"Round One is Over"

Thank you Senator Kerry.

The MSM had this issue all built up as "the Democrats folded" last night.

But then, I'm sure you are all aware of that. The media is spinning it to look like we didn't make any progress at all, when actually it is the first of a benchmark of sorts.

echo echo echo echo...
Bush said his "new strategy is designed to help Iraq's leaders provide security for their people, and get control of their capital so they can move forward with reconciliation and reconstruction." The president explained that his plan "is designed to take advantage of new opportunities to partner with local tribes to go after al Qaeda in places like (the) Anbar (province), which has been the home base of al Qaeda in Iraq."

The aides said Democrats won't give up on a deadline for pulling troops out of Iraq, hoping to write language into defense appropriations and defense authorization bills over the summer.

Bush tied Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program to a question about U.S. reasons for invading Iraq and toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.

"It would have been a really dangerous world if you'd had the Iranians trying to develop a nuclear weapon and Saddam Hussein competing for a nuclear weapon," said Bush. "You can imagine what the mentality of the Middle East would have been like."

Bush accused Tehran of "constantly ignoring (the world's) demands" and called on allies to "strengthen our sanction regime."

"I just spoke to (U.S. Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice, and we will work with our European partners to develop further sanctions," Bush said. "And, of course, I will discuss this issue with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin, as well as (Chinese) President Hu Jintao."

The president also criticized Iran for the recent arrest of four Americans with duel Iranian citizenship.

"We've made it very clear to the Iranian government that the detention of good, decent American souls who are there to, you know, be beneficial citizens is not acceptable behavior," Bush said.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/24/bush/index.html

"By voting for this bill, members of both parties can show our troops and the Iraqis and the enemy that our country will support our service men and women in harm's way," Bush said

May 24, 2007
Poll Shows Opposition to Iraq War at All Time High
By DALIA SUSSMAN
Americans now view the war in Iraq more negatively than at any time since the war began, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Six in 10 Americans surveyed say the United States should have stayed out of Iraq, and more than three in four say that things are going badly there — including nearly half who say things are going very badly, the poll found.

Still, the majority of Americans support continuing to finance the war, as long as the Iraqi government meets specific goals.

President Bush’s approval ratings remain near the lowest point of his more than six years in office. Thirty percent of poll respondents approve of the job he’s doing overall, while 63 percent disapprove. Majorities of those polled disapprove of Mr. Bush’s handling of the situation in Iraq, of foreign policy, of immigration, of the economy and of the campaign against terrorism.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/us/politics/25cnd-poll.html

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/05/052407_dali.html

I wonder if Salvador Dali would appreciate how his work has been "borrowed" to express our frustration with Iraqi "timelines"...?

Posted by: monkey at May 24, 2007 02:04 PM

1) The world would have been MUCH safer if DimWit had not broken the Geneva Conventions and illegally invaded and occupied Iraq. It's Bu$hCo's invasion and occupation of Iraq that has fomented the extreme destabilization of the entire Mideast! It's up to Congress to stop this insanity!!! They allowed it to happen in the first place by appeasing the dictator wannabe and not stopping him when he first proposed his illegal invasion...!

2) And WHAT, pray tell, does it say that DimWit has approved CIA black ops into Iran? That, IMHO, is his way of getting around Congressional approval for what is questionably "legal" war-like behavior (although it's certainly unethical).

3) What about Bu$hCo's illegal detention of all kinds of good, decent citizens who have been illegally detained in Gitmo (and tortured there and elsewhere) all these years? Do we even know if any Iranians are among them? [Pot = kettle = black.]

Bush and Cheney have NO MORE wiggle room with their LIES and LIES to cover their first LIES.

So, WHEN, pray tell, are our Congress Critters going to stop the war criminals leading this country...?!? HOW do they propose stopping them?!? So far, all Congress Critters from both sides of the aisle have done is give in to every last single dictatorial demand he's issued like a bad-tempered schoolboy. Enough already...!!!

Bush says summer to be critical period in Iraq
Last U.S. troops in buildup expected to be in place by June, president says

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Thursday this summer will be a critical time for his Iraq troop buildup strategy and predicted heavy fighting in the weeks and months ahead.

Faced with demands to make progress in Iraq by September from Democrats and many Republicans, Bush said that the last troops in a 30,000-troop buildup should be in place by mid-June.

Asked how long he believed he could sustain the policy without significant progress on the ground, Bush noted that the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, is to report back on the effects of the new strategy at the end of the summer.

“I would like to see us in a different configuration at some point in Iraq. However it's going to require taking control of the capital,” he said at a news conference from the Rose Garden at the White House.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18842494/

W: Stretching The Lie Glide As Troops Die

I miss JK. Every day.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article2578479.ece
Google is watching you
'Big Brother' row over plans for personal database
{{{Well, this'll cause the little hairs on the back of your neck to stand up...!}}}

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/24/no_more_compromise.php
No More Compromise

The New York Times | Witness for the Prosecutors
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052407D.shtml
The editors of The New York Times write: "Ms. Goodling was an odd witnesses. The only people odder than Ms. Goodling were the House Republicans who rushed to praise her. Even in these partisan times, a Justice Department official who admitted to her level of wrongdoing ought to draw bipartisan condemnation."

Military Fires 58 Linguists Because They Are Gay
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052407F.shtml
Lawmakers who say the military has kicked out 58 Arabic language experts because they are gay want the Pentagon to explain how it can afford to let the valuable specialists go.

“I would like to see us in a different configuration at some point in Iraq. However it's going to require taking control of the capital,” he said at a news conference from the Rose Garden at the White House.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18842494/
Posted by: monkey at May 24, 2007 02:49 PM

Hmmm.... Is that a typo? "...taking control of the "capital" or "capitol""...???

