Redneck Liberal vs The Right Wing Propaganda Machine: Hillary & Slick Willy

OK, let's check out an e-mail I received, subject Hillary & Slick Willy.



This is a long one and it gives us a ton of Fantasyland Facts.



Don't let this give you the impression that I support Hillary Clinton for president. I just don't like seeing garbage represented as fact. And that applies across the board.



The e-mail is in bold.

HILLARY & SLICK WILLY

~PLEASE REMEMBER THIS WHEN HILLARY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT~

REMEMBER THIS FOREVER -- It is worse than you thought and remembered and well worth reading.

P.S. This was written by a Democrat.

Things are really going bad for you when your credibility is so low that you have to claim it was written by the enemy.

Dear Mr. Ex-President Clinton: I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank me, I voted for Clinton-Gore." So, I sat down and reflected on that, and I am sending my "Thank you" for what you have done, specifically:

Ah, specifics. Then it must be accurate.

1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I leave anyone out?

True, but I don't remember him giving them any taxpayer money or losing any troops because of them.

I remember them introducing themselves, usually surrounded by a lot of Republicans.

2. Thank you for teaching my 8-year old about oral sex. I had really planned to wait until he was a little older to discuss it with him, but now he knows more about it than I did as a senior in college.

Bob Jones University?

Since keeping an eye on your own kid is your responsibility I won't give you credit for blaming Bill Clinton for your son's sex education.

When my son was about seven, he came knocking on my bathroom door. "Daddy, what's a dildo?" I couldn't help but laugh. Him and his nine year old sister were watching something on BBC and she sent him to ask. I told him, he told his sister and I have something I'll remember from now on.


3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in the work place (especially the White House) and on the job is okay, and all you have to know is what the meaning of "it" is. It really is great to know that certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may have sex while the other one does NOT have sex.

Monica coerced?

As for the rest of it, it leaves the impression that who ever wrote this has a very limited experience in the subject. For example, when your partner grimaces and shouts "What is that?!". You had better come up with a damned good explanation of what it is.

Masturbation is a sexual act, but I wouldn't consider it sex.

And it's certainly possible when two people are getting it on, that one of them may not be involved. Just ask any wife.

I'll take another one, 'cause after all these years I'm tired of hearing Republicans whine about Clinton's sex life. Especially since we've been lied into a war for no purpose and the economy's in the crapper.

The Right has strange priorities.


4. Thank you for re-introducing the concept of impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating that the ridiculous plot of the movie "Wag the Dog" could be plausible after all.


Yeah, who'd ever heard of impeachment before Bill Clinton. If you check, I believe that you will find that, in fact, the Republicans brought up the whole impeachment idea. And what did the impeachment proceedings accomplish? Clinton's approval ratings jumped 10 points to 73%. Most Americans felt that impeaching a pretty good president over lying about a blow job was just ridiculous.

The Wag the Dog theory might be sound a little more plausible if Clinton had actually started a war for no good reason. But who'd be stupid enough to do that?

5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look moral.

Jimmy Carter was pretty competent, and still is.

I have disagreements with some things that President Clinton did, but to call Bill Clinton incompetent is absurd.

If you really want to drive the point home, replace all the names above with George W. Bush.

6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who have plead the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic campaign fund raising.

22 people were convicted. A lot of them were friends of Clinton and Gore. Bill Clinton was never charged with anything to do with Chinagate.

Still there were Democrats engaged in activity that was neither lawful or ethical. Point for the Right.

7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4 imprisonment's from the Whitewater "mess" and the 55 criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far) in the other "Clinton" scandals.

Actually 14 people were convicted in the Whitewater investigation. Bill and Hillary Clinton were cleared of any wrongdoing by the independent council.

But since you want to be specific, exactly one Clinton Administration official was indicted or convicted. That was Wes Hubbell who was convicted on an embezzlement charge committed before he joined the Clinton Administration.

Here's some more specifics.

* nine Bush administration officials fall under the “indicted/convicted/pled guilty” category;

* 13 Bush administration officials fall under the “resigned due to investigation” category;

* and three Bush administration nominees “failed due to scandal.”

The Bush numbers are a year old.

* Number of Reagan administration era convictions in the Iran-contra scandal: 14 (two overturned on appeal).


* Number of Reagan officials convicted for illegal lobbying: 2 (Michael Deaver; Lyn Nofziger, overturned on appeal).


* Number of Reagan officials convicted in Housing and Urban Development scandal: 16.


* Total number Reagan era convictions: 32

8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half, "gutting" much of our foreign policy, and flying all over the world on "vacations" carefully disguised as necessary trips.

Clinton did cut back on military spending, but he didn't reduce the military by 50%. In fact the military spending was cut more in Daddy Bush's four years than it was in Clinton's eight years.

If you choose to deal in facts rather than right-wing myth making, the president who has done the most harm to our military is currently sitting in the White House.

I have no idea what "gutting most our foreign policy" means. But if it was foreign policy left over from the first Bush Administration, if he gutted it, that was probably a good thing. I do have some idea of where the U.S. stands in world opinion now, compared to the Clinton Administration.



China has a better image than us now. Whatever you think of Bill Clinton's foreign policy, it had to be better than what we have now.

Vacations? OK, let's talk about vacations.

President Jimmy Carter (D) Georgia:
79 Days (over 1 term - 4 years)

President Ronald Reagan (R) California:
335 days (over 2 terms - 8 years)

President George H. W. Bush (R) Texas:
543 days (over 1 term - 4 years)

President William J. Clinton (D) Arkansas:
152 days (over 2 terms - 8 years)

President George W. Bush (R) Texas:
250 days (as of Aug. '03, less than one term!)


As of last August Barbara's little cowboy has spent 418 days on vacation.
9 Thank you, also, for "finding" millions of dollars (I really didn't need it in the first place, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for my hard-earned tax dollars) for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you, the family and your cronies have logged in more time aboard Air Force One than any other administration.


I have no idea of what "finding" millions of dollars is in reference to. But Bill's made about $40 million in speaking fees over the last six years.

Clinton's logged more time on Air Force One than any other administration. Well except for George W. Bush.

10. Now that you've left the White House, thanks for the 140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin society. (Not to mention the scores you pardoned while Governor of Arkansas)

Does the Right really believe that people are simple enough to think that Bill Clinton is unique among presidents when it comes to pardons? Hell, Bush has pardoned 113 so far and they had served their sentences. He also commuted Scooter Libby's sentence before he could turn on the White House for outing a covert CIA agent.

11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware. I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've received from your "friend."

Both claims are just wrong. No silverware was stolen and there was no destruction to government property by the outgoing Clinton Administration.

Ditto on the housewarming gifts.

12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of the White House for vandalizing and destroying government property on the way out. I also appreciate removing all of that excess weight (China, silverware, linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1. The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less tax dollars spent on jet fuel. Thank you!

