy has a long history of deeply bigoted statements.

Besides, this is a hoot. It’s almost as funny as the Last Supper Scene in the movie M*A*S*H*.

*Yeah, I know, cheap pun, but I gotta be me.

Edwards Goes on the Attack

No Comments

He’s going after Hillary Clinton’s character. There are a number of reasons that this might be a winner.

  1. The Clinton machine, and by this, I mean the wider net cast in Bills machine, and not just Hillary, is sold out and intellectually corrupt, if not legally so, see my posts on the adventures of Mark Penn, union buster for what is typical.
  2. Hillary has on a number of occasions made some rather spirited defenses of lobbiests.
  3. Washington, DC, where Hillary is finally accepted, is morally, spiritually, and ethically bankrupt.
  4. This is the leading concern of people about Hillary in the polls.

That being said, with 63 days until the Iowa caucuses, I think that the best tack might be to make sure that everyone there is well organized. A very small percentage of Iowa Dems go to the caucuses, and it’s all about organization, organization, organization, and organization.

Then again, it might be too bloody late for anyone to stop her.

Economic Update

No Comments

Well, the economy logged a brisk 3.9 growth rate, which is pretty stellar, particularly since it would have been about 1% higher if the housing market were not tanking, but still, the Fed cuts rates by 25 basis points.

Maybe they know that there is some level of bullsh&% in the figures that they cannot trust.

In response, the dollar tumbled. The Canadian dollar bought more than $1.06 for the first time since 1957, the Euro broke the $1.45 barrier, going to $1.4503:1.0000€, and the Sterling is now $2.0813:£1.0000.

I said that the dollar would break through $1.50:1.00€ before year’s end, and I stand by that.

As to the Chinese Yuan, it doesn’t move as much, as it it still partially pegged to the dollar,

but it has risen by about 10 % since it became more loosely pegged about 27 months ago.

I expect a run on the US dollar sooner, rather than later, perhaps before the 2008 elections.

Revealed: how Blair rejected Bush’s offer to stay – Independent Online Edition > World Politics

No Comments

It turns out that the Smiler* had an offer from his master George W. Bush to stay out of the war, but he rejected it. Apparently, he thought that it would look “pathetic”, as if being bush’s poodle was not already the height of pathos.

At least Blair isn’t covered by American laws regarding the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

*Tony Blair

Third World Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran is Mulling Retirement

No Comments

It appears that Democrats are considering this a potential pickup. If this is a Democratic Pickup, I’m Hillary Clinton.

While Mississippi might potentially be driven in a Democratic direction in the right year and with the right candidate, the fact is that the Democratic fund raising apparatus in that state was destroyed by political prosecutions.

Attorneys do not donate money to Mississippi Dems any more, because they know that if they do, they will suffer the fate of Paul Minor, and be in jail for the next decade or so.

These Are Not Terrorists, They Everyone’s Stereotype of Trekkies Who Need to Get A Life

No Comments

Well, there has now been a plea in the Fort Dix “terrorism” case. It’s Agron Abdullahu, and he was charged with weapons violations, not a direct involvement in the planning or execution of the event.

The more I look at what various “home grown” terrorists appear to have been planning, the more that it is clear that hese guys are serious wannabes, and they remind me less of terrorists than they do of the pseudo trekkies who referred to episodes by number in that Saturday Night Live sketch with William Shatner.

Remember these guys? They decided that they wanted to attack a military installation, and settled on Fort Dix, because one of them knew the lay of the base from delivering pizzas there.

The FBI learned of the plot when the men went to a Circuit City store and asked a clerk to transfer a jihad training video of themselves onto a DVD..

Which are they more like, this guy, , or this Guy?

My money is on comic book guy.

You find the same thing with the “Seas of David” morons. You know, the ones who were “planning to bomb the Sears Tower”, but needed to get some groundwork out of the way, so they, like, you know, went down to the local 7-11 to find supporters, and combat with paintball.

