It's Going To Take Some Work

But, we all hope the truth does, ultimately, come out about Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan. The really sad thing is - the folks in charge obviously don't want the truth to be told.

Tillman? Never Heard of Him.

Donald Rumsfeld is evidently refusing to testify before Henry Waxman’s committee regarding the death of Pat Tillman. This comes on the heels of Fred Fielding refusing to release documents to the committee regarding Tillman’s death, citing “executive privilege:” “There is no Executive Privilege claim that holds any water when the matter is the death of an [...]

Technorati Tags: Rumsfled, Tillman, Waxman, Fielding, Afghanistan, Friendly Fire or Murder

Iraq: State of Confusion

One minute there's a report that deaths of American troops are down and you begin to feel a hint of optimism.  Then, up pops a top military hopeful who doesn't sound quite that hopeful.

Mullen Calls For ‘Eventual Drawdown’ Of U.S. Forces In Iraq, Concedes Little ‘Political Progress’

During his Senate confirmation hearing today, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs nominee Navy Adm. Michael Mullen argued that without political and economic progress, “no amount of troops and no amount of time will make much of a difference” in the war in Iraq. “[P]rudence dictates that we plan for an eventual drawdown and the transition [...]

Technorati Tags: Mullen, Iraq War, Joint Chiefs

MSNBC Gets More Viewers

I'm out of this business now and really don't have a dog in the hunt, except to note that news like this will really set off my friends over at the Anti-Keith Olbermann site, www.olbermannwatch.com.  Which reminds me, this might be a good time to get a fresh post ready for the friendly little gang over there and stir things up.  It's been quiet far too long.

MSNBC beats CNN in Sales Prime Demo…

MSNBC announces that it beat CNN in the Sales Prime Demo for July… MSNBC has achieved ratings victory for the month of July over CNN in the adult demographic during sales prime (7:00 pm to 2:00 am ET), according to Nielsen Media Research data. While CNN’s numbers are dropping by double-digit percentages, MSNBC was up [...]

Technorati Tags: MSNBC, CNN, Keith Olbermann, Countdown

Catch 22

There's going to be a lot of debate in the coming weeks over whether things are getting better in Iraq.  My guess is that the optimistic reports will be largely offset by the pessimistic news.  I hope I'm wrong.  But, the Democrats need to be thinking about the possibility that things could start improving...

Good Iraq news bad news for House Dems?

The Washington Post has a story today based on an interview with Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the House Majority Whip, in which the lawmaker very candidly said that if Gen. David Petraeus, the top commander of coalition forces in Iraq, provides a largely upbeat report in September on the progress being made in Iraq, that would spell trouble for House Democrats. The problem would be that it would split [...]

Technorati Tags: Clyburn, Iraq War

The Cost of War

Simply the dollars and sense.

$40 Billion "Surge"

The surge of increased troops in Iraq could cost as much as $40 billion to maintain, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office. In testimony today to the House Budget Committee, CBO assistant director Robert Sunshine says keeping the 30,000 [...]

Technorati Tags: Iraq War, Troop Surge, Congressional Budget Office

More Dirt

More details coming out today about the Pat Tillman story. Now, it seems, there are reports that a diary he kept was destroyed, right after his death.

The Diary....

From a reader:

I served in Operation Desert Storm. After I got out of the military I became a police officer. Reading about Pat Tillman's death, something really stuck out to me: He kept a diary. Major red flag there. As a cop, if we had [...]

Technorati Tags: Tillman

Let's Talk Education

Some thoughts from a native Texan. Of interest, we think, because Texas is (of course) our favorite neighbor.

One of my frequent apologies on behalf of my fellow Texans

You don’t need brains when you have beer. My home state of Texas has much to apologize for, and our wretched contributions to the state of education politics is not the least of it. Decades ago, the right wing strategy of stuffing school boards full of right wing wackos—which is easy to do, since most [...]

Technorati Tags: Texas, Education, State School Board

The Gonzales Saga

It's been going on for a l-o-n-g time.

Partners In Slime?
From the WaPo (Via Froomkin): The accusation that Gonzales has been deceptive in his public remarks has erupted this summer into a full-blown political crisis for the Bush administration, as the beleaguered attorney general struggles repeatedly to explain to Congress the removal of a batch of U.S. attorneys, the wiretapping program and other actions. . . [...]

Technorati Tags: Gonzales, Bush Administration

Ten Paces, Turn, And...

Start typing and talking.  It's the latest little showdown between Fox News/Bill O'Reilly and the bloggers/Daily Kos.  My money's on Kos.

Daily Kos to Bill O’Reilly: “Bring it on, Falafel Boy.”

For those who don’t watch Fox News or read Daily Kos, the 800-pound gorilla of Democratic blogging communities, a brief recap is in order. Daily Kos consists of a few regular writers, who get front page exposure on the site, and thousands of diarists, who get to post their own thoughts and chat amongst themselves. [...]

Tags: Fox News, Bill O'Reilly, Daily Kos

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Argument of the Day

Well, they're lining up.  The lapdog bloggers have apparently gotten their detailed talking points and are trying to spin the Gonzales story in Alberto's favor.  Man, that's a tough sell, it seems to me.  And more than a bit of a stretch.  Read on and see what you think.

Gonzales Told the Truth

How about that - in spite of Democrats (and one or two dimwitted RINOs) saying that Gonzales lied and should be subjected to a special prosecutor, the actual fact is that he told the truth - from Powerline: "Today the [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Specter, Special Prosecutor

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The White House and Global Warming

This explains so many things on so many levels.  It appears the White House is on board with the Global Warming crowd. But it's not simply an honest "conversion".  There's money involved.  And to chase the $$$$, you have to fess up to the fact that the world is getting warmer.

