Lets Give Credit, Where Credit is Due
George W Bush has many accomplishments under his wing. Unfortunately for Americans, those accomplishments have cost each one of us dearly. Nevertheless George W Bush is proud of his accomplishments. Therefore lets list some of these accomplishments, and Lets Give Credit, Where Credit Is Due.
•Bush spent the U.S. budget surplus and bankrupted the US Treasury, all in the name of conservatism.
•Bush broke the record for the biggest annual deficit in history.
•Bush set an economic record for the most personal bankruptcies filed in any 12 month period.
•Bush set all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the stock market, and it is still falling.
•Bush set the all-time record for most days on vacation by any President in US history and this was in his first year in office.
•Bush presided over the worst security failure in US history. All this after taking the entire month of August off for vacation.
•Bush set the record for most campaign fund raising trips by any President in US history.
•Bush's first two years in office over 2 million Americans lost their jobs. That number has risen to 12 million and growing.
•Bush cut unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans more than any other President in US history.
•Bush set the all-time record for most real estate foreclosures in a 12-month period. This record will be beaten again this year, due to Bush's economic mess.
•Bush presided over the biggest energy crises in US history and refused to intervene when corruption was revealed. Many of Bush's friends have faced indictment over this.
•Bush cut health care benefits for war veterans. Bush's lack of compassion for the veterans have resulted in 40% of all homeless males are veterans.
•Bush set the all-time record for most people worldwide to jointly take to the streets to protest his war and his policies (17 million people), shattering the record for protest against any person in the history.
•Bush dissolved more International treaties than any President in US history.
•Bush's Presidency is the most secretive and unaccountable of any in US history.
•Bush's cabinet members are the wealthiest of any administration in US history.
•Bush is the first President in US history to have all 50 states of the Union simultaneously face bankruptcy.
•Bush presided over the biggest corporate stock market fraud in any market in any country in the history of the world.
•Bush is the first President in US history to order a US attack and military occupation of a sovereign nation, and he did so against the will of the United Nations and the vast majority of the world.
•Bush created the largest government department bureaucracy in the history of the United States, called the "Bureau of Homeland Security
•Bush set the all-time record for biggest annual budget spending increases, more than any other President in US history.
•Bush is the first President in US history to compel the United Nations remove the US from the Human Rights Commission.
•Bush removed more checks and balances, and have the least amount of congressional oversight than any Presidential in US history.
•Bush called the entire United Nations irrelevant. Bush also withdrew from the World Court of Law.
•Bush refused to allow inspectors access to US prisoners of war and he no longer abides by the Geneva Conventions.
•Bush the first President in US history to refuse United Nations election inspectors access during the 2002 US elections.
•Bush holds the record for the most corporate campaign donations.
•Bush's largest all-time contributor was Ken Lay the embattled CEO of Enron.
•Bush is the first US President to establish a secret shadow government.
•Bush took the world's sympathy for the US after 9/11, and in less than a year made the US the most resented country in the world.
•Bush is the first US President in history to have a majority of the people of Europe (71%) view his Presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and stability.
•Bush changed US policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts. Many are close political allies of Bush and his father.
•Bush has removed more freedoms and civil liberties for Americans than any other president in US history.
• Bush has at least one conviction for drunk driving in Maine.
(Texas driving record has been erased and is not available).
•Bush was AWOL from the National Guard and deserted the military during time of war.
•Bush refused to take a drug test or even answer any questions about drug use.
•Bush's records as Governor of Texas have been hidden in his father's library in a secret chamber.
•Bush's records of any SEC investigations into his insider trading or bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
•The minutes of meetings of any public corporation for which Bush served on the board are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.
•The records or minutes from meetings Bush and Cheney attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.
As America moves further into the pit of war, and into the twilight of economic despair, we should never forget where we once was as a nation, and we should not be afraid to look at where we are today.
The coming year will give opportunity to choose new leaders, and as we think of where we once was and where we are today, "Lets give credit, where credit is due."
******************
Listen in the archives to Lydia's interview with Charlie Savage, Pulitzer prize winning journalist from the Boston Globe, who broke the story on Bush's signing statements (usurping the Geneva Convention's torture ban, among other things.) Charlie’s new book is titled… "Takeover: The Return of the Imperial Presidency and the Subversion of American Democracy." NATIONAL REPORTING
Don't forget, Congressman and Democratic presidential contender DENNIS KUCINICH will be our guest on on Monday September 17!
The Basham and Cornell Show broadcasts weekday mornings at 8 a.m. Pacific (11 a.m. Eastern). All shows are simulcast on the Internet (and archived) and can be listened to at BASHAM & CORNELL SHOW
Labels: bush, bush corruption, war
posted by Larry at
8:00 AM
148 Comments:
Please listen today to Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Savage discuss the story he broke on Bush's signing statements.
By
Lydia Cornell, at 6:58 AM
Sorry if buffering stream wasn't working yesterday. The Elizabeth Edwards interview is up now and should be working.
We are trying to get new equipment, but have to pay for it out of pocket.
Thanks for listening. These are great guests.
By
Lydia Cornell, at 7:54 AM
Lydia,
Excellent items in a series. May I post them at From the Left?
It's so peculiar looking at these items in a series. How can Pelosi continue to insist "Bush isn't worth impeaching?"
Oh well. Next stop: the Iran war and the battle over the next AG, Ted Olson.
By
Christopher, at 9:42 AM
YOu missed one, Lyd.
- Bush: Worst. President. Ever.
