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I Am Not Deep Throat, But I Know Who Is
From the New York Times:
In the book and movie "All the President's Men," he was a shadowy figure in a parking lot urging Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to "follow the money," advising them to investigate the Watergate cover-up that brought down former President Richard M. Nixon.
The two journalists referred to him only as "Deep Throat," and for years the question of the real identity of the anonymous source has endured in journalistic and political circles, as captivating an unsolved mystery as the question of whatever happened to Jimmy Hoffa.
Now, an ailing and aging former F.B.I. agent in California, W. Mark Felt, has told Vanity Fair magazine that he was the one who leaked certain secrets about Mr. Nixon's Watergate coverup to the Washington Post reporters.
"I'm the guy they used to call Deep Throat," Mr. Felt told John D. O'Connor, a lawyer and the author of the Vanity Fair article, the magazine said today in a press release.
Mr. Felt, who is 91 and living in Santa Rosa, Calif., was the second-in-command at the Federal Bureau Investigation in the early 1970's.
According to the magazine, Mr. Felt kept the secret even from his family until 2002, when he confided the information to a friend.
Mr. Felt reportedly gave Mr. O'Connor permission to disclose his identity in the magazine's July issue.
"The Felt family cooperated fully, providing old photographs for the story and agreeing to sit for portraits," Vanity Fair said in its press release.
The Washington Post had no comment on the Vanity Fair article. Mr. Bernstein released a statement to MSNBC that declined to confirm Mr. Felt's claim.
There is more to the article, but the upshot is this: Until and unless Woodward and Berstein and Bradlee give the nod, the Washington DC parlor game, "Who is Deep Throat," will continue.
But I gotta wonder about this...why didn't Felt give the okay for the information to be released to Woordward, who is now the Managing Editor of the Washington Post? If it's true, and The New York Times beat the Washington Post to the punch, well...that's gotta hurt.
UPDATE: Late this afternoon, the Washington Post confirmed that former Deputy Director of the FBI, W. Mark Felt, was indeed the confidential source known as "Deep Throat".
In a statement today, Woodward and Bernstein said, "W. Mark Felt was 'Deep Throat' and helped us immeasurably in our Watergate coverage. However, as the record shows, many other sources and officials assisted us and other reporters for the hundreds of stories that were written in The Washington Post about Watergate."
[...]
Woodward, Bernstein and Bradlee had kept the identity of "Deep Throat" secret at the source's request, saying his name would be revealed upon his death. "We've kept that secret because we keep our word," Woodward said.
Ben Bradlee, pretty much sums up my feelings about the disclosure of "Deep Throat's" identity:
Bradlee said today, "The thing that stuns me is that the goddamn secret has lasted this long."
[the DeepThroat ID story today brings up the inevitable comparisons between what Nixon did and what bu$hcheney did, using the power of the presidency...following are 2 articles published today, the first making the case for impeachment and the 2nd, on why it will be almost impossible given the current situation]
Ralph Nader/Kevin Zeese:
The 'I' Word: Impeachment
The impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney, under Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, should be part of mainstream political discourse.
Minutes from a summer 2002 meeting involving British Prime Minister Tony Blair reveal that the Bush administration was ''fixing" the intelligence to justify invading Iraq. US intelligence used to justify the war demonstrates repeatedly the truth of the meeting minutes -- evidence was thin and needed fixing.
snip~~
The president and vice president have artfully dodged the central question: ''Did the administration mislead us into war by manipulating and misstating intelligence concerning weapons of mass destruction and alleged ties to Al Qaeda, suppressing contrary intelligence, and deliberately exaggerating the danger a contained, weakened Iraq posed to the United States and its neighbors?"
If this is answered affirmatively Bush and Cheney have committed ''high crimes and misdemeanors." It is time for Congress to investigate the illegal Iraq war as we move toward the third year of the endless quagmire that many security experts believe jeopardizes US safety by recruiting and training more terrorists. A Resolution of Impeachment would be a first step. Based on the mountains of fabrications, deceptions, and lies, it is time to debate the ''I" word.
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0531-23.htm
~~and~~
Norman Solomon:
Impeachment Fever and Media Politics
If you think President Bush should be impeached, it's time to get serious.
We're facing huge obstacles -- and they have nothing to do with legal standards for impeachment. This is all about media and politics.