The White House Sees Black Gold in Melting Sea Ice

The Bush administration is worried about missing out on a bonanza of oil and other resources in the Arctic unless Congress approves a treaty that helps determine who has rights to the area's wealth. Arctic sea ice has decreased nearly 20% in the last two decades as the Earth's climate warms, making access to the area easier. The eight countries [...]

Tags: Global Warming, Melting Ice

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The Kids Count

It a growing battle over insurance for our children.  This is a test post.
The Bush Administration’s New Target: Uninsured Kids

The first battle in the war over universal health care has begun, with the Bush administration and its right-wing allies targeting bipartisan legislation to expand and reauthorize the under-funded State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). They're doing so with a slick campaign comprised of lies, distortions and sloganeering that derides the proposed bills as paving the way for socialized medicine. This blitzkrieg against uninsured kids should serve as a wake-up call for Democrats seeking major health care reforms. If President Bush and his spokesmen can tell the American public that, say, we invaded Iraq to stop a potential nuclear attack by Saddam, what's to prevent them from fabricating [...]

Technorati Tags: Health Care, Uninsured Children

Surprise!!

Cheney "hearts" Gonzales.

Cheney is A "Big Fan" of Gonzales

Dick Cheney musters his vanishing popularity on behalf of Alberto Gonzales: Vice President Dick Cheney said Monday that he is a "big fan" of embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. In a [...]

Tags: Cheney, Gonzales

Moving Right Along

Gonzales simply must be feeling the heat...

Inslee to introduce Gonzales impeachment tomorrow.

Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) is introducing legislation that would require the House Judiciary Committee and the House of Representatives to begin an impeachment investigation into Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, in the wake of his damaging testimony last week. The legislation reads: Resolved: That the Committee on the Judiciary shall investigate fully whether sufficient grounds exist [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Inslee, Impeachment

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V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

Singalong now.  Vacation. In the summertime! Even the conservative bloggers don't like this latest development from Iraq.

Iraqi Parliament: We Deserve a Vacation

Does the Iraqi government really want to make a go of it? It’s not easy to see anything good about this development: Laws unpassed, Iraqi parliament calls summer break. "BAGHDAD, July 30 (Reuters) - Iraq’s parliament adjourned for its summer recess on Monday, taking a break until September despite having failed to enact [...]

Tags: Iraqi Parliament, Vacation

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Killing The Vote

It's no secret that electronic voting machines have a lot of critics.  At time, I've felt the criticism was a bit hostile and over the top. I believe I've come around to thinking these gadgets really are NOT good for our elections.  Wonder why?  Because of a growing number of reports like this one...

Hackers Make Quick Work Of Most California Voting Machines

Via SF Gate: State-sanctioned teams of computer hackers were able to break through the security of virtually every model of California’s voting machines and change results or take control of some of the systems’ electronic functions, according to a University of California study released Friday. The researchers “were able to bypass physical and software security [...]

Tags: Electronic Voting Machines

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A New Secret Mission

Tired of the main Iraq War? Looking for new excitement without venturing too far from the center of action?

Novak Leaking More Secrets

For Robert Novak disclosing national security secrets has become a part-time second job. Today's is a doozy. Turkey has a well-trained, well-equipped army of 250,000 near the [Iraqi] border, facing some 4,000 PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] fighters hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq. But significant cross-border operations surely would bring to the PKK's side the military forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the best U.S. ally in Iraq. What is Washington to do in the dilemma of two friends battling each other on an unwanted new front in [...]

Tags: PKK, Kurds, Iraq

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I'm Amazed

This, from Fox News...

All Alone

...Wow. There's literally no one left who will come to Alberto Gonzales's defense anymore, even on Fox News. "We invited White House officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee to defend Attorney General Gonzales," Chris Wallace said today [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Senate Judiciary Committee. Fox News

The Argument

Think Progress notes the two sides of a very important debate.

Rangel speaks against impeachment, fears Cheney presidency.

“In spite of what he said was pervasive corruption in the White House, Charlie Rangel, the dean of New York’s congressional delegation, said today he wouldn’t want President Bush impeached. ‘God forbid!‘ he said.” The reason? “I would vote against impeachment of Bush too because the corruption of the Vice President Cheney would even be worse,” [...]

Fein argues for Bush and Cheney impeachment.

Former Reagan administration lawyer Bruce Fein recently sat down with the editors of the San Francisco Chronicle to discuss how “George W. Bush’s foreign policies are making Americans less safe, and why the president and Vice President Dick Cheney should be impeached.” You can [..]

Tags: Rangel, Impeachment, Fein, Cheney

How Nice

And, how typical.

Bush Administration killed public health report for political reasons

The Washington Post today has a report about how a political aide with no medical experience in the Bush Administration went out of his way to block a report by (now former) Surgeon General Richard Carmona which said that the United States needed to step up to the plate on helping other countries with global [...]

Tags: Washington Post, Carmona, Bush Administration

Creative Reporting

NBC vs MSNBC.  Interesting comparison.

Tillman Story Reveals Shortfalls in NBC’s Journalism

The newest revelations about the circumstances surrounding Pat Tillman’s death are horrifying enough to merit widespread media coverage. But rather than rehashing the details, I think it’s instructive to watch two very different broadcasts, ironically, by two stations with the same parent company: Here’s Jim Miklaszweski on [...]

Tags: Tillman, NBC, MSNBC

Sunday Evening Coming Down

It's been a tiring weekend. Helping folks move, prepping meals, etc.  I'm beat.  But, relaxing finally gives me a chance to skim through some blogs.  And some bloggers ain't happy.

What will it take to end this madness?

I ask this as a serious question. One that requires more than a cry for impeachment, or calls for inherent contempt as a response. Or boycotts, more investigations - even total election domination, for that matter (although that would humiliate the republicans and would be oh-so-satisfying in a schadenfreude kind of way). Pretty much everything is broken. The electoral system, checks and balances, healthcare, the government, our military, infrastructure and any semblance of fairness for at least 75% of the American public. Each day brings more news that is so [...]

