The Hamster

News
AP. Bush to outline plans for Iraq changeover tonight
WP. Telephoto Finish: The Bush Twins Graduate From College, and Private Life
WP. China Says It Is Not Reassured By Taiwan's Plan
SFC. Governor converts celebrity into cash; Schwarzenegger's fund-raisers prove a windfall for GOP
LAT. Iraq Takes Toll on Market
LAT. Democrats Mostly Positive About a Later Nomination
LAT. As Smog Thickens, So Does the Debate
LAT. Bush Faces a Defining Month on World Stage
LAT. Army Widens Abuse Probe
AP. Video Shows Iraq Wedding Celebration
AP. Mayor: NYC still the nation's 'safest big city'
Grand Rapids Press. Prison abusers were 'stupid,' retired intelligence officer says
Reuters. Supreme Court: Inmate Can Challenge Execution Procedure
BGlobe. Heinz Kerry has an ecology agenda
CSM. Under 17 not admitted without R-card
CSM. Romney rides volatile issue onto US stage
Newsweek. The Rise and Fall of Chalabi: Bush's Mr. Wrong
CNN. Chalabi blames Tenet for feud with U.S.
CNN. Gas prices rise 14 cents in 14 days
NYT. Hastert, the Reticent Speaker, Suddenly Has Plenty to Say
NYT. After 2000 Chaos, Voters in Florida Are Wary
NYT. British Civilians Killed in Baghdad Blast
NYT. Allies Draft U.N. Resolution Pledging Sovereignty for Iraq
Appleton PC. Feingold kicks off run for Senate; Democrat faces a field of four Republicans
AP. Thune raises more money than Daschle over last six weeks
Houston Chron. DeLay foe aware win would be long shot

Commentary
Bill Moyers. An Eye On Power
CAP. The Impact of Offshoring on the U.S. Economy: Policy Perspectives
Michael Tomasky. Unconventional: Why Bruce Springsteen is better at convention-related mischief-making than John Kerry.
Sheryl McCarthy. U.S. adventure in Iraq amounts to big con job
Michael Mandelbaum. Iraq progress may not help Bush
ChicST. Chalabi's downfall shows U.S. missteps in Iraq war
Intervention Mag. John Kerry's Organizer of Veterans
Argus Leader. Herseth is the choice
Anthony Lewis. Rumsfeld's Long List of Failures
Test. Test
William Marvel. Where Is The National Shame?
NYT. The Greening of John McCain
USAT. Most back affordable housing next door; Findings challenge widely held beliefs
Eleanor Clift. Panic on the Hill: Republicans are reassessing Bush’s leadership skills—and confronting the idea that he could lose the November election
Bob Herbert. Did Somebody Say War?

Posted by Eric at 11:59 PM | Comments (0)

Interior Department Threatens Western Lands

In a move that shouldn't surprise even the casual observer of the Bush administration, the Interior Department is moving to allow gas and oil development in 33 million acres of Montana and Wyoming's Powder River Basin. Environmental Defense with more:

The proposed new development calls for more than 100,000 new gas and oil wells (of which 88,000 are coal-bed methane, or natural gas) for one of the largest energy developments on federal lands in the Lower 48. This new development will entail building more than 23,000 miles of roads and thousands of miles of new pipelines and powerlines.

The prairie landscape and rolling hills of the Powder River Basin are already pockmarked with thousands of coal-bed extraction sites crisscrossed with access roads and pipelines, which connect giant diesel drilling rigs, gas compressor stations, generators and other equipment often as large as locomotives. Extracting natural gas from a coal bed beneath the ground involves pumping massive amounts of water to the surface (millions of barrels of water a month - by some estimates it could take up to 1,000 years for aquifers to recharge).

Besides decimating the beauty of the landscape and wasting huge amounts of water, the development threatens such species as pronghorn antelope and mule deer, whose migration routes are disrupted, and sage grouse, whose critical habitat is damaged or destroyed by the noisy machinery and traffic. Where once only the wind rippled the prairie grasses, now the roar of engines often dominates.

Environmental Defense has also released a fact sheet (pdf) if you want to learn more.

Posted by Eric at 11:21 PM | Comments (6)

Interior Department Threatens Western Lands

In a move that shouldn't surprise even the casual observer of the Bush administration, the Interior Department is moving to allow gas and oil development in 33 million acres of Montana and Wyoming's Powder River Basin. Environmental Defense with more:

The proposed new development calls for more than 100,000 new gas and oil wells (of which 88,000 are coal-bed methane, or natural gas) for one of the largest energy developments on federal lands in the Lower 48. This new development will entail building more than 23,000 miles of roads and thousands of miles of new pipelines and powerlines.

The prairie landscape and rolling hills of the Powder River Basin are already pockmarked with thousands of coal-bed extraction sites crisscrossed with access roads and pipelines, which connect giant diesel drilling rigs, gas compressor stations, generators and other equipment often as large as locomotives. Extracting natural gas from a coal bed beneath the ground involves pumping massive amounts of water to the surface (millions of barrels of water a month - by some estimates it could take up to 1,000 years for aquifers to recharge).

Besides decimating the beauty of the landscape and wasting huge amounts of water, the development threatens such species as pronghorn antelope and mule deer, whose migration routes are disrupted, and sage grouse, whose critical habitat is damaged or destroyed by the noisy machinery and traffic. Where once only the wind rippled the prairie grasses, now the roar of engines often dominates.

Environmental Defense has also released a fact sheet (pdf) if you want to learn more.

Posted by Eric at 11:21 PM | Comments (0)

Hamster Numbers: Single Moms Losing Ground Under Bush

From the Economic Policy Insititute and MovingIdeas.org, we find that:

Over the 2000-2002 period, as the low-wage labor market weakened, the annual work hours of single moms fell by 2.1% per year

Though their incomes fell only slightly—less, in fact, than the income of the median family, which fell 1.2% per year—these vulnerable families already have difficulty making ends meet given their low income levels.

Posted by Eric at 10:26 PM | Comments (11)

Hamster Numbers: Single Moms Losing Ground Under Bush

From the Economic Policy Insititute and MovingIdeas.org, we find that:

Over the 2000-2002 period, as the low-wage labor market weakened, the annual work hours of single moms fell by 2.1% per year

Though their incomes fell only slightly—less, in fact, than the income of the median family, which fell 1.2% per year—these vulnerable families already have difficulty making ends meet given their low income levels.

Posted by Eric at 10:26 PM | Comments (1)

Worst Poll Numbers Ever

CBS: "Worst poll numbers ever" for Bush.

Just 41% approve of the overall job Bush is doing, versus 52 disapproving. Low, low marks elsewhere:

Sixty-one percent of Americans now disapprove of the way Mr. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while just 34 percent approve.

As concern about the situation in Iraq grows, 65 percent now say the country is on the wrong track — matching the highest number ever recorded in CBS News Polls, which began asking this question in the mid-1980's. Only 30 percent currently say things in this country are headed in the right direction. One year ago, in April 2003, 56 percent of Americans said the country was headed in the right direction.

The last time the percentage that said the country was on the wrong track was as high as it is now was back in November 1994. Then, Republicans swept into control of both houses of Congress for the first time in decades.

Majorities disapprove of the way Mr. Bush is handling foreign policy and the economy. Terrorism remains the only positive area for the president — a majority of 51 percent approve of the way he is handling the campaign against terrorism. But that number matches his lowest rating ever on terrorism.

Posted by Eric at 08:00 PM | Comments (12)

Worst Poll Numbers Ever

CBS: "Worst poll numbers ever" for Bush.

Just 41% approve of the overall job Bush is doing, versus 52 disapproving. Low, low marks elsewhere:

Sixty-one percent of Americans now disapprove of the way Mr. Bush is handling the situation in Iraq, while just 34 percent approve.

As concern about the situation in Iraq grows, 65 percent now say the country is on the wrong track — matching the highest number ever recorded in CBS News Polls, which began asking this question in the mid-1980's. Only 30 percent currently say things in this country are headed in the right direction. One year ago, in April 2003, 56 percent of Americans said the country was headed in the right direction.

The last time the percentage that said the country was on the wrong track was as high as it is now was back in November 1994. Then, Republicans swept into control of both houses of Congress for the first time in decades.

Majorities disapprove of the way Mr. Bush is handling foreign policy and the economy. Terrorism remains the only positive area for the president — a majority of 51 percent approve of the way he is handling the campaign against terrorism. But that number matches his lowest rating ever on terrorism.

Posted by Eric at 08:00 PM | Comments (8)

Zogby: Kerry Leading in Battleground States

Daily Kos has an especially nice screenshot of a graph from the WSJ/Zogby interactive flash site. Take a look, and as Kos notes, just from the polls, 320-218 Kerry victory.

Posted by Eric at 06:43 PM | Comments (2)

Zogby: Kerry Leading in Battleground States

Daily Kos has an especially nice screenshot of a graph from the WSJ/Zogby interactive flash site. Take a look, and as Kos notes, just from the polls, 320-218 Kerry victory.

Posted by Eric at 06:43 PM | Comments (0)

Bennett Funnier Than Franken

Claims Bill Bennett:

Ex-gambler William J. Bennett - former Cabinet official to Republican Presidents, author of "The Book of Virtues" and confessed loser of $8 million in Las Vegas and Atlantic City - has a new gig: hosting a syndicated morning drive-time radio show. Many folks "think I'm this big scold who is going to wiggle my finger in people's face, but that is not who I am," Bennett tells R&R magazine. "I'd like to think I'm naturally funny. In fact, I know I'm funnier than Al Franken and I don't need a scriptwriter." When I reached Franken at Air America, the liberal radio network, and read him Bennett's boast, the comedian ad-libbed: "Then let's have a funny-off. I'll give him odds and bet $8 million."