Five months into 2005, the movement to impeach Bush is very small. And three enormous factors weigh against it: 1) Republicans control Congress. 2) Most congressional Democrats are routinely gutless. 3) Big media outlets shun the idea that the president might really be a war criminal.
For now, we can't end the GOP's majority. But we could proceed to light a fire under congressional Democrats. And during the next several weeks, it's possible to have major impacts on news media by launching a massive educational and "agitational" campaign -- spotlighting the newly leaked Downing Street Memo and explaining why its significance must be pursued as a grave constitutional issue.
snip~
In the past, attempts to impeach presidents for war crimes have sunk like a stone in the Potomac. If this time is going to be different, we need to get to work -- organizing around the country -- making the case for a thorough public inquiry and creating a groundswell that emerges as a powerful force from the grassroots. Only a massive movement will be strong enough to push over the media obstacles and drag politicians into a real debate about presidential war crimes and the appropriate constitutional punishment.
continue~
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0531-20.htm
Posted by: on.to.victory4Dems at May 31, 2005 02:39 PM
We are living my nightmare but this is my dream!
My Husband and mom both pointed out that Bush and his version of politics have damaged this country so badly that no matter who gets elected next time, its unlikely they will be able to repair much of it. Impeachment would be the first step in repairing much of the damage. If we start now we will have an aditional amount of time to start fixing this country and healing the divide. It is time for democrats to sh*t or get off the pot. As my grandparents and parents have always said!
Posted by: Ira at May 31, 2005 02:06 PM
I had the opportunity to hear Ben Bradlee speak when I was visiting friends in Massachusetts. He did talk about the need for more courageous journalism, especially with the current administration...
I think an interview with Mr. Felt would be great. And he certainly deserves the Profiles in Courage award. Whether or not Mr. Felt chose to reveal himself at this time because of the lack of truth in our government/media, we should really use this to wake people up. Praise Mr. Felt as the courageous patriot he is to encourage other possible “deep throats.” Or “muckrakers.” We are in desperate need of muckrakers.
“There is filth on the floor and it must be scraped up with the muck-rake; and there are times and places where this service is the most needed of all the services that can be performed.
There are, in the body politic, economic and social, many and grave evils, and there is urgent necessity for the sternest war upon them. There should be relentless exposure of and attack upon every evil man whether politician or business man, every evil practice, whether in politics, in business, or in social life. I hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform, or in book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful.”
~Theodore Roosevelt’s speech, “The Man with the Muck-rake”
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/teddyrooseveltmuckrake.htm
[Lame duck, lame duck, quack quack...
on this day, of all days, when the talking heads MSM are rehashing DeepThroat & Watergate and presidential "high crimes", etc... I really like the irony of this headline story on yahoo news]
Bush rejects suggestion he is losing clout
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Tuesday brushed aside suggestions his agenda was losing momentum early in his second term, saying, "I feel comfortable in my role" and will keep up pressure on the U.S. Congress to approve his agenda.
snip~
Two days after winning re-election last November Bush declared he had earned "political capital, and now I intend to spend it."
But much of his second-term agenda has run into opposition.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050531/us_nm/bush_dc_2
abc's, from Arianna's site:
A Grimmer Primer by Larry Gelbart
A is for Abu-Graib. Admission accomplished. Happily, all of the women responsible for perpetrating the torture, degradation and unspeakable humiliation have been named and/or punished.
B is for Bolton, hard-driving, hard-headed, abusive, butt-kicking diplomat.
C is for Congress. A debatable society - formerly a separate branch of the US government.
D stands for the Reverend Dobson, Man of God, who acts with the certainty that the term is meant to be read the other way around.
E is for Enron, a firm which could publish a cooking-the-books cookbook, whose executives will answer for their crimes just as soon as the office cleaning women all fess up.
F is for Senator Frist, who would obviously rather be righteous than president.
G stands for Guantanamo Bay. And for gulag. And for Goebbels. And, sadly, for GWB.
H is for Huffington, whose space has launched a thousand quips; whose post at times resembles a rich kids' high school newspaper.
I is for Iraqmire - a situation created when you bring the Wild West into the Middle East.
J stands for Jeb, a member of the dynasty that has caused all too many others to do just that.
K is our man in Afghanistan, Karzai - as played by another K: Ben Kingsley.