Don't they already have control of the 'capitol' (Baghdad0 with the largest, most fortified embassy in the known world?

Isn't the objective of the invasion/occupation to take control of Iraq's oil fields (capital, major financial resource) by hook or by crook? Isn't that what some of this delay in getting our troops out of there is all about? Aren't Georgie and Dickie and both Dem and neoCon Congress Critters are waiting for a "legal' vote by the Iraqi parliament on the US dictated constitution that gives majority control of Iraqi oil fields to US oil corporations as well as all (or most all) of the drilling rights to unexplored oil fields to US oil corporations...?

"Seems to me" the delicate dance of the Dems is to continue to fund the war (aka 'support the troops' = leave troops in Iraq and let them get killed or wounded for lies and oil in the illegal occupation) so they can continue to receive campaign contributions from US oil corporations, just like their neoCon counterparts... and all they're succeeding in doing is making their constituents so angry and dissatisfied that they're going to end up being voted out of office come '08 (if they're up for re-election).

No matter how I look at this SNAFUBAR, the troops lose, the Iraqi citizens lose, and we lose (on multiple levels). It's a lose-lose-lose situation all the way around. Lives lost, rights and privileges legislated away, money lost, reputation, morals, ethics all tossed aside so that the rest of the world looks on us as a third-world rogue nation (gee, thanks Georgie and Dickie and staff!), war crimes committed that no one's prosecuting or holding Georgie and Dickie, et al., responsible for.... The list goes on and on and on like an endless drone and groan.

And still the war criminals are in power (with a 28% or less 'approval' rating), and they're still calling the shots. How does that benefit anyone...?!?

Schumer: Gonzales will face no-confidence vote

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate will take part in a vote of no-confidence on embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales after debate on the immigration bill is completed, Democratic Sen. Charles Schumer said Thursday.

The non-binding measure likely will be considered in mid-June, unless the immigration legislation runs into problems. The House plans to vote on a similar measure next month, after a congressional recess.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid authorized the introduction of a resolution requesting the non-binding vote, according to Schumer.

President Bush has repeatedly supported Gonzales -- the president spoke again Thursday of his confidence in the justice official. But Schumer said many people don't agree with him.

"I think we hoped that it would never come to this," the New York lawmaker said at a news conference. "We would have liked the attorney general to have stepped down on his own, but the rule of law has been trampled, confidence in the Department of Justice has been shattered and and leadership is virtually non-existent."

Most recently, the department Gonzales heads has come under scrutiny for the firing last year of eight U.S. attorneys, and is accused of making those decisions for partisan, not performance reasons.

"I think all of us have reached the conclusion that these firings were improper," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California.

http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/05/schumer-gonzales-will-face-no.html

Former Aide Takes Shots at Edwards

By Politics
Thursday, May 24, 2007; A09

Robert Shrum, the veteran Democratic strategist who worked on John Edwards's 1998 Senate campaign in North Carolina, does not remember his onetime client very fondly.

In his new memoir, "No Excuses: Concessions of a Serial Campaigner," Shrum recalls asking Edwards at the outset of that campaign, "What is your position, Mr. Edwards, on gay rights?"

"I'm not comfortable around those people," Edwards replied, according to Shrum. He writes that the candidate's wife, Elizabeth, told him: "John, you know that's wrong."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/23/AR2007052301499.html

Shrum's book has apparently a couple of nasty things to say about Edwards. Tucker Carlson is having a field day using Shrum to bash Edwards at the moment.

U.S. resupplying Lebanon military

A shipment of U.S. military ammunition is being sent to resupply the Lebanese army battling militants based in a refugee camp in the country, senior U.S. officials told CNN's Barbara Starr on Thursday. The militant group has issued a statement saying it intends " to blow up several crusaders' universities and schools" Friday.

(Ummm, I thought we were funding OUR troops)

Mary Cheney Births Human Boy
http://www.gaycitynews.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18384364&BRD=2729&PAG=461&dept_id=568864&rfi=6
Finally, someone gets it right!

I didn't know there was a new thread.
No wonder I posted all those comments & no replies! ;)

Chris Dodd on Hardball: We invaded Iraq because of the oil (not his exact words, but the gist).

* The Democratic leadership has surrendered to a president—if not the worst president, then easily the most selfish, in our history—who happily blackmails his own people, and uses his own military personnel as hostages to his asinine demand, that the Democrats “give the troops their money”;

* The Democratic leadership has agreed to finance the deaths of Americans in a war that has only reduced the security of Americans;

* The Democratic leadership has given Mr. Bush all that he wanted, with the only caveat being, not merely meaningless symbolism about benchmarks for the Iraqi government, but optional meaningless symbolism about benchmarks for the Iraqi government.

* The Democratic leadership has, in sum, claimed a compromise with the Administration, in which the only things truly compromised, are the trust of the voters, the ethics of the Democrats, and the lives of our brave, and doomed, friends, and family, in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18831132/*

Olbermann

Schumer: Gonzales will face no-confidence vote
Posted by: monkey at May 24, 2007 03:51 PM

Memo to Schumer, et al.: AND...? SO...?

A 'vote of no confidence' means nothing. If there are no consequences for Gonzo's questionably legal/illegal decisions, the 'no confidence' vote means it's cannon fodder for the late-nite comics. He'll still be keeping his job and getting his salary from the US taxpayers.

No big deal. Not news. Move on.

How about the illegal war in Iraq? It's still going on, and you people in Congress haven't stopped the boy king from waging his illegal war yet. When are you going to do something about ending the war, cutting off funding for the war, or only financing the cost of bringing the troops home...?

If you can do that, at least it won't be a yuk-yuk joke for the late-nite comics on TeeVee....