Tags: Impeachment, Health Care, Military

Suicides

Our military folks in Iraq.  This is truly sad.

116:

Number of U.S. troop suicides in Iraq, which “does not include several dozen still under investigation, nor any of the many cases back in the U.S.” Editor and Publisher notes that the “rising toll of suicides” is “[o]ne of the [...]

Tags: Suicide

The Anti-O'Reilly Campaign

Olbermann seems to be the quarterback.  But the team is coming together quite nicely. As for me, a busy Friday morphed into a busy Saturday that promises to morph into a busy Sunday. Yawn. And Whew.

Lowes pulls its advertising off O'Reilly

This is rather huge news (even more about it here). The most important advertiser to fall, and the most difficult, is the first. Now the rest (Home Depot) have to explain why they don't care as much as Lowes about threats against Hillary Clinton's life, why they don't care about [...]

Tags: O'Reilly, Lowes, Home Depot, Clinton

Good TV

Just go and watch. If  you didnt' see it already.

Keith Olbermann Updates The Nexus Of Terror And Politics - Creating Terror Scares

On “Countdown” Keith Olbermann talked with Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News about President Bush’s use of trumped up terror alerts to drown out the roar of scandals plaguing his administration. As the heat was turning up on Alberto Gonzales and contempt of Congress charges being brought against Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten, [...]

Tags: Olbermann, Bunch

Oh, For What It's Worth

Anybody surprised?  And, I was born and raised in Iowa...

Bush Approval Hits Low in Iowa

As a back drop to the presidential campaign, SurveyUSA has tracked President Bush’s approval rating in Iowa for more than two years. This month’s 28% approval rating is his lowest ever and coincides with [...]

Tags: SurveyUSA, Iowa, George W. Bush

Finally!

I'm calling it quits for the  night shortly. Another busy day tomorrow.  But,  you just have to know this...

Lowe's pulls advertising from O'Reilly show

Tags: O'Reilly, Lowe's

Can't Take The Criticism

So, they fire back.

Michael Moore Served Subpoena By Bush Administration

(from MichaelMoore.com) Via Raw Story: Filmmaker Michael Moore revealed on Thursday’s “The Tonight Show” with Jay Leno that the Bush Administration had served him with a subpoena regarding his recent trip to Cuba made as part of his new film, Sicko.Moore told the audience that he was notified of the subpoena backstage. “I haven’t even told my [...]

Tags: Michael Moore, Jay Leno, Tonight Show

All You Need To Know

Plain and simple. Here's the bottom line.

Bush insider says administration is out of control.

A senior administration official tells U.S. News, “‘The real problem for Bush now is that it looks like he doesn’t have control over the government.’ … White House officials say [...]

Just For Fun

And because it's Friday. And because it's HOT!

What Your Favorite Ice Cream Flavor Says About You

If your fun tends more to the scientific, check this out.

Ooooooh, shiny!

The folks in charge of the Mt St Helens volcano cam have turned on their new high-definition camera. The image quality is vastly better than what came from the old camera. Volcano geeks [...]

Tags: Ice Cream

Tags: Mount St. Helens, Volcano

Siding With The Bloggers

Well, now.  Seems the White House finally figured out the blogosphere wields a bit of influence.  So...

White House, Rightie Blogs Plot Privilege Defense

RAW STORY REPORTS: “The White House hosted a blogger conference call to discuss the issues surrounding the Bush administration’s use of executive privilege in the probe of the firings of eight federal prosecutors,” wrote Ed Morrissey, who produces the blog Captains Quarters. “The White House arranged the call based on a recommendation by this blog, in [...]

Tags: Captain's Quarters, White House, Ed Morrissey

They've Got The Power!!

Uh, except for one thing. They don't have power. Electrical power. You won't believe the twists in this one.  Let me take you to Baghdad...

Hiding the bad news

For some inexplicable reason, Republicans have been preoccupied for quite some time with Baghdad’s electrical supply, pointing to it as one of the good-news stories that Americans allegedly don’t hear about. The White House urged the media to cover it more a year ago; Tony Snow bragged about Iraq’s electricity-generating facilities; and then-House Speaker [...]

Tags: Baghdad Electricity

Today's Edition of Nonsense

Tony Snow just ain't making much sense these days. My wife noted today that he's starting to sound more and more like Scott M.  Have at it. This is some good Friday night reading..

Helen Thomas to Tony Snow: You’re not speaking English

Today’s White House press briefing was a hoot. A few pesky reporters continued to push Tony Snow to rationalize what appears to be a fairly obvious lie from Alberto Gonzales. Q: Are you saying it was not about the wire-tapping that had already been acknowledged? Snow: I’m saying that acknowledged program, the program the president disclosed to [...]

Tags: Tony Snow, Gonzales, Helen Thomas

The Tillman Story

It continues to look worse and worse.  I've been busy today with family matters (that's what days off are for, right?), so posting tonight will be limited. But, you should know that the details in that Pat Tillman report continue to come out and they continue to absolutely horrible.

Was Pat Tillman the victim of a deliberate hit?

We know that Pat Tillman wasn't the Toby Keith-listening, rah-rah jingoist that the image sold to us by the Administration after his death would have you believe. We know that Tillman believed the war in Iraq was "f***ing illegal" and we also know that he was a devot´ of the writings of Noam Chomsky. It only took three years for the rest of America to catch up with what Tillman knew when he was killed in 2004. But as horrific as the details of Tillman's death have been up to now, it appears that his death bears all the earmarks of a deliberate murder -- dare I say it? A hit on [...]

Tags: Pat Tillman

White House Tours

A new dress code. Naturally.