By
Carl, at 11:38 AM
The most prominent figure in a U.S.-backed revolt of Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida in Iraq was killed Thursday by a bomb planted near his home in Anbar province, 10 days after he met with President Bush, police and tribal leaders said.
Abdul-Sattar Abu Risha was leader of the Anbar Salvation Council, also known as the Anbar Awakening -- an alliance of clans backing the Iraqi government and U.S. forces.
I thought the "surge" was working!
By
Larry, at 1:45 PM
Just yesterday on CNN, Wolf Blitzer asked John Boehner, the leader of the GOP in the House, this question (video on Horse's Mouth):
"The loss in blood, the Americans who are killed every month, how much longer do you think this commitment, this military commitment is going to require?"
And Mr. Boehner responded:
"The investment that we're making today will be a small price if we're able to stop al Qaeda here, if we're able to stabilize the Middle East, it's not only going to be a small price for the near future, but think about the future for our kids and their kids."
What a pathetic creep. Thousands of U.S and Iraqi's have been killed and this neocon says its a small price to pay.
By
Larry, at 1:48 PM
AP:
Oil prices briefly hit a record high and gasoline futures jumped Thursday as refiners reported production problems after Hurricane Humberto hit Texas.
Oil first traded over $80 a barrel on Wednesday after the Energy Department reported declines in crude and gasoline inventories and refinery activity last week.
It's because of the Bush economy!
By
Larry, at 1:50 PM
WASHINGTON, Sep 12 (IPS) - In sharp contrast to the lionisation of Gen. David Petraeus by members of the U.S. Congress during his testimony this week, Petraeus's superior, Admiral William Fallon, chief of the Central Command (CENTCOM), derided Petraeus as a sycophant during their first meeting in Baghdad last March, according to Pentagon sources familiar with reports of the meeting.
Fallon told Petraeus that he considered him to be "an ass-kissing little chickenshit" and added, "I hate people like that", the sources say. That remark reportedly came after Petraeus began the meeting by making remarks that Fallon interpreted as trying to ingratiate himself with a superior.
That extraordinarily contentious start of Fallon's mission to Baghdad led to more meetings marked by acute tension between the two commanders. Fallon went on develop his own alternative to Petraeus's recommendation for continued high levels of U.S. troops in Iraq during the summer.
The enmity between the two commanders became public knowledge when the Washington Post reported Sep. 9 on intense conflict within the administration over Iraq. The story quoted a senior official as saying that referring to "bad relations" between them is "the understatement of the century".
Fallon's derision toward Petraeus reflected both the CENTCOM commander's personal distaste for Petraeus's style of operating and their fundamental policy differences over Iraq, according to the sources.
The policy context of Fallon's extraordinarily abrasive treatment of his subordinate was Petraeus's agreement in February to serve as front man for the George W. Bush administration's effort to sell its policy of increasing U.S. troop strength in Iraq to Congress.
Finally the truth.
By
Larry, at 1:55 PM
- The number of laid off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits rose last week in another worrisome sign that the labor market is weakening.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that new claims for unemployment benefits rose by 4,000 last week to 319,000. It marked the sixth increase in the past seven weeks and was a further sign that the economy is feeling the impact of a steep slump in housing and a spreading credit crisis.
The government reported last week that employers cut 4,000 jobs from payrolls in August, the first monthly job decline in four years.
It's because of the Bush economy!
By
Larry, at 2:01 PM
Tonight, after President Bush makes yet another argument for continuing the war in Iraq, John Edwards will speak directly to the American people in a nationwide address on MSNBC.
Our campaign has bought airtime on MSNBC immediately following the President’s address at 9 p.m., and John Edwards will challenge the President’s remarks with a strong call to the nation to end the war now.
Please watch in that timeframe—and forward this e-mail to your friends, asking them to watch as well. Each of us has a responsibility to make sure that President Bush and Congress understand that the time for excuses has run out. John Edwards will deliver a strong message tonight on our behalf. It’s time to end this war and bring our troops home.
Buying this kind of airtime is expensive. But we believe that President Bush’s address must be countered with a strong voice in opposition to the failed policies that have kept our troops in harm’s way for far too long. Tonight, John Edwards will continue to lead, and make the case to the nation that we cannot wait for an election to change course in Iraq—we as citizens must make Washington understand that the time to end this war is now.
Don’t miss John’s address tonight on MSNBC, immediately following the President.
By
Larry, at 2:04 PM
Christopher:
Feel free to post the items in the post.
We can't forget what Bush has done.
By
Larry, at 2:05 PM
Damn Larry
That is a heck of a list. I am stupified that the idiot gets away with it and he often says it's for our own good like we owe him thanks or something.
What is worse is he has more time to damage us, the middle east, and the world, and he will.
His worst work I am afraid is yet to come. If you don't mind I am going to copy that list so I can look at it again.
By
an average patriot, at 3:28 PM
Larry what a great list.
didn't Alberto Gonzales get Bush's drunk driving conviction erased?
And didn't Bush hire cronies like Mike Brown(ie) to pretend to help the people thru FEMA?
By
Lydia Cornell, at 3:41 PM
Jim:
Feel free to use the list and add to it, there is so much more.
By
Larry, at 4:43 PM
Thanks Lydia,
You're right, those you have named and who knows how many more could fill a magazine.
By
Larry, at 4:43 PM
Thanks, Larry.
The Mofo from Midland is the gift that just keeps giving.
Like drug-resistant syphilis.
By
Christopher, at 5:10 PM
Christopher:
There are dozens more you could add to the list, Lydia named two right off.