Posted by Eric at 04:42 PM | Comments (32)

Bennett Funnier Than Franken

Claims Bill Bennett:

Ex-gambler William J. Bennett - former Cabinet official to Republican Presidents, author of "The Book of Virtues" and confessed loser of $8 million in Las Vegas and Atlantic City - has a new gig: hosting a syndicated morning drive-time radio show. Many folks "think I'm this big scold who is going to wiggle my finger in people's face, but that is not who I am," Bennett tells R&R magazine. "I'd like to think I'm naturally funny. In fact, I know I'm funnier than Al Franken and I don't need a scriptwriter." When I reached Franken at Air America, the liberal radio network, and read him Bennett's boast, the comedian ad-libbed: "Then let's have a funny-off. I'll give him odds and bet $8 million."

Posted by Eric at 04:42 PM | Comments (2)

Carl Bernstein: Hold Bush Accountable

The issue about Bush is "failure, or inability, to lead competently and honestly" and like Nixon, "this president decided the Constitution could be bent on his watch." Who will stand up to Bush? Bernstein suggests the GOP must hold the president unaccountable, though this is unlikely:

To curtail any hint of dissension in the ranks, Bush scheduled a "pep rally" with congressional Republicans — speaking 35 minutes, after which, characteristically, he took no questions and lawmakers dutifully circled the wagons.

What did George W. Bush know and when did he know it? Another wartime president, Harry Truman, observed that the buck stops at the president's desk, not the Pentagon.

But among Republicans today, there seems to be scant interest in asking tough questions — or honoring the example of courageous leaders of Congress who, not long ago, stepped forward, setting principle before party, to hold accountable presidents who put their country in peril.

Posted by Eric at 03:54 PM | Comments (4)

Carl Bernstein: Hold Bush Accountable

The issue about Bush is "failure, or inability, to lead competently and honestly" and like Nixon, "this president decided the Constitution could be bent on his watch." Who will stand up to Bush? Bernstein suggests the GOP must hold the president unaccountable, though this is unlikely:

To curtail any hint of dissension in the ranks, Bush scheduled a "pep rally" with congressional Republicans — speaking 35 minutes, after which, characteristically, he took no questions and lawmakers dutifully circled the wagons.

What did George W. Bush know and when did he know it? Another wartime president, Harry Truman, observed that the buck stops at the president's desk, not the Pentagon.

But among Republicans today, there seems to be scant interest in asking tough questions — or honoring the example of courageous leaders of Congress who, not long ago, stepped forward, setting principle before party, to hold accountable presidents who put their country in peril.

Posted by Eric at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)

Comedy Monday

"Nader actually said we have very serious differences with John Kerry. What's with the 'we'? Don't you have to have at least one supporter to be a 'we'?" Jay Leno

"John Kerry speaks French, but he tries to avoid it. So, if a reporter asks him questions in French he'll pretend like he doesn't understand. Bush, on the other hand, has the same problem with English." David Letterman

"John Kerry met with Ralph Nader. Wouldn't you have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation? And if you had, you would have been the most charismatic thing in the room." David Letterman

"John Kerry is on the attack and he has called now for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. As a response, Rumsfeld stripped Kerry naked and ran him around on a leash." David Letterman

"The latest polls find the president at 44 percent, about half of what they were when everybody overcompensated for underestimating him." Michael Feldman

---

Jon Stewart's commencement address at William and Marry.

Flashback: Conan O'Brien's commencement address at Harvard.

Top 10 Dirtiest Foods Will Make You Sick.

Jon Lovitz is 'stud muffin,' model says.

Jewel Concert: Fan calls it the worst concert ever :

"People were literally walking out of the show," she said. "As soon as she came out, she began to insult us. We thought she was joking at first because it was kind of weird."

Witnesses said Jewel went on a tirade of insults from poking fun at fat people to others with no teeth. At one point, she asked the audience to yell requests and then told them to "shut the hell up."

"I saw her live in Boston and it was the greatest show I’ve ever been to," Dion said. "I don’t know if she was having a nervous breakdown or what. She told everyone to stop looking at her teeth and look at her breasts."

---

Faux News. USA Network To Air Series Finale Of Rumsfeld.

DU. The Top Ten Conservative Idiots.

The Onion. Asshole Admits To Being Asshole In Supreme Asshole Move.

The Onion. U.S. To Fight Terror With Terror.

TheOnion.com: White House Slam Dunk Contest Results In No Slam Dunks
WASHINGTON, DC—The annual White House Slam Dunk Contest, a spring ritual since 1977, featured its usual share of cringe-worthy misses and twisted knees Monday, but once again, no slam dunks. "I tell you, this is some sorry stuff I'm seeing," celebrity judge and former San Antonio Spur George "Iceman" Gervin said, holding up a "1" card after press secretary Scott McClellan made an awkward leap in a pair of wingtips. "The three-point contest was bad enough, but this is just depressing." The last White House slam dunk on record occurred in 1983, when a blindfolded Secretary of the Interior James Watt leaped from the foul line to execute an aerial 360-spin into a tomahawk that shattered the backboard.

---

Drawings.

natalie dee.

exploding dog

---

Ali G Quotes.

"There has been enough sadness since the terrible events of 7-11"

"You better learn these things from my man Buzz Lightyear"

"Is Disneyland a part of the UN?"

Ali : Do you think women should be on juries?
Pickles : Oh yes, of course.
Ali : What about when they got the painters in?
Pickles : I'm sorry?
Ali : What about when it's rag week? How can they be thinking straight, serious! Serious, my woman, she doesn't know what's going on, guilty *everyone is guilty when it's her time, everyone is guilty, I do something small - GUILTY! You should be chopped, whatever.
Pickles : I don't honestly think you could start asking people intimate questions and say "no, you can't do this."
Ali : Exactly, this is why you should not have women on juries.

Ali G: Is the brain's memory any good?
C. Everett Koop: The brain's memory is perfect.
Ali G: Then how come I can't remember me pin number?
C. Everett Koop: Well...
Ali G: I think it's got like a '4' in it...
C. Everett Koop: I can give you a quick answer and say you're stupid.
Ali G: Well, that's obviously not the real reason.
C. Everett Koop: Well, it's the beginning of truth.

Attribution: IMDB, Shane McDonald

---

Click down for comics.

Posted by Eric at 03:50 PM | Comments (9)

Comedy Monday

"Nader actually said we have very serious differences with John Kerry. What's with the 'we'? Don't you have to have at least one supporter to be a 'we'?" Jay Leno

"John Kerry speaks French, but he tries to avoid it. So, if a reporter asks him questions in French he'll pretend like he doesn't understand. Bush, on the other hand, has the same problem with English." David Letterman

"John Kerry met with Ralph Nader. Wouldn't you have liked to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation? And if you had, you would have been the most charismatic thing in the room." David Letterman

"John Kerry is on the attack and he has called now for the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld. As a response, Rumsfeld stripped Kerry naked and ran him around on a leash." David Letterman

"The latest polls find the president at 44 percent, about half of what they were when everybody overcompensated for underestimating him." Michael Feldman

---

Jon Stewart's commencement address at William and Marry.

Flashback: Conan O'Brien's commencement address at Harvard.

Top 10 Dirtiest Foods Will Make You Sick.

Jon Lovitz is 'stud muffin,' model says.

Jewel Concert: Fan calls it the worst concert ever :

"People were literally walking out of the show," she said. "As soon as she came out, she began to insult us. We thought she was joking at first because it was kind of weird."

Witnesses said Jewel went on a tirade of insults from poking fun at fat people to others with no teeth. At one point, she asked the audience to yell requests and then told them to "shut the hell up."

"I saw her live in Boston and it was the greatest show I’ve ever been to," Dion said. "I don’t know if she was having a nervous breakdown or what. She told everyone to stop looking at her teeth and look at her breasts."

---

Faux News. USA Network To Air Series Finale Of Rumsfeld.

DU. The Top Ten Conservative Idiots.

The Onion. Asshole Admits To Being Asshole In Supreme Asshole Move.

The Onion. U.S. To Fight Terror With Terror.

TheOnion.com: White House Slam Dunk Contest Results In No Slam Dunks
WASHINGTON, DC—The annual White House Slam Dunk Contest, a spring ritual since 1977, featured its usual share of cringe-worthy misses and twisted knees Monday, but once again, no slam dunks. "I tell you, this is some sorry stuff I'm seeing," celebrity judge and former San Antonio Spur George "Iceman" Gervin said, holding up a "1" card after press secretary Scott McClellan made an awkward leap in a pair of wingtips. "The three-point contest was bad enough, but this is just depressing." The last White House slam dunk on record occurred in 1983, when a blindfolded Secretary of the Interior James Watt leaped from the foul line to execute an aerial 360-spin into a tomahawk that shattered the backboard.

---

Drawings.

natalie dee.

exploding dog

---

Ali G Quotes.

"There has been enough sadness since the terrible events of 7-11"

"You better learn these things from my man Buzz Lightyear"

"Is Disneyland a part of the UN?"

Ali : Do you think women should be on juries?
Pickles : Oh yes, of course.
Ali : What about when they got the painters in?
Pickles : I'm sorry?
Ali : What about when it's rag week? How can they be thinking straight, serious! Serious, my woman, she doesn't know what's going on, guilty *everyone is guilty when it's her time, everyone is guilty, I do something small - GUILTY! You should be chopped, whatever.
Pickles : I don't honestly think you could start asking people intimate questions and say "no, you can't do this."
Ali : Exactly, this is why you should not have women on juries.

Ali G: Is the brain's memory any good?
C. Everett Koop: The brain's memory is perfect.
Ali G: Then how come I can't remember me pin number?
C. Everett Koop: Well...
Ali G: I think it's got like a '4' in it...
C. Everett Koop: I can give you a quick answer and say you're stupid.
Ali G: Well, that's obviously not the real reason.
C. Everett Koop: Well, it's the beginning of truth.

Attribution: IMDB, Shane McDonald

---

Click down for comics.

Posted by Eric at 03:50 PM | Comments (1)

Merrill Lynch Donates Over 12m to Bush

From the WPost:

The money flowing from Merrill Lynch employees is part of a $12.14 million tidal wave of cash to the Bush campaign from the finance and insurance sectors.

Wall Street has stepped up to the plate in support of Bush, and Bush has sponsored legislation producing billions of dollars in revenue on Wall Street.