Let’s be fair. While I have met some serious lamers at Science Fiction Conventions, and this is not limited to Trek, none of them are this lame. These guys make that 45 year old virgin arguing about continuity in Lost in Space look like Pierce Brosnan.

This Has Got To Be the Definitive Line On Barack Obama

No Comments

This is from Kevin Drum, who I read regularly, “I guess I’m sympathetic toward Hillary but really, really wishing that Obama would give me a good reason to change my mind and support him instead.”

Let me make this clear, Obama is now at the bottom of my list. I believe that he engaged in gay baiting in an attempt to get votes in South Carolina, but for those who are not so convinced, think about this, if the “it politician” of the 2004 convention can’t sell you, the one who was touted as the future of the party and the nation, how can he sell the rest of the country.

My conclusion, he got lucky in 2004. His primary challengers self destructed, and then his general challenger did, after which he faced Alan Keys, against whom I could win.

Until he shows that he can do something about that luck beside mouth platitudes, he will not make this sale.

Obama Uses ‘Phant Framing on Social Security

No Comments

Barack Obama has chosen the meme that social security is in crisis as his first line of attack against Hillary Clinton. The fact that we have “only 40 years” or so to fix it is something that we need to act upon RIGHT NOW DAMMIT!!!!

I have to go with Chris Bowers’ analysis:

Obama made it clear he would not run as either a partisan Democrat or a partisan progressive from the start.
Back on Sunday, playing on the whole “what happened to the Obama of 2004” theme, the Carpetbagger Report notes we should have seen that Obama was not going to run as a partisan from the start

……

We should have seen that Obama wouldn’t run as either an ideological or Democratic partisan from the start. His 2004 convention speech made that perfectly clear. We should also have seen that a bruised and battered Democratic activist base, after years of defeat, being called traitors, and inability to get Republican to compromise on anything at all, wasn’t exactly willing to just throw their hands up in the air and say to Republicans:

…..

That wasn’t going to happen, even though it would have helped Obama if it had. Democrats, especially the under 50 progressive creative class portion of the party, don’t just want conservatives to finally stop attacking them so everyone can finally all hold hands. Instead, for once, they actually want to win. Unfortunately for Obama, he offered them milquetoast unity instead.

Now, in reaction to being pushed by the progressive base on McClurkin, Atrios notes the many ways that Obama lashes out against progressives:

Aside from the adoption of right wing frames, this kind of statement is incredibly insulting to both the LGBT community who are apparently “hermetically sealed from the faith community” and to the “faith community” which is apparently defined as nothing more than a bunch of anti-gay bigots. Not to mention the Democratic Party, which apparently includes no actual religious people.

It’s really just insulting to everyone, with a touch of “shut the hell up I know best.”

This isn’t new. Obama has done this before. In fact, during 2006, he repeatedly engaged in the long-standing practice of chastising progressives for not being nice to people of faith:

…..

Obama has long criticized the left for being hostile to Americans of faith whenever he was pushed on this topic. In fact, he often made such criticisms without even being pushed. As such, there was no reason to expect that his reaction to criticism of choosing McClurkin, or really his reaction to any progressive criticism, would be any different. If Democrats and progressives criticized anything in his campaign that had to do with faith, those same Democrats and progressives would simply be told that they aren’t properly reaching out to people of faith. At the same time, he has consistently failed to offer progressives and Democrats any red meat, no matter what Republicans would do or say. This is a clear pattern for Obama. We should have seen it coming.

(emphasis mine)

Obama is well spoken, but for whatever reason, and my guess would be his loss to Bobby Rush early in his career, it is clear that he holds liberals in disdain, and it is clear that he wants to be considered one of Washington, DC’s “very serious people”.

The problem is that Washington, DC’s “very serious people” are always wrong. They were wrong on Iraq, they were wrong on social security, they are wrong on Iran and tax cuts, and they continue to be wrong when they say that the adults will take charge in the Bush White House.