By
Larry, at 5:17 PM
Here's another ...
Bush holds the record for the most successful and widespread 'pre-emptive strike' against another sovereign nation.
2nd place goes to Japan for its pre-emptive strike against the United States in 1941.
It took 2 atomic bombs to finally convince Japanese leaders to stop the war that followed its strike ... what will it take to convince our leaders?
By
MCH, at 5:26 PM
"The American people long ago lost faith in the president's leadership of the war in Iraq because his rhetoric has never matched the reality on the ground," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. "The choice is between a Democratic plan for responsible redeployment and the president's plan for an endless war in Iraq."
The American people have also lost faith in you Nancy Pelosi!
By
Larry, at 5:48 PM
Reuters) - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he was late to see the storm gathering around mortgage lending practices and commended his successor Ben Bernanke's handling of the crisis, saying he would likely be responding in a similar fashion.
Most of America knew this, so what good is Greenspan?
By
Larry, at 5:53 PM
DUBAI - A group led by al-Qaida in Iraq said it would soon post a video about a "missing" U.S. military man, according to a statement posted on the Internet on Thursday.
The posting from the media arm of Islamic State in Iraq showed what appeared to be the military identification of the man, next to a picture of a fighter plane, suggesting he was an airman.
Oh the "surge" sure is working!
By
Larry, at 6:28 PM
Republican Corruption News:
Former VECO Corp. CEO Bill Allen testified in the federal trial of former Alaska House Speaker Pete Kott Thursday that he bribed three lawmakers, including the son of GOP Senator Ted Stevens, the Washington Post reports.
Former state Senate president Ben Stevens, son of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens, was implicated along with Kott and state Rep. Vic Kohring.
Allen and former VECO vice president Rick Smith have already entered guilty pleas and are awaiting sentencing.
#
By
Larry, at 6:58 PM
Thank you for printing something positive about George W. Bush. See, he does too have some accomplishments.
Who Hijacked Our Country
By
Tom Harper, at 7:00 PM
Thanks Tom, Bush deserves credit for so much.
By
Larry, at 7:03 PM
Mike, sorry the link wasn't working the other day.
I think the stream was rebuffering and should be up now.
But for some people it was working.
Thanks Mike!
By
Lydia Cornell, at 7:08 PM
Great article Larry. I'm not sure about that one figure about days on vacation though. I know he just recently broke that record, beating Ronald Reagan, but he just did that, not his first year in office. What is that statistic based on? Just curious. But great article.
Hey did anyone see John Edwards commercial on MSNBC tonight? He looked and sounded like he found his sea legs. For the first time I thought he looked and sounded presidential.
By
BARTLEBEE, at 7:19 PM
George W Bush is continuing in the long tradition of republicans starting something they can NOT finish.
John Foster and Allen Dulles started interfering in Vietnam in 1954, blocking elections for democracy in 1956, and created SEATO before the end of Dwight W Eisenhower's administration so future presidents would be saddled with their illegal interference with a foreign country. They used the CIA to attack targets in Hanoi, and sent in Military advisers to set up a government and military in South Vietnam wholly created US enterprise against the will of 90% of the Vietnamese people which never accepted that illegitimate government from Washington. As time wore on each successive president ratcheted up the use of force and the military until the TET offensive showed NO amount of military power from the US short of complete colonization and subjugation of the Vietnamese people to the US would "win" that war.
The Dulles brothers also used the CIA to over throw a democratically elected government in Tehran Iran to install the shah at the behest of the British and international oil corporations, so they could plunder the oil which by rights belonged to the Iranian people NOT any greedy American or British Oil corporation. This worked for the Oil Corps and US CIA until 1979 when the Iranian people ran the Shah out and reclaimed their country from the puppet of Washington.
Thus the two greatest foreign policy disasters of the second quarter of the 20th century began with reichwingers in Eisenhower’s administration, which they handed to the American people to finish the mess they created. (And the idiot apologists of the reichwing claim they are better at foreign policy?)
After the end of the Vietnam War people said never again, UNTIL Ronald Reagan became pResident, then he started running weapons to the Iranians even though he claimed they were mortal enemies of the US, and arming Saddam to attack Iran for the US. T the same time Reagan was arming the jihadists in Afghanistan to attack the soviets, including the future Taliban and Osama bin laden. (Nice of Reagan to set both of them up wasn’t it?)
At the same time Ollie North was running weapons to Iran, he also was sending arms to the contras fighting a democratically elected government in Nicaragua, with the aid of Manuel Noriega. (Which George H W Bush had to overthrow because Noriega was running drugs with the CA and wouldn’t stop after they didn’t need him anymore… (Nice of Georgie’s daddy to clean up that mess wasn’t it), too bad he left Saddam as a problem for future generations after helping set him up in the 1980’s, instead of accepting the Dulles brothers screw up from the 1950’s.
Well in the great tradition of reichwingers Georgie attacked Saddam and Iraq, made a complete fiasco of it, and wants to FORCE future generations and presidents to continue his fiasco by setting up the US in Iraq with permanent bases and military involvements instead of admitting He violated US law, UN charter and the Geneva Convention, and started a war of aggression against a sovereign country which neither attacked the US nor did they attack the US on 9-11 no matter how much GWB or Dead Eye lie about it.
Seems the reichwing loves to start things they can’t handle or finish and leave it to the rest of us to clean up for them, too bad the democrats in congress are too gutless to stop Georgie this time, after all they have 50 years of reichwing screw ups to go by.
