Planet Republican

Maybe it's Mars? Either way, one of its physical laws seems to be that you can only talk about Republican issues:

Not only did they allow Keith Kerr's question, they invited him to the debate. Had they bothered to research, they would have discovered his connection to Hillary Clinton's campaign. He's a member of the LGBT Americans for Hillary Steering Committee and co-chair on Hillary's National Military Veterans group. He also was an active John Kerry supporter in 2004. And last night Anderson Cooper willingly gave Mr. Kerr the Democratic activist a soapbox. Anderson has yet to apologize for either his willing participation or incompetent handling of the situation and failure to research.

Consider the other Democratic plants. Mary LeeAnn Anderson is a known Edwards supporter and union activist. She asked the protectionist question disguised as a lead paint question. Consider "Journey" the abortion questioner who, if CNN had paid attention to her YouTube profile, is a huge John Edwards supporter. And consider David Cerone, who asked the Log Cabin Republicans question -- his YouTube profile lists him as an Obama supporter.

It's disgusting to see these people open their mouths. They're taking issue with a question. Think for a moment about how insidiously pathetic that is. It's almost like a child who sticks both fingers in his ears and starts screaming when his parents ask him why there's mud on the kitchen floor, except it's even more fucked up than that because a better analogy is to a child who sticks both fingers in his ears and starts screaming when his parents ask him about the weather. It makes no sense.

Can they fucking understand this? These people's affiliations don't impact the validity of their questions. They are real Americans with real concerns about issues that not only affect them but also other Americans. But that gets at the heart of why these Republicans are so fucking twisted. To Republicans, these people and their concerns don't matter. They might as well not exist, and they will do everything they can to stamp them out. Wednesday's debate took place on Planet Republican, where only Republicans are allowed to talk to only Republicans about only things that they want to talk about. I'm sure they'd have no problem throwing everyone else who differs in a concentration camp or waterboarding the dissidents.

Imagine the outcry if this was turned on its head: Democrats went apeshit because CNN let a question through about gun control, abortion, Iraq, or one of the other contentious issues within the party at their YouTube debate. Oh wait, that fucking happened. Was a jihad - or crusade, take your pick - called to hunt down the people who asked the questions? Did Democrats call for CNN's producers' scalps? Obviously not.

The difference between the two parties has never been more staggeringly clear than since the days of the Civil Rights movement. The Democratic party stands for every American, while the Republican party only cares about things that they feel comfortable talking about. It's not like Republicans don't have stances on gay marriage or abortion, but so much of their basis for those stances is predicated on their own racism and xenophobia - meaning that they preach their creed from far away and never interacting with the people they hate - that it's a completely different ballgame when they have to look such person in the eye - literally, in Keith Kerr's case - and tell them that they don't exist. That they don't matter. That they're inferior and irrelevant to themselves.

This is why Republicans and the right wing are losing their shit over these questions. I can't possibly believe for a second that CNN had these goals in mind when they picked their questions, but those questions accomplished two things very well. First, they gave us a clear look at how disgusting and psychotic Republicans and their candidates are. Second, they showed us how uncomfortable they are with even acknowledging these people exist. This tells us all we need to know about how they would govern. We don't need to be ruled by assfucks who treat people who disagree with them as sub-human, we need to be governed by responsible people who can handle everyone's concerns. They don't have to agree with them, but they have to acknowledge that these people and their concerns are real.

Democrats have proven that they're mature to stand up and govern everyone in this country. Republicans are on the floor kicking and screaming because someone asked a question that they don't want to talk about.

Republican Reactions to the YouTube Debate

Anthropologist Joe Klein:

In the next segment--the debate between Romney and Mike Huckabee over Huckabee's college scholarships for the deserving children of illegal immigrants--I noticed something really distressing: When Huckabee said, "After all, these are children of God," the dials plummeted. And that happened time and again through the evening: Any time any candidate proposed doing anything nice for anyone poor, the dials plummeted (30s). These Republicans were hard.

But there was worse to come: When John McCain started talking about torture--specifically, about waterboarding--the dials plummeted again. Lower even than for the illegal Children of God. Down to the low 20s, which, given the natural averaging of a focus group, is about as low as you can go. Afterwards, Luntz asked the group why they seemed to be in favor of torture. "I don't have any problem pouring water on the face of a man who killed 3000 Americans on 9/11," said John Shevlin, a retired federal law enforcement officer. The group applauded, appallingly.

Somehow this is news to Klein.

Cut the Pork

So you lose some limbs! Life!