Or are you so beholden to the oil corporation for financing part of your camapigns that you can't refuse to vote for funding Georgie's illegal war...?

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/23/213430/761

There's a poll regarding Keith Olberman's Special Comment last night. OVER 10,500 dKos readers agree completely with what he said.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/05/23/special-comment-the-only-things-truly-compromised-are-the-trust-of-the-votersfriends-and-family-in-iraq/

Special Comment: “The only things truly “compromised” are the trust of the voters…friends, and family, in Iraq”

{{{I still love Keith Olbermann. Intelligent men are the sexiest creatures on the planet!!!}}}

The Democratic leadership has surrendered to a president—if not the worst president, then easily the most selfish, in our history—who happily blackmails his own people, and uses his own military personnel as hostages to his asinine demand, that the Democrats “give the troops their money”;

The Democratic leadership has agreed to finance the deaths of Americans in a war that has only reduced the security of Americans;

The Democratic leadership has given Mr. Bush all that he wanted, with the only caveat being, not merely meaningless symbolism about benchmarks for the Iraqi government, but optional meaningless symbolism about benchmarks for the Iraqi government.

The Democratic leadership has, in sum, claimed a compromise with the Administration, in which the only things truly compromised, are the trust of the voters, the ethics of the Democrats, and the lives of our brave, and doomed, friends, and family, in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18831132/

Olbermann

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Congress was expected Thursday to approve money that President Bush seeks to continue the war in Iraq, marking a failure by Democrats to impose a timetable for withdrawing troops from an increasingly expensive and unpopular conflict.

Democrats and the White House have engaged in fierce debate since January, kicked off by Bush’s request for $100 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and to pay for the 30,000 extra troops he is sending to the war zone.

If all goes as planned, the House of Representatives will vote first on Thursday, before sending the bill to the Senate for final passage of the measure that will bring total war spending to more than $500 billion since late 2001.

Lawmakers were racing against a deadline this week to give Bush the money, just before a congressional recess and as combat money was running out.

In a strange turn, Democrats are shepherding an Iraq bill through Congress that many of them do not support.

Bush vetoed an earlier version setting an October 1 deadline for starting a troop withdrawal from Iraq and Democrats figured they could not hold up the war funds any longer with a protracted fight with the president.

Despite their majority in both chambers of Congress after November’s election, Democrats have not been able to muster a two-thirds vote needed to overturn a presidential veto.

Democrats also gave up for now on their plan requiring Bush to certify U.S. troops sent to combat are adequately trained, rested and equipped, as Pentagon rules require. That provision could have put serious constraints on the military.

Instead, the new war funding bill will require only that Bush certify the Iraqi government’s progress in stabilizing the country. The penalty for failure would be denying around $1.6 billion in reconstruction aid to Iraq, but even that could be waived by Bush.

more on...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18841182/

Shrum's book has apparently a couple of nasty things to say about Edwards. Tucker Carlson is having a field day using Shrum to bash Edwards at the moment.

Posted by: Cyrano at May 24, 2007 04:32 PM

Shrum should STFU.

Honestly...the guy has no credibility as far as I'm concerned.

I called Rep. Lynne Woolsey's office about the Iraq bill - they had no details about the bill and were surprisingly uninformed about what was going on.

I then called Rep. Obey's office about the bill since he was the original sponsor. His office aide knew nothing (or said he didn't know the details) and the person who did know was on the phone with someone else. At that point, I gave up - I though about calling Kucinich's office or one of the Progressive Dems but it was getting late in the afternoon.

Round One is Over

Let’s be really clear about the Iraq vote coming down the pike in Congress this week.

I’m voting no on this bill. I’m tired of the false choices of Republicans and all the recycled spin of old battles and the political calculations that do nothing for our troops who bear the real costs of this war. Bottom line: we support the troops by getting the policy right, and this bill doesn’t do that. I’ve said it again and again and I’m not about to stop: we need a deadline to force Iraqis to stand up

@@@@@@

It really doesn't matter at this point does it? The bill will get through the Senate. And the bill can't be filibustered in the Senate, being an appropriation bill - All the bill needs is 51 supporters (not 60 for cloture etc...)....

"We cannot and will not abandon the Iraqis to be butchered by these terrorists in their midst," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif. "And we cannot and will not abandon our mission just as real progress is starting to be made."

Speaking of Iraqis being butchered, do see the Newshour feature tonight on the possible return of Kirkuk to Kurdish control.

Casey at Kos:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/24/191933/195

rec and comment

Posted by: karen at May 24, 2007 07:44 PM

I'm in on the nuthouse thing...

BREAKING NEWS
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 13 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled House reluctantly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war on Thursday, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.

The 280-142 vote sent the bill to the Senate for final passage, expected later Thursday night.

Five months in power on Capitol Hill, Democrats coupled their concession to the president with pledges to challenge his policies anew. “This debate will go on,” vowed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, announcing plans to hold votes by fall on four separate measures seeking a change in course.

Story continues below ↓
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
advertisement

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the White House to the Capitol, the day’s events closed out one chapter in an epic, wartime struggle pitting Congress against commander-in-chief over the future of a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,400 U.S. troops.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio choked back tears as he stirred memories of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. “After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them?” he asked.

In a highly unusual maneuver, House Democratic leaders crafted a procedure that allowed their rank and file to oppose money for the war then step aside so Republicans could provide the bulk of votes needed to send it to the Senate for final approval.

Moments earlier, the House voted 348-73 to include a separate package of domestic spending.

After months of struggle with the White House, Democrats emphasized their reluctance to allow the war to continue.

“I hate this agreement,” added Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who played a key role in talks with the White House that yielded the measure.

moron... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18841182/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18841182/

"Bowing to President Bush"....