L is for Lynne Cheney, logical enough for the L word.
M is for the Media, the means by which a handful of enlightened men make billions by keeping billions in the dark.
N stands for Nixon, patron saint of the gates: first, Watergate, next Iran-Contragate, and hopefully the inevitable accounting by the present administration: Abrogate.
O is for O'Reilly, fair and balanced moralist/phone sex enthusiast.
P brings us to Richard Perle - smooth as silk, and the worms that make it.
Q is for the Queer Guy who seems forever stuck in the straight eye.
R stands for Mr. Rove, the hand inside our bully puppet.
S is for Arlen Spector, whose words from the heart go unheard by those in the White House who have none.
T is for Trent Lott. And whoever thought we'd ever miss him?
U is for the United Nations - still the best hope to protect civilization from itself.
V stands for Vladimir Putin, or "Vlady," as he is called by the same man who dubbed the above Mr. Rove "Turd Blossom."
W Who else but Wolfowitz to lead the World Bank? Who else but a man who has trouble adding up body bags?
X is for Tom DeLay, the ex-exterminator. (A bit of a cheat but, then, sweets for the sweet.)
Y Young Man's Christian Association = Ralph Reed and Gary Bauer.
Z is for Zell - loud, living proof that there is no fury like a Democrat scorned.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/larry-gelbart/a-grimmer-primer_1868.html
Posted by: April at May 31, 2005 02:56 PM
Right on April!
Democrats need to get more serious, and not just play along with Republicans. Republicans got their power by not playing along, but by being true to their extremist agenda and making it mainstream. It's about time that Dems went back to their roots as well.
And until that happens, I will refuse to give to DCCC and DSCC. As long as there are wishy-washy Dems like the ones of the DLC and closet Republicans like the now-gone Zell Miller who still get their money from DCCC and DSCC as Democrats, DCCC and DSCC no longer deserve my money. I have given heavily to both and regret every bit of it.
Perhaps Casey, Felt gave his scoop to the N.Y. Times b/c he no longer respects Woodward who has become an apologist for the Bush adminsitration. Woodward claims to have looked into Bush's soul and can somehow attest to Bush's integrity.
Washington Post Confirms Felt Was 'Deep Throat'
Woodward, Bernstein and Bradlee Reveal Former FBI Official as Secret Watergate Source
By William Branigin and David Von Drehle
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, May 31, 2005; 5:29 PM
The Washington Post today confirmed that W. Mark Felt, a former number-two official at the FBI, was "Deep Throat," the secretive source who provided information that helped unravel the Watergate scandal in the early 1970s and contributed to the resignation of president Richard M. Nixon.
The confirmation came from Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two Washington Post reporters who broke the Watergate story, and their former top editor, Benjamin C. Bradlee. The three spoke after Felt's family and Vanity Fair magazine identified the 91-year-old Felt, now a retiree in California, as the long-anonymous source who provided crucial guidance for some of the newspaper's groundbreaking Watergate stories.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/article/deepthroat31.html
Deep Throat confirmed as Mark Felt by Bob Woodward.
Deep Throat is now a footnote to history. The WaPo has a Watergate timeline for those who are either too young to have lived through Watergate era or who might want a reminder about another time in our history when the power of the presidency was miss-used by corrupt men in power. That was then, this is now. As John Dean says, what Bu$hCheney administration has done is "Worse than Watergate":
Stripping Rumsfeld and Bush of Impunity
By Matthew Rothschild, The Progressive. Posted May 31, 2005.
Two respected human rights groups say there is prima facie evidence against Donald Rumsfeld and George W. Bush for war crimes and torture -- and they're asking foreign governments to do something about it.
continue~
http://www.alternet.org/rights/22118/
Smoke ande Mirrors: How the WH lobbies for Bolton via the media...
Rice praises anti-weapons program
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/31/rice.proliferation.ap/index.html
May 31, 2005
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration claimed success on Tuesday for its program designed to intercept weapons technology, saying it helped end Libya's weapons program.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Proliferation Security Initiative, an operation conducted jointly with dozens of other countries, provided the "framework" for intercepting centrifuge components bound for Libya and led to Moammar Gadhafi's 2003 decision to dismantle the programs.