Capital gains and dividend tax cuts have encouraged substantial asset shifting by investors -- transactions producing commissions for securities firms. In addition, in 2001, Bush secured a gradual repeal of the estate tax, allowing the accumulation of investment wealth without fear of large tax liability for heirs.

Posted by Eric at 02:01 PM | Comments (11)

Merrill Lynch Donates Over 12m to Bush

From the WPost:

The money flowing from Merrill Lynch employees is part of a $12.14 million tidal wave of cash to the Bush campaign from the finance and insurance sectors.

Wall Street has stepped up to the plate in support of Bush, and Bush has sponsored legislation producing billions of dollars in revenue on Wall Street.

Capital gains and dividend tax cuts have encouraged substantial asset shifting by investors -- transactions producing commissions for securities firms. In addition, in 2001, Bush secured a gradual repeal of the estate tax, allowing the accumulation of investment wealth without fear of large tax liability for heirs.

Posted by Eric at 02:01 PM | Comments (0)

Another Unpatriotic American

How dare he put the troops in harms way by criticizing the president! *huff huff huff*

Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the nation must prevent terrorism from taking root around the world by "repairing and building alliances," increasing trade, supporting democracy, addressing regional conflicts and controlling weapons of mass destruction.

Unless the country commits itself to such measures, "we are likely to experience acts of catastrophic terrorism that would undermine our economy, damage our society and kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people," the Indiana senator said during an appearance at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Lugar said military might alone isn't enough to eradicate terrorism.

"To win the war against terrorism, the United States must assign U.S. economic and diplomatic capabilities the same strategic priority that we assign to military capabilities," he said.

Posted by Eric at 12:55 AM | Comments (1)

Another Unpatriotic American

How dare he put the troops in harms way by criticizing the president! *huff huff huff*

Lugar, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the nation must prevent terrorism from taking root around the world by "repairing and building alliances," increasing trade, supporting democracy, addressing regional conflicts and controlling weapons of mass destruction.

Unless the country commits itself to such measures, "we are likely to experience acts of catastrophic terrorism that would undermine our economy, damage our society and kill hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people," the Indiana senator said during an appearance at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Lugar said military might alone isn't enough to eradicate terrorism.

"To win the war against terrorism, the United States must assign U.S. economic and diplomatic capabilities the same strategic priority that we assign to military capabilities," he said.

Posted by Eric at 12:55 AM | Comments (1)

Incompetent

The DCCC blog has several quotes from leaders about the incompetent management of the Iraqi war, including:

"I believe we are absolutely on the brink of failure. We are looking into the abyss."
-- General Joseph Hoar, a former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command; testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, May 20, 2004

"I'm surprised that he is surprised because there was a lot of us who were telling [Rumsfeld] that it was going to be thus... Anyone could know the problems they were going to see. How could they not?...I think that some heads should roll over Iraq. I think the president got some bad advice."
-- Retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, San Diego Union-Tribune, April 16, 2004

"I think we got in there with a grossly anemic military force. We never defeated the elite elements of the Saddam regime. They walked away with their guns, their money, their leadership intact."
-- Retired General Barry McCaffrey; NPR "Morning Edition," April 15, 2004

Posted by Eric at 12:43 AM | Comments (5)

Incompetent

The DCCC blog has several quotes from leaders about the incompetent management of the Iraqi war, including:

"I believe we are absolutely on the brink of failure. We are looking into the abyss."
-- General Joseph Hoar, a former commander in chief of U.S. Central Command; testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, May 20, 2004

"I'm surprised that he is surprised because there was a lot of us who were telling [Rumsfeld] that it was going to be thus... Anyone could know the problems they were going to see. How could they not?...I think that some heads should roll over Iraq. I think the president got some bad advice."
-- Retired Marine General Anthony Zinni, San Diego Union-Tribune, April 16, 2004

"I think we got in there with a grossly anemic military force. We never defeated the elite elements of the Saddam regime. They walked away with their guns, their money, their leadership intact."
-- Retired General Barry McCaffrey; NPR "Morning Edition," April 15, 2004

Posted by Eric at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)

Scientists: 'The ice is melting much faster than we thought'

From the UK Indy, global temps are causing the Greenland ice sheet to melt at a quicker than expected pace:

Two recent climatic events are warning signs that climate change may be proceeding much more quickly than previously thought, James Lovelock claimed.

They are the increasingly rapid melting of the Arctic ice-sheet covering Greenland, which will raise global sea levels considerably, and the extreme heatwave in western central Europe in the first two weeks of last August.

The latter, which saw the British temperature record exceed 100F for the first time, produced 20,000 deaths of mostly elderly people in France, where heat levels, especially at night, were highest.

Senior scientists, including a team from the Swiss Met Office and Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, have since said that last year's heatwave was entirely unprecedented in climatic history, and attributed it directly to climate change. "There's no question in any reasonable scientist's mind that that was the first real bad event of global warming," said Professor Lovelock. "But the media picked it up only as a story about the wickedness of the French in not looking after their old people."

Just as alarming, he said, is the dissolving of the Greenland ice sheet, which measurements show is "melting far faster than we expected".

Posted by Eric at 12:39 AM | Comments (24)

Scientists: 'The ice is melting much faster than we thought'

From the UK Indy, global temps are causing the Greenland ice sheet to melt at a quicker than expected pace:

Two recent climatic events are warning signs that climate change may be proceeding much more quickly than previously thought, James Lovelock claimed.

They are the increasingly rapid melting of the Arctic ice-sheet covering Greenland, which will raise global sea levels considerably, and the extreme heatwave in western central Europe in the first two weeks of last August.

The latter, which saw the British temperature record exceed 100F for the first time, produced 20,000 deaths of mostly elderly people in France, where heat levels, especially at night, were highest.

Senior scientists, including a team from the Swiss Met Office and Phil Jones, head of the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, have since said that last year's heatwave was entirely unprecedented in climatic history, and attributed it directly to climate change. "There's no question in any reasonable scientist's mind that that was the first real bad event of global warming," said Professor Lovelock. "But the media picked it up only as a story about the wickedness of the French in not looking after their old people."

Just as alarming, he said, is the dissolving of the Greenland ice sheet, which measurements show is "melting far faster than we expected".

Posted by Eric at 12:39 AM | Comments (4)

May 23, 2004

Some Crazy Liberal Says Army Screwed Up

Retired General Anthony Zinni told CBS's "60 Minutes" that "there has been poor strategic thinking" in regards to Iraq.

I think there was dereliction in insufficient forces being put on the ground and fully understanding the military dimensions of the plan. I think there was dereliction in lack of planning,” says Zinni. “The president is owed the finest strategic thinking. He is owed the finest operational planning. He is owed the finest tactical execution on the ground. … He got the latter. He didn’t get the first two.”

Zinni says Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time - with the wrong strategy. And he was saying it before the U.S. invasion. In the months leading up to the war, while still Middle East envoy, Zinni carried the message to Congress: “This is, in my view, the worst time to take this on. And I don’t feel it needs to be done now.”

But he wasn’t the only former military leader with doubts about the invasion of Iraq. Former General and National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, former Centcom Commander Norman Schwarzkopf, former NATO Commander Wesley Clark, and former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki all voiced their reservations.

Zinni believes this was a war the generals didn’t want – but it was a war the civilians wanted.

Posted by Eric at 09:58 PM | Comments (8)

Some Crazy Liberal Says Army Screwed Up

Retired General Anthony Zinni told CBS's "60 Minutes" that "there has been poor strategic thinking" in regards to Iraq.

I think there was dereliction in insufficient forces being put on the ground and fully understanding the military dimensions of the plan. I think there was dereliction in lack of planning,” says Zinni. “The president is owed the finest strategic thinking. He is owed the finest operational planning. He is owed the finest tactical execution on the ground. … He got the latter. He didn’t get the first two.”

Zinni says Iraq was the wrong war at the wrong time - with the wrong strategy. And he was saying it before the U.S. invasion. In the months leading up to the war, while still Middle East envoy, Zinni carried the message to Congress: “This is, in my view, the worst time to take this on. And I don’t feel it needs to be done now.”

But he wasn’t the only former military leader with doubts about the invasion of Iraq. Former General and National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, former Centcom Commander Norman Schwarzkopf, former NATO Commander Wesley Clark, and former Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki all voiced their reservations.

Zinni believes this was a war the generals didn’t want – but it was a war the civilians wanted.

Posted by Eric at 09:58 PM | Comments (2)

May 22, 2004

Chalabi's INC Front for Iran?

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Newsday:

The Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that a U.S.-funded arm of Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress has been used for years by Iranian intelligence to pass disinformation to the United States and to collect highly sensitive American secrets, according to intelligence sources.

"Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the United States through Chalabi by furnishing through his Information Collection Program information to provoke the United States into getting rid of Saddam Hussein," said an intelligence source Friday who was briefed on the Defense Intelligence Agency's conclusions, which were based on a review of thousands of internal documents.

The Information Collection Program also "kept the Iranians informed about what we were doing" by passing classified U.S. documents and other sensitive information, he said. The program has received millions of dollars from the U.S. government over several years.

An administration official confirmed that "highly classified information had been provided [to the Iranians] through that channel."

Posted by Eric at 06:27 PM | Comments (39)

Chalabi's INC Front for Iran?

Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Newsday:

The Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that a U.S.-funded arm of Ahmad Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress has been used for years by Iranian intelligence to pass disinformation to the United States and to collect highly sensitive American secrets, according to intelligence sources.

"Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the United States through Chalabi by furnishing through his Information Collection Program information to provoke the United States into getting rid of Saddam Hussein," said an intelligence source Friday who was briefed on the Defense Intelligence Agency's conclusions, which were based on a review of thousands of internal documents.

The Information Collection Program also "kept the Iranians informed about what we were doing" by passing classified U.S. documents and other sensitive information, he said. The program has received millions of dollars from the U.S. government over several years.

An administration official confirmed that "highly classified information had been provided [to the Iranians] through that channel."