Goddamit.

No big deal. Not news. Move on.

How about the illegal war in Iraq? It's still going on, and you people in Congress haven't stopped the boy king from waging his illegal war yet. When are you going to do something about ending the war, cutting off funding for the war, or only financing the cost of bringing the troops home...?

If you can

@@@@@@@

The rumor is that there will be no confidence votes in the House and Senate (which is better than remaining silent on Gonzales), after which Gonzales will resign....

Where is Hillary??? AWOL?

I hope that Obama takes some kind of position here... I don't want to be stuck with Hillary as the front-runner..etc...

Looks like Hillary and Obama are consulting the oracles:

"I believe as long as we have troops in the front line, we're going to have to protect them," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del. "We're going to have to fund them."

Biden was alone among the potential Democratic candidates in immediately pledging his support for the bill.

Two front-runners, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, declined to say how they intended to vote on the measure.

Challengers Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio said they would oppose the measure because in their view it issued a blank check to President Bush on the Iraq war.

PHONE CALL PROTEST TOMORROW:

WHITE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD 202-456-1414

WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE 202-456-1111

(I have been getting busy signals lately - I think that is a good sign...)

CAPITOL HILL SWITCHBOARD 202-224-3121

(This number has been busy a couple of times as well)

Apparently, a bird crapped on George's sleeve today while he was spewing his usual lies in the Rose Garden press conference.

Why, oh why can't elephants fly...

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio choked back tears as he stirred memories of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. After 3,000 of our fellow citizens died at the hands of these terrorists, when are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them?

Posted by: monkey at May 24, 2007 07:50 PM

THAT'S WHAT TORKS ME OFF THE MOST ABOUT THIS WHOLE #$%&@# THING!!

Crying tears over the terrorists who executed 9-11 and equating it with the war in Iraq.

It stinks! It's assinine. We need to start a new drinking game where we take a shot every time we see or hear President Bush and government officials, senators or house reps, candidates, or pundits say the word "Terrorists".

This administration has been using the word terrorists when talking about civil wars, and dissention in Russia when that school was hit. If we took a drink every time we heard the word we'd all be so plowed we wouldn't care what happened next - so we better not play that game.

It's enough to drive you to drink.

I see the results of the acts of terrorists every time I see pictures of the devastation in New Orleans. (Had to chuckle when they interviewed Jimmy Carter while he was helping build a house there after he made a comparison between the Bush presidency and that of Nixon. The smile on his face was priceless!)

Posted by: madame defarge at May 24, 2007 08:27 PM

LOL!!!

So, on topic......

What is the consensus? That the Dems rolled over and played dead, or that the bill was the beginning of the end of the war in Iraq because it was the first with any kind of deadline for accountability with actual progress in Iraq?

They may have to do this in order to keep the RW from saying we left our kids over there to die and now the TERRRRRRists will come over here to get us.

I don't know whether to have hope, or to say I'm taking my marbles and going home. (Yes, it's amazing I have any marbles left after the past six years.........) Notice I didn't say how many.

John Boehner - 'when are we going to take them on? When are we going to defeat them?'

Perhaps when you get something other than a total tard and the Grim Reaper running the country.

Faith No More

Sorry if this is a repeat if it was posted yesterday.

To some of you that I have spoken with about this......told you so!

Nine U.S. warships enter Gulf for training
The assembly off Iran's coast is largest since the 2003 Iraq war

Updated: 4:02 a.m. PT May 24, 2007
ABOARD USS JOHN C. STENNIS - Nine U.S. military ships entered the Gulf on Wednesday for a rare daylight assembly off Iran's coast in what naval officials said was the largest such move since the 2003 Iraq war.

U.S. Navy officials said Iran had not been notified of plans to sail the vessels, which include two aircraft carriers, through the Straits of Hormuz, a narrow channel in international waters off Iran's coast and a major artery for global oil shipments.

Most U.S. ships pass through the straits at night so as not to attract attention, and rarely move in such large numbers.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18812865/

Posted by: madame defarge at May 24, 2007 08:27 PM

Good! No matter what the evangelicals say, even the Goddess has turned on W. :)

My flight to Chicago is less than 24 hours away - I am trying to check in for the flight now. See you this weekend!

Posted by: monkey at May 24, 2007 06:56 PM

David Dreier... There's my former Congressman! I lived in his district for 14 years, another district that stayed Republican thanks to Asian nouveaux riches (just like my current one).

I called Boehner's office today - after being put on hold a couple of times, I got through to the phone-answerer. I said the war was wrong; it was wrong from the beginning; that Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld and Rice had ALL LIED about Iraq and its WMD; that Iraq was a threat to no nation...

I vented.... she didn't hang-up on me which many times is the case when they don't want to hear the unpleasant truth.

I just got this email from United for Peace and Justice:

Thank you for your calls, and reports on your calls!
I was on the hill today visiting different congressional offices and the phones were ringing off the hook! Every staff person I talked to indicated that they are getting alot of calls on this, urging NO votes. I'd say the Peace Movement is angry and energized over this.... unfortunately we will have to stay angry and energized a while longer

find out how your Rep voted: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll425.xml

the vote was 280 - 142
this was the best NO vote we have had on an emergency supplemental -- still very distressing.

Tomorrow the Senate will vote --
Today we met with the foreign policy/armed services staff on Sen. Feingold and Sen. Boxer's staff. These are really our two stongest allies on this issue in the Senate but they felt that any procedural tactics such as a filibuster would not accomplish what we want. because they would have trouble finding 10 dems to back them up, much less the needed 41. So we have a much bigger job ahead of us in the Senate.