-snip-
But Wade Boese, research director for the private Arms Control Association, challenged the claim the program was instrumental in blocking delivery to Libya.
"This is the only piece of evidence they have provided for the program's success, but it remains unclear what role PSI actually played in this interdiction," Boese said, using the program's initials. "Some former U.S. and foreign government officials have said that the interception was not a PSI operation."
Boese added: "We don't have any public accounting of interdictions except this one."
-snip-
(here's yer nice little plug for Bolton/Boltoff)
John R. Bolton, the undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, has championed and promoted the program from its inception, rallying countries to join and to engage in PSI exercises.
from April'05 archives, on Bolton:
Bolton Pulled by White House from Libya Team. Bolton had to be taken out of the Libya negotiating chain of command at Tony Blair's insistence, Newsweek reports, for it to succeed. Bolton's supporters cite two meagre successes of his on the job he was supposed to be performing when he wasn't running his own ideologically-driven counterintelligence ops against US negotiators and intelligence underlings at State and CIA. That job was supposed to be nonproliferation, and the two successes cited are Libya's decision to abandon its WMD program and Bolton's pet Proliferation Security Initiative. Well, scratch Libya:
On several occasions, America's closest ally in the war on terror, Britain, was irked by what U.S. and British sources say were efforts by Bolton to undermine promising diplomatic openings. Perhaps the most dramatic instance took place early in the U.S.-British talks in 2003 to force Libya to surrender its nuclear program, NEWSWEEK has learned. The Libya deal succeeded only after British officials "at the highest level" persuaded the White House to keep Bolton off the negotiating team. A crucial issue, according to sources involved in the affair, was Muammar Kaddafi's demand that if Libya abandoned its WMD program, the U.S. in turn would drop its goal of regime change. But Bolton was unwilling to support this compromise. The White House agreed to keep Bolton "out of the loop," as one source puts it. A deal was struck only after Kaddafi was reassured that Bush would settle for "policy change"—surrendering his WMD.
continue~
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/001946.html
and
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/7614769/site/newsweek/
Posted by: Ira at May 31, 2005 02:06 PM
Ira,
I think your idea of an interview is excellent. He certainly will have countless requests for interviews. Maybe asking his family why they think he revealed himself at this time can answer the question of motivation. However, I am convinced he was partially motivated by the recognition of an abuse of power similar or even worse than he saw under Nixon. If that is part of his reasoning, eyes will be opened (only if accurately reported, of course, and that is a lot to ask these days).
However as familiar as our generation is with Watergate (as a teenager, I watched the hearings!), there are millions who have no idea what the excitement is about. I am curious as to how the Bu$hco propoganda machine spins it this time around.
This probably is more appropriate for previous thread:
"Most people hear them talk about a 'Christian nation' and think, 'Well, that sounds like a good, moral thing,' says the Rev. Mel White, who ghostwrote Jerry Falwell's autobiography before breaking with the evangelical movement. "What they don't know -- what even most conservative Christians who voted for Bush don't know -- is that 'Christian nation' means something else entirely to these Dominionist leaders. This movement is no more about following the example of Christ than Bush's Clean Water Act is about clean water."
The godfather of the Dominionists is D. James Kennedy, the most influential evangelical you've never heard of. A former Arthur Murray dance instructor, he launched his Florida ministry in 1959, when most evangelicals still followed Billy Graham's gospel of nonpartisan soul-saving. Kennedy built Coral Ridge Ministries into a $37-million-a-year empire, with a TV-and-radio audience of 3 million, by preaching that it was time to save America -- not soul by soul but election by election. After helping found the Moral Majority in 1979, Kennedy became a five-star general in the Christian army. Bush sought his blessing before running for president -- and continues to consult top Dominionists on matters of federal policy.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/7235393?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single7&rnd=1117582934994&has-player=true
oncall:
Our history expert I believe his name is Howard Zinn would be the absolute perfect person to do the interview from a historic perspective. Since dickbell had interviewed Mr. Zinn perhaps he could pass this recommendation on to Mr. Zinn. Just a thought as the press will be pounding his door for interviews. Felt's grandson was on the air and seemed to appreciate the importance his g.f has to history so perhaps the grandson would be the better way to approach an interview. Mr. Felt seems elderly and frail and his agent who arranged the Vanity Fair interview indicated that his memory was not all that great but this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity that hopefully someone outside the mainstream press can swing.