Keep repeating it and people will accept it for fact. Well the people who'd vote for Bush will believe anything. Same as above, No Truth in Clinton White House Vandal Scandal, GSA Reports.

13. Please ensure that Hillary enjoys the $8 million dollar advance for her "tell-all" book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay!

I'm sure they will enjoy the money for their books, I would.

What crimes? It must be Right Wing Fantasyland crimes. In the real world, when someone has been investigated as much as Bill and Hil has, if there were crimes committed, we'd know about it.

14. The last and most important point - thank you for forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free. Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released. Thus, Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked the U.S. by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the U.S. from all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the real truth?

It must be fun to live in Right Wing Fantasyland, where you can change reality like the rest of us change socks.

Needless to say, all the above is not true, it's not even close.

I want to thank Snopes.com for the great job they do at sifting the diamonds from the dunghill.

Claim: A convicted terrorist released by Israel at the insistence of the United States participated in the September 11 terrorist attacks on America.

What a guy!!

If you agree that the American public must be made aware of these facts, please pass this on. THANK YOU (once again) for spending my taxes so wisely and frugally.

SINCERELY, A U.S. Citizen

PS. Please pass along a special thank you to Al Gore for "inventing" the Internet, without which I would not be able to send this wonderful, factual e-mail.
You would think that by now everyone would know that Al Gore never claimed that he invented the Internet. But Right Wing Fantasyland is where people go to escape the fact that they can't handle the truth.

And wait, there's more.

AND THE REST OF THE STORY: Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a New York State Senator, now comes under the "Congressional Retirement and Staffing Plan," which means that even if she never gets reelected, she STILL receives her Congressional salary until she dies. (Would it not be nice if all Americans were pension eligible after only 4 years?)

If Bill outlives her, he then inherits HER salary until HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, she also gets HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that? WE DO!

It's common knowledge that in order for her to establish NY residency, they purchased a million dollar-plus house in upscale Chappaqua, New York. Makes sense. They are entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still makes sense.

Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an extra residence HAD to be built within the acreage to house the Secret Service agents.

The Clinton's charge the Federal government $10,000 monthly rent for the use of that extra residence, which is just about equal to their mortgage payment. This means that we, the taxpayers, are paying the Clinton's salary, mortgage, transportation, safety and security, as well as the salaries for their 12 man staff -- and, this is all perfectly legal!

When she runs for President, will you vote for her?

How many people can YOU send this to?

WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

This last one has been floating around the net since 2001. Is it true? Of course not.

But there are tons of people who receive this crap and just take it for face value. Are they simple? Yes. Are they gullible? Yes. Do they vote? Yes. Are they the reason that we've had an idiot for president the last seven years? Yes.

See the problem?

Later.

Right Wing Fantasyland E-Mail News.

After being lazy most of November I thought I'd catch up with the world and get out the blog. But first I checked my e-mail. I'm fortunate enough to be the recipient of most of the latest right-wing crap that's making it's way through the internet and right-wing blogosphere.

I thought I'd share with those of you that aren't lucky enough to be on the cutting edge of Conservative wit and wisdom.

The above video is some really sick racist garbage set to Johnny Horton and Jimmie Driftwood's "Battle of New Orleans". A song I really liked when I was in first grade, along with "One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying, Purple, People-Eater".

The video gives great insight into the mind-set of the other side. You know, the side with all the morals.

It's no wonder that this country is in such a financial hole. Those guys aren't worth squat with numbers. Here's a brilliant "eye-opening" piece that claims there were more military deaths under Clinton (They have such an obsession with Clinton. I often wonder if it's because they're jealous of him getting a BJ or Jealous of Monica for giving it.) than Bush. Unfortunately for them they put in a link to check the figures. I did. They're wrong. But it's all over the right-wing blogosphere.

I WONDER WHAT HILLARY'S OR ANY DEMOCRATIC SENATOR OR CONGRESSMAN'S ANSWER TO THIS WOULD BE?

These are some rather eye-opening facts:Since the start of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan , the sacrifice has been enormous. In the time period from the invasion of Iraq in March 2003 through now, we have lost over 3000 military personnel to enemy action and accidents. As tragic as the loss of any member of the US Armed Forces is, consider the following statistics:

The annual fatalities of military members while actively serving in the armed forces from 1980 through 2006:>>1980 ......... 2,392>>1981 ......... 2,380 >>1984 .......... 1,999>>1988 .......... 1,819>>1989 .......... 1,636>>1990 ......... 1,508>>1991 .......... 1,787>>1992 .......... 1,293>>1993 .......... 1,213 >>1994 .......... 1,075>>1995 .2,465>>1996 ......... 2,318 Clinton years @14,000 deaths>>1997 .......... 817>>1998 ......... 2,252>>1999 .......... 1,984 >>2000 .......... 1,983>>2001 .......... 890>>2002 .......... 1,007>>2003 .......... 1,410>>2004 .......... 1,887>>2005 ......... 919>>2006.......... 920

If you are confused when you look at these figures...so was I.

Do these figures mean that the loss from the two latest conflicts in the Middle East are LESS than the loss of military personnel during Mr. Clinton 's presidency; when America wasn't even involved in a war? And, I was even more confused; when I read that in 1980, during the reign of President (Nobel Peace Prize) Jimmy Carter, there were 2,392 US military fatalities!

These figures indicate that many of our Media & Politicians will pick and choose. Th ey present only those "facts" which support their agenda-driven reporting. Why do so many of them march in lock-step to twist the truth. Where do so many of them get their marching-orders for their agenda?

Our Mainstream Print and TV media, and many Politicians like to slant; that these brave men and women, who are losing their lives in Iraq , are mostly minorities! Wrong AGAIN--- just one more media lie! The latest census, of Americans, shows the following distribution of American citizens, by Race:

>>European descent (White) . 69.12%>>Hispanic ................................ 12.5%>>Black..................................... 12.3%>>Asian ...................................... 3.7%>>Native American ..................... . 1.0%>>Other . 2.6%Now... here are the fatalities by Race; over the past three years in Iraqi Freedom:>>European descent (whit e) ..... 74.31%>>Hispanic . 10.74%>>Black . 9.67%>>Asian . . 1.81%>>Native American . 1.09%>>Other . ..33%

You do the Math! These figures don't lie... but, Media-liars figure...and they sway public opinion! (These statistics are published by Congressional Research Service, and they may be confirmed by anyone at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL32492.pdf )

Now ask yourself these two questions:"Why does the mainstream Print and TV Media never print statistics like these?" and "Why do the mainstream media hate the web as much as they do?"

Go to the link and check it out. I only did the military deaths, it's on page 10, and didn't bother too much too much with the minority percentages.

If you check the figures, under Clinton there were 7500 military deaths, not 14,000 and 8,792 under Bush. Of course this doesn't take into account the 120 suicides a week among veterans. These should be listed as combat deaths, simply because most are due to combat related experiences.