Posted by Eric at 06:27 PM | Comments (9)

Hamster Numbers: Dollars & Death Penalty

From the Western Prision Project:

Estimated cost of a death penalty trial, in dollars: $2 million
Number of times a capital trial is more expensive than a non-capital trial, in California: 6
Amount that California could save per year by abolishing capital punishment: $90 million
Cost in New Jersey in 1991 to impose the death penalty: $16 million
Number of police laid off in New Jersey in 1992 due to lack of funds to pay them: 500
Ratio of spending in Jasper County, Mississippi on one capital trial in 1995 to its spending on libraries: 5 to 1

Posted by Eric at 03:43 PM | Comments (6)

Hamster Numbers: Dollars & Death Penalty

From the Western Prision Project:

Estimated cost of a death penalty trial, in dollars: $2 million
Number of times a capital trial is more expensive than a non-capital trial, in California: 6
Amount that California could save per year by abolishing capital punishment: $90 million
Cost in New Jersey in 1991 to impose the death penalty: $16 million
Number of police laid off in New Jersey in 1992 due to lack of funds to pay them: 500
Ratio of spending in Jasper County, Mississippi on one capital trial in 1995 to its spending on libraries: 5 to 1

Posted by Eric at 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter on Hannity and Colmes, as noted by Media Matters:

COULTER: I think [calling Clinton a scumbag] is factually correct.

COLMES: It is an opinion. It is name calling, is what it is.

COULTER: I don't think you could win a slander suit on that. Truth is a defense.

JENNY BACKUS [DEMCRATIC STRATEGIST]: There you go again. It's a double standard. It is, it's a double standard.

COULTER: It's a double standard? Wait, this man [Clinton] raped a woman. This man molested interns in the White House, and then he lied about it and committed felonies.

Coulter has a good, strong history of tasteful rhetoric and pure truth.

And if Coulter is truly a representation of the GOP (a general optimist of human nature would hope not), there apparently isn't room in the party for:

Muslims - "Muslims smell bad"; "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity"

Veterans - e.g. Max Cleland.

or Asians - e.g. Norman Mineta

Posted by Eric at 03:39 PM | Comments (24)

The Wit and Wisdom of Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter on Hannity and Colmes, as noted by Media Matters:

COULTER: I think [calling Clinton a scumbag] is factually correct.

COLMES: It is an opinion. It is name calling, is what it is.

COULTER: I don't think you could win a slander suit on that. Truth is a defense.

JENNY BACKUS [DEMCRATIC STRATEGIST]: There you go again. It's a double standard. It is, it's a double standard.

COULTER: It's a double standard? Wait, this man [Clinton] raped a woman. This man molested interns in the White House, and then he lied about it and committed felonies.

Coulter has a good, strong history of tasteful rhetoric and pure truth.

And if Coulter is truly a representation of the GOP (a general optimist of human nature would hope not), there apparently isn't room in the party for:

Muslims - "Muslims smell bad"; "We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity"

Veterans - e.g. Max Cleland.

or Asians - e.g. Norman Mineta

Posted by Eric at 03:39 PM | Comments (16)

May 21, 2004

TGIF

News
WP. As Violence Deepens, So Does Pessimism
WP. Bremer Vows to Continue Planned Transfer of Power
WP. Democrats Ask to Recall Haynes: New Questions for Judicial Nominee
The Hill. RNC offers ‘Super Ranger’ status
USAT. Bush leads in negative ads, but Kerry has help
NYT. M.P.'s Received Orders to Strip Iraqi Detainees
NYT. 9/11 Panel Has a Question: Why Wasn't the City Prepared?
LAT. Disabled People Can Sue States Over Access, High Court Rules
LAT. Pervasive Abuse Alleged by Freed Detainees, Red Cross
LAT. Death of Prisoner Detailed in Testimony
LAT. Kerry Hits the Oregon Trail With Dean
LAT. Bush, Kerry Extol Brown Ruling, Separately
Bloomberg. Most key Bush fund-raisers are executives, entrepreneurs
LAT. Schwarzenegger is reticent on Bush campaign; Keeps president at arms length
BGlobe. Kerry challenges Bush policies on Iraq
BGlobe. In Kerry veepstakes, Clark is the wild card
BGlobe. Professors back Kerry with campaign givi
AP. Bush, Kerry Mark Brown 50th Anniversary
AP. Same-Sex Couples Marry in Massachusetts
AP. Kerry Takes Campaign Stage With Dean

Commentary
Krugman. The Wastrel Son
Seattle PI. Senate should halt nuclear waste plan
Marie Cocco. U.S. lets Afghanistan traffic in opium
David Moberg. Candidate Conundrum: Kerry must deal with Bush’s legacy of chaos
Jonathan Cohn. AMERICA'S ABU GHRAIBS
Julian Bond. The Broken Promise of Brown
Paul Waldman. Who's the Strongest of Them All? No one's going to kick sand in John Kerry's face
Michael Tomasky. End Times: The Bushies may be accomplishing what liberals never could -- bringing the era of conservative morality to a close
Mary Lynn F. Jones. Food Fight: Hill Republicans are not just slinging scraps at Dems. They're shoving them away from the table entirely
E. J. Dionne Jr. Can Kerry Stay Out Of Bush's Trap?
Donna E. Shalala. Politics must be put aside to address insurance crisis
Thomas Oliphant. Europe's risky waiting game
Cynthia Tucker. Get black teens back to books
AJC. Ignoring detainees' rights weakens U.S. principles
Jesse Jackson. Education's still separate, unequal

Posted by Eric at 11:59 PM | Comments (8)

Welcome the Obama Blog

The next US Senator, Barack Obama, has a blog up: http://www.obamablog.com/.

Go over and say hi, or drop a few bucks.

Posted by Eric at 05:41 PM | Comments (7)

Welcome the Obama Blog

The next US Senator, Barack Obama, has a blog up: http://www.obamablog.com/.

Go over and say hi, or drop a few bucks.

Posted by Eric at 05:41 PM | Comments (5)

If Rummy Resigns ...

Will an equally inept guy take over, e.g. Paul Wolfowitz? That's the concern of some Democrats, AP:

As details of prison abuses in Iraq surfaced, many Democrats on Capitol Hill demanded that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld resign. But not Sen. Carl Levin. The top Senate Democrat on a key military committee said he is wary about who might be the post-Rumsfeld secretary.

"If it would be his deputy, I don't see that that would represent a change at all in terms of the direction we should go," Levin told reporters this month.

Rumsfeld's deputy is Paul Wolfowitz. If Democrats are dissatisfied with Rumsfeld, that doesn't compare to the disdain some feel for the man seen as the intellectual architect of the Iraq war.

Some of their anger spilled out at last week's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told Wolfowitz his credibility had been undermined because he had "made numerous predictions, time and time again, that have turned out to be untrue and were based on faulty assumptions."

My favorite Wolfowitz moment was his bashing of war hero Gen. Eric Shinseki:

After Gen. Eric Shinseki, then the Army chief of staff, said in February 2003 that several hundred thousand troops would have to stay in Iraq after the war, Wolfowitz told a House panel that "we can say with reasonable confidence" the estimate was "way off the mark."

Posted by Eric at 05:27 PM | Comments (13)

If Rummy Resigns ...

Will an equally inept guy take over, e.g. Paul Wolfowitz? That's the concern of some Democrats, AP:

As details of prison abuses in Iraq surfaced, many Democrats on Capitol Hill demanded that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld resign. But not Sen. Carl Levin. The top Senate Democrat on a key military committee said he is wary about who might be the post-Rumsfeld secretary.

"If it would be his deputy, I don't see that that would represent a change at all in terms of the direction we should go," Levin told reporters this month.

Rumsfeld's deputy is Paul Wolfowitz. If Democrats are dissatisfied with Rumsfeld, that doesn't compare to the disdain some feel for the man seen as the intellectual architect of the Iraq war.

Some of their anger spilled out at last week's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., told Wolfowitz his credibility had been undermined because he had "made numerous predictions, time and time again, that have turned out to be untrue and were based on faulty assumptions."

My favorite Wolfowitz moment was his bashing of war hero Gen. Eric Shinseki:

After Gen. Eric Shinseki, then the Army chief of staff, said in February 2003 that several hundred thousand troops would have to stay in Iraq after the war, Wolfowitz told a House panel that "we can say with reasonable confidence" the estimate was "way off the mark."

Posted by Eric at 05:27 PM | Comments (13)

Bush Administration Blew Chance to Nab Terrorist

From NBC News. So who is the terrorist?

With Tuesday’s attacks, Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with ties to al-Qaida, is now blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq.

And what did the Bush administration do?

But NBC News has learned that long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger.

In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up a weapons lab at Kirma, in northern Iraq, producing deadly ricin and cyanide.

The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the White House, where, according to U.S. government sources, the plan was debated to death in the National Security Council.

But, of course, the White House killed the plans.

The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White House again killed it. By then the administration had set its course for war with Iraq.

“People were more obsessed with developing the coalition to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president’s policy of preemption against terrorists,” according to terrorism expert and former National Security Council member Roger Cressey ... The Pentagon drew up still another attack plan, and for the third time, the National Security Council killed it.

And we get to the big reason why. Irony: "Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

Zarqawi is also suspected in the killing of Nicholas Berg, among other things.

Posted by Eric at 01:49 PM | Comments (15)

Bush Administration Blew Chance to Nab Terrorist

From NBC News. So who is the terrorist?

With Tuesday’s attacks, Abu Musab Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant with ties to al-Qaida, is now blamed for more than 700 terrorist killings in Iraq.

And what did the Bush administration do?

But NBC News has learned that long before the war the Bush administration had several chances to wipe out his terrorist operation and perhaps kill Zarqawi himself — but never pulled the trigger.

In June 2002, U.S. officials say intelligence had revealed that Zarqawi and members of al-Qaida had set up a weapons lab at Kirma, in northern Iraq, producing deadly ricin and cyanide.

The Pentagon quickly drafted plans to attack the camp with cruise missiles and airstrikes and sent it to the White House, where, according to U.S. government sources, the plan was debated to death in the National Security Council.

But, of course, the White House killed the plans.

