Archives: November 2006
Security First
Great editorial piece from the National Review... The author makes what I think is a valuable point about security, that more "boots on the ground," pardon the tired expression, do make a difference.Liberals are often quoted as saying that "our troops aren't making a difference," or that "they're only making things worse." If you actually look at areas in which soldiders have been sent, the opposite is true: violence subsides. The problem has been that there aren't enough competent (read: non-Iraqi) troops to maintain security in places, and so soldiers are constantly being shifted from one hot zone in Iraq to another. As soon as forces pull out of a region, the violence there resurges.
Does this mean the answer is MORE troops in Iraq? Well... kind of, yes, but not American troops. The reason so many countries are working to train Iraqi forces is precisely because Iraq needs more troops to maintain security. What Iraq has long needed in this war is more troops from someone other than America.
Quote:Read more here...
The linchpin in Iraq continues to be Baghdad. Our latest attempt to secure the city predictably failed for want of U.S. troops. Again and again in Iraq, our troops have cleared areas of insurgents, only to have them return when the troops vacate the areas or hand them over to incompetent Iraqi security forces. This is what just happened in Baghdad. Bush must send a substantial number of additional troops to Baghdad in a bid to restore a semblance of order to the city.
It is said that we don’t have the troops to send. No less a personage than General Abizaid has said any surge could only be temporary. There is no doubt that extending rotations and sending troops back into Iraq for the third time would be a severe strain on the military. Nor can there be any doubt that trying to fight two post-9/11 wars with a pre-9/11-sized military was a historic mistake, for which President Bush will be judged harshly. But if there is any cause that calls for straining the military, it is an attempt to keep from losing a war. A loss in Iraq would lead to a drastic worsening of our position in a strategically crucial part of the world, undermine our prestige worldwide, and perhaps lead to the creation of terrorist safe havens.
It may turn out that more troops won’t make a difference, that Iraq is on an inexorable slide toward chaos. But, so far, U.S. troops have made a difference wherever they have been deployed within Iraq. It is often said that there isn’t a military solution in Iraq, only a political one. This is partly correct. Long-term stability will require some sort of deal and reconciliation between the Shiites and the Sunnis. The government will have to purge itself of its criminal and radical elements. And Shiite militias will have to disarm.
Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion
Big disappointment here... Why repeatedly pledge that you're going to implement all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations only to change your mind later? It's not as though the Dems didn't know what all the recommendations were long ago.Quote:Read more here...
It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.
VIDEO: Daily Show: Jenna Y Barbara
Argentina, former safe haven for Nazi war criminals, is drawing the line at the Bush twins.
Best jokes of the week...
"Vice President Dick Cheney visited Saudi Arabia over the weekend, and he's very popular in Saudi Arabia, over there he's known as Lawrence of Arrhythmia." --David Letterman"President Bush is trying to raise $500 million for the Bush Presidential library, not just a library, it will also contain a think tank, because when you think George W. Bush you think thinking." --David Letterman
"First Daughter Barbara Bush had her purse stolen. Somebody snatches her purse. What was in that purse, her father's plan for Iraq. Now we have to start all over again. A lot of people wondering if President Bush will be mad at his daughter for losing her purse. Hey, he lost the House and Senate." --Jay Leno
"When President Bush landed in Indonesia, tens of thousands of people lined the streets screaming anti-American slogans and attacking his presidency. Bush said he felt like he was at the Academy Awards." --Jay Leno
Bush Unveils Ambitious Sudoku Plans for Remainder of Term
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
Aims to Complete Up to Twenty Puzzles a Day, President Tells NATO Leaders
President George W. Bush used the occasion of the NATO summit in Latvia today to unveil an ambitious plan for the remainder of his term in office, vowing to complete up to twenty sudoku puzzles a day between now and 2009.
To many of the leaders gathering in Latvia who had expected to see a chastened U.S. president in the aftermath of his party's midterm election losses, Mr. Bush's ambitious sudoku agenda came as a complete surprise.