Wounded Times makes the case for this much better than I can.

As WWII was winding down, Hitler blamed the German people for losing the war. Guess who the Right's blaming? If you can get through the next one without laughing out loud, you're at the wrong blog.

We all have our disagreements with President Bush. Immigration, U.S. Attorney firings, Iraq , Darfur , etc., are all hot topics these days.

The following "speech" was written recently by an ordinary
Maineiac [a resident of the People's Republic of Maine ]. While satirical in nature, all satire must have a basis in fact to be effective. This is an excellent piece by a person who does not write for a living. It is sent with the author's permission.

The speech George W. Bush SHOULD give:

BUSH'S RESIGNATION SPEECH

Normally, I start these things out by saying "My Fellow
Americans." Not doing it this time. If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.

I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets
all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you: There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.

The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world. Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours. And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.

Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by
politicians and the news media. Polls show that the majority of you think the economy is in the tank. And that's despite record numbers of homeowners, including record numbers of MINORITY homeowners. And while we're mentioning minorities, I'll point out that minority business ownership is at an all-time high.. Our unemployment rate is as low as it ever was during the
Clinton administration. I've mentioned all those things before,
but it doesn't seem to have sunk in.

Despite the shock to our economy of 9/11, the stock market has
rebounded to record levels and more Americans than ever are
participating in these markets. Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and
beachfront property than your economic security.

We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this "blood for
oil" thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized
Iraq's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied; People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.' Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty. Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office. Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know
that, did you?

You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to outspend and out-tech them. That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die. That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to
taking as many of you with them as they can. But they are. They
want to kill you. And the bastards are all over the globe.

You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us
here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that.

When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a
long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'

Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing
things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.

Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the
enemy. Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well FedEx a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing..

In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's
all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times or on NBC News.

But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter. Most of you
would rather watch American Idol.

I could say more about your expectations that the government
will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to
leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane proaching.

I could say more about your insane belief that government, not
your own wallet, is where the money comes from. But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.

So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.

Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is
your new President. You asked for it. Watch what she does carefully, because I still have a glimmer of hope that there are just enough of you remaining who are smart enough to turn this thing around in 2008.

So that's it. God bless what's left of America . Some of you know
what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.


> > "KEEP IT GOING"

Now think about it. There are huge numbers of people who actually take crap like this as Gospel. Do you really think that we can afford to sit on our butts and not get involved in politics when there are so many, like the nut above, who are eager to turn this country over to people that will flush it down the toilet just to make a buck?

Get involved! Get informed! And please check out everything you hear or read, including Redneck Liberal. Make a difference!

Now I'm not a Hillary supporter, but garbage like this would only be condoned and circulated by the Right. They might be up to their eyebrows in morals, but they are ethically challenged in a major way.

I didn't even try to check all the outright lies on this, but I'm sure someone will and I will post it.

It's no wonder they cruise public restrooms if they're this afraid of women.

HILLARY & SLICK WILLY ~PLEASE REMEMBER THIS WHEN HILLARY RUNS FOR PRESIDENT~ REMEMBER THIS FOREVER -- It is worse than you thought and remembered and well worth reading. P.S. This was written by a Democrat. Dear Mr. Ex-President Clinton: I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank me, I voted for Clinton-Gore."

So, I sat down and reflected on that, and I am sending my "Thank you" for what you have done, specifically:

1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers, Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I leave anyone out?

2. Thank you for teaching my 8-year old about oral sex. I had really planned to wait until he was a little older to discuss it with him, but now he knows more about it than I did as a senior in college.

3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in the work place (especially the White House) and on the job is okay, and all you have to know is what the meaning of "it" is. It really is great to know that certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may have sex while the other one does NOT have sex.

4. Thank you for re-introducing the concept of impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating that the ridiculous plot of the movie "Wag the Dog" could be plausible after all.

5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent, Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest, Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look moral.

6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who have plead the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic campaign fund raising.

7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4 imprisonment's from the Whitewater "mess" and the 55 criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far) in the other "Clinton" scandals.

8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half, "gutting" much of our foreign policy, and flying all over the world on "vacations" carefully disguised as necessary trips.

9 Thank you, also, for "finding" millions of dollars (I really didn't need it in the first place, and I can't think of a more deserving group of recipients for my hard-earned tax dollars) for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you, the family and your cronies have logged in more time aboard Air Force One than any other administration.

10. Now that you've left the White House, thanks for the 140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin society. (Not to mention the scores you pardoned while Governor of Arkansas)

11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware. I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've received from your "friends."

12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of the White House for vandalizing and destroying government property on the way out. I also appreciate removing all of that excess weight (China, silverware, linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1. The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less tax dollars spent on jet fuel. Thank you!

13. Please ensure that Hillary enjoys the $8 million dollar advance for her "tell-all" book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay!

14. The last and most important point - thank you for forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free. Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called "political prisoners." However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released. Thus, Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked the U.S. by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified. It was censored in the U.S. from all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the real truth?

What a guy!!

If you agree that the American public must be made aware of these facts, please pass this on.

THANK YOU (once again) for spending my taxes so wisely and frugally.

SINCERELY, A U.S. Citizen

PS. Please pass along a special thank you to Al Gore for "inventing" the Internet, without which I would not be able to send this wonderful, factual e-mail.

AND THE REST OF THE STORY: Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a New York State Senator, now comes under the "Congressional Retirement and Staffing Plan," which means that even if she never gets reelected, she STILL receives her Congressional salary until she dies. (Would it not be nice if all Americans were pension eligible after only 4 years?) If Bill outlives her, he then inherits HER salary until HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, she also gets HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that? WE DO! It's common knowledge that in order for her to establish NY residency, they purchased a million dollar-plus house in upscale Chappaqua, New York. Makes sense. They are entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still makes sense. Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an extra residence HAD to be built within the acreage to house the Secret Service agents. The Clinton's charge the Federal government $10,000 monthly rent for the use of that extra residence, which is just about equal to their mortgage payment. This means that we, the taxpayers, are paying the Clinton's salary, mortgage, transportation, safety and security, as well as the salaries for their 12 man staff -- and, this is all perfectly legal! When she runs for President, will you vote for her? How many people can YOU send this to? WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!

I've noticed that they'll try to cram as many untruths and half-truths into something as they can. It makes it very time consuming to research it all. Most of the crap in this one is pretty obvious, if you've been paying attention.

I'll guarantee you a good percentage of the American people now believe that all the above is actual American history.

I'll try to check out all the claims in that last one later on in the week.

For something completely different, check out Geography Zone. Take the challenge and make points for your country and state. I thought I was pretty sophisticated, for a semi-educated country boy, but I was amazed at number of countries I'd never heard of.

Since it looks like Al Gore's not getting into this goat-roping, I'll gladly start backing Dennis Kucinich. Unfortunately I'm a great backer of lost causes. Nonetheless, I'll do whatever I can for Dennis. Except send him money, the oil companies get that.

