I’ll Be The First To Say It

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Dana Perino, the rumored replacement for oh-you-know-he’s-going-soon White House spokesman Scott McClellan … is a babe. Then again, I would venture to suggest that’s precisely why she’ll get the job.  That, and the likelihood that she’s a good water-carrier. UPDATE:  Okay, I’m not the first to say it.

Jay Rosen Is Right

Ken AshfordBush & Co.2 Comments

The Columbia NYU journalism professor thinks that the National Journal’s Murray Waas is today’s Bob Woodward.  Read the whole thing. Waas not only gets the scoop, but he’s accumulated an incredible track record for being accurate. UPDATE:  Sorry, Jay.  Guess I’m no Murray Waas.

Confirmed . . . Sort Of

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

New York Times: A senior administration official confirmed for the first time on Sunday that President Bush had ordered the declassification of parts of a prewar intelligence report on Iraq in an effort to rebut critics who said the administration had exaggerated the nuclear threat posed by Saddam Hussein. But the official said that Mr. Bush did not designate Vice … Read More

How To Fail In Politics

Ken AshfordCongress, RepublicansLeave a Comment

Hey, I’m no politician, but it seems to me that if you want your political career to thrive: (1)  You shouldn’t speak at events sponsored by the Moonies ("Unification Church"). (2)  Assuming you are stupid and do #1, you shouldn’t call Rev. Moon "humanity’s Savior, Messiah, Returning Lord and True Parent". (3)  Assuming you are really stupid and do both … Read More

Well, Well, Well

Ken AshfordBush & Co., War on Terrorism/Torture, Wiretapping & SurveillanceLeave a Comment

It’s interesting to see who the Pentagon sees as the true enemy: A high-ranking Pentagon official has been snooping around Hillary and Bill Clinton’s personal financial records, The Post has learned. The Defense Department big shot recently scoured Sen. Clinton personal financial filings – which are required by Senate rules and publicly available. The records contain information about her investments … Read More

Holy Crap!

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Plamegate1 Comment

Why is nobody talking about this (which comes from the right-leaning NY Sun, no less)?!? A former White House aide under indictment for obstructing a leak probe, I. Lewis Libby, testified to a grand jury that he gave information from a closely-guarded "National Intelligence Estimate" on Iraq to a New York Times reporter in 2003 with the specific permission of … Read More

These Guys Don’t Get It

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

More proof that the Bush Administration, for all its talk about the "War On Terror" being a "new kind" of war, is still fighting a 20th century enemy: they want to restart building nuclear bombs at the pace of 125 per year. Ostensibly, it is to replace "outdated" nuclear bombs from the Cold War.  The U.S. built its last nuclear … Read More

The Education President

Ken AshfordBush & Co.Leave a Comment

Looks like Bush is actually teaching kids something: A new online poll conducted by Scholastic magazine says more than 80% of kids don’t want to be the leader of the most powerful nation on Earth. Amazingly, that’s a nearly total flip from 2004, when 75% of the elementary and middle school children did want to rule the roost from the … Read More

Greenwald On Orrin Hatch

Ken AshfordConstitution, Republicans, Wiretapping & SurveillanceLeave a Comment

The whole post is worth a read, but I like Glenn Greenwald’s views about Sen. Orrin Hatch: This seems to be an accurate summary of the evolution of Sen. Hatch’s views of constitutional law: (1) The Congress has the right to restrict the President’s eavesdropping activities, and to make certain eavesdropping activities a criminal offense punishable by up to five … Read More

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

This whole Kallogian/Downtown Baghdad photo thing just keeps getting funnier and funnier. Let’s recap: (1)  On his website several months ago, Candidate for Congress Howard Kallogian tells how he "just got back" from Iraq, and despite what the media says, it is very peaceful there.  To make his point, he posts a picture of a street in "downtown Baghdad", which … Read More

It’s Istanbul, Not Constantinople Iraq

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

Howard Kallogian, a Republican congressional candidate in California’s 50th District (to replace the now-indicted "Duke" Cunningham) goes to Baghdad, and reports how calm and peaceful it is.  Therefore, the press is making shit up.  To prove his point, Kallogian posts a picture (that he supposedly took) on his website.  Here’s the picture he posted: Wow, downtown Baghdad does look peaceful.  … Read More

Top Ten Mistakes The Bush Administration Is Repeating From Vietnam

Ken AshfordBush & Co., History, IraqLeave a Comment

This is very good, and you should read the whole thing.  My favorite from the list: 1.  Underestimating the enemy. As in Vietnam, the superpower’s potent military has been astounded by the tenacity and competence of a nationalist rebellion attempting to throw a foreign occupier from its soil. For example, the U.S. military, a hierarchical organization, views the Sunni insurgency … Read More