Who is "we" you might ask? I was with the 'swarm on Congress' today, we had a great action -- check http://www.whynotnews.org/ -- they will be posting video of the action soon. Think about joining us for a little while if you can make it to DC this summer -- check out www.grassrootsamerica4us.org for more info!

--
Sue Udry
Legislative Action Coordinator
United for Peace and Justice

Video of a peace protest today at the Senate Hart office building:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2767817879115628415&hl=en

Kerry sent out an email to his list promoting his diary - now I don't feel so bad about doing that! LOL

Kerry sent out an email to his list promoting his diary - now I don't feel so bad about doing that! LOL

Posted by: non ma presidente at May 24, 2007 09:59 PM

@@@@@@@@@@@

The Senate just passed the bill 80-15 or something close to that... a total cave in....

Ahem....

Has everyone voted for Karen????

http://home.ourfuture.org/tba07/maria-leavey-vote.html

She's a finalist. Vote now, and get your friends to vote too!

There were issues with voting earlier today if you used Explorer, so if that doesn't work, try a different browser.

GO VOTE!!!

Tomorrow, at the graduate commencement at UMass, the Trustees, in their infinite (wisdom?) stupidity will be awarding an honorary degree to none other than Andy Card.

Large protests are planned (orange jumpsuits/raging grannies and more) and people plan to be arrested.

My husband will be receiving his doctorate so I'll be there for the festivities. I'll take pictures!

On Saturday, across this small town at Amherst College, alum Patrick Fitzgerald will receive an honorary degree. The contrast between the two institutions and the two men is striking.

There's a story in there somewhere. Just not sure what it is yet!

Carol
Do it! (tomorrow - photos etc)
Voted for Karen yesterday - good luck - she deserves it.

Ralpheh
I was out - thanks for the news, even if it sucks.

I also had a message that said the diaries of Kerry and Louise Slaughter disappeared off Kos abruptly. The Slaughter one had over 1000 responses very quickly & never got to see it.

Ralpheh
Well I found a barf bag if anyone needs one.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/24/155026/455

There is alot of bitterness on the internet .. how come people aren't taking it to the streets?!

See Bush get pooped on
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3209176

Children Know More Than Adults
http://www.silencedmajority.blogs.com
(children's art)

What is this world coming to?!

Dear Friend,

About an hour ago, the Senate caved to President Bush and sent him another blank check to continue the war in Iraq.

This is a serious blow for all of us, but no one lost more today than the troops in the field who continue to sacrifice so nobly and their families still waiting back home.

It's a hard moment, but you and I don't have the luxury of getting discouraged. We must remember: This is not over. For those of us committed to change, it has only begun.

This weekend, thousands of us will take action in our communities to support the troops and end the war. We will speak out in public. We will send care packages to soldiers in Iraq. We will gather letters for Congress and the president. And on Memorial Day, we will remember and honor those who sacrificed everything for their nation.

Join us:

www.SupportTheTroopsEndTheWar.com

After tonight, one thing is now perfectly clear: No one else is going to end this war for us. Bush will not listen. Congress will not fight. There's no one left to lead the country now but we the people.

Each of us has a duty and a responsibility to our troops and to each other to do all that we can to end this war. Under the Constitution of the United States of America, we the people are the sovereign and the ultimate deciders--and by all that I know is right we will succeed in bringing our troops home.

Thank you for standing up.

--John Edwards

Six U.S. troop deaths reported

Five U.S. soldiers were killed Thursday in separate incidents across Iraq, the military said. The death of a sixth soldier, who died Tuesday, also was announced. An Iraqi interpreter was also killed.

Since the start of the war, 3,434 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq. Seven civilian contractors of the Defense Department have also been killed in the war. The death toll for May is 90.

The two missing soldiers are Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Michigan...

Peace be with you, boys... Lord knows your government isn't.

N.C.-based Blackwater facing audit

MOYOCK --
The special inspector general for reconstruction in Iraq plans to audit Blackwater USA, a private security contractor based in North Carolina.

Stuart Bowen, the congressionally appointed special inspector general, will begin the audit in the coming months, his office said. "The full scope of this audit has yet to be determined," Bowen's spokeswoman, Denise Burgess, said in an e-mail to The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va. "However, it will be a substantive audit."

Blackwater, based at a sprawling compound in the tiny town of Moyock, has won more than $700 million in federal contracts since 2004 to protect American diplomatic personnel in Iraq.

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/134893.html

Watchdog agency to audit 4 reconstruction firms

WASHINGTON — The government watchdog that monitors Iraq reconstruction programs will conduct the most sweeping review of contractors since the war began, auditing four companies with combined contracts worth $3.3 billion. The audits come amid complaints of lax oversight of the $35 billion in taxpayer money spent so far to rebuild Iraq.

--snip--
The four companies to be audited are:

•Parsons Corp., a construction company with more than $2 billion in Iraq work. Previous SIGIR audits found problems with mismanagement and shoddy workmanship by the California-based company, including on a contract to build 151 health clinics. Parsons delivered 20 completed facilities after spending more than $200 million. Parsons spokeswoman Erin Kuhlman said the company did the best it could in a war zone and is cooperating with the latest probe. "In Iraq, things cost more than originally anticipated. Security costs added to a lot of that," Kuhlman said.

•Blackwater USA, a North Carolina-based security firm paid about $766 million to protect diplomats and contractors in Iraq. A 2005 audit for the State Department said the firm's time-keeping procedures were inadequate and Blackwater had improperly inflated its proposed profits on the contract. Blackwater spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

•Aegis Defence Services, a London-based security firm with a nearly $300 million contract to protect Army workers and gather intelligence for other contractors. A 2005 audit found some lapses in record-keeping but said the problems were fixed before the audit was completed. Aegis spokeswoman Kristi Clemens said SIGIR had not yet contacted the company about the audit. "We welcome the audit," she said. "We think we've served the U.S. government very well."