Have a good weekend.

Mukasey, GOP Lites Schumer, Feinstein, Bayh, Carper, Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Hedge Fund Lobby and Busted Bernie Kerik.

The Senate confirmed Michael B. Mukasey for Attorney General.

You know, this should be pretty interesting news, but after almost seven years of Bush appointments, we already know that he is neither the best or the brightest.

One thing that he has going for his is his support for the Patriot Act and an inability to define the term "torture".

Five Democrat Senators voted to confirm him. This shows that my party has very loose standards on who we let run for office. Our Senators that are running for President didn't vote. It was an unexpected late night vote. How convenient.

The five that openly went along with the confirmation were Schumer NY, Feinstein CA, Bayh IN, Carper DE, Landrieu LA and Nelson NE.

p m carpenter's commentary puts it in perspective.

Schumer's been up to a lot of strange tricks lately. In June he was looking to raise taxes on publicly traded equity firms. In July, after $50,000 was paid to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Schumer rolled. Now we know what Schumer's principles are selling for.

Lobbyists for the private equity and hedge fund industries are now targeting freshmen "Blue Dog" Democrats, good choice since they are basically Republicans. Democracy in action, to the highest bidder.

Former NYC police commissioner and Bush's former Iraq advisor and pick to head Homeland Security Bernie Kerik has been busted, mostly for being stupid.

Computer crashed, so this is it for now. Later.

Come to Stumpburners.

You can always catch me in the politics section at Stumpburners. If you enjoy politics, come on and join us. I think you have to register now because of spam, but it will be worth it.

Right-wingers are welcome, but not pampered.

And if you think it's just a bunch of dumb Okies talking NASCAR and football, I'll have you know that just tonight we parsed the difference between Fascism and Nazism.

C'mon over, get in a discussion and exercise your right of free speech, without the chain link fence.

Wealth Distribution for the Rich and Famous and Blackwater: America's SS.

I'm not surprised by the greed of the super-wealthy, I'm not surprised at the boot licking mentality of Congress, I'm not even surprised that we have Republicans masquerading as Democrats and the party thinks this is just fine. I am a little surprised that the American people have pretty much abdicated their Constitutional responsibility to keep these jerks in line.

We seem to have only one party with a purpose in this country, hence the visual aid above. The Republican Party has one basic purpose and that is to get as much of that tiny little vertical line into the horizontal line at the top. Despite all their rhetoric the primary goal of the Republican Party is to transfer wealth upwards.

They are quite good at it too. I'll let one of their newspapers give you the happy news.

The richest Americans' share of national income has hit a postwar record, surpassing the highs reached in the 1990s bull market, and underlining the divergence of economic fortunes blamed for fueling anxiety among American workers.

The wealthiest 1% of Americans earned 21.2% of all income in 2005, according to new data from the Internal Revenue Service. That is up sharply from 19% in 2004, and surpasses the previous high of 20.8% set in 2000, at the peak of the previous bull market in stocks.

The IRS data go back only to 1986, but academic research suggests the rich last had this high a share of total income in the 1920s.

Being in the bottom 18% I find it hard to explain how happy I am that Paris Hilton and Leona Helmsley's dog won't be going hungry for a while.

Meanwhile, "Where's our Democrat Party? They're supposed to be guarding the interests of the working class.", you ask.

Well from what I can see, the Blue Dog section of the Democrat Party are busy voting with the Republicans. That's to be expected since they are, in fact, Republicans. The majority of the Democrats in Congress are busy dithering, they're trying their best not to take a stand on any issue. They fear Right-Wing Propaganda when they should be fearing us. The few Democrats who will take a stand are characterized as pariahs or the lunatic fringe by the Right, the MSM and unfortunately by their own party. We'd still be West England if these guys were in charge in 1776.

So there you have it. The government of this country is systematically draining the little wealth of the people that actually generate this country's economy. It's not the rich, it's the poor working bastard that lives from paycheck to paycheck because every penny they make goes right back into the economy.

I was just curious. Why exactly does the nation that spends more on it's military than just about the rest of the world put together, need the services of a private security firm to provide mercenaries?

And still, just curious, why in the hell is the U.S. military supposed to be subservient to this private company?

Oct. 15, 2007 issue - The colonel was furious. "Can you believe it? They actually drew their weapons on U.S. soldiers." He was describing a 2006 car accident, in which an SUV full of Blackwater operatives had crashed into a U.S. Army Humvee on a street in Baghdad's Green Zone. The colonel, who was involved in a follow-up investigation and spoke on the condition he not be named, said the Blackwater guards disarmed the U.S. Army soldiers and made them lie on the ground at gunpoint until they could disentangle the SUV. His account was confirmed by the head of another private security company. Asked to address this and other allegations in this story, Blackwater spokesperson Anne Tyrrell said, "This type of gossip has led to many soap operas in the press."

Anne Tyrrell should be working for the White House. She certainly thinks we're stupid enough to believe whatever she says.

Responsible for guarding top U.S. officials in Iraq, Blackwater operatives are often accused of playing by their own rules. Unlike nearly everyone else who enters the Green Zone, said an American soldier who guards a gate, Blackwater gunmen refuse to stop and clear their weapons of live ammunition once inside. One military contractor, who spoke anonymously for fear of retribution in his industry, recounted the story of a Blackwater operative who answered a Marine officer's order to put his pistol on safety when entering a base post office by saying, "This is my safety," and wiggling his trigger finger in the air. "Their attitude was, 'We're f---ing security; we don't have to answer to anybody'."

I was in the old draftee army. I'll admit that a bunch of us were beer drinking, dope smoking, girl chasing, hippies at heart soldiers and I never once saw a mercenary. But nonetheless, we were good soldiers and proud of it and I just can't see being disarmed and being put on the ground by a bunch of punk civilians.

But we also hadn't spent months in a hostile environment with no mission other than providing target practice for any nut with a weapon. I can't even imagine the stress these soldiers are under everyday. We should be ashamed as a nation for putting these people through this for absolutely no reason.

Protecting us from terrorists in Iraq, while the real danger to this country is sitting on his dumbass in the White House.

Later. Have a good weekend.

Click on their logo above to visit StopBlackwater.net

Rush Limbaugh, The Leader of the Simple: A Draft Dodger Calls Combat Troops Phony.

Here's the link to the above.

OK, we all know that the whole Conservative/Liberal thing has to do with brain function, at least that's what scientists at New York University and UCLA say. I'll let you do the obvious jokes here.

But I'm beginning to think that hard-line Conservatives might just be a whole different species.

Let's take Rush Limbaugh's "phony soldiers" line.

Rush issued a mea no culpa, said it was taken out of context and that he was only talking about one man as being a phony soldier. And now the right-wing garbage chutes are putting things out like this.