The Pentagon drew up a second strike plan, and the White House again killed it. By then the administration had set its course for war with Iraq.

“People were more obsessed with developing the coalition to overthrow Saddam than to execute the president’s policy of preemption against terrorists,” according to terrorism expert and former National Security Council member Roger Cressey ... The Pentagon drew up still another attack plan, and for the third time, the National Security Council killed it.

And we get to the big reason why. Irony: "Military officials insist their case for attacking Zarqawi’s operation was airtight, but the administration feared destroying the terrorist camp in Iraq could undercut its case for war against Saddam."

Zarqawi is also suspected in the killing of Nicholas Berg, among other things.

Posted by Eric at 01:49 PM | Comments (7)

Administration Lying about Condoms

Reckless and dangerous, as the NY Times reports, the Bush administration is hating on condom use:

The administration is using pseudoscience to justify its decisions. Randall Tobias, its AIDS coordinator, has said numerous times that condoms are not effective at preventing the spread of AIDS in the general population. He repeated this assertion while testifying in the House of Representatives in March, citing the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Mr. Tobias is wrong. The dean of the London School wrote to him to say that the school had never produced any such report, and that its research shows that condoms do work.

Mr. Tobias and others in the administration often cite Uganda as a place where AIDS transmission was reduced by teaching youth to be abstinent. But Ugandans — and more neutral researchers — say that condom use plays a big role. In Zambia and Brazil, condom use has also reduced AIDS transmission, but administration officials do not talk about these countries. They have removed information about condom use and references to the value of sex education and condom promotion from the Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for International Development. Their benighted policies put millions at risk.

In 1993, the CDC wrote: "The proper and consistent use of latex condoms when engaging in sexual intercourse--vaginal, anal, or oral--can greatly reduce a person's risk of acquiring or transmitting STDs, including HIV infection. In fact, recent studies provide compelling evidence that latex condoms are highly effective in protecting against HIV infection when used properly for every act of intercourse."

Posted by Eric at 01:35 PM | Comments (14)

Administration Lying about Condoms

Reckless and dangerous, as the NY Times reports, the Bush administration is hating on condom use:

The administration is using pseudoscience to justify its decisions. Randall Tobias, its AIDS coordinator, has said numerous times that condoms are not effective at preventing the spread of AIDS in the general population. He repeated this assertion while testifying in the House of Representatives in March, citing the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Mr. Tobias is wrong. The dean of the London School wrote to him to say that the school had never produced any such report, and that its research shows that condoms do work.

Mr. Tobias and others in the administration often cite Uganda as a place where AIDS transmission was reduced by teaching youth to be abstinent. But Ugandans — and more neutral researchers — say that condom use plays a big role. In Zambia and Brazil, condom use has also reduced AIDS transmission, but administration officials do not talk about these countries. They have removed information about condom use and references to the value of sex education and condom promotion from the Web sites of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for International Development. Their benighted policies put millions at risk.

In 1993, the CDC wrote: "The proper and consistent use of latex condoms when engaging in sexual intercourse--vaginal, anal, or oral--can greatly reduce a person's risk of acquiring or transmitting STDs, including HIV infection. In fact, recent studies provide compelling evidence that latex condoms are highly effective in protecting against HIV infection when used properly for every act of intercourse."

Posted by Eric at 01:35 PM | Comments (4)

More Confirmation that Hamster's College Life is Boring

Another conservative talk show host says that Rush is right about the Abu Ghraib incidents - that it's just another college fun party. Roger Hedgecock, filling in for Rush. From Media Matters:

HEDGECOCK: I don't think we're gonna have to wait too long before Lynndie England -- the uh, the Satellite Dish herself -- has her own spread in Playboy magazine -- you know, "The Women of Abu Ghraib." You can just see it coming, can't you?

CALLER: No, I really can't.

HEDGECOCK: Oh, I can, Debbie. Thanks for the call.

[...]

HEDGECOCK: Yeah, this is unbelievable. ... Private First Class Lynndie England explaining the mystery of why the soldiers at Abu Ghraib took pictures. She said, "We thought it looked funny." I mean the more -- you know, I know this was the first day or two, I guess, that Rush was getting into this -- the more I think about it, the more he was right the first time. He said, "This is like -- this is like a, a, uh, a prank; this is like college; this is like fraternities; this is -- this is just these people. This is how they were raised."

"This is like college." Hm. By the way, the ad Media Matters is running about Rush Limbaugh and his comments is generating a bit of controversy. A Disney-owned station has rejected the ad.

Posted by Eric at 12:57 PM | Comments (9)

More Confirmation that Hamster's College Life is Boring

Another conservative talk show host says that Rush is right about the Abu Ghraib incidents - that it's just another college fun party. Roger Hedgecock, filling in for Rush. From Media Matters:

HEDGECOCK: I don't think we're gonna have to wait too long before Lynndie England -- the uh, the Satellite Dish herself -- has her own spread in Playboy magazine -- you know, "The Women of Abu Ghraib." You can just see it coming, can't you?

CALLER: No, I really can't.

HEDGECOCK: Oh, I can, Debbie. Thanks for the call.

[...]

HEDGECOCK: Yeah, this is unbelievable. ... Private First Class Lynndie England explaining the mystery of why the soldiers at Abu Ghraib took pictures. She said, "We thought it looked funny." I mean the more -- you know, I know this was the first day or two, I guess, that Rush was getting into this -- the more I think about it, the more he was right the first time. He said, "This is like -- this is like a, a, uh, a prank; this is like college; this is like fraternities; this is -- this is just these people. This is how they were raised."

"This is like college." Hm. By the way, the ad Media Matters is running about Rush Limbaugh and his comments is generating a bit of controversy. A Disney-owned station has rejected the ad.

Posted by Eric at 12:57 PM | Comments (5)

Zell Miller Compares Abu Ghraib to Gym Class

As Pandagon points out:

Zell Miller compares the torture at Abu Ghraib to having to shower in gym class.

Yes, I remember the first time I had to shower in a locker room. It was my first time naked (or with a towel on) in front of other men. I was embarassed a little bit. However, since nobody locked the door, put a bag over my head, beat me, sodomized me with broomsticks and light sticks, forced men into sexual acts with other people, threatened my life, and took pictures of the whole thing for their amusement, I never thought to compare it to what happened in Iraq, because it wasn't even in the same galaxy of occurences.

Posted by Eric at 12:45 PM | Comments (4)

Zell Miller Compares Abu Ghraib to Gym Class

As Pandagon points out:

Zell Miller compares the torture at Abu Ghraib to having to shower in gym class.

Yes, I remember the first time I had to shower in a locker room. It was my first time naked (or with a towel on) in front of other men. I was embarassed a little bit. However, since nobody locked the door, put a bag over my head, beat me, sodomized me with broomsticks and light sticks, forced men into sexual acts with other people, threatened my life, and took pictures of the whole thing for their amusement, I never thought to compare it to what happened in Iraq, because it wasn't even in the same galaxy of occurences.

Posted by Eric at 12:45 PM | Comments (9)

Nancy Pelosi: One Tough Democrat

The American Prospect on the Democratic House Leader:

Has Pelosi moved to the right to hold the Democrats together? In fact, Pelosi has evolved much as Democratic voters evolved during the presidential primaries: toward a politics that combines populist economics with deficit hawkishness and a heavily armed multilateralism. Nearly a year before Democratic voters figured it out, Pelosi decided that the party needed unity and electability above all else.

The art of winning politics comes naturally to Pelosi. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., had been the ward boss and councilman for Baltimore's Little Italy, then a congressman, and then, from 1947 though 1959, the city's mayor. Accounts of her girlhood home sound like something out of The Last Hurrah -- in particular, her father's daily habit of receiving constituents in his living room. Even today, married to wealth (her husband, Paul, is an investor), she is clearly at home in the world of cigar-chomping ward heelers -- so at ease that the old bulls of the Democratic Party, including such paradigmatic blue-collar Democrats as Pennsylvania's John Murtha, have always felt comfortable with her ...

Pelosi's greatest skill, however, is her ability to synthesize positions that reflect the various inclinations of her caucus and the political opportunities of the moment -- and the period. According to Obey, "She is really good at walking into a room with 15 people [who have] different opinions on subjects, [and she'll] synthesize and say with great clarity, 'Here's what I think we ought to do. She's very good ... at finding common ground. That's why she's not a liberal Democratic leader; she's a Democratic leader who happens to be liberal."

If anyone can attest to Pelosi's persuasive powers, it's Ben Chandler. Just last November, Chandler, then Kentucky's attorney general, lost a close gubernatorial election to Republican Ernie Fletcher, whose congressional seat, accordingly, was abruptly open. A special election was scheduled for February 17, and Chandler, as he told the Prospect, "had no plans to make the race. I was worn out. I was, in some respects, tired of the entire process. And that's when Nancy Pelosi stepped in."

Pelosi's website is here.

Pelosi recently asked: 'Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?'

Posted by Eric at 12:10 PM | Comments (3)

Nancy Pelosi: One Tough Democrat

The American Prospect on the Democratic House Leader:

Has Pelosi moved to the right to hold the Democrats together? In fact, Pelosi has evolved much as Democratic voters evolved during the presidential primaries: toward a politics that combines populist economics with deficit hawkishness and a heavily armed multilateralism. Nearly a year before Democratic voters figured it out, Pelosi decided that the party needed unity and electability above all else.

The art of winning politics comes naturally to Pelosi. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro Jr., had been the ward boss and councilman for Baltimore's Little Italy, then a congressman, and then, from 1947 though 1959, the city's mayor. Accounts of her girlhood home sound like something out of The Last Hurrah -- in particular, her father's daily habit of receiving constituents in his living room. Even today, married to wealth (her husband, Paul, is an investor), she is clearly at home in the world of cigar-chomping ward heelers -- so at ease that the old bulls of the Democratic Party, including such paradigmatic blue-collar Democrats as Pennsylvania's John Murtha, have always felt comfortable with her ...

Pelosi's greatest skill, however, is her ability to synthesize positions that reflect the various inclinations of her caucus and the political opportunities of the moment -- and the period. According to Obey, "She is really good at walking into a room with 15 people [who have] different opinions on subjects, [and she'll] synthesize and say with great clarity, 'Here's what I think we ought to do. She's very good ... at finding common ground. That's why she's not a liberal Democratic leader; she's a Democratic leader who happens to be liberal."

If anyone can attest to Pelosi's persuasive powers, it's Ben Chandler. Just last November, Chandler, then Kentucky's attorney general, lost a close gubernatorial election to Republican Ernie Fletcher, whose congressional seat, accordingly, was abruptly open. A special election was scheduled for February 17, and Chandler, as he told the Prospect, "had no plans to make the race. I was worn out. I was, in some respects, tired of the entire process. And that's when Nancy Pelosi stepped in."

Pelosi's website is here.

Pelosi recently asked: 'Are You Better Off Than You Were Four Years Ago?'

Posted by Eric at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)

Rummy Quotes

From The Center for American Progress:

"We can't say something that is inaccurate."

– Donald Rumsfeld, 5/17/04

VERSUS

"[Saddam's] amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of biological weapons, including Anthrax, botulism, toxins and possibly Smallpox. [Saddam's] amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX, Sarin and mustard gas."

– Donald Rumsfeld, 9/20/02

Posted by Eric at 11:39 AM | Comments (10)

Rummy Quotes

From The Center for American Progress:

"We can't say something that is inaccurate."

– Donald Rumsfeld, 5/17/04

VERSUS

"[Saddam's] amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of biological weapons, including Anthrax, botulism, toxins and possibly Smallpox. [Saddam's] amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons, including VX, Sarin and mustard gas."

– Donald Rumsfeld, 9/20/02

Posted by Eric at 11:39 AM | Comments (2)

'Fahrenheit 911' Sets Cannes on Fire

The buzz about Michael Moore's new film, the Hollywood Reporter:

At its 4 p.m. screening In Competition at the Palais, the movie occasioned an enthusiastic standing ovation -- onlookers placed it at 15-20 minutes -- punctuated by cries of "bravo!" The crowd included a phalanx of Endeavor agents, led by Ari Emmanuel, along with Mick Jagger, Daryl Hannah and a smattering of French stars and industry insiders.

"It was the longest standing ovation I've seen in over 25 years," said Harvey Weinstein, whose Miramax Films funded the project over the objections of parent company Walt Disney Co. and who has an exec producer credit on the film, along with Miramax's Agnes Mentre ... Moore predicted at an afternoon news conference: "This film will be seen in the United States before the election; I have no fear of that. There is no distributor as we speak today. It will have a distributor, and I'm completely confident that Miramax is going to be sure that Americans will see the film."

Posted by Eric at 10:40 AM | Comments (34)

'Fahrenheit 911' Sets Cannes on Fire

The buzz about Michael Moore's new film, the Hollywood Reporter:

At its 4 p.m. screening In Competition at the Palais, the movie occasioned an enthusiastic standing ovation -- onlookers placed it at 15-20 minutes -- punctuated by cries of "bravo!" The crowd included a phalanx of Endeavor agents, led by Ari Emmanuel, along with Mick Jagger, Daryl Hannah and a smattering of French stars and industry insiders.

"It was the longest standing ovation I've seen in over 25 years," said Harvey Weinstein, whose Miramax Films funded the project over the objections of parent company Walt Disney Co. and who has an exec producer credit on the film, along with Miramax's Agnes Mentre ... Moore predicted at an afternoon news conference: "This film will be seen in the United States before the election; I have no fear of that. There is no distributor as we speak today. It will have a distributor, and I'm completely confident that Miramax is going to be sure that Americans will see the film."

Posted by Eric at 10:40 AM | Comments (10)

Obama Leads Ryan in Senate Race

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican Jack Ryan 48 percent to 40 percent in the U.S. Senate race, according to a new Daily Southtown poll of 500 likely Illinois voters.

Previous polls and Obama's internal polls had suggested a wider gap.

Ryan's campaign greeted the results as evidence Ryan is within striking distance; Obama backers expressed confidence that Obama, a state senator who pounded his opponents in the primary, would stay ahead throughout the campaign.

Obama's site.

Posted by Eric at 09:01 AM | Comments (10)

Obama Leads Ryan in Senate Race

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican Jack Ryan 48 percent to 40 percent in the U.S. Senate race, according to a new Daily Southtown poll of 500 likely Illinois voters.

Previous polls and Obama's internal polls had suggested a wider gap.

Ryan's campaign greeted the results as evidence Ryan is within striking distance; Obama backers expressed confidence that Obama, a state senator who pounded his opponents in the primary, would stay ahead throughout the campaign.

Obama's site.

Posted by Eric at 09:01 AM | Comments (2)

Politicians Love Spam?

Not the mystery meat (though the Hawaii delegation probably enjoys it), the junk email, notes the computer nerds at CNET:

Russo, whose films include "The Rose" and "Trading Places," is not alone. Political spam has become a thoroughly nonpartisan communications technique, with Democrats, Republicans and third parties alike turning to bulk e-mail in numbers that are still small but steadily increasing. Two percent of all spam is political, according to statistics compiled by antispam vendor Brightmail.

Since Jan. 1, a federal law has regulated spam. But if you look at the law's fine print, you'll find a telling exemption: Our elected representatives made sure the restrictions don't apply to them. As a result, the Can-Spam Act covers only e-mail promoting "a commercial product or service," which lets political spammers off the hook.

Politicians love to spam for the same reason that Viagra vendors and alleged widows of deposed Nigerian dictators do: Bulk e-mail is a cheap way to reach lots of people. I wrote last year about how Sen. Joseph Lieberman was caught spamming, as was Howard Dean's ostensibly tech-savvy campaign. Republicans Bill Jones, the unsuccessful candidate for governor of California, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and senatorial candidate Elizabeth Dole have resorted to junk e-mail, too.

Do emails from the Director-General in the Federal Ministry of Miniral and Energy in the Republic of South Africa count as political?

Posted by Eric at 08:35 AM | Comments (3)

Politicians Love Spam?

Not the mystery meat (though the Hawaii delegation probably enjoys it), the junk email, notes the computer nerds at CNET:

Russo, whose films include "The Rose" and "Trading Places," is not alone. Political spam has become a thoroughly nonpartisan communications technique, with Democrats, Republicans and third parties alike turning to bulk e-mail in numbers that are still small but steadily increasing. Two percent of all spam is political, according to statistics compiled by antispam vendor Brightmail.

Since Jan. 1, a federal law has regulated spam. But if you look at the law's fine print, you'll find a telling exemption: Our elected representatives made sure the restrictions don't apply to them. As a result, the Can-Spam Act covers only e-mail promoting "a commercial product or service," which lets political spammers off the hook.

Politicians love to spam for the same reason that Viagra vendors and alleged widows of deposed Nigerian dictators do: Bulk e-mail is a cheap way to reach lots of people. I wrote last year about how Sen. Joseph Lieberman was caught spamming, as was Howard Dean's ostensibly tech-savvy campaign. Republicans Bill Jones, the unsuccessful candidate for governor of California, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and senatorial candidate Elizabeth Dole have resorted to junk e-mail, too.

Do emails from the Director-General in the Federal Ministry of Miniral and Energy in the Republic of South Africa count as political?

Posted by Eric at 08:35 AM | Comments (2)

Someone Look-Up Irony

Courtesy of Counterspin Central, an Ohio manufacturing plant that President Bush pointed to as an example of his successful economic policies has shut down.

A reporter asked this question:

Q: About a year ago, April 24th, last year, the President went to Canton, Ohio. He went to the Timken Company. I don't know if you remember the trip, I wasn't on it. He went to a bearings factory, part of the Timken Company, touted his economic plans and talked about jobs and growth. Timken announced today that they're shutting down that plant that the President visited a year ago. I just wonder if that's ironic, that the President touted his economic strategy, doesn't appear to be working?

MR. McCLELLAN: One, I don't know about the report or the circumstances related to the company. But I think it is important to point out that our economy is showing great strength, and continuing to grow stronger. We've had more than 1.1 million jobs -- new jobs created since last August. The unemployment rate is well below the averages of the '70s, '80s and '90s. So the economy is moving in the right direction. Obviously we are also in a changing economy.

And the President believes it's important to push forward on the initiatives he's outlined to make sure workers have the skills they need to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And we must continue to work to move forward on the President's six-point plan to create an even more robust environment for job creation. And we also need to work to make sure that we have an educated workforce, to fill the high-growth jobs of the 21st century.

But the economy is moving in the right direction, and we need to -- because of the actions that the President took. And we will continue to work to create an even more robust environment for job creation.

Posted by Eric at 07:52 AM | Comments (3)

Someone Look-Up Irony

Courtesy of Counterspin Central, an Ohio manufacturing plant that President Bush pointed to as an example of his successful economic policies has shut down.

A reporter asked this question:

Q: About a year ago, April 24th, last year, the President went to Canton, Ohio. He went to the Timken Company. I don't know if you remember the trip, I wasn't on it. He went to a bearings factory, part of the Timken Company, touted his economic plans and talked about jobs and growth. Timken announced today that they're shutting down that plant that the President visited a year ago. I just wonder if that's ironic, that the President touted his economic strategy, doesn't appear to be working?

MR. McCLELLAN: One, I don't know about the report or the circumstances related to the company. But I think it is important to point out that our economy is showing great strength, and continuing to grow stronger. We've had more than 1.1 million jobs -- new jobs created since last August. The unemployment rate is well below the averages of the '70s, '80s and '90s. So the economy is moving in the right direction. Obviously we are also in a changing economy.

And the President believes it's important to push forward on the initiatives he's outlined to make sure workers have the skills they need to fill the jobs of the 21st century. And we must continue to work to move forward on the President's six-point plan to create an even more robust environment for job creation. And we also need to work to make sure that we have an educated workforce, to fill the high-growth jobs of the 21st century.

But the economy is moving in the right direction, and we need to -- because of the actions that the President took. And we will continue to work to create an even more robust environment for job creation.