By
clif, at 7:29 PM
Thanks Bartlebee:
The list needs updated and Bush probably has logged more time at Camp David than all the others, much less his chicken ranch in Texas.
By
Larry, at 7:41 PM
Clif:
Your article is exactly what Bush is doing in the Mideast.
Leaving the mess for someone else.
By
Larry, at 7:42 PM
Larry he is just doing what the reicgwingers in the republican party have done for decades.
In some way he doesn't know how to do anthing but screw up and leave it to others to try and clean up.
Afer all that is the republcan tradition, starting after WW2, and even before if you consider how poorly Hoover preformed during the worst economic disaster in the country's history, he left it to FDR to clean up.
By
clif, at 7:49 PM
Clif;
If Bush doesn't stop, he will leave another World War to be cleaned up.
By
Larry, at 7:53 PM
Larry condsidering the moves Russia, China and others are making both economicaly and militarily, he might have already done far too much on that front.
The US is becoming a untrusted and unwanted outcast on the worlds stage, and with the broken miliary thanks to Georgie(and the sycophant reichwing),we can't shove too many coutries around anymore. (The Iranians have already figgered that one out).
By
clif, at 8:01 PM
Well you're not wrong about him taking more vacation time than any president in history. He has.
Its just that was a milestone he just surpassed last month. Not his first year.
Thats all I was saying.
By
BARTLEBEE, at 8:02 PM
Where did Bush get 38 countries helping in his war? He can't even get 3.
By
Larry, at 8:04 PM
Bartlebee:
Bush spent at least a month during Katrina on his chicken ranch, in fact his first term he war there as much as anywhere.
By
Larry, at 8:05 PM
According to the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) expects to receive emails and other documents from the White House regarding the Jack Abramoff bribery scandal in the next few days.
Abramoff pled guilty to wire fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials in January 2006. Those officials included Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), an Ohio Congressman who is now serving 30 months in jail, and David Safavian, former erstwhile head of Bush's General Service Administration, a $300 billion agency which doles out government contracts.
A month later, a photograph of Abramoff appearing with President Bush appeared in The New York Times. White House officials have long sought to distance themselves from Abramoff, despite a personal friendship between Rove and the onetime lobbyist that dates from their days as College Republicans.
Another photograph of Bush and Abramoff (above) surfaced in January 2007.
Waxman requested documents regarding Abramoff from the White House earlier this year. His staff declined to provide information about what exactly he is seeking.
"The result of that document production is likely to determine the next steps for the Oversight Committee, said sources.
Getting closer to Bush!
By
Larry, at 8:06 PM
Hey Bartlebe, you sure your not interpretting this question wrong............the way I see it is that Bush took more vacation during his first year in office than any other president did in their first year...........i'm assuming your interpretting this as Bush took more vacation in his first year than ANY other president did in all their years..............which seems riddiculous particulary when you consider FDR was in office for 16 years, so unless FDR didnt take any vacation in 16 years or Bush was on vacation for allmost the entire year that is unlikely.
But like I said Bush taking more vacation his first year than any other president did their first year is VERY likely.
By
Mike, at 8:12 PM
Thanks Lydia, i'll go try to listen to the interview again.
By
Mike, at 8:13 PM
You have to admit, Bush took more vacations than anyone in memory, and if Clinton would have took half that many they would have lynched him.
By
Larry, at 8:15 PM
Capitol Hill Police "football tackled" Hip Hop Activist who was in line to enter hearing room for General Petreus' testimony on Capitol Hill
Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president of the Hip Hop Caucus, was attacked by six capitol police today, when he was stopped from entering the Cannon Caucus Room on Capitol Hill, where General Petreaus gave testimony today to a joint hearing for the House Arms Services Committee and Foreign Relations Committee on the war in Iraq.
After waiting in line throughout the morning for the hearing that was scheduled to start at 12:30pm, Rev. Yearwood was stopped from entering the room, while others behind him were allowed to enter. He told the officers blocking his ability to enter the room, that he was waiting in line with everyone else and had the right to enter as well. When they threatened him with arrest he responded with "I will not be arrested today." According to witnesses, six capitol police, without warning, "football tackled him. He was carried off in a wheel chair by DC Fire and Emergency to George Washington Hospital.
Rev. Yearwood was examined for possible head and leg injuries then transferred to Central Processing. He has been charged with "assaulting a police officer."
Rev. Yearwood said as he was being released from the hospital to be taken to central booking, "The officers decided I was not going to get in Gen. Petreaus' hearing when they saw my button, which says 'I LOVE THE PEOPLE OF IRAQ.'"
I thought Bush was fond of the "religious right?"
By
Larry, at 8:23 PM
Excellent post, what a list!
By
Mauigirl, at 8:38 PM
Thanks Mauigirl:
You could probably find 100 more.
By
Larry, at 8:39 PM
That just shows how much of a police state we have become Larry.............Bush allows his brown shirt thugs to do as they please, he gives them the powerr they crave to intimidate others and they give him their loyalty and intimidate his opposition.
By
Mike, at 8:40 PM
we should all donate money to this guy so he can afford to sue these brownshirt thugs.
By
Mike, at 8:41 PM
Mike:
This was a preacher who is against the war.
I keep forgetting Bush only loves warmongers like Robertson and Hagee.
By
Larry, at 8:42 PM
A Democratic Senator was calling the preacher names for protesting.
By
Larry, at 8:42 PM
In some circles, I think this list would be considered a great accomplishment.