•BearingPoint, a Virginia-based consulting firm hired by the U.S. Agency for International Development on a $240 million contract to help Iraq build a private-sector economy. BearingPoint spokesman Steve Lunceford said the company hasn't been contacted about the audit but would cooperate fully. "We're confident of our performance," he said.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-05-22-iraq-contractors_N.htm

I miss JK. Every day.

Posted by: karen at May 24, 2007 03:10 PM

You know, Karen - even I was thinking that when the Newshour came on this afternoon - it's about 12-24 hours after you see it. JK's campaign was part of the program every day during the 2004 election. It seemed like he had cornered the market on that program, although I do have a tendency to blank right out to the people I don't like. I have a feeling that Bush's campaign was shown once or twice. I imagine that I'd have turned the volume down.

Watching JK every day was really energising and I was sorry that I couldn't place a vote. I was shattered when the Bush Brigade cheated their way to victory once more. And here in oz we'd lost to a cheating Howard. All round it was a dismal time with no prospect for improvement for years to come. Today I found myself wishing that it was time to start seeing how things pan out and who will be duelling with whom in '08.

Hearing so much of this babble spewing from your President today was too depressing. And then I come here and read the header and I think, JK is the only person who could make what's happened here seem positive. And he's right. Negativity won't get us anywhere. Patience and Perseverence will. In the end.

Yesterday on the Newshour I saw a small piece on families of service men and women raising money to ensure that their children and the rest of their platoons would have the safest body armour available. I just shook my head in dismay.

Caution: Possible Oversight Ahead

of service men and women raising money to ensure that their children and the rest of their platoons would have the safest body armour available....
Posted by: monkey at May 25, 2007 09:43 AM

Right, and we are providing military aid to Lebanon this week while simultaneously having the most god awful rediculous vote on funding for the troops while doing absofuQuinglutely nothing to protect the men and women who actually face death on a daily basis.

I'm positively fed the fuQue up.

Got Angst?

Why, oh why can't elephants fly...

Posted by: madame defarge at May 24, 2007 08:27 PM

What an image! I love it - a Bush-shaped mountain of elephant dung. Warm, Wet and Steaming. Beautiful!

Posted by: woz at May 25, 2007 10:00 AM

Indeed, how 'bout a hand for the folks over at Code Stink ;)

Message Delivered

Lightning damages Jesus statue
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_5944929?source%3Dpoll.3AC27EC5B8BA9A6FF6D40C6A78375503.html
is he really on "our" side?

Woz
I'm glad you were able to see Kerry daily on the Newshour, as news here pretty much tried to black him out. He would draw thousands and be pre-empted by a sudden Bush "policy" speech or terror warning (the color system that was since scrapped). I'm not kidding. Super Tuesday when we had most of our primaries and Kerry won the nomination - instant terror attack - people crowded around the teevees to watch that, forget about Kerry. So here we stand. The mainstream media, their corporate owners, those who they control and those who stand speechless in front of it with their mouths open are responsible for senseless death.

Posted by: not my president at May 25, 2007 10:41 AM

Gut Check America: Share your stories
Your turn to start the conversation about what really matters in America

MSNBC
Are you worried or outraged by something in your neighborhood, in our government or across the nation? What gnaws at you but seems to go unmentioned in the national political campaigns?

This is your chance to drive the conversation about what really matters in America.

Here’s how it works: You tell us about the specific issues that are most important to you and explain how they affect your daily life. We also want to hear how you would solve the problem.

Then, during the first week of each month leading to the 2008 presidential election, come to MSNBC.com to vote on the issues that our readers raise. Your vote will help determine our reporters’ assignment for the month and the focus of our online “Gut Check” forum.

To participate, fill out the form below and provide your contact information so our reporters can get in touch with you if your submission is chosen. We will not publish or share the information you provide.

By doing so, you will be engaging in discussion about the true character of our nation -- the kind of conversation on which democracy thrives.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18826755/

NOLA STILL RADIATES

By Chris Clark

From the depths of despair, The Radiators push on. Over the last 28 years, they've become one of the hardest working, most road tested rock n' roll bands in the country. They have endured almost three decades of performing music professionally to an ever-increasing number of eager fans from the Bayou to the Heartland.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans, the Crescent City is now on the road to recovery. While media attention has shifted to North Korean nuke toting dictator Kim Jung Il and President Bush's various political debacles, the world should not forget about the devastation Katrina wrought. If you never made it to New Orleans pre-Katrina, it's truly a shame. From the Creole culture to the gumbo to the jazz clubs of the French Quarter, N'Awlins is a city of life - a city so unique you just have to experience it first hand to truly know what it was all about. Today, it is still a place like none other in America, but that's not such a great thing. Yes, the city still thrives in places, but entire areas, such as the Lower Ninth Ward and all along the damaged river levies, still lay in ruins over a year later.

Luckily, New Orleans still has its culture. Maybe it's the stubborn inhabitants that refuse to leave their storm-damaged homes. Maybe it's the centuries of cultural traditions that lay around every corner. Don't ever forget, New Orleans is still New Orleans, and it will take a lot more than Katrina to defeat it.

JamBase caught up with two musicians who help make New Orleans what it is. We spoke with The Radiators' Dave Malone and Reggie Scanlan to discuss the city's past, present and future, the band's new album 'Dreaming Out Loud' and why New Orleans will NEVER die.