The Marines plan to buy fewer bomb-resistant vehicles than planned despite pressure from lawmakers who are determined to spend billions of dollars on the vehicles.

The Marine Corps' requirement for mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles would drop from the planned 3,700 to about 2,400, The Associated Press has learned. The Marines would not comment on the decision, but defense officials confirmed the cut. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

About a month ago, Marine Commandant Gen. T. James Conway signaled the possibility of a new examination of the commitment to the vehicles, saying he was concerned his force was getting too heavy. "I'm a little bit concerned about us keeping our expeditionary flavor," he said.

Expeditionary my long-term-bases ass. When the military is concerned about pork spending, you know politics is afoot.

Thoughts from the Republican YouTube Debate

I attended the debate-watching party sponsored by Drinking Liberally in NYC. Many thanks to them for hosting!

Looks like the Huckster - ooh, I like that - won this one. He stayed mostly above the fray and delivered his responses with a feel-good tone. I thought he sort of faded as the debate went on though. He creeps me out the most of any of the candidates.

Everyone in the room seemed to really despise Romney because he's such a ridiculously unabashed, craven liar with no firm moral footing, but that actually makes him the most palatable to me because it means that he would probably be the least conservative of all the candidates, even if we don't know exactly where and when.

Rudy! gave a decent showing but wasn't really inspiring. Anderson Cooper caught him off guard about the Politico story yesterday that Rudy billed NYC departments for his weekend trysts out to the Hamptons with wife #3. I think he brushed it off by blaming it on the bureaucratic mess of government (ok...), but this is hardly over. Rudy got laid, New York paid.

Ron Paul is crazy fun! Let's give him a pat on the head and send him back to Congress.

John McCain looked like he wanted to end his own life for most of the debate. I thought he was going to stab himself in the heart with his veto pen (blessed by Saint Ronnie).

Who is Duncan Hunter? Why do I care? I think he wants to build a fence around our country, except it would be semi-porous, and goods and services could flow in and out by osmosis, I think.

Tom Tancredo oozes hate like a custard donut oozes creamy filling when you squeeze it, except you don't need to squeeze Tancredo, just mention brown people.

Fred Thompson must lick his lips to keep his blood flowing. The man didn't stop the whole night. Don't think he had anything remarkable to say otherwise.

Who knew "Sanctuary City" was even a concept? I gotta say that immigration is a total non-starter for me. It doesn't grab my attention at all, but the xenophobic, racist GOP base is all over it. Why?

I learned that tax-cuts and flat taxes will make the world a better place. The candidates struck me as responsible because many of them said they would not rule out hiking taxes in the face of national emergencies, like war. Since we're at war with the greatest threat to our existence ever - Islamo-HillaryClinton-fascism - and have cut taxes, that means we're in the clear! Tax cuts and responsibility for everyone!!!

Roe v. Wade has just gotta go. Just gotta. Now. Just go.

The environment....

...

...

Mars, bitches! MARS!!!!!!

The [fill in the blank] Made Me Do It

God:

Richard Roberts told students at Oral Roberts University Wednesday that he did not want to resign as president of the scandal-plagued evangelical school, but that he did so because God insisted.

God told him on Thanksgiving that he should resign the next day, Roberts told students in the university's chapel.

"Every ounce of my flesh said 'no'" to the idea, Roberts said, but he prayed over the decision with his wife and his father, Oral Roberts, and decided to step down.

Roberts said he wanted to "strike out" against the people who were persecuting him, and considered countersuing, but "the Lord said, 'don't do that,'" he said.

Works every time! Almost as good as prayer!

Sky High Oil

This can't be good:

An explosion crippled the main pipeline supplying Canadian crude to U.S. Midwest refineries on Wednesday, forcing operator Enbridge to halt nearly a fifth of U.S. imports and sending crude prices as much as $4 higher.

One of the set of four lines will require repairs and regulator inspections, while the largest is "not likely" to start up any time soon, Larry Springer, a spokesman for Calgary, Alberta-based operator Enbridge Inc, said on Thursday.

The smaller two lines were several hundred feet from the fire and appear to be undamaged, but will be inspected soon before they are restarted, Springer said by phone. He was not able to give a specific time frame for restarting any of the network.

All it takes is a littles shock...

When FOX Attacks... a Republican

You know you're in trouble:

Obscure New York City government agencies picked up tens of thousands of dollars in expenses racked up for security detail used by former mayor Rudy Giuliani during trips to the Hamptons, purportedly to visit paramour Judith Nathan, according to a news report out Wednesday.