"All of those critics out there who expected George W. Bush to roll over for the next two years are going to be sorely disappointed," said Portuguese president Aníbal Cavaco Silva. "He had a lot of pencils sharpened and he seems totally prepared to use them."
Powell says world should recognize Iraq at civil war
Powell also says we have to finish the mission in Iraq. Unfortunately, in this particular article he isn't quoted as identifying exactly what that mission is. Would have been nice to hear it from someone.Interestingly, Powell also says that al Qaeda is responsible for inciting the sectarian violence that exists now in Iraq.
Quote:Read more here...
DUBAI (Reuters) - Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday Iraq had descended into civil war and urged world leaders to accept that "reality".
Powell's remarks came ahead of a meeting between Bush and Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki in the Jordanian capital to discuss the security developments in Iraq.
"I would call it a civil war," Powell told a business forum in the United Arab Emirates. "I have been using it (civil war) because I like to face the reality," added Powell.
He said world leaders should acknowledge Iraq was in civil war.
Webb and the president, BFF (best friends forever)
I mentioned this story yesterday, about the Webb-Bush exchange, but the Washington Post has pieced together what was actually said. I'm going to keep an eye on Senator James Webb.... He's got chutzpah. A lot of folks can stand toe-to-toe with the president behind his back, but rarely will you see it to his face.Quote:Read more here...
At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.
"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.
"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"
"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.
Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard: Iraq is your fault!
Fantasy writer and Fox News editor Fred Barnes thinks the violence in the Middle East is all your fault!Putting two and two together, Barnes wisely comes up with four, concluding that since the Mid East was a less violent place five or 10 years ago, it must mean that voters are to blame for it since they rejected Bush's policies on November 7.
Makes perfect sense to me and I'm a refrigerator!
Quote:Read more here...
On the November 25 edition of Fox News' The Beltway Boys, co-host and Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes asserted that the voters' "repudiat[ion]" of President Bush in the November 7 midterm elections contributed to recent violence in the Middle East. Later, Barnes asserted that "five, 10 years ago," Americans "didn't see dead bodies all over the front page of newspapers, whether it's an accident or an explosion or Iraq or something." Five years ago, there was no Iraq war.
Third quarter economic growth at 2.2 percent
Less than half what it was in the first quarter of 2006, but better than the pessimistic 1.8 percent GDP estimate. Gross domestic product, or GDP, is the combined value of all goods and services in America, the value of every potato sold and every haircut given. Most economists consider it the best measure of the overall health of the economic machine.The fizzling housing market and higher energy prices are ultimately blamed for the lower growth numbers than we had last year and earlier this year. Overall, the economy isn't doing bad. If energy prices stay low, and as long as nothing major happens to the country, we should stay out of recession. So says halfwit economist Blue Steel!
Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON — Business growth slowed to a 2.2 percent pace in the late summer, a much better performance than anticipated and an encouraging sign that the housing slump hasn't been too much of a drag on the economy.
The upgraded reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department Wednesday, was considerably stronger than the 1.6 percent growth rate for the July-to-September quarter that had been estimated a month ago. That pace had been the worst in more than three years.
Son also rises in testy Webb-Bush exchange
Newly elected Virginia Senator James Webb apparently got into it with President Bush over Iraq. Webb's son is serving in Iraq right now.Quote:Read more here...
Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.
“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.
Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.
Bush: US Committed to Finding New Synonyms for Civil War
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
President George W. Bush said today that he would not allow a civil war in Iraq to erupt on his watch, and said that in order to prevent that from happening the United States would aggressively search for new synonyms for the phrase "civil war."
In order to seek out the most sanitized alternatives to that phrase, the president announced that he was launching an ambitious new mission called Operation Noble Euphemism.
Showing his trademark steely resolve, Mr. Bush told reporters at the White House that the US was prepared to hunt down every last thesaurus on Earth and would not quit until the job was done.