"New Orleans is not like anywhere else. It's like a little foreign country within a country. Oh God, everything just gets under your skin and into your bones. There's a rhythm in the air in New Orleans, even the kids walking down the street are musical". - Dave Malone on what life in New Orleans is all about

more... http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=9482

http://www.pbs.org/now/index.html#poll
Do you agree with presidential candidate John Edwards that people should spend Memorial Day protesting the war?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/what-do-you-want-to-ask-a_b_49265.html
What Do You Want to Ask Al Gore?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harry-shearer/the-congressional-democra_b_49201.html
The Congressional Democrats: Only a Best-Case Scenario?

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/05/052507_minimumwage.html

Greg Palast | The Goods on Goodling and the Keys to the Kingdom
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052507J.shtml
Greg Palast writes: "In her opening testimony yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee, Monica Goodling, the blonde-ling underling to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Department of Justice liaison to the White House, dropped The Big One.... And the committee members didn't even know it."
{{{Must Read. Our Congress Critters are CLUELESS in not picking up on this one...!}}}

Roll Call: Who Voted to Continue Funding the Occupation
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052507L.shtml
A state-by-state list of who in the US Senate and House of Representatives voted to continue funding Bush's occupation of Iraq.
{{{Unless TO fixes the first article before you read it, everything appears "off" by one line. The state listed in bold print is for the senators listed on the line below. For instance, the two senators from MN have the name of the state of Mississippi after their names on the same line. Slimebag Coleman didn't vote (easy out; he can say when he's campaigning next year he didn't support the bill or some such nonsense); Klobuchar voted in favor of it (I wonder if she'll justify that because the minimum wage was attached to that piece of garbage legislation?). On the second article below that for the Reps, I notice my rep apparently didn't vote; there's an X after his name. How insulting.}}}

New Bush Scandal Helping Big Oil Companies Hide Billions From Government at Taxpayer Expense
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052507O.shtml
Oil companies leasing federal land to drill for oil are required to pay the government royalties based on a percentage of their sales. But under the Royalty-in-Kind program, the companies can pay in the form of oil and gas instead of cash. The problem is that oil and gas prices have increased more than the value of the oil and gas royalty revenues being received, meaning that the oil companies are managing to withhold a growing amount of their profits from Uncle Sam.

"Pay attention," the anti-U.S. cleric warned,"This is an important point." Muqtada al-Sadr then declared that the United States was pitting his Mehdi Army against Iraqi troops to justify staying in the country and banned his militants from such attacks. Al-Sadr, of keen interest to the U.S. military for his anti-American stance, reappeared after being MIA for four months and issued the order in a mosque.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/25/iraq.main/index.html

Buckle up...

I'd pay to put this on the networks.

Stimulating the subpeonal gland.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/05/25/stimulating-the-subpoenal-gland/

May 25, 2007
Iraq Contractor Sentenced for Child Porn
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 12:33 p.m. ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) -- A U.S. contractor who worked at the notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was sentenced to more than three years in prison Friday for possessing child pornography that he obtained using the prison's computer network.

Ahmed Hasan Khan, 31, of Woodbridge, had been working at Abu Ghraib for contractor L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. in November 2005 when a network administrator at the prison saw that Khan had been visiting suspicious sites. A search of Khan's laptop computer later found hundreds of child pornography images, including children as young as 4, officials said.

Khan apologized at Friday's sentencing hearing.

''I let my country down at a time when it needed its armed services the most,'' he said.

- more -

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Abu-Ghraib-Porn.html

I wonder if anyone has seriously considered just demolishing Abu Ghraib prison?

If there's ever been an argument for a haunted building, it has to be this prison.

a local idea:

Please take a MINUTE to join Senator Bernie Sanders, Independent from Vermont, who is conducting a poll on his website. The question:
Should Congress insist on a timeline for withdrawal of American troops from Iraq?

Then pass this on to everyone in your address book. He will be taking the results to the floor of the Senate.

I wonder if anyone has seriously considered just demolishing Abu Ghraib prison?

If there's ever been an argument for a haunted building, it has to be this prison.

Posted by: Cyrano at May 25, 2007 01:20 PM

Well it's not the Republican candidates, as they spoke tolerantly of torture (or its linguistic euphemisms) and one of them even said Guantanamo should be DOUBLED, so who knows what he thinks about Abu Graib. Kind of like a fraternity stunt, didn't Limbaugh say? (& to think that he honors our Vice President as a guest every so often - the guy who said we need to go to the "dark side")

Yo, Ally:

http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html?last_story=/mwt/broadsheet/2007/05/25/transgender/&source=refresh

Word. I'm sayin'.

I'd pay to put this on the networks.

Stimulating the subpeonal gland.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/05/25/stimulating-the-subpoenal-gland/

Posted by: sparrow at May 25, 2007 12:16 PM

@@@@@@@@

AWESOME!!!! Maybe Move On Org can get the ad on the air....

Ask YOUR congressman about "Immunity".......

Fed up station owner shuts off gas pumps

MEQUON, Wisconsin (AP) -- Motorists pulled in to Harvey Pollack's gas station, honked and gave him a thumbs-up -- because he wasn't selling any fuel.

The owner of Towne Market Mobil in this suburb north of Milwaukee shut down his pumps for 24 hours, hoping to start a movement aimed at convincing oil companies to lower their prices.

"Somebody out there is making money at these prices, but not me," said Pollack, 57. "So I just thought: What can I do to help the consumer?" (Watch the finger pointing over soaring gas prices )

Yellow caution tape surrounded Pollack's six idle pumps for his protest, which drew dozens of drivers. One in a green minivan rolled down her window and shouted "Thank you!"

Maria McClory, 38, drove 10 miles out of her way to buy a diet soda from Pollack's station after seeing local television coverage of the protest.

"I just wanted to support them and thank them for making a statement," said McClory, who drives about 100 miles a day for work in her sport utility vehicle.

Other drivers were more skeptical.