The report, confirmed by FOX News, said Giuliani's visits to the Hamptons resulted in hotel, gas and other costs for the New York Police Department security detail.

The GOP presidential candidate later married Nathan, his third wife, and their relationship was widely publicized. But Politico obtained new documents showing that Giuliani transferred travel expenses to mayoral offices that had nothing to do with the trips.

Can't wait for the debate tonight!

Although chances of this getting asked - 0.

Quick! Somebody Fire TIME Magazine!

We've gone from the ridiculous to the sublime.

Nothing to See Here Folks

Just move right along:

The head of the federal agency investigating Karl Rove's White House political operation is facing allegations that he improperly deleted computer files during another probe, using a private computer-help company, Geeks on Call.

Scott Bloch runs the Office of Special Counsel, an agency charged with protecting government whistleblowers and enforcing a ban on federal employees engaging in partisan political activity. Mr. Bloch's agency is looking into whether Mr. Rove and other White House officials used government agencies to help re-elect Republicans in 2006.

At the same time, Mr. Bloch has himself been under investigation since 2005. At the direction of the White House, the federal Office of Personnel Management's inspector general is looking into claims that Mr. Bloch improperly retaliated against employees and dismissed whistleblower cases without adequate examination.

Richard Cohen thinks it's funny. Joe Klein can't be bothered and doesn't have the background to understand it. David Broder thinks it's an opportunity for Republicans and Maureen Dowd is too fixated on Hillary's cleavage to notice.

More on Bloch.

Quick! Somebody Fire Joe Klein!

He can't read, and therefore should shut the fuck up.

Another One Bites the Dust

Trent Lott is going to sit on his porch with George W. Bush:

Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, plans to resign his seat before the end of the year, congressional and White House officials said Monday.

Lott, 66, scheduled two news conferences in Pascagoula and Jackson later in the day to reveal his plans. According to congressional and White House officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement, Lott intends to resign effective the end of the year.

But what's up with this resigning before the end of the year? Something smells fishy...

Update: Jerome elaborates:

Trent Lott will abandon his Senate seat before the end of the year, in order to avoid the new lobbying restrictions that require Senators to wait two-years before selling out the publics interests.

Makes sense after all.

Blame the Victim

No wonder Bush likes the Saudis:

The Saudi judiciary on Tuesday defended a court verdict that sentenced a 19-year-old victim of a gang rape to six months in jail and 200 lashes because she was with an unrelated male when they were attacked.

The Shiite Muslim woman had initially been sentenced to 90 lashes after being convicted of violating Saudi Arabia's rigid Islamic law requiring segregation of the sexes.

But in considering her appeal of the verdict, the Saudi General Court increased the punishment. It also roughly doubled prison sentences for the seven men convicted of raping the woman, Saudi news media said last week.

They'd get along peachily with this country's right wing - like related peas in a pod.

Less Talk, More Leadership

More Dodd:

"Today's revelations by Mr. McClellan are very disturbing and raise several important questions that need to be answered. If in fact the President of the United of States knowingly instructed his chief spokesman to mislead the American people, there can be no more fundamental betrayal of the public trust.

"During his confirmation process, Attorney General Mukasey said he would act independently. Accordingly, today, I call on the Attorney General to live up to his word and launch an immediate investigation to determine the facts of this case, the extent of any cover up and determine what the President knew and when he knew it."

Our Elite

Kevin Drum reports so I don't have to, which is good, because I don't want to stab out my eyes.

It's Not That Irony Is Dead

It's just that someone doesn't know what it means:

In a reflective mood as he looks toward his final year in office, President Bush delivered his first official Thanksgiving speech Monday, urging Americans to “show their thanks by giving back” and to remember that “our nation’s greatest strength is the decency and compassion of our people.”

How's that national debt coming along, Mr. No-Tax-and-Spend-for-Me?

Sensible Punditry

Tom "Suck on this" Friedman.

Glenn Greenwald:

As Friedmans' column this morning demonstrates, this is exactly the same mentality which our pundit class continues to embrace today: America can only succeed in the world if we run around constantly threatening countries that we will invade and incinerate them.

Please make him stop.

A Sad Day for the Man Who Puts the 'Laughter' in 'Manslaughter'

I'm taking my birthday back, Chuck.

Thoughts from the Debate

Wolf Blitzer is an asshole.

Not as big of an asshole as Tim Russert, but still an asshole.