As if to demonstrate the high priority he was placing on finding new synonyms,
Mr. Bush said that the government would spend $12 billion, most of which had been previously earmarked to find Osama bin Laden.
NSA spy program is under review, sort of
Smells like a whitewash to me. The Justice Department is limiting the scope to how its personnel contributed, not to the actual legality of the program. That's what the hooplah has been over. Did the president break the law or didn't he? That's a more important question than whether or not some assistant federal attorney filed the proper paperwork.Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department said Monday that it has begun an internal investigation into its handling of information gathered in the government's domestic spying program.
However, Democrats criticized the review as not going far enough to determine whether the program violates federal law.
The inquiry by Inspector General Glenn A. Fine will focus on the role of department prosecutors and agents in carrying out the warrantless surveillance program run by the National Security Agency.
Fine's investigation is not expected to address whether the controversial program is an unconstitutional expansion of presidential power, as its critics and a federal judge in Detroit have charged.
"After conducting initial inquiries into the program, we have decided to open a program review that will examine the department's controls and use of information related to the program," Fine wrote in a letter dated Monday to House and Senate leaders on Judiciary, Intelligence and Appropriations committees.
Bush Says U.S. Won't Pull Out of Iraq
When the president says, "We'll continue to be flexible and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed," red flags go off. We'll continue to do what, Mr. President? Uh... wake up, dude.Every time the president speaks it's like we're going in circles. Let's be fair about this. What does President Bush mean by "before the mission is complete"? How does he describe the mission? Because before we can discuss strategy we have to decide specifically what we're discussing. What does success mean to Bush? Does he mean establishing a working democracy in Iraq, or does he mean salvaging any kind of Iraqi government? Does he mean stopping all violence in Iraq or bringing it down to a sustainable level? What does he mean by "success"?
Quote:Read more here...
President Bush, under pressure to change direction in Iraq, said Tuesday he will not be persuaded by any calls to withdraw American troops before the country is stabilized.
"There's one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to pull our troops off the battlefield before the mission is complete," he said in a speech setting the stage for high-stakes meetings with the Iraqi prime minister later this week. "We can accept nothing less than victory for our children and our grandchildren."
A bipartisan panel on Iraq is finalizing recommendations on Iraq. The group led by former Secretary of State James Baker III and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., plan to present ideas to Bush next month.
Recent U.S. elections added fuel to the argument from Democrats that U.S. soldiers need to come home. But Bush has resisted that, even while projecting the need for a different approach.
"We'll continue to be flexible and we'll make the changes necessary to succeed," the president said.
Newt Gingrich: terrorism may force free speech changes
Gingrich says that free speech has to change or we'll "lose a city." Does he mean free speech in America has to change, or free speech in the countries where terrorists have been coming from? What am I missing?Quote:Read more here...
MANCHESTER – Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich yesterday said the country will be forced to reexamine freedom of speech to meet the threat of terrorism.
Gingrich, speaking at a Manchester awards banquet, said a "different set of rules" may be needed to reduce terrorists' ability to use the Internet and free speech to recruit and get out their message.
"We need to get ahead of the curve before we actually lose a city, which I think could happen in the next decade," said Gingrich, a Republican who helped engineer the GOP's takeover of Congress in 1994.
...
Gingrich sharply criticized campaign finance laws he charged were reducing free speech and doing little to fight attack advertising. He also said court rulings over separation of church and state have hurt citizens' ability to express themselves and their faith.
Iraq civil war inevitable, experts say
I don't agree that total civil war is inevitable. I think it is likely, but not inevitable.If you can think of possible things that might stop it, then it's probably not inevitable. What if the leaders of the Sunni and Shia Muslim sects came together and went on hunger strikes until a cease fire occurred? What if the U.N. called Iraq a humanitarian disaster, slapped sanctions against the U.S. for starting the war and ordered U.N. peacekeepers into Iraq? What if two Muslim nations agreed to send an equal number of troops to stabilize the country?