No Shirt, No Shoes, No Tour

Visitors to the White House are now affronted with a new kind of conservatism: a dress code. Facing stricter guidelines than at the Vatican, tour seekers are now subject to the following rules: no jeans, sneakers, shorts, mini-skirts, T-shirts and tank tops and, especially, [...]

Tags: White House, Dress Code

Oh,Now, This is Really Bad

Simply shouldn't be happening..

Drunk Astronauts Launched into Space

A NASA panel found that drunken astronauts were allowed to fly despite warnings about their alcohol consumption, according to an exclusive story by Aviation Week Space Technology. A panel reviewing astronaut health issues in the wake of the Lisa Nowak [...]

Tags: NASA, Drunk Astronauts

A Half A Billion Dollar Embassy

And we have to use slave labor, kidnapped workers, to build it? What's wrong with this picture?

Contractor testifies: Slave labor being used in Iraq to build oppulent US Embassy

In early June, I wrote about a report which suggested that slave-type labor was being used to build the oppulent $600 US embassy in Iraq. That was the first I’d heard of such allegations, and I responded in an unsure way: Now, this is the first report I’ve read about this, and as far as I [...]

US Embassy In Iraq Built By Abducted Slave Labor

Tags: U.S. Embassy in Iraq, Slave labor

Excellent Point

The Democrats need to get together and present a united front, or the momentum of the Gonzales debacle will be lost over the August vacation.

Chasing Alberto

On the same day that FBI Director Robert Mueller contradicted the Tuesday testimony of Alberto Gonzales, Senate Democrats went in seemingly different directions about what to do. Mueller gave them enough ammunition. [...]

Tags: robert Mueller, Alberto Gonzales, FBI, Ashcroft

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Voter Suppression

The gang at Truthout doesn't have a 100% success rate in vetting the information in some of their stories, however they have nailed a few tasty morsels in the past.  This piece, today, might just be the latest to hold up to scrutiny. Assuming the documents are all legitimate, this one has legs.

Exclusive | Emails Detail RNC Voter Suppression in 5 States

Truthout's Jason Leopold and Matt Renner report, "Previously undisclosed documents detail how Republican operatives, with the knowledge of several White House officials, engaged in an illegal, racially-motivated effort to suppress tens of thousands of votes during the 2004 presidential campaign in a state where George W. Bush was trailing his [...]

Tags: Truthout, Jason Leopold, Matt Renner, Voter Suppression

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Income Tax

Unconstitutional?  That's been argued and debated by quacks and constitutional experts for decades. Say Anything blog has snagged an interesting bit of information out of neighboring Louisiana...

IRS Busted?

The IRS has failed to prove to a jury in Louisiana that the income tax is, you know, constitutional. I imagine the ruling will probably be [...]

Tags: Income Tax, IRS

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Next On The List

Karl Rove gets the next subpoena.  That's right.  It's pretty solid evidence that Congressional Democrats are fed up.

‘We simply cannot stand for this any longer’

Dems, and more than a few Republicans, have made it clear for quite some time that Alberto Gonzales should not be the Attorney General, but after the AG’s ridiculous appearance this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which Gonzales appears to have lied rather recklessly, Senate Dems are taking their frustrations to the next [...]

Joe, over at AMERICAblog, has some thoughts on what comes next...

Rove subpoenaed by Senate

Okay, when Rove doesn't respond to the subpoena -- and he won't, play hard ball: cut his salary from the budget, take away his security clearance, make him pay. The guiding principle for Senate Democrats should be: [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Rove, Subpoenas

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He's Kidding, Right?

Nope. Apparently not.

Fred Barnes Argues Bush Will Go Down as Best President Since Lincoln

George Bush's polling numbers are sinking faster than a stone. Despite this, he still has his staunch, if somewhat deluded, defenders. Yesterday during a discussion on the topic of newly released poll numbers that show Bush to be closing in on Richard Nixon's poll numbers at the nadir of the Watergate scandal, conservative editor and commentator Fred Barnes proved once again that the state of denial is alive and well in the Republican Party. Barnes desperately tried to [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Fred Barnes, Richard Nixon

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Withdrawal Planning

Well, now. This is certainly interesting. It does answer Hillary Clinton's main question, but it doesn't indicate any type of timetable.  So, does it really mean all that much?

Breaking: In Letter To Hillary, Gates Confirms "Planning Taking Place" For Withdrawal

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has written a long letter to Hillary Clinton in which he confirms that "planning is taking place" for withdrawal from Iraq. In the letter, which was obtained by [...]

Tags: Robert Gates, Hillary Clinton, Troop Withdrawal, Iraq War

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Not Even A Candidate

But the campaign shakeups are multiplying.

Fred Thompson’s Campaign Shake Ups

Wow, there’s a lot of stories coming out about Fred Thompson’s stealth campaign for the Republican nomination.  Can you imagine if he actually declared?First there was the story of his would be campaign manager being pushed aside, allegedly due to friction with Fred’s wife, Jeri Kuhn, herself a GOP operative. And the next [...]

Tags: Fred Thompson

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Running Out of Recruits

Dismal numbers last month. But, it's no wonder why.

Recruiting

....Army recruiting, which seemed like it was picking up for a while, took a sudden tumble in June. Reenlistments are looking anemic too. BGRS has the details [....]

Tags: Army Recruiting

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Does Fox News Have ANY Credibility?

They've got a real string of "mistakes" going on.  At first, I was buying the "mistakes" excuse.  But, it's beginning to look a bit suspicious...

FOX Nutwork: Still pretending to be news.

On Tuesday, I showed you how the FOX Nutwork continually makes the "mistake" of misidentifying criminal or inconveniently oppositional Republicans as Democrats, and even switching the party identifications in polls where Democrats are beating Republicans. Well, they're still at it. "Accidents" will happen. Over and over and over and over and over, apparently. Nutwork "anchor" Brit Hume sets up reporter Jim Angle, thus: [...]