You've Had Your Chance

I disagreed with Congressional Democrats decision to give Bush another chance. Bush has been wrong about everything all the time and has never acted in good faith towards his opponents, so there was no reason to believe he would do so now.

It looks like Dems are finally wising up:

In the last several months, however, the administration has been stalling progress on Democratic appointments.

This problem existed before the August break.

In an effort to solve it, I worked hard to confirm over 40 administration nominees in exchange for a commitment by the President to make progress on a number of important commissions.

When we reconvened after August break, I also worked to quickly move on the President’s new Attorney General.

I did this despite my own opposition to that nominee.

Even with all this hard work on our side, the commitments the administration made to me before August break were not met.

In the almost three months since that break, we have received no Democratic nominees to full-time commission positions.

For some, in fact, absolutely no discernable progress has been made.

With Thanksgiving break looming, the administration informed me that they would make several recess appointments.

I indicated I would be willing to confirm various appointments if the administration would agree to move on Democratic appointments.

They would not make that commitment.

As a result, I am keeping the Senate in pro-forma to prevent recess appointments until we get this process back on track.

Republicans and their cohorts will go on the news and complain about how the big, bad Democrats are preventing ordinary Americans from spending time with their families, but we know that's a ton of crap. We pay their salaries and they can damn well earn them.

1, 2, 3, 4

What are we fighting for?

Like the other Gulf Coast states battered by Hurricane Katrina, Mississippi was required by Congress to spend half of its billions in federal grant money to help low-income citizens trying to recover from the storm.

Dorothy J. McClendon says she fears that no aid will reach her neighborhood in Gulfport, Miss.

But so far, the state has spent $1.7 billion in federal money on programs that have mostly benefited relatively affluent residents and big businesses. The money has gone to compensate many middle- and upper-income homeowners, to aid utility companies whose equipment was damaged and to prop up the state’s insurance system.

Just $167 million, or about 10 percent of the federal money, has been spent on programs dedicated to helping the poor, mostly through a smaller grant program for lower-income homeowners.

Fuck the poor!

FISA Bill Moving Along

It's out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and immunity has yet to be debated on the Senate floor. Christy says:

What all of this means is that the fight on immunity gets saved for the floor of the Senate, at least that is how I’m reading all of this. Which means that it is time for the Presidential candidates to put their leadership on the table. And I don’t mean just Sen. Chris Dodd with everyone else trying to coast along on his coattails. I mean really standing up for the constitution and the rule of law out front and out loud – because real patriots stand up when their nation needs them.

While we’re at it, Sen. Dodd has asked for a hold on this bill. Please take a little time to call Sen. Harry Reid and tell him to respect the hold. You can reach Sen. Reid’s office at (202) 224-3542.

Call. Please. This one's really important.

Markos Gets a Nemesis

Rover!

Newsweek magazine has hired Karl Rove, the former White House deputy chief of staff, to contribute occasional opinion pieces to the print and online versions of the publication.

Rove stepped down from his post in August after a controversial six-year stint as President Bush's senior political adviser. His successful campaign strategies for Bush in 2000 and 2004 have been called into question, and leading Democrats have led investigations into Rove's possible role in the firings of U.S. attorneys and whether he had an undue influence over key decisions made by the federal government, among other concerns.

I can't wait to see the right wing cry foul when Markos smacks Rove around. Heh.

An Exercise in Bullshit

The CPI:

U.S. consumer prices stayed under wraps last month as contained housing and clothing prices offset a big jump in energy costs, suggesting that higher oil prices haven't yet filtered into underlying inflationary pressures.

The data should provide some comfort to Federal Reserve officials worried about the potential inflationary impact of oil and commodity prices as well as the weak dollar.

The consumer price index rose 0.3% in October, the Labor Department said Thursday, matching September's increase. The core CPI, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, advanced 0.2% for a fifth-straight month. The headline and core gains matched Wall Street expectations, according to a Dow Jones Newswires survey.

...

Energy prices last month increased 1.4% compared to September, according to Thursday's report, as did gasoline prices. Electricity prices were up 1.5%. Food prices increased 0.3%.

Medical-care prices, meanwhile, advanced 0.6%. Clothing prices were flat.

Call them volatile all you want, but food and energy are staples of peoples' lives that they can't stop consuming. Clothing, on the other hand, is not something that needs to be replaced at a rate anywhere close to how often you need to replace the food in your stomach or the gas in your car. The same goes for housing. You need a place to live, but you don't need to go out and buy a new house that often.