Re: Deep Throat
So exactly how much kool-air does someone have to drink before they can, without conscious, bash a 91-year old man in failing health? Ask G. Gordon Liddy and Pat Buchanan. The down side of the 'Deep Throat revealed' story is definitely that those two scumbags have been on tv nonstop all day. Bleh.
The best part about the Deep Throat story breaking today? It totally diluted the effect of Shrub's a.m. press conference from the Rose Garden where he was pretending not to be a lame duck. For that Mr. Felt two bug thanks!
Oops... That should read: For that Mr. Felt, two big thanks!
Posted by: florida dem at May 31, 2005 09:26 PM
That is what I have been thinking all day. I love my 11 year old (Charley had a birthday yesterday) she said mom Mr. Blowhard is in the rose garden can we leave for shopping early LOL I couldnt even be mad, I was reading the deep throat story and had just gotten to the part in the WP that said Bush would be speaking at 11 lol. Needless to say we went shopping early and avoided places that feel the need to show him when he speaks :)
I have always thought that Deep Throat was a combination of people, more a device for the movie, and still might get revealed as such, later. But a big thanks to Mr. Felt.
So quaint now was the public's right to know, and wanting to know. Different times.
someone should get this message to the Rose Garden before the Presidunce tells yet another whopper about how well things are going over in Iraq:
U.S. Army officers cite lack of troops in key region
By Tom Lasseter, Knight Ridder Newspapers
Tue May 31
TAL AFAR,Iraq - U.S. Army officers in the badland deserts of northwest Iraq, near the Syrian border, say they don't have enough troops to hold the ground they take from insurgents in this transit point for weapons, money and foreign fighters.
snip~
"There's simply not enough forces here," said a high-ranking U.S. Army officer with knowledge of the 3rd ACR. "There are not enough to do anything right; everybody's got their finger in a dike."
The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity because of concern that he'd be reprimanded for questioning American military policy in Iraq.
The Army has no difficulty in launching large-scale operations to catch fighters in "an insurgent Easter egg hunt," the officer said. "But when we're done, what comes next?"
continue~
http://tinyurl.com/9wrd7
On a day when Mark Felt is revealed to be the source Deep Throat, I am reminded of the Viet Nam war. Does it really matter where Jimmy Hoffa is buried or who killed Jack Kennedy? or who Deep Throat is when we find ourselves in this country again at war, a war authorized by a Gulf of Tonkin sized resolution?
This is side show pop culture. What is the difference between 'Follow the money' and 'Show me the money'?
I am going to call my senators while they are home this week and not in Washington. I will ask why American foregn policy is such a mess?
Or maybe I am wrong and it is not a mess. Maybe someone will explain to me how good everything is going. I can't wait.
Either way I am going to learn something. I hope the fools with my tools will take this opportunity to learn something too.
Two responses. The media are not picking it up. Maybe no one noticed.
*****************************************************************
Bush disassembles the Amnesty International charges (that means ...
Blogcritics.org - 10 minutes ago
... Disassemble means 'to take apart'. I suppose the word he meant was 'dissemble,' but for crying out loud, can't he get some speechwriters that
can write things ...
Bush Says He's Not About to Give Up on His Agenda
Los Angeles Times, CA - 1 hour ago
... America, people that had been trained in some cases to disassemble -- that means not tell the truth." He appeared to have intended to use the
word "dissemble.". ...
With Live 8, Geldof urges G8 to stamp out poverty
LONDON (Reuters) - Charity rocker Bob Geldof on Tuesday announced plans for five star-studded concerts aimed at pressuring world leaders into eradicating African poverty.
Twenty years after the Live Aid sensation, the man dubbed "Saint Bob" for organising the 1985 concert to save the starving in Ethiopia wants to influence the G8 group of industrialised nations which meets in Scotland in July.
"Here we are again," Geldof told a news conference in London, adding that he hoped to use Live 8 concerts "to tilt the world a little bit on in its axis in favour of the poor".
"We don't want your money, we want you, because every few seconds a child dies needlessly of extreme poverty," the Irish singer added.
"Eight world leaders in one room in Scotland on the 8th of July can save millions and millions of lives, but they'll only do it if enough people tell them to."