The hazards of Live TV: #24,887

More lower third troubles. FTVLive has a screen grab from yesterday’s Alberto Gonzales testimony where Republican Senator Arlen Specter was misidentified as a Democrat by FNC. Instead of the (R) after his name, there was a (D). You’d think FNC would be more vigilant regarding this sort of error after the Mark Foley incident last [...]

Tags: Fox News, Mistakes, Accidents

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Our Tax Dollars

Our $$$$ is being really well-utilized in Iraq. This really ain't making my day...

More wasted contracts in Iraq

As if we needed to hear of yet another bloated defense contract that has failed to deliver despite healthy costs to US taxpayers, Bechtel is the latest contractor to be cited though it is still up for debate who is at the center of this costly failure. Whether the problem is with USAID who oversaw the contract or Bechtel, the end result is yet another taxpayer funded fiasco. The American middle class [...]

Tags: Iraq Reconstruction, Bechtel

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It's Good Stuff

It really is.  But Gonzales blew it.

Countdown: Leahy Doesn’t Buy White House Lies

Earlier today we posted this story about newly released documents proving Attorney General Alberto Gonzales lied yesterday during his testimony before the Senate. On tonight’s “Countdown” Keith Olbermann talks with David Shuster and Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Patrick Leahy, about Gonzo’s perjury, Executive Privilege and the vote today in the House [...]

Tags: Countdown, Olbermann, Leahy

Another Editorial Worth Your Time

AMERICAblog has found another.  And it, too, is good.

Froomkin: Could al-Qaeda possibly have found a better publicist than President Bush?

It's a rhetorical question. Of course, the answer is no. In the column today, Froomkin outdoes himself -- and that's a pretty high standard: "Like any terrorist organization, al-Qaeda wants attention. It wants to be perceived as powerful. And it particularly wants Americans to live in fear. Could [...]

Tags: al Qaeda, Froomkin

Big News of the Evening

Just after I put together the earlier posts, THIS news broke. It dominated the first segment of Countdown tonight. It's easy to see why...

BREAKING: Documents Contradict Gonzales’ testimony

We have documentation now, Congress.  C’mon, is there another “Contempt of Congress” charge on the horizon?   USA Today: Documents show that eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration’s terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. The documents, obtained by The [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Contempt of Congress, Terrorist Surveillance Program

Assaulting Cheney

That's right. That's the charge.  This is what happened:

Cheney Criticizer Arrested for “Assault”

Ah…another day, another story of how Cheney is dragging this country closer to 1930s Germany…   Cliff Schecter: A man walked up to Dick Cheney, calmly told him he thought his Iraq policy was reprehensible, and walked away. A few minutes later he was arrested by the Secret Service, in front of his 8-year-old son, for “assault”. When [...]

Tags: Cheney Assault, Iraq War

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He Just Doesn't Get It

Bill O'Reilly is seriously going to say something that's going to get him in real trouble one of these days. He's so close to crossing that line, his toes must be cramped to hold him back..

O’Reilly On His Message Board: ‘When We See Objectionable Things, We Take It Off Immediately’

Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly has embarked on a smear campaign to marginalize the netroots through a full frontal assault on the Daily Kos site. First, he was able to pressure JetBlue into distancing itself from the upcoming YearlyKos convention. Now, he is focused on preventing presidential candidates from attending the conference next week. Last night [...]

UPDATE:  This may be the quote that does it.  It's not directly from Bill-O, but he hasn't removed it from his website...

BillOReilly.com: "If [Hillary] wins... my guns are loaded"

UPDATE 2: AMERICAblog is all over this story, helped by other liberal bloggers:

BREAKING: Secret Service looking into anti-Hillary threats on Bill O'Reilly's Web site

Tags: O'Reilly, Daily Kos, JetBlue

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It's Getting Really Rough

Rough times, indeed, for the President of the United States. Seems he can't catch a break from anybody. Anywhere.

Bush's Unpopularity Topped Only By Nixon's

The Washington Post reports that President Bush is the most unpopular president "in the history of modern polling" with the exception of Richard Nixon. Bush's disapproval rating is now at 65%. Nixon's, 4 days before his resignation, was 66%. "The historic depth of Bush's public standing has whipsawed his White House, sapped his clout, drained his advisers, encouraged his enemies and jeopardized his legacy. Around the White House, aides make gallows-humor jokes about [...]

Tags: Unpopular President, Washington Post

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Recruiting Woes

Seems a lot of potential recruits are being talked out of joining the Army.  By parents and other influential folks in their lives.  So, the Army takes the next logical step.  Bring in the big guns.  The heavy hitters.  The recruiters who can overwhelm the potential recruits, their families and friends.

Army Times: Army orders surge in recruiters

Yet more evidence of the strain the Army is under because of the Iraq War as it tries to meet its goal of 80,000 new recruits this year. Army Times reports that the Army has ordered 1,106 soldiers, former recruiters, away from their current assignments and back to recruiting duty starting on Friday. Army officials said recently that they were having significant difficulties getting new recruits because [...]

Tags: Army, Recruiters

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The List Grows Longer

We now have two (count 'em, two) prominent cable news anchors who have decided to produce their own segments, editing out stories about stars in trouble with the law. I'm with ya' on this one!  It's one of the reasons I got out of the biz.

Now Cafferty Takes A Stand

First MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski refused to read, tried to burn, then shredded her script regarding the release of Paris Hilton [...]

Tags: Cafferty, CNN, Lohan, Hilton, Brzezinski

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Feeling Safe?

Flying anytime soon?

TSA Warns Airport Security About 'Dry Runs'

The TSA has notified airports to be on the lookout for terrorist “dry runs,” and they have good reason to be worried, after numerous suspicious incidents: Airports warned about terror dry runs....So they noticed four of these rehearsals. How many incidents did the geniuses of the TSA fail to notice? We have no way of [...]