On Monday, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) stepped onto the floor of the Senate and strongly denounced talk radio host Rush Limbaugh for what have proven to be out of context statements made by the conservative personality on his program last Wednesday.

That is from NewsBusters, their slogan is "Exposing and Combating Liberal Media Bias". Now keep in mind this "out of context" excuse.

And from a place called The Conservative Voice, ditto. Sorry.

Talker Rush Limbaugh is under fire for being falsely accused of saying that any U.S. soldier who comes out against the war is a “phony soldier.” He did not, of course, say such a thing. Rush was actually talking about a man named Jesse Macbeth who was touted by anti-war activists as a soldier who came out against the war, but it turned out later that Macbeth never served in the military at all.

Still, despite that Rush is utterly innocent of these scurrilous charges, members of the Democrat Party and assorted extreme leftists like Media Matters, a far left opinion group focused on the media, have used the “phony soldiers” line as a rallying cry against the right. These far left advocacy groups are desperately trying to lead people to imagine that conservatives, Republicans and war supporters are disingenuous with their support for the troops. These far left groups are at the same time trying to say that it is they, rather than the right, who really respects the troops and they who would never support “phony soldiers.”

Here's the transcript, see if you think Rush was talking about one man named Jesse McBeth. courtesy of Media Matters.

LIMBAUGH: There's a lot more than that that they don't understand. They can't even -- if -- the next guy that calls here, I'm gonna ask him: Why should we pull -- what is the imperative for pulling out? What's in it for the United States to pull out? They can't -- I don't think they have an answer for that other than, "Well, we just gotta bring the troops home."

CALLER 2: Yeah, and, you know what --

LIMBAUGH: "Save the -- keep the troops safe" or whatever. I -- it's not possible, intellectually, to follow these people.

CALLER 2: No, it's not, and what's really funny is, they never talk to real soldiers. They like to pull these soldiers that come up out of the blue and talk to the media.

LIMBAUGH: The phony soldiers.

CALLER 2: The phony soldiers. If you talk to a real soldier, they are proud to serve. They want to be over in Iraq. They understand their sacrifice, and they're willing to sacrifice for their country.


Rush sent out a video clip of the call in order to make his case but cut out 1 minute and 35 seconds of it.

During the September 28 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, in response to Media Matters for America's documentation of his recent description of service members who advocate U.S. withdrawal from Iraq as "phony soldiers," Rush Limbaugh claimed that he had not been talking "about the anti-war movement generally," but rather "about one soldier ... Jesse MacBeth." Limbaugh further asserted that "Media Matters had the transcript, but they selectively choose what they want to make their point." To support this claim, Limbaugh purported to air the "entire" segment in question from the September 26 broadcast of his show. In fact, the clip he then aired had been edited. Excised from the clip was a full 1 minute and 35 seconds of the 1 minute and 50 second discussion that occurred between Limbaugh's original "phony soldiers" comment and his reference to MacBeth, the full audio of which can be heard here .

I think we can all pretty much see that Rush did indeed call any troops that disagree with the war in Iraq "phony soldiers". Pretty simple stuff isn't it?

This is where the brain function difference or species difference comes into it. Check out the comments on the NewsBuster piece.

Of course they are protecting Dingy Harry. Because they know that Limbaugh never said what Reid says he did. If they thought this was a real scandal, they would have front-page stories on it every day. The broadcast media would be having hourly updates, complete with the diagnosis that "this is not going away."

I just had Rush on in my car, and he did a segment on how MoveOn et al have now corralled a group of Iraq vets who oppose the war. They have made a $60,000 ad that says Limbaugh accused them all of being phony soldiers. Taking the cue from Rush, the soldier speaking tell Rush to shut up until he is willing to come and call him a phony to his face.
These people will not quit. They are determined to give this story legs, even if they have to use prostheses.


...........................................................................

Chris -- exactly. I think you hit it on the head. The instinctive reaction here for the media, when they smell a potential problem, is to protect the (their) Democrats.

Then perhaps, some in the media are specifically concerned, about protecting the front runner, HRC, as Noel suggested - even though I don't see why Noel referred to it as "a more cynical view." I say that because, it would surprise me if many in the MSM, here, sensed a problem with the connection between Media Matters and the Clintons, as they historically are only concerned about conflicts of interest when they can stick it on the other party.

Read all the comments over there and I think that you will see that the opposition is a pretty delusional, easily-led bunch. And for some reason these people scare the crap out of our Democrat leaders.

The media protecting the Democrats, these guys are whacked.

I just ran across some excellent related materal by Michael Mccord.

I'm puzzled by this: How can anyone be surprised at this given Limbaugh's venom toward anyone, serving or not, who disagrees with him on Iraq? He's slimed two decorated Vietnam War combat veterans — Republican Sen. Chuck Haegel of Nebraska and Democrat Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania — for daring to think the Iraq war has been a disaster of historical proportions and trying to change the course of madness. His legacy of endlessly trumping up the Swift Boat lies against John Kerry in 2004 speaks for his dedication to a cult-like truth only he has access to.

Helen Thomas, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Reconcilitation Kaput, Hell's Embassy, Healthcare?, Bush and Jobs and Coney Island.

Helen Thomas, who has covered every President since JFK and who happens to be one of my few heroes, has written a piece where she unequivocally agrees with what I wrote last week.

"Unequivocally agrees with" may be a little strong, considering that she has no idea of who I am or what I wrote. But still, it's nice to think that my hero and I tend to think alike. Did I mention she's really, really smart? She also has the biggest set of cojones in Washington, D.C..

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has no better friends than the spineless Democratic congressional leadership and the party's leading presidential candidates when it comes to his failing Iraq policy.
Those Democrats seem to have forgotten that the American people want U.S. troops out of Iraq, especially since Bush still cannot give a credible reason for attacking Iraq after nearly five years of war.

While Bush has no idea of what's happening in Iraq and our three top Democrat contenders are showing us just how afraid they are of the Right-Wing Propaganda Machine when it comes to Bush's war in Iraq, Iraqi leaders are telling us that we can put to rest any hope of reconciliation and that they would like someone competent to handle the occupation and rebuilding of their country. It's about the same thing we'll be looking for in next year's election.

BAGHDAD -- For much of this year, the U.S. military strategy in Iraq has sought to reduce violence so that politicians could bring about national reconciliation, but several top Iraqi leaders say they have lost faith in that broad goal.

Iraqi leaders argue that sectarian animosity is entrenched in the structure of their government. Instead of reconciliation, they now stress alternative and perhaps more attainable goals: streamlining the government bureaucracy, placing experienced technocrats in positions of authority and improving the dismal record of providing basic services.

Also in Iraq our new embassy in Iraq is kind of a microcosm of our whole situation in Iraq. When I first mentioned the embassy last year it was supposed to be a secret. I'll bet Bush wishes it still was. I'd imagine it's safe to say this well secured pleasure palace will end up costing over a billion dollars. It's a good thing that we're not wasting money on poor kid's health when we can waste money on this.