By
PoliShifter, at 9:49 PM
“That’s all I said in the unusual silence on Monday afternoon as first aid was being administered to Gen. David Petraeus’ microphone before he spoke before the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees.
It had dawned on me that when House Armed Services Committee Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) invited Gen. Petraeus to make his presentation, Skelton forgot to ask him to take the customary oath to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I had no idea that my suggestion would be enough to get me thrown out of the hearing.
I had experienced a flashback to a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in early 2006, when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) reminded chairman Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) that Specter had forgotten to swear in the witness, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and how Specter insisted that that would not be necessary.
Now that may or may not be an invidious comparison. But Petraeus and Gonzales work for the same boss, who has a rather unusual relationship with the truth. How many of his senior staff could readily be convicted, as was the hapless-and-now-commuted Scooter Libby, of perjury?
So I didn’t think twice about it. I really thought that Skelton perhaps forgot, and that the 10-minute interlude of silence while they fixed the microphone was a good chance to raise this seemingly innocent question.
The more so since the ranking Republican representatives had been protesting too much. Practicing the obverse of “killing the messenger,” they had been canonizing the messenger with protective fire. Ranking Armed Services Committee member Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) began what amounted to a SWAT-team attack on the credibility of those who dared question the truthfulness of the sainted Petraeus, and issued a special press release decrying a full-page ad in today’s New York Times equating Petraeus with “Betray-us.”
Hunter served notice on any potential doubters, insisting that Petraeus’ “capability, integrity, intelligence … are without question.” And Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, rang changes on the same theme, unwittingly choosing another infelicitous almost-homonym for the charges against Petraeus – “outrageous.”
Indeed, Hunter’s prepared statement, which he circulated before the hearing, amounted to little more than a full-scale “duty-honor-country” panegyric for the general. On the chance we did not hear him the first time, Hunter kept repeating how “independent” Petraeus is, how candid and full of integrity, and compared him to famous generals who testified to Congress in the past – Eisenhower, MacArthur, and Schwarzkopf. Hunter was smart enough to avoid any mention of Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam, who fell tragically short on those traits.
If memory serves, the aforementioned generals and Westmoreland were required to testify under oath. And this was one of the more embarrassing sticking points when CBS aired a program showing that Westmoreland had deliberately dissembled on the strength of Communist forces and U.S. “progress” in the war. When Westmoreland sued CBS for libel, several of his subordinates came clean, and Westmoreland quickly dropped the suit. The analogy with Westmoreland – justifying a White House death wish to persist in an unwinnable war – is the apt one here.
If Petraeus is so honest and full of integrity, what possible objection could he have to being sworn in? I had not the slightest hesitation being sworn in when testifying before the committee assembled by John Conyers (D-Mich.) on June 16, 2005. Should generals be immune? Or did Petraeus’ masters wish to give him a little more assurance that he could play fast and loose with the truth without the consequences encountered by Scooter Libby?
With the microphone finally fixed, much became quickly clear. Petraeus tried to square a circle in his very first two paragraphs. In the first, he thanks the committees for the opportunity to “discuss the recommendations I recently provided to my chain of command for the way forward.” Then he stretches credulity well beyond the breaking point – at least for me:
“At the outset, I would like to note that this is my testimony. Although I have briefed my assessment and recommendations to my chain of command, I wrote this testimony myself. It has not been cleared by, nor shared with, anyone in the Pentagon, the White House, or Congress.”
Is not the commander in chief in Petraeus’ chain of command?
As Harry Truman (D-Mo.) would have said, “Does he think we were born yesterday?”
Why didn't the force Petraeus to go under oath?
By
Larry, at 3:23 AM
The US commander in Iraq Gen David Petraeus expressed long-term interest in running for the US presidency when he was stationed in Baghdad three years ago according to a senior Iraqi official who knew him at that time.
Sabah Khadim, then a senior adviser and spokesman at the Iraqi Interior Ministry, says that Gen Petraeus discussed with him his long term ambition to be president when the general was head of training and recruitment of the Iraqi army in 2004-5.
"I asked him if he was planning to run in 2008 and he said 'no, that would be too soon," said Mr Khadim who now lives in London.
Gen Petraeus has a reputation in the US army for being a man of great ambition. If he succeeds in reversing America’s apparent failure in Iraq he would be a natural candidate for the White House in the presidential election in 2012 or beyond.
That's all we need another lying neocon war lover in power.
By
Larry, at 3:25 AM
Sept. 11 is a totemic date for the Bush administration. It justifies everything, explains everything, ends all argument. It is the crime that must be eternally punished, the wound that can never heal, the moral high ground that can never be taken…
Democrats have effectively challenged the reign of nature and instinct in the domestic realm. But they cower when it comes to war. They are afraid to criticize the irrational, instinctive nature of Bush’s “war on terror” because they believe their political Achilles’ heel is the perception that they are “weak on national security.” They are afraid they’ll be seen as wimps. Beaten down by Republican propaganda that asserts that America’s only choice is between the GOP’s macho John Wayne and the Democrats’ dithering Hamlet, they pathetically don their cowboy hats and tank helmets, a tactic that actually reinforces the very image of weakness it is intended to dispel. Unchallenged by the Democrats, the right wing’s master narrative about American power and the need to carry a big stick has carried the day…
The angry bigotry that drove the war rings out loud and clear in the right-wing battle cry: “They attacked us, so we had to attack them.” The recent TV ads run by war supporters repeat this theme: “They attacked us,” a narrator says as an image of the burning World Trade Center appears. “They won’t stop in Iraq.” The key word here, of course, is “they.” Just who is “they”? For Bush’s die-hard supporters, “they” simply means “Arabs and Muslims.” Cretinous rabble-rousers like Ann Coulter and Michael Savage play to this crowd, demanding that we nuke the evil ragheads. For the establishment, “they” is not quite so explicitly racist. “They” refers not to all Arabs and Muslims, but only to the “bad” ones. The “bad” guys include al-Qaida, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and the militant Palestinians. And, of course, it used to include Iraq (and may again). Anyone who makes this list is eligible for attack by the U.S.