Housing, which accounts for 40% of the CPI index, was up just 0.2%. Rent increased by 0.5%. Owners' equivalent rent rose 0.2%. Lodging away from home fell 1.5%. Housing-related prices have risen at only a 1.9% annualized rate over the past three months, suggesting that the slowdown in that sector is easing pressure on prices.

Rent is by far the more important indicator since it has a much higher turnover than new home sales does, and more people will become renters as they can no longer afford to pay their mortgages. It's not like we're getting richer either:

In a separate report, the Labor Department said the average weekly earnings of U.S. workers, adjusted for inflation, fell 0.2% in October. Average hourly earnings increased 0.2%, and average weekly hours were flat.

People's quality of life is going to fall. It's true that for most people it never should have been as high as it was - we have cheap debt from China to thank for that - but it's going to fall and people are going to hurt in the process. As they devote a greater percentage of their income to food and energy, some things are going to have to give. Maybe it will be luxury retail goods, clothing and vacations, but maybe it will be houses, healthcare and education. That's not good.

Dirty Fucking Hippie

Warren Buffet:

Warren E. Buffett urged Congress Wednesday to maintain the estate tax, saying that plans to repeal the tax would benefit a handful of the richest American families and widen income disparity in the United States.

Mr. Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, told the Senate Finance Committee that advocates of repeal were “dead wrong” to call the tax a “death tax.”

It would be more appropriate to call it a “death present,” Mr. Buffett, 77, said. “A meaningful estate tax is needed to prevent our democracy from becoming a dynastic plutocracy.”

Why are our leaders and our informers in the media so dumb that they can't grasp this? Is there really a need for more Paris Hiltons and super-wealthy families bankrolling wingnut welfare?

No Immunity for Telcos

Because it's not like they spied on us or anything:

AT&T Inc plans on Wednesday to introduce a nationwide program giving owners of small- and medium-size businesses some of the same tools big security firms offer for remotely monitoring employees, customers and operations, the New York Times said in its online edition.

Under AT&T's Remote Monitor program, a business owner could install adjustable cameras, door sensors and other gadgets at up to five different company locations across the country, the newspaper reported.

Too profitable for their own good.

Tax-and-Spend

Will ruin us:

The economic costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to total $1.6 trillion - roughly double the amount the White House has requested thus far, according to a new report by Democrats on Congress' Joint Economic Committee.

Is it too much to ask for our President should be able to add and subtract?

Less Kumbaya, More Do the Right Thing

Surprised?

President Bush, escalating his budget battle with Congress, on Tuesday vetoed a spending measure for health and education programs prized by congressional Democrats.

He also signed a big increase in the Pentagon's non-war budget although the White House complained it contained "some unnecessary spending."

The president's action was announced on Air Force One as Bush flew to New Albany, Ind., on the Ohio River across from Louisville, Ky., for a speech criticizing the Democratic-led Congress on its budget priorities.

In excerpts of his remarks released in advance by the White House, Bush hammered Democrats for what he called a tax-and-spend philosophy:

You are the Congress, he is one man. Congress legislates and the President executes. I learned this when I was 8, yet our lawmakers and chattering classes in Washington still can't come to grips with this.

I'm not even going to get into the irony of Bush pooh-poohing a tax-and-spend philosophy. Today, at least, irony is back in the grave.

Silly Democrats

The media are not your friends.

"It's transactional -- you have to see what it brings," Mr. Frank said. "But Hubert Humphrey once said, 'Whenever I get cute, I blow it.' That's the same thing I'm saying: if you try to be too political there's a backlash."

That backlash is evident: Congress's approval rating has fallen from 31% in March to 19% this month in the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

A year after returning to power, House Democrats are at a crossroads. The party's early agenda -- tougher ethics rules, a minimum-wage increase and more aid for college students -- is largely in place. To go further, the majority must overcome not just presidential vetoes but the often-crippling partisan bitterness left from 12 years under Republican rule.

Congress' approval rating has fallen not because of partisan bitterness, but because it's not standing up to Bush enough. People want Democrats to push progressive values and policies, not this mush-centrist-kumbaya that Washington keeps egging on. Democrats have so far failed to deliver on Iraq, the biggest issue of the day (even though the media selectively chooses to ignore it). That is why Congress' ratings are in the shitter.

Democrats were elected to lead. They have yet to live up to that mandate.

Egads!

You just stepped in a pile of David Brooks!

