Lying to Congress is a crime: As he sought to renew the USA Patriot Act two years ago, Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales assured lawmakers that the FBI had not abused its potent new terrorism-fighting powers. "There has not been one verified case of civil liberties abuse," Gonzales told senators on April 27, 2005. Six days earlier, the FBI sent … Read More
How Low Can You Go?
Gallup has Bush at his lowest ever: President Bush’s job approval rating — now at 29% — has fallen to the lowest point of his administration and is within seven percentage points of the lowest job approval rating in Gallup Poll history. Bush’s job ratings have dropped 61 percentage points since the all time high point of 90% in September … Read More
Vitter Was For The Sanctity Of Marriage Before He Was Against It
From the campaign website of Senator David Vitter (R-La): Vitter Statement on Protecting the Sanctity of Marriage “This is a real outrage. The Hollywood left is redefining the most basic institution in human history, and our two U.S. Senators won’t do anything about it. We need a U.S. Senator who will stand up for Louisiana values, not Massachusetts’s values. I … Read More
Fred Thompson Was Nixon’s Boy During Watergate
I always considered former senator and Law and Order actor Fred Thompson (pictured here, on the left) to be one of the "good" Republicans, if only because he was counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee, the one that eventually buried Nixon. After all, it was Fred Thompson who uttered the now-historical question: "Mr. Butterfield, are you aware of the installation … Read More
Romney Criticized For Hotel Porn
I love it when the rightwing eats itself. From AP’s Glen Johnson: Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, who rails against the "cesspool" of pornography, is being criticized by social conservatives who argue that he should have tried to halt hardcore hotel movie offerings during his near-decade on the Marriott board. Two anti-pornography crusaders, as well as two conservative activists of … Read More
Public Desire For Impeachment Of Bush/Cheney Grows
From a new poll conducted by American Research Group, a non-partisan outfit: * Do you favor or oppose the US House of Representatives beginning impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush? Among all U.S. adults, 45% support the House initiating impeachment proceedings against Bush. Among all U.S. voters, impeachment enjoys 46% support, a plurality. In all, 69% of Dems, 50% … Read More
The Sleaziness Of The Libby Clemency
How can this be viewed as anything other a brazen admission that Bush & Co. feels they are above the law? Scooter Libby was convicted by a jury consisting of the American people who heard all the evidence, and concluded that he committed purjury and obstructed justice. Even Bush admits that he respects the jury’s verdict; his only issue was … Read More
Insert Shower/Soap/Bending Over Joke here
Libby going to the pokey. UPDATE: Uh, not so much. I’ll write more about this later….
Bush Looking For Answers Or Grasping At Straws?
WaPo: At the nadir of his presidency, George W. Bush is looking for answers. One at a time or in small groups, he summons leading authors, historians, philosophers and theologians to the White House to join him in the search. Over sodas and sparkling water, he asks his questions: What is the nature of good and evil in the post-Sept. … Read More
The Best Thing About The Bush Presidency
It’s created a whole generation of progressives. According to a new poll for the New York Times, CBS News, and MTV the 17-29 year olds lean Democratic. Sixty-two percent of the 17-29 year olds support a single-payor health care system, while 47% of the general electorate does. Seventy-seven percent of them plan to register to vote for next year, and … Read More
Cheney Flip-Flops, But Still Says He’s Not Subject To Executive Order
Dick Cheney’s office is abandoning a justification for keeping classified docouments from the auditors of the National Archives. Cheney had tried to claim he is separate from the executive branch, but they will no longer pursue that defense, senior administration officials now say. That original claim had been met with widespread derision from the right and the left: White House … Read More
The Extraconstitutional Beast
Following the revelation that Cheney believes he is not part of the Executive Branch of government (and therefore not subject to rules and oversight when it comes to classified information), legislation is being sponsored in both houses of Congress whicih will cut off all funding to the Vice President — at least until he comes forward and says what branch … Read More
Supreme Court Roundup
Two seemingly contradictory cases on the First Amendment from the Supreme Court today. On the one hand, it is permissible to regulate student speech (at a public parade) when it references drugs. So, the First Amendment be damned. On the other hand, the same coalition of Justices think we cannot restrict issues ads (a McCain-Feingold regulation) because that would place … Read More
Must-Reads On Cheney
From the Washington Post: Part I and Part II. The articles focus on the incredible growth of power of Cheney, and his influence. From Part One: Waxing or waning, Cheney holds his purchase on an unrivaled portfolio across the executive branch. Bush works most naturally, close observers said, at the level of broad objectives, broadly declared. Cheney, they said, inhabits … Read More
Cheney Needs A Civics Lesson
Unbelieveable. Executive Order 12958, amended and endorsed by Bush, requires the National Archives to oversee a uniform system within the executive branch for protecting classified information. Under that order, the Information Security Oversight Office of the National Archives is charged with the task of inspecting federal agencies and the White House with making sure that safeguards regarding classisfied information are … Read More