The massive U.S. embassy under construction in Baghdad could cost $144 million more than projected and will open months behind schedule because of poor planning, shoddy workmanship, internal disputes and last-minute changes sought by State Department officials, according to U.S. officials and a department document provided to Congress.
The embassy, which will be the largest U.S. diplomatic mission in the world, was budgeted at $592 million. The core project was supposed to have been completed by last month, but the timetable has slipped so much that the State Department has sought and received permission from the Iraqi government to allow about 2,000 non-Iraqi construction employees to stay in the country until March.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he does not know when the embassy will be ready. "I can't tell you right now when it will open," he said Friday. "Now, that's not to indicate to you that it's going to be a lengthy period of time. It could be a brief period of time. But the fact is, I can't give you an opening date right now."

Just like everything else from the Bush Administration, we pay way too much for way too little.

Thank goodness we have the Republican Party and some Democrats to protect those of us who want a nationalized health system from ourselves. Yes, to protect us from an evil government and let us benefit from the benevolence of the private sector.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 — Tens of thousands of Medicare recipients have been victims of deceptive sales tactics and had claims improperly denied by private insurers that run the system’s huge new drug benefit program and offer other private insurance options encouraged by the Bush administration, a review of scores of federal audits has found.

The problems, described in 91 audit reports reviewed by The New York Times, include the improper termination of coverage for people with H.I.V. and AIDS, huge backlogs of claims and complaints, and a failure to answer telephone calls from consumers, doctors and drugstores.

Gee, I don't have any of those problems with the V.A. hospital in Muskogee, OK, which BTW, should be the model of V.A. hospitals across the country. It sure beats the hell out of the V.A.'s show place hospital, DeBakey in Houston. Houston let me lay there for 24 hours, with me telling them I had peritonitis, but I lived anyway.

I know you heard it, it's certainly been said enough, "lowering taxes for the rich creates jobs". A lot of people believe that, a lot of those same people believe that there are still WMDs that haven't been found in Iraq.

Well the latest bit of message mangling from the White House and the Right is how, under Bush we have had the longest stretch of job growth ever. Well it's true, with an asterisk. Paul Krugman gives us that asterisk. Paul Krugman is really, really smart too.

The new White House “fact sheet” on the economy declares that job growth since August 2003 is the “longest continuous months of job growth on record.”
That’s literally true – the Bureau of Labor Statistics data from the great jobs boom of the 1990s do show a couple of scattered months of job decline, although these are probably statistical blips. But by any reasonable standard, job growth in the Bush years has fallen way short of growth in the Clinton years.

Over the whole of the Clinton administration, the economy added 22.7 million jobs – 237,000 per month.
Over the whole of the Bush administration to date, the economy added only 5.8 million jobs – 72,000 per month.

You know, growing up a redneck I'm supposed to have some kind of innate antipathy towards New York City. I guess I did once. When I got out of the Army a Fort Dix, me and some other guys took a cab to JFK in NYC. I had no desire to see the city, I just wanted to go home. It was 1975, New York City had more problems then.

I ran across an article that says that we might lose Coney Island. Even tho' I probably couldn't be trained to be a New Yorker, I feel a sense of loss. I think this country is lucky to have a city like New York City. It's the city that other cities in the world aspire to be. I mean it is America's City. So NYC I hope we can hang on to Coney Island because it's part of our culture and history too.

It's Monday, things will be better in four days.

Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Iraq, Iran, Lieverman-Kyl Amendment, Smart Senators and Conservative Idiots.

If you're a real Democrat, I ought to get that copy protected, or just anyone else who gives a damn about the Constitution or individual rights, this must be a depressing time for you.

It's understandable. Almost seven years of Bush, the Republicans and the vermin that call themselves "Blue Dog Democrats" trying their best to transfer the wealth of this country's lowest moneymakers into the pockets of the country's highest moneymakers while doing away with the Constitution and pretty much destroying the country and others in the process, can be a tad disheartening.

But on the bright side the country's getting sick of the above mentioned scum in nice suits.

This is the Democrats great chance to show that they are something other than the caricatures that the Right-Wing Propaganda Machine has painted them over the years. Fighting back might have rocked the gravy train, better to roll over and take it than risk a fall in campaign donations.

So how are the Democrats taking advantage of this opportunity? Well the top three candidates are proving Jim Hightower right, "There's nothing in the middle of the road but yellow stripes and dead armadillos.". I like Jim Hightower. He proves that there are smart people in Texas.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards all said today that they can't promise to get the troops out of Iraq by 2013. I'm just curious, "Why the Hell not?". Listen to these BS answers that the supposed best of the Democrat Party had to give.

"I think it's hard to project four years from now," said Sen. Barack Obama of
Illinois in the opening moments of a campaign debate in the nation's first
primary state.

"It is very difficult to know what we're going to be inheriting," added Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York.

"I cannot make that commitment," said former Sen. John Edwards of North
Carolina.

As far as I'm concerned, these three have lost all credibility. To say that there's no way to predict if we can withdraw from Iraq by 2013 is just, well it just shows ignorance of the subject matter. Kinda like when Clinton voted to give Bush the power to go to war.

I know the argument, "If we withdraw Iraq will be in chaos.". The question is will it be more chaotic than it is now? Can it be more chaotic than it is now? You know, as well as I do, that removing American troops will relieve a lot of tension over there. They want us out, we want us out. What's so difficult about that?

The Senate has already started the process in their own half-assed, non-binding way. In a 75-23 vote the Senate has seen sweet reason and is willing to divide Iraq into three semi-autonomous regions.

This is simply bowing to the inevitable, but if it gets the troops out, let's bow deeply and with dignity. This is not a new idea.

Unfortunately Clinton, Edwards and Obama refuse to commit to bringing the troops home from a war that never should have been. Check out the other Democrats, the three front-runners don't deserve the nomination.

I'm afraid that Hillary Clinton's lack of good judgement knows no bounds. She has just voted to, once again, give an idiot the power to start yet another war for no reason.

Lieberman-Kyl’s Iran amendment passes.
By a vote of 76-22, the Senate passed
the Lieberman-Kyl
amendment, which threatens to “combat, contain and [stop]” Iran via
“military instruments.” Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA) called the amendment “Cheney’s fondest
pipe dream” and said it could “read as a backdoor method of gaining
Congressional validation for military action.”

Here's the 22 Senators with functioning brains. BTW, McCain and Obama couldn't make up their minds, so they didn't vote. Real presidential material there.