Tags: TSA, Terrorist, Dry Runs

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It's Just One Neighborhood

There DOES seem to be a smattering of news that the surge is being successful in some Baghdad neighborhoods.  However, I still don't know what's going to happen when we turn everything over to the Iraqis.  Can they sustain what being reported below?  Or does everything just implode when we leave?  For now, enjoy a glimmer of hope...

"We're not fighting a war here anymore"

Michael Totten's latest from Iraq: We slowly rolled into the market area. Smiling children ran up to and alongside the convoy and excitedly waved hello. It felt like I was riding with a liberating army. Graya'at's streets are quiet and [...]

Tags: Totten, Troop Surge, Graya'at, Baghdad

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Time For A Must Read Editorial

Sometimes the New York Times editorial folks just nail it.  They did today.

NYT editorial: Petraeus wants "surge" to continue another 2 years

Yesterday provided two more frustrating and shameful examples of this denial. One was a new war plan drawn up by America's top military commander and top diplomat in Baghdad that will keep American troops fighting in Iraq at least until 2009. The other was yet one more speech by President Bush that claimed that Iraq was the do-or-die front in the war on terrorism -- rather than a rallying point for extremists and a never-ending drain on [...]

Andrew Cohen, over at the Washington Post, has a great one, too:

Impeach him, charge him with perjury, hold him in contempt … just do something

Andrew Cohen, who writes the Bench Conference online column for the WaPo, summed up the feelings a lot of us had yesterday, after watching Alberto Gonzales make a fool of himself before the Senate Judiciary Committee. No reasonable person watching Gonzales’ tragically comedic performance Tuesday’s on Capitol Hill … can any longer defend his appalling lack [...]

And, of course, the bloggers are right in there, too.  Case in point: Daily Kos:

Contempt For Gonzales

While Congress has yet to issue formal contempt citations for Bush administration officials, there's no doubt that contempt in the old-fashioned sense -- scorn, disdain, distrust, and disgust -- is exactly what they feel for the current attorney general. "The department is dysfunctional [...]

Tags: Patraeus, George W. Bush, Iraq War, Troop Surge

Tags: Gonzales

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Travel Advisory

Hey, you can put the Presidential Palaces in Baghdad on your next trip!

Bachmann On Her Trip To Iraq: It’s Like Visiting The ‘Mall Of America’

Earlier this month, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) traveled to Iraq with a congressional delegation. In an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune, Bachmann said that after her trip, she remains firm in her support for Bush’s escalation: This month, Bachmann traveled to Iraq, and despite more GOP defections from Bush’s base of support, she returned as [...]

Tags: Bachmann, Baghdad, Presidential Palaces

More Gonzales

As if you haven't read and/or heard enough about Alberto Gonzales' testimony today, just take a look at Countdown tonight.  I'll update with a link to video when it's available. Click Here for Countdown Video.  But, wait! There's more!

Gonzales Memo Widened Cheney's Office Access to DoJ Case Info

Yet another dispiriting revelation from Alberto Gonzales' hearing today. During Gonzales' last hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) questioned him about a [...]

Tags: Gonzales, Cheney, DOJ

Healthcare Overhaul

America's healthcare and medical insurance industries need to be "fixed".  No doubt about it.  Premiums keep increasing, deductibles keep increasing, coverage keeps going the other direction. Horror stories abound.  So, there's lots of talk of Universal Healthcare.  Wisconsin, apparently, is set to jump in with both feet.  This blogger doesn't think the higher taxes will go over well with folks who live there.   I'm thinking there needs to be some math involved - comparing current health insurance premiums with the tax increases and looking at what the coverage includes.  If it wipes out deductibles, etc, the tradeoff could be worth it. You'll find the numbers on the link...

Wisconsin To Provide Universal Healthcare

You’d think liberals around the nation would be happy about this program.  You’d think we’d have been hearing about it all over the place.  As it is, the Wall Street Journal (hardly a bastion of liberal sentiment) had to highlight the program in an op/ed.  Wondering why? Maybe it’s because the program highlights the stark reality of socialized medicine: Free health care is expensive: [...]

Tags: Universal Health Care, Wisconsin Health Care

Heck of An Editorial

It's in today's New York Times.Adam Cohen writes:

Just What the Founders Feared: An Imperial President Goes to War

The nation is heading toward a constitutional showdown over the Iraq war. Congress is moving closer to passing a bill to limit or end the war, but President Bush insists Congress doesn’t have the power to do it. “I don’t think Congress ought to be running the war,” he said at a recent press conference. “I think they ought to be funding the troops.” He added magnanimously: “I’m certainly interested in their opinion.” The war is hardly the only area where the Bush administration is trying to expand its powers beyond [...]

Tags: Imperial President, Iraq War, George W. Bush

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He Is, After All, The Decider

And, he apparently decided he wanted the discussion to be quite one-sided.

‘He answered his own questions’

It appears the president isn’t a great listener. The entrepreneur who hosted President Bush last week for a roundtable discussion on health care and small business said yesterday that he could barely get a word in as Bush opined on children’s health insurance and other health topics. If he had, Clifton Broumand would have told the president [...]

Tags: George W. Bush, Health Care, Health Insurance

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Housing Troubles

New indications that not all is rosy in the housing industry.

Not Just Sub-Prime Anymore

....The latest news from the housing bubble:Shares of Countrywide Financial Corp. tumbled today after the nation's biggest mortgage lender signaled that rising defaults and delinquencies are spreading beyond the troubled sub-prime market to higher-quality "prime" loans. ....Countrywide [...]

Tags: Housing Bubble, Mortgage Defaults, Sub-Prime market

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On The Warpath

John at AmericaBlog has really been on a warpath today. And deservedly so.  Much of what we hear from the Administration is a stretch to link to reality.

Bush just said that Al Qaeda is "public enemy number one" in Iraq. It's a flat-out lie, and all of his own experts have said it.