Five free concerts will be held on July 2 in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome and Philadelphia, organiser Harvey Goldsmith said.
The stars due to appear at the London show include Mariah Carey, Coldplay, Elton John, Madonna, Paul McCartney, REM, Scissor Sisters, Sting, Robbie Williams and U2.
Acts confirmed so far in Philadelphia include Bon Jovi, Maroon 5, P. Diddy, Stevie Wonder and actor Will Smith.
The concerts will coincide with a rally in Edinburgh organised by Make Poverty History, an umbrella group campaigning to cancel poor nations' debt and boost aid that plans to form a human chain around the Scottish city to raise awareness.
RALLY TO PRESSURE LEADERS
Live 8 organisers are hoping for one million spectators at the July 2 gigs and up to two billion viewers around the world.
Philadelphia officials said Live 8 and a separate Elton John AIDS concert on July 4 could attract up to three million people in the city alone.
"I don't think it will be a logistical problem for us," Mayor John Street told reporters in Philadelphia.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has lobbied to help Africa during Britain's presidency of the G8 this year and will host G8 leaders at a summit in Gleneagles in Scotland from July 6-8.
But campaigners fear discord between G8 nations on debt reduction and aid, combined with reluctance in Washington, will wreck Blair's ambitions.
Blair will discuss a range of issues including Africa during talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington next week, a spokesman for his office said.
Campaigners also warn that African schools and hospitals could receive no new money from the G8 summit, which could cost as much as 100 million pounds to stage.
"We are really concerned that we're a long, long way away from any kind of breakthrough on tackling poverty in Africa," said Oxfam policy adviser Max Lawson.
Elton John, who has his own AIDS charity, said the latest initiative would mean more to him than Live Aid.
"I went to Africa in January and saw the situation for myself there, and saw the ignorance and stigma that people are fighting against," he said.
"He's (Geldof) encouraged ... musicians to really think about what they should be doing instead of playing and just driving around in flashy cars."
Reuters
---The amount proposed is pocket change compared to what's spent on war - as the author of a book on African poverty said on NPR, it's the amount of a "rounding error at the Pentagon."
Yale classmates of Bolton's wrote to senators to oppose the nomination.
The 76 signers include cartoonist Garry Trudeau, who lampooned Bolton in his ``Doonesbury'' strip in May. Others were fellow members of the Class of 1970 who participated in a 35th reunion over the Memorial Day weekend.
``We are embarrassed and ashamed that the Bush administration has nominated someone so manifestly unsuited to represent our country at the United Nations,'' the Yale classmates wrote.
``As his classmates, we do not believe that Mr. Bolton has exhibited the values of civility, light and truth which our shared institution represents.''
Read the rest at http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5044254,00.html
Posted by: DiAnne at June 1, 2005 12:06 AM
I wonder if Bolton ever received an invitation to the reunion?
I just listened to a clip from the chimp's propaganda show today. I will always be listening for wingnuts who incorrectly use the word dissemble (like lemings walking off a cliff). Amazingly the President used the word disassemble and gave it the wrong definition. Chief Executive? Chief Moron is more like it, if you ask me.
OC...
Don't you have playtime in the morning?
Night!
Indy,
I never sleep.
LOL
...CRAP!
You either OC...
Here is a little number for all of those broken hearts in Blogland tonight...just be happy that your blue...or red white and blue...
Freddy Fender
Wasted days and wasted nights
I have left for you behind
For you don't belong to me,
your heart belongs to someone else.
Why should I keep loving you,
when I know that you're not true?
And why should I call your name,
when you're to blame for making me blue?
Don't you remember the day
that you went away and left me?
I was so lonely, prayed for you only, my love.
Why should I keep loving you,
when I know that you're not true?
And why should I call your name,
when you're to blame for making me blue?
(Accordion Solo)...yes...ACCORDION SOLO!
Don't you remember the day
that you went away and left me?
I was so lonely, prayed for you only, my love.
Why should I keep loving you,
when I know that you're not true?
And why should I call your name,
when you're to blame for making me blue?
...you can let go of my hand now OC...
From last nights Dog & Phony Show with Larry King... notice the grace and spirit of cooperation put forward by Bill Clinton... and notice the kind, conservative compassion ol' Babs shows in return...