Biden (D-DE)Bingaman (D-NM)Boxer (D-CA)Brown (D-OH)Byrd (D-WV)Cantwell (D-WA)Dodd (D-CT)Feingold (D-WI)Hagel (R-NE)Harkin (D-IA)Inouye (D-HI)Kennedy (D-MA)Kerry (D-MA)Klobuchar (D-MN)Leahy (D-VT)Lincoln (D-AR)Lugar (R-IN)McCaskill (D-MO)Sanders (I-VT)Tester (D-MT)Webb (D-VA)Wyden (D-OR)

Take a break and check out The Top 10 Conservative Idiots. It's brought to you by the good folks over at Democratic Underground.com.

Have a great Thursday, catch ya' later.

Bush, 9/11, EPA, Toxic Dust, Petraeus, Stay the Course, Yankee Go Home!, War Profiteers & OMG Falwell II

Yesterday was the sixth 9/11 since The 9/11. The 9/11 was the day that almost destroyed our country as we know it. Osama brought down the twin towers and President Bush immediately began destroying the country. All in the name of protecting us from terrorists, of course. Osama's laughing his ass off somewhere right now.

Six years down the road most of us know that the really dangerous terrorists have been sitting on their butts in Washington D.C. and we've been paying them.

Around 2,750 Americans were killed outright that day. It looks like probably more than that will be killed because the Bush EPA lied about the danger of the toxic dust during the rescue/clean-up. It was nothing personal, just simple economics. The people who have benefited most from the Bush Presidency couldn't make more money until the ruins were cleaned up.

Now, at the risk of emulating George Bush, from 9/11 straight to Iraq. I just hope my connection won't be so dubious. And my readers aren't so gullible.

General Petraeus, he's the head military honcho in Iraq, came to town with a whole gunnysack full of horse crap and tried to sell it as chocolate cake. President Bush said "That's some good cake, I'll take it all." President Bush will spend 20 prime time minutes Thursday night telling us just how good that cake is. He might even offer to share.

They said the president plans to emphasize that he is in a position to order
troop cuts only because of the success achieved on the ground in Iraq, and that
he is not being swayed by political opposition. Aides said that he plans to
outline once again what he sees as the dire consequences of failure in Iraq and
that he will make the troop cuts conditional on continued military gains.

"Continued military gains"? I've been watching this since March of 2003 and to describe almost 4,000 U.S. service personnel deaths for no discernible benefits to either this country or Iraq as "continued military gains" is just a tad disingenuous.

To be fair, the war has only gone on for about 4 1/2 years. Longer than our involvement in WWII, but still well short of our involvement in Viet Nam. And we've been told over and over again that there's certainly no comparison between Iraq and Nam. If you can just overlook lying presidents and lying generals and dying troops. Oh yeah, and war profiteering businesses.

To Bush's Ivy League educated mind the solution is obvious, stay the course. Just call it something different. In just a little more that a year it will be someone else's war. We all know that the secret to being a great War President is never having to say "This noble cause has turned into a royal goatf##k".

With the kind of painstaking detail that drove an earlier team of Bush White
House and Pentagon officials to exasperation, Crocker spoke of "moderately encouraging factors,"
such as obscure comments by important clerics and meetings between Iraqi
politicians who formerly either ignored each other or spoke only in angry
confrontation.

Meanwhile in Iraq, Iraqis are not having nearly as hard of a time assessing the situation.

There's even some in this country that understand why it is so vital to "Stay the Course" in Iraq. Like the good folks at Alternet.

The history of American war profiteering is rife with egregious examples of
incompetence, fraud, tax evasion, embezzlement, bribery and misconduct. As war
historian Stuart Brandes has suggested, each new war is infected with
new forms of war profiteering. Iraq is no exception. From criminal mismanagement
of Iraq's oil revenues to armed private security contractors operating with
virtual impunity, this war has created opportunities for an appalling amount of
corruption. What follows is a list of some of the worst Iraq war profiteers who
have bilked American taxpayers and undermined the military's mission.

And finally, if you thought that the country would be a better place with the passing of Rev. Jerry Falwell, I did, another little Republican legacy has crawled out from under his rock to spread hate and evil for personal gain. Meet Son of Falwell.

"We must stand up and say, 'Right is right, wrong is wrong,' " Falwell, 41, told
pastors gathered Tuesday for a meeting at the House of Delegates office
building. "We must protect the unborn. We must protect marriage. We must protect
our families. We must protect our young people."

I wouldn't want him anywhere near my kids.

Politics is great entertainment, enjoy the show. And get involved.

Later

Bush, Iraq, Laura Bush to Liberate Burma, Homeland Insecurity, German Terrorists, Larry Craig Again & GOP Ban of Same-Sex Restrooms.

George Bush went to Australia today and right off the bat he made two things perfectly clear.

First, he proved to the Aussies that he has less idea about what's going on in Iraq than the average house cat.

"We're kicking ass," he told Mark Vaile on the tarmac after the Deputy Prime
Minister inquired politely of the President's stopover in Iraq en route to
Sydney.

Second, he thinks that people who were right about Iraq in the first place need to keep their mouths shut.

His defiance on Iraq is growing. He implied that those who argued against the
war in the first place had no role in the current debate.

Meanwhile in Iraq.

Iraq's army, despite measurable progress, will be unable to take
over internal security from U.S. forces in the next 12 to 18 months and "cannot
yet meaningfully contribute to denying terrorists safe haven," according to a
report on the Iraqi security forces published today.

The report, prepared by a commission of retired senior U.S. military officers, describes the 25,000-member Iraqi national
police force and the Interior Ministry, which controls it, as riddled with
sectarianism and corruption. The ministry, it says, is "dysfunctional" and is "a
ministry in name only." The commission recommended that the national police
force be disbanded.

Bush is kicking ass in Iraq and he can produce the numbers to prove it. Remember WMDs?

The U.S. military's claim that violence has decreased sharply in Iraq in recent months has come under scrutiny from many experts
within and outside the government, who contend that some of the underlying
statistics are questionable and selectively ignore negative trends.

From McClatchy Newspapers .

WASHINGTON — The surge of additional U.S. troops in Iraq has failed to curtail
violence against Iraqi civilians, an independent government agency reported
Tuesday.

Citing data from the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, the Government
Accountability Office found that daily attacks against civilians in Iraq have
remained "about the same" since February, when the United States began sending
nearly 30,000 additional troops to improve security in Iraq.

The GAO also found that the number of Iraqis fleeing violence in their
neighborhoods is increasing, with as many as 100,000 Iraqis a month leaving
their homes in search of safety.

At least things must be going great at home. Laura Bush has done found a cause, Burma. While on vacation the First Lady found that the government of Burma has been arresting dissidents and protesters and boy did she get mad. I guess she expects the Burmese government to offer the same freedoms we have in this country. You know, put the dissidents and protesters in a cage to start with and label it a "free speech zone".

"So far as we can tell, they thumb their nose at the rest of the world," Bush
said in the interview. "But that doesn't mean the rest of the world shouldn't
continue to speak out about these issues."

Thumbing their noses at the rest of the world, who do they think they are, us?