Posted by Eric at 07:52 AM | Comments (5)

David Brock's New Book

David Brock's new book, "The Republican Noise Machine : Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy," is out today. Hopefully I'll get a review copy soon, but his last book, Blinded by the Right, is one of my all-time favorites and I have little doubt this book will rock as well.

Posted by Eric at 03:16 AM | Comments (24)

David Brock's New Book

David Brock's new book, "The Republican Noise Machine : Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy," is out today. Hopefully I'll get a review copy soon, but his last book, Blinded by the Right, is one of my all-time favorites and I have little doubt this book will rock as well.

Posted by Eric at 03:16 AM | Comments (1)

The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Savage

Heck, it's not like this is out of the ordinary from him. It's just that now, courtesy of David Brock, there's documentation of his rants. From Media Matters:

Right now, even people sitting on the fence would like George Bush to drop a nuclear weapon on an Arab country. They don't even care which one it would be. I can guarantee you -- I don't need to go to Mr. Schmuck [pollster John] Zogby and ask him his opinion. I don't need anyone's opinion. I'll give you my opinion, because I got a better stethoscope than those fools. It's one man's opinion based upon my own analysis. The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one. They'd like an indiscriminate use of a nuclear weapon. They want this over with. One thing people cannot live with, which is an undefined, limitless conflict, which is what we have now. They can't take it. They want this war over with, and they want it ended like the war against Japan. They'd like Big Boy dropped on one of the little cities over there. They don't care where. They don't care any more. The American people have had it up to here with this garbage.

In fact, Christianity has been one of the great salvations on planet Earth. It's what's necessary in the Middle East. Others have written about it, I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity but I'll get here a little later, I'll move up to that. It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings.

But tell us how you really feel. This is the guy that NBC put under their news banner.

Posted by Eric at 03:12 AM | Comments (20)

The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Savage

Heck, it's not like this is out of the ordinary from him. It's just that now, courtesy of David Brock, there's documentation of his rants. From Media Matters:

Right now, even people sitting on the fence would like George Bush to drop a nuclear weapon on an Arab country. They don't even care which one it would be. I can guarantee you -- I don't need to go to Mr. Schmuck [pollster John] Zogby and ask him his opinion. I don't need anyone's opinion. I'll give you my opinion, because I got a better stethoscope than those fools. It's one man's opinion based upon my own analysis. The most -- I tell you right now -- the largest percentage of Americans would like to see a nuclear weapon dropped on a major Arab capital. They don't even care which one. They'd like an indiscriminate use of a nuclear weapon. They want this over with. One thing people cannot live with, which is an undefined, limitless conflict, which is what we have now. They can't take it. They want this war over with, and they want it ended like the war against Japan. They'd like Big Boy dropped on one of the little cities over there. They don't care where. They don't care any more. The American people have had it up to here with this garbage.

In fact, Christianity has been one of the great salvations on planet Earth. It's what's necessary in the Middle East. Others have written about it, I think these people need to be forcibly converted to Christianity but I'll get here a little later, I'll move up to that. It's the only thing that can probably turn them into human beings.

But tell us how you really feel. This is the guy that NBC put under their news banner.

Posted by Eric at 03:12 AM | Comments (12)

May 17, 2004

Poll: Latino Vote Up for Grabs

Latino voters in key swing states could go either Democrat or Republican, according to a poll from "Sergio Bendixen & Associates, a Democratic firm that polled in Spanish and English" in USA Today:

In Florida, Bush leads Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, 55%-35%. The numbers resemble the outcome in 2000, when Bush got 61% of the state's Hispanic vote and Gore got 39% ... Nationally, Bush won 35% of the Latino vote in 2000. Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign, says it will be hard to win re-election unless Bush raises his share to 40%. In the new poll, Bush falls short with the large Hispanic population in the Southwest. He is backed by 31% in Nevada and by 30% in Arizona and New Mexico. But Bush reached 38% in a nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll released April 19.

Bendixen says the Latino vote is "very much up for grabs." About 40% of his poll's respondents said they were undecided or could change their minds. In the rest of the electorate, 85%-90% say their minds are made up, he says.

Pollster Simon Rosenberg recently said to Hispanics about the 2004 election: "You are key more than any single group of people." However, 54% of Hispanics and blacks are not registered to vote.

Posted by Eric at 08:36 PM | Comments (4)

Poll: Latino Vote Up for Grabs

Latino voters in key swing states could go either Democrat or Republican, according to a poll from "Sergio Bendixen & Associates, a Democratic firm that polled in Spanish and English" in USA Today:

In Florida, Bush leads Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, 55%-35%. The numbers resemble the outcome in 2000, when Bush got 61% of the state's Hispanic vote and Gore got 39% ... Nationally, Bush won 35% of the Latino vote in 2000. Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Bush campaign, says it will be hard to win re-election unless Bush raises his share to 40%. In the new poll, Bush falls short with the large Hispanic population in the Southwest. He is backed by 31% in Nevada and by 30% in Arizona and New Mexico. But Bush reached 38% in a nationwide Pew Hispanic Center poll released April 19.

Bendixen says the Latino vote is "very much up for grabs." About 40% of his poll's respondents said they were undecided or could change their minds. In the rest of the electorate, 85%-90% say their minds are made up, he says.

Pollster Simon Rosenberg recently said to Hispanics about the 2004 election: "You are key more than any single group of people." However, 54% of Hispanics and blacks are not registered to vote.

Posted by Eric at 08:36 PM | Comments (5)

Little Protests for NYC GOP Convention?

The Washington Post reports this on Mike Bloomberg and protestors.

Still, Bloomberg has grown weary of watching the plans for demonstrations grow and grow. So he is poking back. The firefighters and police can complain to Republicans about their contracts, but that is not "very intelligent," he opined. As for that request for a permit in Central Park?

"You'd ruin the lawn," the mayor replied.

Civil libertarians note that more than 20 groups have applied for march and rally permits, and the city has not approved one. The New York Civil Liberties Union filed more than 300 complaints against the city for its treatment of demonstrators at a march just before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since then, police have several times denied requests for high-visibility rallies.

Posted by Eric at 07:10 PM | Comments (12)

Little Protests for NYC GOP Convention?

The Washington Post reports this on Mike Bloomberg and protestors.

Still, Bloomberg has grown weary of watching the plans for demonstrations grow and grow. So he is poking back. The firefighters and police can complain to Republicans about their contracts, but that is not "very intelligent," he opined. As for that request for a permit in Central Park?

"You'd ruin the lawn," the mayor replied.

Civil libertarians note that more than 20 groups have applied for march and rally permits, and the city has not approved one. The New York Civil Liberties Union filed more than 300 complaints against the city for its treatment of demonstrators at a march just before the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Since then, police have several times denied requests for high-visibility rallies.

Posted by Eric at 07:10 PM | Comments (6)

Bush to Asian Pacific Islanders: Forget About the Other Stuff

Rather than having the Asian Pacific Islander American Advisory Commission focus on ways to improve quality of life issues, Bush has ordered the commission to focus only on business issues. From the DNC:

Late last night, the Bush Administration quietly revised an Executive Order passed under the Clinton Administration that created an Advisory Commission charged with improving the overall quality of life for the Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Community. The revisions barred the Commission from focusing on areas such as health care, education and housing and instead limited its focus to solely "business expansion."

Under the original order, the Advisory Commission was made up of 15 members, in turn representing various communities, such as "health, human services, education, housing, labor, transportation, economic and community development, civil rights and business." Under the new Bush rules only the "business enterprise community" will be represented, undermining the diversity of issues important to the APIA community.

"The Bush Administration's proposal fails to meet the needs of the APIA community," said DNC Deputy-Chair Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA). "For President Bush to think that business priorities outweigh the broader needs of APIA groups — particularly issues such as access to health care and overcoming language barriers — demonstrates a striking unfamiliarity with APIA concerns. This Commission has done great work for millions of Americans, and by limiting its scope and impact President Bush has undermined those efforts."

Posted by Eric at 06:59 PM | Comments (7)

Bush to Asian Pacific Islanders: Forget About the Other Stuff

Rather than having the Asian Pacific Islander American Advisory Commission focus on ways to improve quality of life issues, Bush has ordered the commission to focus only on business issues. From the DNC:

Late last night, the Bush Administration quietly revised an Executive Order passed under the Clinton Administration that created an Advisory Commission charged with improving the overall quality of life for the Asian Pacific Islander American (APIA) Community. The revisions barred the Commission from focusing on areas such as health care, education and housing and instead limited its focus to solely "business expansion."

Under the original order, the Advisory Commission was made up of 15 members, in turn representing various communities, such as "health, human services, education, housing, labor, transportation, economic and community development, civil rights and business." Under the new Bush rules only the "business enterprise community" will be represented, undermining the diversity of issues important to the APIA community.

"The Bush Administration's proposal fails to meet the needs of the APIA community," said DNC Deputy-Chair Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA). "For President Bush to think that business priorities outweigh the broader needs of APIA groups — particularly issues such as access to health care and overcoming language barriers — demonstrates a striking unfamiliarity with APIA concerns. This Commission has done great work for millions of Americans, and by limiting its scope and impact President Bush has undermined those efforts."

Posted by Eric at 06:59 PM | Comments (7)

Comedy Monday

"A Bush administration official told Congress yesterday that the war in Iraq could cost almost 60 billion dollars. President Bush said he plans to pay for it with a video series called 'Prison Guards Gone Wild." Conan O'Brien

"Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Baghdad this week where he told reporters, 'If anyone thinks I'm here to throw water on a fire, they're wrong.' So, more bad news for Iraqi prisoners who are on fire." Jimmy Fallon

"According to a new study on the best and worst US cities for dating, the best city for dating is Austin, Texas. And the worst city for dating, for the 7th year in a row, DateRapeville, Maine." Jimmy Fallon

"Colorado has passed a law that gives every high school student in the state $2,400 to attend a university. The governor said, "it's my dream that every child has enough money to attend college...for 8 days"." Jimmy Fallon

"Madonna has gone to court in an attempt to stop hikers from walking across her property in England. She should try playing Madonna music, that would keep people away." Tina Fey

"President Bush delivered a commencement speech at a university in Wisconsin. A very inspirational speech. Apparently Bush told the students, 'You can do anything in life if your parents work hard enough.'" Conan O'Brien

"Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Baghdad where he visited Abu Ghraib prison. Apparently, the visit was going well until Rumsfeld took out his camera and said, 'Hey, how about a few pictures?'" Conan O'Brien

---

Dusty Scott: Ten Worst Album Covers of All Time.