Elder Bush on Clinton
The current President Bush asked his father and former Democratic President Bill Clinton to raise money for those hard hit by the tsunami in southern Asia late last year.
The elder Bush described the devastation as "terrible" and said the shared assignment has brought the two former presidents closer.
"No question about it. And Larry, you feel you're doing something bigger than your own political lives or bigger than your own self. I mean, what we saw out there -- and I'm anxious to see him when he gets back about this, what he's seen recently -- it just breaks your heart -- particularly the children. And he's been good to work with."
Bush said progress is being made to reconstruct the area, but "there's a long way to go."
The Bush-Clinton Fund has raised about $12 million from Americans, he said, and Clinton planned to visit Kennebunkport this month.
Asked whether he considered Clinton a friend, the elder Bush replied, "Well, as far as I'm concerned, it is a friendship. And you know, Larry, there's a perception that if you run against somebody, you're enemies. Well, Bill Clinton and I were not enemies."
"When I was president, he was the Democrat governor in charge of the educational summit. He headed it up for the Democratic governors. We worked very closely together."
"I just enjoy being with the guy. And he is very considerate of me. I'm, you know, old enough to be his dad," Bush added.
Barbara Bush was less enthusiastic.
"You heard what Bill Clinton said? When -- when I jokingly referred to him as 'son,' and he said, a good Democrat friend of his said, 'Those Bushes will do anything to get another president in the family.'"
Barbara Bush said she liked Clinton, then appeared to change her mind -- but didn't finish her sentence. Her husband quickly added, "However, she hasn't been around him."
Barbara Bush added that she appreciated the fact that Clinton has not criticized her presidential son.
BUSH: "If this were a spending contest, I’d come in second. I readily admit, I’m not going to grow the size of the federal government like he (Gore) is. [There was a question about] deployment. It must be in the national interests. It must be in our vital interest whether we ever send troops. The mission must be clear. Soldiers must understand why we’re going. The force must be strong enough so that the mission can be accomplished. And the exit strategy needs to be well-defined. I’m concerned that we’re overdeployed around the world. You see, I think the mission has somewhat become fuzzy. Should I be fortunate enough to earn your confidence, the mission of the United States military will be to be prepared and ready to fight and win war, and therefore prevent war from happening in the first place. There may be some moments when we use our troops as peacekeepers, but not often."
Source: St. Louis debate Oct 17, 2000
"A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of Vietnam. When America uses force in the world, the cause must be just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming.
I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension in the world -- to turn these years of influence into decades of peace. And my administration will deploy missile defenses to guard against attack and blackmail. Now is the time, not to defend outdated treaties, but to defend the American people.
GWBush- Speech to Republican National Convention Aug 3, 2000
Historians vs. George W. Bush
By Robert S. McElvaine
http://hnn.us/articles/5019.html
Although his approval ratings have slipped somewhat in recent weeks, President George W. Bush still enjoys the overall support of nearly half of the American people. He does not, however, fare nearly so well among professional historians.
A recent informal, unscientific survey of historians conducted at my suggestion by George Mason University’s History News Network found that eight in ten historians responding rate the current presidency an overall failure.
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Of 415 historians who expressed a view of President Bush’s administration to this point as a success or failure, 338 classified it as a failure and 77 as a success. (Moreover, it seems likely that at least eight of those who said it is a success were being sarcastic, since seven said Bush’s presidency is only the best since Clinton’s and one named Millard Fillmore.)
-snip-
The reasons stated by some of the historians for their choice of the presidency that they believe Bush’s to be the worst since are worth repeating. The following are representative examples for each of the presidents named most frequently:
REAGAN: “I think the presidency of George W. Bush has been generally a failure and I consider his presidency so far to have been the most disastrous since that of Ronald Reagan--because of the unconscionable military aggression and spending (especially the Iraq War), the damage done to the welfare of the poor while the corporate rich get richer, and the backwards religious fundamentalism permeating this administration. I strongly disliked and distrusted Reagan and think that George W. is even worse.”
NIXON: “Actually, I think [Bush’s] presidency may exceed the disaster that was Nixon. He has systematically lied to the American public about almost every policy that his administration promotes.” Bush uses “doublespeak” to “dress up policies that condone or aid attacks by polluters and exploiters of the environment . . . with names like the ‘Forest Restoration Act’ (which encourages the cutting down of forests).”
HOOVER: “I would say GW is our worst president since Herbert Hoover. He is moving to bankrupt the federal government on the eve of the retirement of the baby boom generation, and he has brought America’s reputation in the world to its lowest point in the entire history of the United States.”
COOLIDGE: “I think his presidency has been an unmitigated disaster for the environment, for international relations, for health care, and for working Americans. He’s on a par with Coolidge!”
HARDING: “Oil, money and politics again combine in ways not flattering to the integrity of the office. Both men also have a tendency to mangle the English language yet get their points across to ordinary Americans. [Yet] the comparison does Harding something of a disservice.”
McKINLEY: “Bush is perhaps the first president [since McKinley] to be entirely in the ‘hip pocket’ of big business, engage in major external conquest for reasons other than national security, AND be the puppet of his political handler. McKinley had Mark Hanna; Bush has Karl Rove. No wonder McKinley is Rove’s favorite historical president (precedent?).”
GRANT: “He ranks with U.S. Grant as the worst. His oil interests and Cheney’s corporate Haliburton contracts smack of the same corruption found under Grant.”
“While Grant did serve in the army (more than once), Bush went AWOL from the National Guard. That means that Grant is automatically more honest than Bush, since Grant did not send people into places that he himself consciously avoided. . . . Grant did not attempt to invade another country without a declaration of war; Bush thinks that his powers in this respect are unlimited.”
ANDREW JOHNSON: “I consider his presidency so far to have been the most disastrous since that of Andrew Johnson. It has been a sellout of fundamental democratic (and Republican) principles. There are many examples, but the most recent would be his successful efforts to insert provisions in spending bills which directly controvert measures voted down by both houses of Congress.”
BUCHANAN: “Buchanan can be said to have made the Civil War inevitable or to have made the war last longer by his pusillanimity or, possibly, treason.” “Buchanan allowed a war to evolve, but that war addressed a real set of national issues. Mr. Bush started a war . . . for what reason?”
EVER: The second most common response from historians, trailing only Nixon, was that the current presidency is the worst in American history. A few examples will serve to provide the flavor of such condemnations. “Although previous presidents have led the nation into ill-advised wars, no predecessor managed to turn America into an unprovoked aggressor. No predecessor so thoroughly managed to confirm the impressions of those who already hated America. No predecessor so effectively convinced such a wide range of world opinion that America is an imperialist threat to world peace. I don 't think that you can do much worse than that.”
“Bush is horrendous; there is no comparison with previous presidents, most of whom have been bad.”
“He is blatantly a puppet for corporate interests, who care only about their own greed and have no sense of civic responsibility or community service. He lies, constantly and often, seemingly without control, and he lied about his invasion into a sovereign country, again for corporate interests; many people have died and been maimed, and that has been lied about too. He grandstands and mugs in a shameful manner, befitting a snake oil salesman, not a statesman. He does not think, process, or speak well, and is emotionally immature due to, among other things, his lack of recovery from substance abuse. The term is "dry drunk". He is an abject embarrassment/pariah overseas; the rest of the world hates him . . . . . He is, by far, the most irresponsible, unethical, inexcusable occupant of our formerly highest office in the land that there has ever been.”
“George W. Bush's presidency is the pernicious enemy of American freedom, compassion, and community; of world peace; and of life itself as it has evolved for millennia on large sections of the planet. The worst president ever? Let history judge him.”
“This president is unique in his failures.”
And then there was this split ballot, comparing the George W. Bush presidencies failures in distinct areas. The George W. Bush presidency is the worst since:
“In terms of economic damage, Reagan.
In terms of imperialism, T Roosevelt.
In terms of dishonesty in government, Nixon.
In terms of affable incompetence, Harding.
In terms of corruption, Grant.
In terms of general lassitude and cluelessness, Coolidge.
In terms of religious arrogance, Wilson.”
[Yet] the comparison does Harding something of a disservice."
Posted by: monKey at June 1, 2005 07:37 AM
My dearly departed father, a Republican who lived in Marion, OH (Harding's hometown), used to say Harding was the worst president ever. If my father were alive today, this statement would make him laugh at the comparison and cry at the reality.
Posted by: monKey at June 1, 2005 07:37 AM
All astute observations. I am forwarding this to many, including some congressmen.