They can't be us, they don't have the money to spend for state of the art homeland security. Doesn't having a Department of Homeland Security make you feel safer? Me neither.

Hobbled by inadequate funding, unclear priorities, continuing reorganizations
and the absence of an overarching strategy, the Department of Homeland Security is failing to achieve its mission
of preventing and responding to terrorist attacks or natural disasters,
according to a comprehensive report by the Government Accountability Office.

The highly critical report disputes recent upbeat assessments by the Bush
administration by concluding that the DHS has failed to make even moderate
progress toward eight of 14 internal government benchmarks more than four years
after its creation.

Germany seems to understand the meaning of homeland security. How they manage to do it without the genius of President Bush to give them guidance, I'll never know.

BERLIN, Sept. 5 -- German authorities said Wednesday that they had disrupted a
"massive" bombing plot targeting American interests in Germany, and they expressed alarm at evidence that the three local
suspects had visited militant camps in Pakistan -- the latest example of people traveling from Europe to that country for terrorist training.

While the Commander-in-Chief is busy destroying Iraq to protect us from terrorists who weren't there until after we invaded, it looks like our biggest threat just might be the U.S. Air Force. They're flying around over the country with nuclear weapons, without knowing it.

An Air Force B-52 bomber flew across the central United States last week with
six cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads that were mistakenly attached to
the airplane's wing, defense officials said yesterday.

The Republican's own little nuclear device has decided that he just might not resign after all. He has a point. Why should one hypocrite in a party full of hypocrites be singled out? Senator Larry Craig, standing up for his rights as a white, conservative American. You go girl!

Sen. Larry E. Craig yesterday launched a campaign to save his
political career, dismaying fellow Republicans with his determination to stay in
the Senate if he successfully overturns his guilty plea, made after he was
arrested in a sex sting in an airport men's room.

And finally a headline from The Satirical Political Report: GOP, TO ‘HEAD OFF’ FUTURE SEX SCANDALS, SEEKS BAN ON SAME-SEX BATHROOMS

Things will get better.

Iraq Reconstruction, General Sir Mike Jackson, Target Iran, Osama, Conservative Dems, Jeb Gets a Job, Sour Grapes & Stupid Katrina Quotes.

Just one of the many, many lies that the Bush Administration told the American people was that we could do this war on the cheap.

Another lie was after the invasion there was "incredible progress" being made on Iraq reconstruction.

Now after years of "incredible progress" and nearly 4,000 American combat deaths comes a GAO report that says we have accomplished squat in Iraq.

This should come as no surprise.

Iraq's crucial oil and electricity sectors still need roughly $50 billion to meet demand, analysts and officials say, even after the United States has poured more than $6 billion into them over more than four
years.

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Bush administration has
focused much of its $44.5 billion reconstruction plan on oil and electricity.
Now, with the U.S.-led reconstruction phase nearing its close, Iraq will need to
spend $27 billion more for its electrical system and $20 billion to $30 billion
for oil infrastructure, according to estimates the collected from Iraqi and U.S.
officials.

Yesterday I posted former British Army Commander, General Sir Mike Jackson's little critique of the U.S. handling of the occupation of Iraq. He says pretty much what we already know, the Bush Administration is a bunch of screw-ups.

"All the planning carried out by the State Department went to waste,"
Jackson wrote. He said the Pentagon did not deploy even half the troops it would
have needed for a country the size of Iraq.

He said Rumsfeld and those around him took it as "an
ideological article of faith that the coalition soldiers would be accepted as a
liberating army."

Jackson also characterized Rumsfeld's claim that U.S. forces "don't do
nation-building" as "nonsensical."

It looks like the Bush Administration may be putting a lot of faith in the Law of Averages. Afghanistan, blew it, Iraq, blew it and now Bush has his sights set on Iran. If that don't scare you, something's wrong.

THE Pentagon has drawn up plans for massive airstrikes against 1,200 targets in Iran, designed to
annihilate the Iranians’ military capability in three days, according to a
national security expert.

Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and national security at
the Nixon Center, said last week that US military planners were not preparing
for “pinprick strikes” against Iran’s nuclear facilities. “They’re about taking
out the entire Iranian military,” he said.

If you look at it from Bush's point of view, it makes sense. Everybody knows that war is good for business. With just a little over a year left to transfer the tax-payer's money into the private sector, another war would be the most effective method. It will also take Americans minds off inconvenient facts like the guy who got this whole mess started, Osama bin Laden is laughing his ass off watching George Bush do more damage the this country than he ever dreamed of.

I wish the media would stop calling conservative Democrats, "moderate" Democrats. It's deceitful. They are not moderate, they are Republicans. Even worse, the gutless Democrat Party is letting them call the shots. The people can see the results of almost seven years of conservatism, Republicanism, fascism or whatever you want to call it and they don't like it. And the Democrats are too timid to take advantage.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Divided by their liberal and moderate wings, congressional
Democrats return from a monthlong recess without consensus on how to tackle
several pressing issues, including Iraq and warrantless wiretaps.

Jeb Bush would make a great "moderate" Democrat. He's selling himself to Lehman Brothers in order to help them get as many of our tax dollars as possible. Selling influence is the Bush family business.

In the arms race by private-equity firms to line up ever-higher profile
"advisers," Lehman
Brothers may have just taken the lead. The investment bank hired former
Florida governor and presidential son and brother Jeb Bush for its in-house
investing arm.

Private-equity firms and hedge funds hire politicos and former corporate
honchos all the time to help them open doors to deals, as well as to manage
government relations and the companies in their portfolios. Former Treasury
Secretary John Snow and former vice president Dan Quayle, for example, both work
for Cerberus Capital Management, the hedge fund that recently bought Chrysler LLC. And Washington
is well-stocked with its share of Wall Streeters, including current Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, former chairman of Goldman Sachs Group.

Some Democrats are capable of having good ideas, like cutting this early primary foolishness out. I hope.

The Democratic candidates have signed a pledge that would forbid them from
campaigning in states such as Michigan and Florida that have sought to move their presidential primaries into
January 2008.

The move ended weeks-long jockeying over which states get to hold early
primaries.

What the energy companies and their political prostitutes (No offence to honest hard-working prostitutes) don't want us to believe is having an affect on the grape harvest in France.

ROUFFACH, France -- On a cobweb-encrusted rafter above his giant steel grape
pressers, Ren? Mur? is charting one of
the world's most tangible barometers of global warming.

The evidence, scrawled in black ink, is the first day of the annual grape
harvest for the past three decades. In 1978, it was Oct. 16. In 1998, the date
was Sept. 14. This year, harvesting started Aug. 24 -- the earliest ever
recorded, not only in Mur?'s vineyards, but also in the entire Alsace wine district of northeastern France.

Another good reason for Al Gore run for president.

It's Labor Day weekend, my football team lost, bad and I have to take boy to work after while. So I'll leave you with 25 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath.