See how much your President believes in holding up "family values". Check this out: President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington’s closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers. In June, the State Department listed … Read More
How Government Does Biz
I really liked what Robert Reich (Secretary of Labor under President Clinton) said yesterday on NPR’s Marketplace. You should really give it a listen here. But since you won’t, let me restate his commentary in my own words. Why are prices so cheap at Walmart? As most people know, it is because Walmart is so honkin’ huge, that it can … Read More
Bush To Bestow Honor On Cindy Sheehan
This is, uh, interesting. Keep in mind as you read, that on the weekend of September 24-25, there will be a huge anti-war rally in Washington, D.C., in which Gold Star Mom Cindy Sheehan will play a vital role. America’s Gold Star Mothers carry a great burden of grief, yet they show a tremendous spirit of generosity in helping their … Read More
Bush Hitting The Sauce Again
So says The National Enquirer. Yeah, I know. The National Enquirer. So we can assume it’s not true. Especially when you read sentences like this in the Enquirer article (which itself reads like a really bad Dallas episode): "When the levees broke in New Orleans, it apparently made him reach for a shot," said one insider. "He poured himself a … Read More
More Good People In the White House
The administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, which handles procurement policy for the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, has been arrested on a three-count indictment. His name is David Hossein Safavian. He’s been charged with making false statements to a GSA ethics officer and the GSA-OIG, along with obstruction of a GSA-OIG investigation. Josh Marshall has … Read More
Republicans Say The Darndest Things
Example No. 1: "D’oh!" It seems that a fax memo intended for Karl Rove was accidently sent to the wrong fax machine and got out. In it, it describes how the administration should confront immigration problems. What factors should be considered in confronting such this unique and complex issue — an issue which direct impacts our national security concerns? Cost? … Read More
Find The Money
With Bush proposing upwards of $200 billion to rebuild New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, many fiscal conservatives are understandably edgy. Likening Bush’s proposal to Roosevelt’s New Deal programs (which is, to them, a bad thing), they wonder where the money is going to come from. Of course, some conservatives are being blatently stupid about the effort. This moron notes … Read More
Bite Me, Karl
Seriously, this man is scum. From Huffington Post: Karl Rove, President Bush’s top political advisor and deputy White House chief of staff, spoke at businessman Teddy Forstmann’s annual off the record gathering in Aspen, Colorado this weekend. Here is what Rove had to say that the press wasn’t allowed to report on. On Katrina: The only mistake we made with … Read More
Not What You Would Call A Great Communicator
Bush ratings before Thursday’s speech on New Orleans/Katrina: 39% Bush ratings after Thursday’s speech on New Orleans/Katrina: 35% Rassmussen Reports
Lights Return To New Orleans – Um, Not So Much
From Brian Williams’ blog at MSNBC": I am duty-bound to report the talk of the New Orleans warehouse district last night: there was rejoicing (well, there would have been without the curfew, but the few people I saw on the streets were excited) when the power came back on for blocks on end. Kevin Tibbles was positively jubilant on the … Read More
President Flopsweat?
Bush boards Air Force One after delivering his Katrina-related speech to the nation last night. Hat tip: Shakespeare’s Sister REACTIONS FROM OTHERS: Balz/Washington Post: The main text of President Bush’s nationally televised address last night was the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, but the clear subtext was the rebuilding of a presidency that is now at its … Read More
Is THAT Charity?
So I was listening to Bush’s speech about Katrina. It started off boring — a laundry list of things that happened as a result of Katrina (we know what happened, George; we were paying attention), and a laundry list of things that are happening now in terms of recovery. Yawn. Then he started going into rebuilding efforts. I thought parts … Read More
Increasing The Deficit To Improve Bush’s Image
Boy, Josh Marshall really hits it on the head with this one: This worries me. Note the added emphasis. The clip comes from a piece in tomorrow’s Post about yet another huge funding bill the president will roll out tomorrow for Katrina aid, which the Post says will cost more next year than the entire cost of the Iraq war … Read More
Bush’s Potty Break
I wasn’t going to touch it, but now I must. By now, I’m sure many of you have heard about the Reuters photo, which shows Bush writing an important message to Condi Rice as the two of them are sitting in conference at the U.N. Just in case you haven’t, I will (against my better judgment) post it here. This … Read More
Katrina: Right Wing Myths Debunked
Think Progress has a link-o-riffic debunking of some right-wing Katina memes. Here’s an example — there are many more: CLAIM — STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FAILURES: “White House Shifts Blame to State and Local Officials” [Washington Post, 9/4/05] FACT – BUSH PUT FEMA IN CHARGE OF EFFORT BEFORE KATRINA STRUCK: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, … Read More