Jim Hoagland thinks so: Desperate presidents resort to desperate rhetoric — which then calls new attention to their desperation. President Bush joined the club this week by citing the U.S. failure in Vietnam to justify staying on in Iraq. Bush’s comparison of the two conflicts rivals Richard Nixon’s "I am not a crook" utterance during Watergate and ‘s "I did … Read More
Is The Surge Working?
No: Violence Metrics June/July2006 June/July2007 Change Iraqi Military and Police Killed 349 429 Up 23% Multiple Fatality Bombings 110 82 Down 25% # Killed in Mult. Fatality Bombings 885 1,053 Up 19% Iraqi Civilians Killed(All violent causes) 6,739 5,300 Hard to say1 U.S. Troop Fatalities 104 187 Up 80% U.S. Troops Wounded 983 1,423 Up 45% Size of Insurgency 20,000+ … Read More
….Bothered and Bewildered
Toil and trouble in Salem, Mass: A self-proclaimed high priestess of Salem witches and a second person were accused of tossing raccoon parts on the doorsteps of businesses, allegedly as part of a Wiccan community feud. A self-proclaimed high priestess of Salem witches and a second person were accused of tossing raccoon parts on the doorsteps of businesses, allegedly as … Read More
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: The Sequel?
Could be: Titled Ferris Bueller 2: Another Day Off, the proposed sequel takes place on the eve of Bueller’s fortieth birthday. Spears, a major Hughes enthusiast, calls Rapier’s script "a blast. I read it in a single afternoon and was impressed with the care Rapier took with the original story and characters. The story has the same feel, humor and … Read More
More Like This Please
"Nice guy" Edwards goes on the offensive, and takes a subtle swipe at Hillary today in Hanover, NH: Real change starts with being honest — the system in Washington is rigged and our government is broken. It’s rigged by greedy corporate powers to protect corporate profits. It’s rigged by the very wealthy to ensure they become even wealthier. At the … Read More
Intelligence Agency Report: Iraq Strategy Is Failing
Bush and his supporters keep saying the "surge" is working, and that if we just wait for the reports from General Patreus and Ambassador Crocker next month (which the White House will write), then we’ll see that everything is okay. But of course, we don’t have to wait until next month. The Iraqi government will become more precarious over the … Read More
Scenic Trails
I heard this story on NPR a few weeks ago. It broke my heart: The first morning of my visit to Scenic Trails, I was walking the path between some trailers when I bumped into a man named Tim Szepek. He was young, tall, and solidly good-looking. I asked if I could speak to him for a moment and he … Read More
Alden Pyle
I haven’t read Graham Greene’s "The Quiet American" (nor seen the relatively recent Michael Caine movie), but from what I gather, the main character is named Alden Pyle. He’s a government agent, living and working in Saigon, with a lot of idealistic patriotism, which manifests itself as naivete. While not a villian, Alden Pyle (played by Brandon Fraser in the … Read More
Dept. Of Bad Excuses: Part II
So as you probably know by now, Florida State Rep. Bob Allen (R-Pervert) offered $20 to an undercover cop if the cop would accept a blowjob. This happened in a restroom in a public park. Upon arrest, Allen’s excuse was that the park was full of black men, and the guy in the bathroom stall next to him (the undercover … Read More
Making The Clinton White House Look Like A Nunnery
Jeff Gannon first came on the national radar in early 2005, as the White House reporter who asked softball questions of the President and the Press Secretary. Questions like: "Senate Democratic leaders have painted a very bleak picture of the U.S. economy. (Senate Minority Leader) Harry Reid was talking about soup lines. And (Senator) Hillary Clinton was talking about the … Read More
Educating Marie
Marie Jon Apostrophe: The ACLU and their progressive, secular lawyers are well-known for crucifying Christ afresh whenever they can. Uh, Marie? Here are only a few of the things that the ACLU has been up to lately: Rhode Island ACLU filed an appeal in federal court on behalf of an inmate who was barred from preaching during Christian religious services, … Read More
“It’s Fun To Stay At The NMKY”
The Village People hit "YMCA" was a gay anthem in the 1970’s. But was not as teh gay as the Finnish version: You might not want to watch if you’ve just eaten….
Ways I’ve Let Down Popular Musicians
Disappointed Chrissie Hynde by continuing to sob. Permitted sun to go down on Elton John, thus failing him. Failed to heed warning to stop in the name of love, broke Diana Ross’s heart. Was cruel to a heart that was true, much to the chagrin of Elvis Presley. Stopped prior to getting enough, despite urging to the contrary by Michael … Read More
Historians/Experts Weigh In On The Iraq-Vietnam Analogy
Continuing from this below, in which Bush uses the Vietnam-was-a-mistake model to promote his Iraq strategy, the experts weigh in: Not surprisingly, they’re not impressed. Historian Robert Dallek, who has written about the comparisons of Iraq to Vietnam, accused Bush of twisting history. “It just boggles my mind, the distortions I feel are perpetrated here by the president,” he said … Read More