The Republican party: Racists and anti poor.
By
Larry, at 3:29 AM
Ever since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, many Americans have believed that the events of that horrible day changed the United States forever. Each year that has gone by has seen an increase in the number who believe those changes have not been good for the nation.
Fifty-nine percent (59%) of Americans now believe that the events of six years ago changed America for the worse. That’s an increase from 54% a year ago. Just 21% believe that the nation has changed for the better because of that tragedy.
The current results are almost the mirror image of the immediate reaction. Six weeks after the tragedy, 57% thought the nation had changed for the better. That number actually grew to 61% by January 2002. Now, half a decade later, just 21% of American adults hold that optimistic view. Fifty-four percent (54%) say the changes have been for the worse.
A plurality of Republicans (45%) now say the nation has changed for the worse since 9/11. That view is shared by 71% of Democrats and 61% of those not affiliated with either major party.
I think those numbers are low.
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Larry, at 4:01 AM
As of Thursday, Sept. 13, 2007, at least 3,777 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 3,086 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
Bush just loves those numbers.
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Larry, at 4:03 AM
He's also the most delusional President in history, with a juvenile mentality.......make that an infant mentality.
By
Brother Tim, at 6:31 AM
Larry said...
Bartlebee:
Bush spent at least a month during Katrina on his chicken ranch, in fact his first term he war there as much as anywhere.
I know.
Listen to what I am saying Larry. I am NOT saying Bush has not taken more vacation than any US president in history.
He has.
But your article states that he crossed that milestone, in his FIRST year as president.
That is incorrect.
He only RECENTLY passed that milestone.
He HAS taken more vacation than any president in US History. Just NOT during his first year. (although he took a lot of vacation his first year).
By
BARTLEBEE, at 9:23 AM
Mike said...
Hey Bartlebe, you sure your not interpretting this question wrong............the way I see it is that Bush took more vacation during his first year in office than any other president did in their first year.........
Well he didn't say that. If thats what he meant then ok, I could see that, but thats not how he wrote it.
And if it is true, that is a statistic I am not familiar with, although I do believe it is certainly likely. I'd like to see a quote showing that.
I am just pointing out one small thing that I think needs clarifying. Accuracy after all in a published article is pivotal to credibility.
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BARTLEBEE, at 9:25 AM
The British polling agency ORB, has conducted several surveys in Iraq and has concluded that civilian deaths in Iraq may top 1 million.
The military has said civilian deaths from sectarian violence have fallen more than 55% since President Bush sent an additional 28,500 troops to Iraq this year, but it does not provide specific numbers.
According to the ORB poll, a survey of 1,461 adults suggested that the total number slain during more than four years of war was more than 1.2 million.
ORB said it drew its conclusion from responses to the question about those living under one roof: “How many members of your household, if any, have died as a result of the conflict in Iraq since 2003?”
Based on Iraq’s estimated number of households of 4,050,597, it said the 1.2 million figure was reasonable.
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Christopher, at 1:18 PM
Christopher:
I'm surprised the number wasn't near that already.
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Larry, at 1:36 PM
A senior U.S. nuclear official said Friday that North Koreans were in Syria and that Damascus may have had contacts with "secret suppliers" to obtain nuclear equipment.
Andrew Semmel, acting deputy assistant secretary of state for nuclear nonproliferation policy, did not identify the suppliers, but said North Koreans were in the country and that he could not exclude that the network run by the disgraced Pakistan nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan may have been involved.
Another Mideast country with virtually no military for Bush to invade.
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Larry, at 1:37 PM
SAN FRANCISCO — Since contracting polio at age 2, Yan Ling Ho has lived with pain for most of her 52 years. After she immigrated here from Hong Kong last year, the soreness in her back and joints proved too debilitating for her to work.
That also meant she did not have health insurance. Not wanting to burden her daughter, who was already paying her living expenses, Ms. Ho delayed doctors’ visits and battled her misery with over-the-counter medications.
“Sometimes the pain was so bad, I would just cry,” she said. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Last month, unable to bear her discomfort any longer, Ms. Ho went to North East Medical Services, a nonprofit community clinic on the edge of Chinatown, and discovered to her delight that she qualified for a new program that offers free or subsidized health care to all 82,000 San Francisco adults without insurance.
The initiative, known as Healthy San Francisco, is the first effort by a locality to guarantee care to all of its uninsured, and it represents the latest attempt by state and local governments to patch a inadequate federal system.
It is financed mostly by the city, which is gambling that it can provide universal and sensibly managed care to the uninsured for about the amount being spent on their treatment now, often in emergency rooms.
Why can's all of America have this?
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Larry, at 1:41 PM
Reuters) - Las Vegas police questioned O.J. Simpson after a memorabilia dealer told them the former football star and murder defendant robbed him at gunpoint in a Las Vegas casino hotel room, police and other sources said on Friday.
Simpson was not arrested or charged in the Thursday evening incident and was cooperating with the investigation, Las Vegas police said.