...It's a total, flat-out lie. Alex has already explained this in detail. "Anyone who claims that the so-called al Qaeda in Iraq group is the "principal threat" to anything in that nation -- whether its citizens, the government, the political process, or any specific ethnic or sectarian group -- is either grossly ignorant of the realities of the Iraq war or blatantly lying. I honestly have no [...]

Tags: Iraq War, George W. Bush, al Qaeda

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More Numbers

Pollsters are busy these days.

Poll: Almost 80% of Americans say Bush is too stubborn on Iraq

On the heels of yesterday’s ARG poll which shows that only 25% of Americans approve of the job President Bush is doing, and a new CBS/NYT poll which says that “Half of those polled say the administration talks about the threat of terrorism to gain a political advantage; 39 percent say it is a genuine [...]

TPM Election Central notes another set of numbers from the same poll:

Poll: Bush Approval Lower Than Cheney's

It's hard to imagine that anyone in public life is less popular than Dick Cheney, but a new poll finds that one politician has managed to pull it off: George W. Bush. Take a look at these numbers in [...]

Tags: ARG Poll, Washington Post, New York Times, ABC, CBS

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Confused Yet?

I wouldn't be surprised if you were.  I know it all makes MY head spin.  The testimony changes, the stories conflict, the mind boggles. Oh, yes.  Up is now down and night is day.

Gonzales Contradicts Prior Statements, Confirms Existence Of Other Spying Programs

In his testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales was asked by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) to address inaccuracies in his 2006 testimony in relation to the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. “There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed,” Gonzales said at the [...]

And, the reviews are in:

Alberto, we’re laughing at you, not with you

Gonzales Testimony is a Total Disaster

Tags: Gonzales, Warrantless Wiretap, Specter

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Crystal Ball

Our top military minds are gazing into their Iraq crystal ball, trying to see an image of success.  Are you ready to keep this thing going until 2009?  Not according to most polls.  But, that's what they're hinting at now...

Petraeus Plans For 2009 Already

Even though Bush has told Congress to wait until mid-September and General Petraeus’ fresh update and analysis before legislating any changes in Iraq, that hasn’t stopped his administration and CENTCOM from writing their prescription now. At a time when over 60% of the public wants the troops home in 2008 and wants Congress to call the shots from now on, Bush is already planning to keep spending $10 billion a month well into his successor's first term while telling Congress to back off his [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Petraeus, Centcom

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The Apology

I've been dodging this issue for several days now.  It all has to do with a recent "Countdown" segment that really trashed Wendy Vitter for her clothing during the news conference in which she said she supporter her husband.  He, of course, is the congressman linked to prostitutes.  It was a horrible segment.  I've avoided blogging about it because there was no way to justify it or support what was said.  Last night, Olbermann apologized, even though he was not anchoring the night it happened...

Keith Olbermann Apologizes for Wendy Vitter Countdown Segment…

...Not only was a series of unfortunate and inappropriate terms used, there was no justification for such a segment about what a woman, a victim of her husband's inappropriate behavior was wearing in public. The story should not have aired, it should not have been [...]

Tags: Vitter, Countdown, Olbermann

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Did You Watch?

The YouTube debate was last night.  Honestly, it hit at just the wrong time for me.  So, I've been keeping an eye out for reaction.  Here's a small collection from around the blogosphere.  Let's just say that it seems most people were impressed, to some degree.

Tuesday morning quarterbacking the debate

Video from the debate

You Tube Democrat Presidential Election Debate

I watch debates — so you don’t have to

We also know who DIDN'T watch...

Snow: Bush Isn’t ‘Big On YouTube Debates’

Last night’s Democratic presidential debate, hosted by CNN, allowed ordinary citizens around the country to be heard. By uploading a 30-second video to YouTube, “voters could directly question a presidential candidate during the debate.” Thirty-nine videos were chosen from the 2,989 submitted. CNN will hold a similar debate for the Republican candidates on Sept. 17. [...]

Tags: YouTube, Debate, CNN

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New Orleans Update

The New York Times has a great piece on the healthcare system in New Orleans. It is not in good shape. Surprised?

Patchwork City: For New Orleans, Reviving Health Care System Will Set City’s Future

Of all the factors blocking the economic revival of New Orleans, the shattered health care system may be the most important.[...]

Tags: New Orleans, Katrina, Health Care

Gas Prices

So, how much are you paying for gasoline?  I managed to find some for $2.72, thanks to a grocery store card loyalty card.

Refined Excuses

Been wondering why you’re paying $3.00 a gallon — or more — lately? The main reason, according to Jad Mouawad of the New York Times, is because there’s a bottleneck in US refining capacity, which means that the least little disruption causes higher prices: There have been blazes at refineries in Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and California, [...]

Tags: Gas Prices, Refineries

Why Should It Come To This?

It's just plain tragic when things come down to this level...

Iraq vets sue Bush administration.

A coalition of injured Iraq war veterans filed a class action law suit charging outgoing Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson “of breaking the law by denying them disability pay and mental health treatment.” The lawsuit asks federal court to “order the VA to make immediate improvements that would speed disability payments, ensure fairness in awards [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Law Suit, Nicholson, Veterans

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Ordered by God

Okay, now. This is officially starting to sound more than just a little bit strange.

Crazy Freaky Voters

One of those crazy stupid wacky voters was just on CNN and he informed Kyra Phillips that Bush claimed that God told him to attack Iraq. Kyra thought this was some sort of crazy freak stupid uninformed voter conspiracy theory. True or not, it was reported in [...]

Tags: God Told Bush, Kyra Phillips, CNN

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Campaign $$$$

Some spectacular numbers from the campaign front today. 