The Onion: Bush Vows To Pay Closer Attention To Needs Of Non-Presidents.

The Onion: Woman At Farscape Convention Has Dangerously Inflated Self-Image.

Humor Gazette: Bush says terrorists are behind Newsweek approval rating poll.

whitehouse.org: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Briefs America's FREEDOM® -Crusaders on Kinder, Gentler New Guidelines for Interrogating Maybe-Terrorist Trash.

whitehouse.org: Decorate Your Room With Vintage Ronald Reagan Health Posters! .

RedefeatBush.com: Bush on Jeopardy

Celebs without Makeup

---

Click down for comics

Posted by Eric at 06:56 PM | Comments (3)

Comedy Monday

"A Bush administration official told Congress yesterday that the war in Iraq could cost almost 60 billion dollars. President Bush said he plans to pay for it with a video series called 'Prison Guards Gone Wild." Conan O'Brien

"Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Baghdad this week where he told reporters, 'If anyone thinks I'm here to throw water on a fire, they're wrong.' So, more bad news for Iraqi prisoners who are on fire." Jimmy Fallon

"According to a new study on the best and worst US cities for dating, the best city for dating is Austin, Texas. And the worst city for dating, for the 7th year in a row, DateRapeville, Maine." Jimmy Fallon

"Colorado has passed a law that gives every high school student in the state $2,400 to attend a university. The governor said, "it's my dream that every child has enough money to attend college...for 8 days"." Jimmy Fallon

"Madonna has gone to court in an attempt to stop hikers from walking across her property in England. She should try playing Madonna music, that would keep people away." Tina Fey

"President Bush delivered a commencement speech at a university in Wisconsin. A very inspirational speech. Apparently Bush told the students, 'You can do anything in life if your parents work hard enough.'" Conan O'Brien

"Donald Rumsfeld made a surprise visit to Baghdad where he visited Abu Ghraib prison. Apparently, the visit was going well until Rumsfeld took out his camera and said, 'Hey, how about a few pictures?'" Conan O'Brien

---

Dusty Scott: Ten Worst Album Covers of All Time.

The Onion: Bush Vows To Pay Closer Attention To Needs Of Non-Presidents.

The Onion: Woman At Farscape Convention Has Dangerously Inflated Self-Image.

Humor Gazette: Bush says terrorists are behind Newsweek approval rating poll.

whitehouse.org: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Briefs America's FREEDOM® -Crusaders on Kinder, Gentler New Guidelines for Interrogating Maybe-Terrorist Trash.

whitehouse.org: Decorate Your Room With Vintage Ronald Reagan Health Posters! .

RedefeatBush.com: Bush on Jeopardy

Celebs without Makeup

---

Click down for comics

Posted by Eric at 06:56 PM | Comments (1)

Hamster Numbers: Uninsured

From covertheuninsuredweek.org:

New Yorker. THE GRAY ZONE: How a secret Pentagon program came to Abu Ghraib
AP. 28 Iraqis Killed in Recent Clashes
AP. Two Iraqi Women Killed in Bus Attack
Gen. Wesley Clark. Broken Engagement: The strategy that won the Cold War could help bring democracy to the Middle East-- if only the Bush hawks understood it
LAT. Ad watch: Bush ads accuse Kerry of flip-flop on education
AP. Rove praises Illinois GOP for voter registration, touts Bush's record
AP. Powell criticizes Arab governments; Secretary of state says response to Berg killing insufficient
Houston Chronicle. New books due out soon not likely Bush favorites
Reuters. Kerry Shifts Campaign Focus from Iraq to Economy
NYT. Bush Letter Sees Promise of Stem Cells
NYT. Accused G.I.'s Try to Shift Blame in Prison Abuse
WP. Pioneers Fill War Chest, Then Capitalize
AP. Poll: Bush Job Approval Hits New Low
WP. Massachusetts Clergy Are Divided On Eve of Historic Same-Sex Unions
Reuters. From GOP, Zero Tolerance For Democratic War Critics
WP. Tobacco States Fume Over Bush Remarks: President Says He Opposes a Buyout for Growers, Angering Some From His Party
Reuters. Massachusetts to allow same-sex marriages starting Monday
CNN. Pentagon denies prison scandal stems from secret program gone awry

Posted by Eric at 11:37 PM | Comments (1)

Military Times: "failure of leadership at the highest levels"

From the Military Times editorial board:

But the folks in the Pentagon are talking about the wrong morons.

There is no excuse for the behavior displayed by soldiers in the now-infamous pictures and an even more damning report by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. Every soldier involved should be ashamed.

But while responsibility begins with the six soldiers facing criminal charges, it extends all the way up the chain of command to the highest reaches of the military hierarchy and its civilian leadership.

The entire affair is a failure of leadership from start to finish. From the moment they are captured, prisoners are hooded, shackled and isolated. The message to the troops: Anything goes.

In addition to the scores of prisoners who were humiliated and demeaned, at least 14 have died in custody in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army has ruled at least two of those homicides. This is not the way a free people keeps its captives or wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious world ...

This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level. This was a failure that ran straight to the top. Accountability here is essential — even if that means relieving top leaders from duty in a time of war.

Posted by Eric at 02:59 PM | Comments (3)

Military Times: "failure of leadership at the highest levels"

From the Military Times editorial board:

But the folks in the Pentagon are talking about the wrong morons.

There is no excuse for the behavior displayed by soldiers in the now-infamous pictures and an even more damning report by Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. Every soldier involved should be ashamed.

But while responsibility begins with the six soldiers facing criminal charges, it extends all the way up the chain of command to the highest reaches of the military hierarchy and its civilian leadership.

The entire affair is a failure of leadership from start to finish. From the moment they are captured, prisoners are hooded, shackled and isolated. The message to the troops: Anything goes.

In addition to the scores of prisoners who were humiliated and demeaned, at least 14 have died in custody in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Army has ruled at least two of those homicides. This is not the way a free people keeps its captives or wins the hearts and minds of a suspicious world ...

This was not just a failure of leadership at the local command level. This was a failure that ran straight to the top. Accountability here is essential — even if that means relieving top leaders from duty in a time of war.

Posted by Eric at 02:59 PM | Comments (0)

May 15, 2004

The Unpopular President: Bush Rating Hits New Low

From a Newsweek poll:

May 15 - As his administration grapples with the fallout from the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, President George W. Bush’s approval ratings have dropped to 42 percent, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll, a low for his presidency. Fifty-seven percent say they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq. And 62 percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States, a number that has been steadily increasing since April, 2003, when it was 41 percent.

On the presidential race:

Still, when pitted in a hypothetical two-way race with Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, Bush holds his own. Forty-five percent of Americans say they would vote for Bush; 46 percent say they would support Kerry and 9 percent remain undecided.

Posted by Eric at 07:42 PM | Comments (6)

The Unpopular President: Bush Rating Hits New Low

From a Newsweek poll:

May 15 - As his administration grapples with the fallout from the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, President George W. Bush’s approval ratings have dropped to 42 percent, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll, a low for his presidency. Fifty-seven percent say they disapprove of Bush’s handling of the war in Iraq. And 62 percent say they are dissatisfied with the way things are going in the United States, a number that has been steadily increasing since April, 2003, when it was 41 percent.

On the presidential race:

Still, when pitted in a hypothetical two-way race with Sen. John Kerry, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee, Bush holds his own. Forty-five percent of Americans say they would vote for Bush; 46 percent say they would support Kerry and 9 percent remain undecided.

Posted by Eric at 07:42 PM | Comments (3)

Lying Liar: New Yorker Magazine Says Rumsfeld and Aide Backed Harsh Tactics

More poop to hit the fan shortly. NY Times:

The article, by Seymour M. Hersh, reports that Mr. Rumsfeld and Stephen Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, approved the use of the tougher interrogation techniques in Iraq in 2003 in an effort to extract better information from Iraqi prisoners to counter the growing insurgency threat in the country.

Across the Bush administration, officials on Saturday disputed several of the critical details in Mr. Hersh's article. They said that there was no high-level decision or command that they were aware of to use highly coercive interrogation techniques on Iraqi prisoners.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who has apologized for the abuses, has said that the prison abuses were conducted by lower-level military forces without the approval of senior commanders.

Sign the DCCC's petition to have Rummy fired.

Posted by Eric at 07:24 PM | Comments (41)

Lying Liar: New Yorker Magazine Says Rumsfeld and Aide Backed Harsh Tactics

More poop to hit the fan shortly. NY Times:

The article, by Seymour M. Hersh, reports that Mr. Rumsfeld and Stephen Cambone, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence, approved the use of the tougher interrogation techniques in Iraq in 2003 in an effort to extract better information from Iraqi prisoners to counter the growing insurgency threat in the country.

Across the Bush administration, officials on Saturday disputed several of the critical details in Mr. Hersh's article. They said that there was no high-level decision or command that they were aware of to use highly coercive interrogation techniques on Iraqi prisoners.

Mr. Rumsfeld, who has apologized for the abuses, has said that the prison abuses were conducted by lower-level military forces without the approval of senior commanders.

Sign the DCCC's petition to have Rummy fired.

Posted by Eric at 07:24 PM | Comments (5)

New Hamster Supporter

Show your liberalism!

"T-shirts, political buttons, bumper stickers, window decals and more." From Idiots4Bush.com.

Posted by Eric at 07:19 PM | Comments (485)

New Hamster Supporter

Show your liberalism!

"T-shirts, political buttons, bumper stickers, window decals and more." From Idiots4Bush.com.

Posted by Eric at 07:19 PM | Comments (1)

May 14, 2004

Friday