Las Vegas Metro police received a call from a person saying he was the victim of an armed robbery at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino, said police Capt. James Dillon.
"The victim stated that one of the suspects involved in the robbery was O.J. Simpson," Dillon said at a news conference. "The items taken were various sports-related products."
Detectives had made contact with Simpson and were arranging to interview him again, Dillon said, adding that police were still looking for "additional subjects" who were with the former star athlete at the time of the incident.
Won't this guy ever go away!
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Larry, at 1:44 PM
By the way Larry. Nice picture of Bush. Where'd you find it?
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BARTLEBEE, at 1:50 PM
DENNIS KUCINICH will be our guest on Monday.
Stay tuned at 8 A.M. KLAV 1230 Las Vegas
or simulcast on the web at bashamandcornell.com
"Listen Live"
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Lydia Cornell, at 1:51 PM
Thanks Bartlebee I got it from another blog.
By
Larry, at 1:53 PM
Four U.S soldiers were killed near Baghdad today.
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Larry, at 2:03 PM
Check this out, folks.
I posted on a blog today that I took exception to Guiliani marrying his cousin.
It just creeps me out. In this culture, in the 21st century, you don't marry family members.
Anyway, the responses were 100% in defense of Guiliani marrying his cousin.
As Guiliani may very well wind up being the next president, I'm curious what you folks think?
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Christopher, at 2:09 PM
Christopher:
You must have been on a right wing blog to get that response.
In most circles that union of relatives is frowned on.
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Larry, at 2:15 PM
Larry,
No. A supposed lefty blog in bed with Hillary!
I like to think my politics are left of a Sandinista but incest is incest is incest.
But hey, it's the 21st century. If things don't work out between Guiliani and Judy (wife #3) he can always marry his daughter, right?
Incest is so very, hmmmm, 18th century? LOL!
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Christopher, at 2:30 PM
Christopher:
Maybe that'a why his kids hate him, they are afraid it is an inherited trait.
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Larry, at 2:32 PM
Maybe that'a why his kids hate him, they are afraid it is an inherited trait.
ROFLMAO! Good one.
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Christopher, at 2:37 PM
U.S. Passes $9 Trillion National Debt
Responsible economic policy, should safeguard the financial status of Americans today, and their children tomorrow. If it meant only today, the Treasury could print money and hand out a million to every man, woman, and child. And for a day, everyone would be well off. Of course, in the ensuing days, America would plunge into a depression and inflation spiral worse than in the 1930’s.
There are many portals through which one can view the economy, and depending on which portal, the economy may look robust or failing. If one looks at the number of hours of work it takes achieve middle class status, there is no question that our parents generation were much better off than we are today. In the 1960's one parent could work, the other stay home and raise kids, keep house, and entertain and network with neighbors. Today, it takes two parents working and nearly double the work hours to achieve middle class quality living for most American families.
On the other hand, if one looks at the net asset wealth of Americans today as in homeownership, the economy looks like a windfall for Americans compared to the 1960's when homeownership was beyond the means of a much larger percentage of workers. Or, if one looks at the percentage of workers in the upper middle class and beyond today as compared to the 1960's, or the percentage of poverty, again it would appear America has grown wealthier, on average.
But, as pointed out in the introductory paragraph, a responsible economy provides for its citizens in the present and future, insuring an ability to withstand market shocks, calamities, and emergencies while keeping the nation's workers and family providers employed, solvent, and able to continue providing for their families, overall.
The past is no guarantor of the future.
America learned this in the most painful and suffering kind of way in 1929, as capitalists tied up so much of the nation's money into so few hands, investing and speculating on the next great profit venture, that the worker - consumers who had supported the rise of the industrial barons of industry, were left out of the wealth distribution loop, and when the stock market crashed, the consumers living from paycheck to paycheck, could not continue purchasing and consuming, and suppliers collapsed, laying off workers, cutting production, and closing retail shops.
By the time the worst had arrived in 1932, the Dow Jones Industrial market lost 89%, before bottoming out. Investors in mid-1929 who held onto their stocks, would not see their stocks recover the losses until 1954. Most would have been in their retirement years by then, only to have broken even on their stock investments in 1929.
Just months before the 1929 crash, few would have said America's economy was not in great shape. But, it wasn't, regardless of popular opinion on Oct. 28, 1929, the day before Black Thursday. The 'roaring twenties' was a decade of celebration of technological innovation and production, from radio, to autos, to aviation, telephone, and expanding electrical power grids. Finding work was so easy, that a mass migration from rural farm communities was underway, ballooning once small towns and cities into major metropolitan areas like Chicago, Detroit and Dallas. And within 5 days, the celebration was over. The economy failed to insure its 'tomorrows', mesmerized by its gains 'today'. The past was no guarantor of the future.
The Present
Today, America has tools to fight what happened in 1929 and prevent it from happening again. The greatest of these tools are statistical forecasting and economic measurements. Trained and objective people armed with these weapons can peer into the future of our children and forecast their economic fate, and issue warnings when the statistics and measures begin painting dark clouds on the economic horizon. But, what if no one heeds the warnings?
This is what is occurring today. The warnings have been issued repeatedly by economic forecasters for more than a decade, now. In fact, it is almost becoming a case similar to crying wolf, in the sense that politicians have begun to turn a deaf ear. In 1995, the Labor Department said it is worried that the retirement prospects for the huge baby boomer cohort could be grim. "Boomers are now between the ages of 30 and 50, and there are 60 million of them. They aren't saving enough for retirement and won't be able to rely on Social Security or traditional pension plans to bail them out", it said. That 60 million number is now 77 million.