Dems Have $100 Million More

We have literally never seen a political landscape like this: So far in the 2008 campaign, Democratic candidates for the White House and Congress, along with the Democratic National Committee and other party committees, have raised a total of $388.8 million, compared with $287.3 million for Republicans, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. The figures include reports filed Friday by the House and Senate party committees for fund raising through June 30. Should that gap persist through the end of next year, it would be the first [...]

Tags: Campaign Financing

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You Never Know

What you'll see in the blogosphere...Here, now, your Monday evening dose of usefull information.  Really!

Because There's Life Beyond Salad Dressings

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The Political War

The pressure builds. But, will the Pentagon respond?

Hillary's war with...

Hillary's war with the Pentagon continues. The latest: She's just joined forces with Senators Webb, Bayh and Byrd, calling in a letter for Senate Armed Services Committee hearings to force the [...

Tags: Clinton, Webb, Bayh, Byrd, Pentagon, Iraq War

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The Romney Record

Greg makes a great point tonight about some of the things Mitt Romney has been saying lately. He seems to really need a fact-checker for his speech writers.

More Adolescent Fibbing About Hillary From Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney often seems a bit like a kind of cross between an oily confidence man and a snickering adolescent. You can easily imagine him running a Three-Card Monte scam in a high-school cafeteria [....]

Tags: Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton

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All You Need To Know

About free enterprise...

Halliburton profits jump.

“Halliburton Co., the world’s second-largest oil services company, said on Monday that second-quarter profit from continuing operations rose 19 percent, topping Wall Street views, helped by [...]

Tags: Halliburton

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Clinton's Latest Project

Former President Bill Clinton has certainly been keeping busy.  Not only helping with his wife's Presidential Campaign, but putting together an imporant new project in Africa. 

How A Former President Should Act

How much you wanna bet we'd never read a story like this about any former President named "Bush"? "DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton launched a program on Sunday to make subsidized malaria drugs available in Tanzania in a test scheme that could serve as a blueprint for Africa as a whole. The project will make life-saving ACT drugs available at [...]

By the way, here's an interesting twist on this story: Bill Clinton Blogs

Tags: Bill Clinton, Malaria Drugs, Tanzania

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Those Missing Years

Quite the weekend revelation from the good senator from right next door in Missouri.  It just didn't come across quite the way he meant it to...

Now he tells us

As E&P reports, ”In a letter to the editor published [yesterday] by The New York Times, Sen. Christopher (”Kit”) Bond of Missouri, an influential Republican, declares that the administration until recently had the “wrong plan” for Iraq for three years. Unfortunately, he did not tell anyone about his concerns until today. Bond’s letter, meant to praise the [...]

Tags: Iraq War, Kit Bond

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Impeachment Chatter

There continues to be a pretty solid stream of chatter about impeachment among bloggers.  I honestly don't see it happening and I'm not sure Congress should devote all the time that would be needed.  There are other, more important, things that need to be addressed.  Still, there are some strong cases being built FOR impeachment...

The Impeachment Express

That the administration is determined to prove itself above the law is certainly sufficient grounds for impeachment, but there is a far more compelling reason to get the impeachment train out of the station. Bush and Cheney are both still sitting around with too much spare time on their hands, and these dudes get dangerous [...]

Tags: Bush, Cheney, Impeachment

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Living In A Bubble

They really are insulated from reality in Washington, aren't they?

Cheney Confused Iraq POW Jessica Lynch With Jessica Simpson

Thought you knew everything about Vice President Dick Cheney? Think again. In Stephen F. Hayes' new biography -- "Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President" -- we learn a few more interesting nuggets about America's favorite hunting partner. He once confused Jessica Simpson with Jessica Lynch. Hayes details how, when the vice president threw out the first pitch before [...]

This book is looking pretty good!  How about another sample?

Quote of the day

Tags: Cheney, Jessica Simpson, Jessica Lynch

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From The Press Release Pile

In the "old days", it WAS a pile of paper.  Now, it's a folder in my inbox or on Bloglines.  In the effort of fairness, I'm telling you right upfront that this is directly from a press release for the author of a new book.  Just remember, you heard about it here, first...

Intelligence Expert Uncovers Disturbing Details of how Corporations Provide Content for the President's Daily Brief

In our Intelligence Community, employees of corporations are handling sensitive government responsibilities including analytical products that are incorporated into our nation's most important and sensitive document, the President's Daily Brief. Intelligence expert Dr. R.J. Hillhouse who revealed the surprising details commented, "Thanks to outsourcing, for-profit companies have the American president's ear on a daily basis and their words carry the weight of the combined intelligence agencies of [...]

Tags: Bush Administration, President's Daily Brief, Hillhouse

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I Get Dizzy

Just reading about this new skyscraper makes me feel a bit woozy. I'm not good with heights to start with, and this just sounds like a stomach-churner...

Looking Down on the Empire State Building

A 1,680-foot skyscraper under construction in Dubai has been declared the world's tallest building by its developers - its final height when completed is being [...]

Tags: Dubai, Skyscraper

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As Outspoken As They Come

This is Jimmy Breslin.  At his angriest.  As Carl writes at "Simply Left Behind", that's when Breslin does his best writing.  Read on and you'll understand why.

Jimmy Breslin, National Treasure

There are few men like Jimmy Breslin in journalism anymore. You folks outside of New York probably only know Jimmy Breslin if you are of a certain age, and drank Piels' beer. "It's a good drinkin' byeer!" We here in the city know Breslin to be a champion of the common guy, the Joe Lunchbuckets of the world who make things work and fix things when they don't, who go home at night and read a tabloid with a beer and a meat and potatoes dinner. A dying breed, in other words. He's lost a bit off his fastball as he's gotten older, but occasionally can crank out a high hard one when he gets angry enough. Today, he got angry enough: "The war was there to take his life because George Bush started it with bold-faced lies. He got this [...]

Tags: Jimmy Breslin, Iraq War, George W. Bush

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