Jeff Bensman, 52, pulled in expecting to gas up his Honda sedan. He said he appreciated the protest but did not think it would make much difference.

"Most other places are going to be open in the area," he said.

Jack Sobczak, general sales manager for Lakeside Oil Co., a contracted Mobil distributor that supplies Pollack's station, said Bensman was probably right: "The demand will just move down the street to the next Mobil station."

Pollack and station general manager John Schwartz agreed to experiment with a pump shutdown after an Internet-based push for a one-day gas boycott went largely unheeded last week.

"Somebody's got to be the first to try this," Schwartz said.

The Mequon station sells about 3,500 gallons of gas a day, Pollack said. He estimated the station would lose only $1,500 on the protest because some losses in gas would be made up by people buying convenience store items or more gas on Friday.

Pollack, who also owns a Milwaukee title insurance agency, said he bought the gas station in 2003 as an investment but he has not turned a profit in 30 months because gas margins are razor thin and he cannot sell enough volume to compensate.

Pollack said he has virtually no control over the price he charges for gas. The company usually makes 8 to 12 cents per gallon after suppliers' prices and credit card fees. On Wednesday -- the day before the protest -- that added up to $3.49 for a gallon of unleaded gas. (Watch what you can do to save at the pump)

Schwartz called that "outrageous" and said even he can't fill up his SUV at that price.

"If it keeps going like this, my kids will never be able to afford to drive," said Schwartz, who has an 18-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter.

The protest came as several Wisconsin service stations announced they would no longer sell gas because they make little or no profit on it after they pay wholesalers, credit card fees and taxes. They said they would focus on auto repairs instead.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/25/gasprice.protest.ap/index.html

As a friend said,

Bush's comments usually make no sense at all. The most recent one about Al-Zar-Cow-ie and Bin Ladin is absurd.

Here is the logic:

Bush statement: Terrorists are a global threat: We need to hunt them down whereever they are

Fact: Bin Ladin is at the Afghanistan Pakistan border

Bush Statement: We need to stay in Iraq because Bin Ladin told Zar-cow-ie (before the USA blewed him up) to attack American citizens in their homeland.

WTF? Zar-cow-ie is dead and if Bin Ladin is at the Al Qaeda headquarters, why is the US spending most of its effort and resources trying to secure Iraq where a new cell could form rather than going after the ring leader Bin Ladin himself?

Report critical of Bush immigration record

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Immigration arrests under President Bush are "stagnant and unimpressive" despite massive increases in Border Patrol agents and other immigration enforcement measures imposed since 2000, a report found.

Bush promoted border enforcement successes this week while pushing Congress for a comprehensive immigration policy overhaul. But the centrist private group Third Way questioned his record in a study released Thursday. It found that arrests and deportations are down almost 30 percent since the Clinton years.

"The decline in immigration enforcement has been steady, dramatic and long-standing," said Jim Kessler, the group's vice president for policy and a co-author of the report. "This may not be the cause of our illegal immigration crisis, but it has certainly contributed to it."

Like Bush, the group argues for a comprehensive immigration bill, including sealed borders, increased law enforcement and a path to citizenship for the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States today. Such a bill is being debated in the Senate. Bush supports it.

At a news conference Thursday, Bush defended his record.

"There's going to be a doubling of the Border Patrol agents; there's going to be fencing and berms and different types of equipment to help the Border Patrol do its job in a better way," he said.

According to the study, however, it would take more than 100 years to deport all the illegal immigrants in the United States at the current rate of arrests, assuming the flow of migrants across the border completely stopped.

The report suggests part of the reason is that after September 11, 2001, the Border Patrol was assigned to guard against terrorists as well as illegal migrants. It also points out that enforcement efforts have targeted immigrants but largely failed to punish the employers who hire them.

Among the report's findings:

Apprehensions on the Southwest border have declined by 350,000 per year, almost 30 percent from the Clinton years.

The number of deportable aliens found at the northern border and border locations other than the Southwest has dropped by almost 40 percent.

Although the number of immigration-related arrests at the workplace has risen each year since 2003, 84 percent of those are workers rather than employers.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/25/immigration.enforcement.ap/index.html

Lawmakers predict change in Bush war policy
Repeated war authority votes seen in months ahead

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican and Democratic congressional leaders both forecast a change in President Bush's Iraq war policy as the president prepared to sign legislation Friday providing funds for military operations through Sept. 30.

"I think the president's policy is going to begin to unravel now," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who described the just-passed measure as a disappointment because it did not force an end to U.S. participation in the conflict.

At a separate news conference, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell predicted a change, and said Bush would show the way.

"I think the handwriting is on the wall that we are going in a different direction in the fall and I think the president is going to lead it," he said.

McConnell said he expects Bush announce his intentions on his own timetable.

No timetable, extra money
The legislation that cleared Congress late Thursday night marked the end of a struggle in which Bush rejected an earlier bill because it contained a troop withdrawal timetable.

The White House said it expected to receive the replacement measure Friday afternoon and that Bush would sign it - privately, with no fanfare other than a written announcement - as soon as it arrived from Capitol Hill.

"This effort shows what can happen when people work together," Bush said after a visit to wounded troops at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. "We've got a good bill that didn't have timetables or tell the military how to do its job, but also sent a clear signal to the Iraqis that there's expectations here in America ... about how to move forward."

McConnell also emphasized that the Iraqis need to make progress. "We've given the Iraqi government an opportunity here to have a normal country. And so far, they've been a great disappointment to members of the Senate on both sides," he said.

more on... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18867098/

A Normal Country???

So's to save não meu presidente the trouble of typing her fingers off in a past-tense venue, I will point out that there is a new threader posted.

Otter

Thank you! I would have remained back here for hours maybe!!