The results of the Bush economy!
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Larry, at 2:38 PM
Christopher:
Maybe his kids are wondering if their mom is also their aunt.
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Larry, at 2:39 PM
Daily Kos:
If you could vote again for U.S. Senate, would you vote for Ned Lamont, the Democrat, Alan Schlesinger, the Republican, or Joe Lieberman, an Independent?
Lieberman Lamont Schlesinger
All 40 48 10
Dem 25 72 3
Rep 69 7 24
Ind 38 49 9
Today, Lieberman's office refused to respond to the obvious discontent he faces.
Dan Gerstein, a key figure in Lieberman's re-election campaign who remains a paid adviser to the senator, said today that after checking with Liberman's office he had decided to decline comment on the poll.
Schlesinger, meanwhile, said today that he wasn't surprised by the results of the new poll. The apparent preference for Lamont over Lieberman, he said, was simply because of Iraq, which he said has left people "disgusted."
Lapdog Lieberman is hated by his own state.
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Larry, at 2:46 PM
General Petraeus has spoken. So expires another line of evasion for our Coward-In-Chief.
For months, whenever Mr. Bush has been asked to account for his bloody misadventure in Iraq, when asked for a comment on legislation to set timetables for withdrawal, on strategy, on the latest explosion killing civilians and soldiers, it’s been “wait for General Petraeus’s report.” Before that it was “wait for the surge.” And before that? “Wait ‘til Gates takes over.” So, what’s next? What will his next evasive line be while the violence he engendered inevitably spirals toward total catastrophe? How about, “Wait until we strike Iran?”
-Jarrett Dapier
Assistant Publisher
In These Times
By
Larry, at 3:00 PM
Larry,
We've got "the gang" coming over tonight to watch the Yankees v. Red Sox and I'm going to ask all of the guys what they think.
By
Christopher, at 3:17 PM
What is it with the young re-pubies now a days?
First their newly elected national president has to resign because he sexually assualted a sleeping man.
And Now this;
Michigan GOP activist gets 5 years for sex assault
A Michigan lawyer who sexually attacked a 21-year-old woman at a Young Republicans convention here said Thursday that he disgraced himself, his family and his political party.
Michael Flory, 33, of Jackson, Mich., told a Cuyahoga County Common Pleas judge that his humiliation and self-destruction should be pun ishment enough for his guilty plea to a sexual- battery charge.
His crimes?
The woman, a Detroit college student, said she drank herself sick at a Warehouse District bar on July 8, 2006, during the National Federation of Young Republicans' convention. Flory, who led her state's delegation, offered to take her back to her room. There, she said, he forced her into sexual "atrocities" and called her degrading names.
Seems he is just following the traditions of the party of pervert and pedophile protection, they keep covering for each other until things like this happen.
How did this cretin criminal (and other reichwingers) act after he attacked a young woman?
The woman and Assistant County Prosecutor Carol Skutnik said Flory and his friends later executed a campaign of Internet postings and whispers within the state GOP, accusing the victim of loose morals and character assassination.
How typically republican of them attack and blame the victims for the crimes they commit, then beg for mercy based on family values,
Flory's wife, Erin, sitting on the defendant's side of the courtroom, rolled her eyes, shook her head and then sobbed as Flory expressed "deep, profound remorse" for what he did and pleaded with Corrigan for probation for the sake of his 4-year-old son.
"My son needs his father," Flory said.
(and)
As to Flory's claim that he wants to be a father to his son, Skutnik said Flory sullied that status when he "went jaunting from town to town having liaisons with young women" and committed sex crimes here.
Oh and BTW other women have claimed he (Florey) attacked them also;
[Assistant County Prosecutor Carol] Skutnik also said several other women called her to report that Flory sexually assaulted or harassed them, too.
I guess the reichwingers never really learn do they?
By
clif, at 3:37 PM
Christopher:
I would imagine they will feel the same as you.
Very few in America condone the Guiliani way of life.
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Larry, at 3:51 PM
Chris,
In fairness to Rudy, he didn't know until years after he was married that they were cousins. That happens sometimes in big Italian families.
What's really icky is they have a daughter...
By
Carl, at 4:44 PM
I can't resist, because ever since I first saw it yesterday, I've been laughing so hard I can't see straight --
Can you believe that You Tube Britney fan Chris Crocker? "LEAVE BRITNEY ALOOOONE!"
And there's one of George Bush crying about General Petraeus: "HE'S ONLY HUMAN....!!"
By
Lydia Cornell, at 4:55 PM
Both videos are hilarious and the Britney one is all over the airwaves.
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Larry, at 4:58 PM
Tonight on “Real Time with Bill Maher”, Bill will interview Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel and author of the new President Bush biography “Dead Certain”, Robert Draper. On the panel will be comedian and TV host Drew Carey, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Carl Bernstein, and Democratic Chief Deputy Whip in the U.S. House of Representatives Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.
On Tuesday September 18, Bill Maher will appear on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer” on CNN. Check your local listings for times.
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Larry, at 5:21 PM
An EXCELLENT roundup of the "accomplishments" of the moronic monkey.
I may have to link to this ;)
By
Jolly Roger, at 5:27 PM
Christopher:
I would imagine they will feel the same as you.
Very few in America condone the Guiliani way of life.
Actually, among Chimpy's hardcore "base" Giuliani's first choice of wives is a celebrated tradition.