The Party of Awful

You guessed it:

Antiwar veterans who attempted to march in a Veterans Day Parade Saturday in Long Beach were banned by organizers who said the parade is supposed to thank veterans and not serve as a political demonstration. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out were prevented from joining the annual parade down Atlantic Avenue and restricted to a nearby parking lot, officials said. Organizers said the groups were trying to push a political agenda at an event to honor veterans. Earlier this week, the Veterans Day Parade Committee rejected their applications to participate, according to the Long Beach Press- Telegram. "This is not a political event, this is a time to come and just say thank you to all veterans," said Long Beach City Councilman Val Lerch, who also was on the parade committee.

I got nothin.

Congress Overrides Bush's Veto on Water Resources Bill

Suck it, Bush:

President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects.

The vote was 79-14 to pass the bill. Enactment was a foregone conclusion, but it still marked a milestone for a president who spent his first six years with a much friendlier Congress controlled by his Republican Party. Now he confronts a more hostile, Democratic-controlled legislature, and Thursday's vote showed that even many Republicans will defy him on spending matters dear to their political careers.

The bill funds hundreds of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as dams, sewage plants and beach restoration, that are important to local communities and their representatives. It also includes money for the hurricane-hit Gulf Coast and for Florida Everglades restoration efforts.

Why would he veto something like that in the first place? It's because it follows either the conservative principle of "government should stay out of people's lives" or the conservative principle of "it funds the Army, not my rich, profiteering buddies."

I'm a little worried about how Bush will react. He'll make some speech about how he's disappointed with everyone who voted for the bill, but then he'll probably do something to reassert his deciderer power, which could mean very bad things. We've never seen his ego bruised in this way and who knows how he'll lash out.

Values Voters

Which values are those?

Rudy Giuliani Wednesday morning won the endorsement of the Rev. Pat Robertson, one of the evangelical Christian movement's most recognizable leaders, who said he put aside his differences with Giuliani over abortion because he believes the ex-mayor will appoint staunchly conservative judges.

Robertson also said he is backing Giuliani because "to me, the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the bloodlust of Islamic terrorists. . . . We need a leader with a bold vision who is not afraid to tackle the challenges ahead."

The values of a thrice-divorced, mob-tied, racist, hypocritical bloodthirsty lunatic.

I'm grateful to Pat Robertson for confirming that the religious right is completely morally bankrupt.

Now I'm just waiting for Daddy Dobson to endorse.

Irony Is Dead

Where do I even start?

Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company.

Is it that the company is engaging in conservative-approved free market, hyper-capitalist practices? Is it that the authors are resorting to going to the courts? (torts! Get me my smelling salts!!!) Or is it that one of them wrote a book titled "Treachery: How America's Friends and Foes Are Secretly Arming Our Enemies"?

I'll let you know as soon as I can stop laughing.

Psychopath

(n.) Someone who lacks empathy. E.g. a Republican, or conservative.

The GAO Writes a Report

Bush Admin still doesn't care about properly disposing of nuclear waste.

I'm all for nuclear energy, but also for cleaning up after yourself.

Hunter Rant

You read.

Why Won't You Let Me President?

Just leave me alone!!!!

An increasingly confrontational President Bush on Friday vetoed a bill authorizing hundreds of popular water projects even though lawmakers can count enough votes to override him.

Bush brushed aside significant objections from Capitol Hill, even from Republicans, in thwarting legislation that provides money for projects like repairing hurricane damage, restoring wetlands and preventing flooding in communities across the nation.

This level of opposition virtually assured that Bush would have a veto overridden for the first time in his presidency. He has used the veto very sparingly for most of the time he has been in office, but has made more use of it recently.

Recently = legislation no longer passed by a slavish GOP-controlled Congress.

Update: Bush vetoed the bill. Asshole.

I Fail History? That Didn't Happen

Bush:

President Bush compared Congress' Democratic leaders Thursday with people who ignored the rise of Lenin and Hitler early in the last century, saying "the world paid a terrible price" then and risks similar consequences for inaction today.

Bush accused Congress of stalling important pieces of the fight to prevent new terrorist attacks by: dragging out and possibly jeopardizing confirmation of Michael Mukasey as attorney general, a key part of his national security team; failing to act on a bill governing eavesdropping on terrorist suspects; and moving too slowly to approve spending measures for the Iraq war, Pentagon and veterans programs.

It's a Super Duper Summer Blockbuster Smash about fighting Robo-Zombie Nazis, and Bush has been cast as the Deciderer Commander Kickass Dude. Let him play his part.

Finding Mukasey

Yglesias draws a good bead.