I don't believe total civil war is inevitable, but I do believe we shouldn't expect a true solution as long as George Bush is president.
Quote:Read more here...
If Iraq is to hold together and avoid an all-out bloodbath, they say, it will be because the country's warring factions step back from the brink and forge some sort of political compromise. That seems like a pipe dream after a weekend of the worst violence for Iraqi civilians since the March 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The United States has 140,000 troops in Iraq and is spending roughly $2 billion per week on military operations, "but all of that effort doesn't really matter," said Andrew Bacevich, a Boston University professor and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
"We're not in control any longer," Bacevich said.
"There is a growing sense that both sides are attempting to move toward a civil war - they want to have a civil war - to bring closure to who will have power in Iraq," said a retired senior military officer who requested anonymity, referring to Iraq's Shiite and Sunni Muslims. "This is all about power."
Bush is due to meet in Amman, Jordan, with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in an effort to prod him to take concrete steps, particularly to deal with rampaging sectarian militias.
Political Correctness is "A militia mindset where thinking one thing but saying another has become America's disingenuous piety game."
Another guy who just can't seem to "get it." I feel bad for him because he has no idea what he's doing wrong. It's amazing to me how people have such a tough time knowing what's right and wrong to say in mixed racial company. Why's it so tough?I was raised in the two most racially diverse states in America, went to school and lived with people of different races my entire life, and I've never ONCE gotten into a situation like the one this guy did here.
The author of this article wants the rules written down in an instruction manual -- Proper Racial Etiquette -- but I don't think it works that way. You just get a feel for people and what's appropriate to say around them. A big part of it is observing, getting a sense of a crowd and how they're responding to you, and also realizing beforehand when you should be careful how you say whatever you say. It's not hard. It's not a big inconvenience and doesn't tap your mental faculties. It's no different than watching what you say around your elders.
Maybe you either have "it" or you don't. Step #1, though, is caring enough about strangers to not want to offend them.
Quote:Read more here...
Years ago, I was the emcee at a fashion store's recognition breakfast. Between awards, I cracked inside jokes indigenous to retail culture. In one shtick, I lampooned about another 'perk' being added to the non-existent prizes, zanily announcing: "winners will have their phone calls to alterations answered in English."
See, you groaned. So did half the audience. I was mortified, later crucified. This, despite hourly complaints from store employees who resented being forced to physically go to alterations to get an item (while customers waited) rather than having it delivered, because people on the phone spoke only Spanish and they spoke none.
This is when I was first introduced to the "'Gotcha' Thought Police", a militia mindset where thinking one thing but saying another has become America's disingenuous piety game.
Meanwhile, quoting the smarmy department manager who condemned my "racist remark": "I don't call them 'Mexicans.' I call them 'Spanish people.' It doesn't sound so low class." So who's the racist here?
Poll: Giuliani, McCain, Obama rank high with voters, Kerry in last place
I'm guessing Rudy tops the list because he's never around. He doesn't do enough for people to hate. I think the lesson here is stay out of the limelight until right before the election.Quote:Read more here...
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Americans have the warmest feelings about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, according to a poll released Monday that scores the popularity of national leaders.
The Quinnipiac University's "thermometer reading," taken the week after the Nov. 7 election, asked voters to rate their feelings for 20 leaders on a scale of 0 to 100.
Giuliani, a Republican weighing a presidential bid in 2008, scored the highest at 64.2. Obama and McCain, who are also considering a 2008 campaign, finished next at 58.8 and 57.7.
President Bush was 15th out of 20 while his secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, was fourth and former President Clinton fifth.
New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton scored ninth of the 20 leaders with a score of 49. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee who was roundly criticized before the election for suggesting that students who don't study could end up stuck in Iraq, came in last at 39.6.
Al-Jazeera Refuses to Air O.J. Special
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
The Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network, which gained international notoriety for putting some of the most renowned sociopaths in the world on the air, today became the second network to refuse to broadcast the controversial O.J. Simpson special, "If I Did It."
After the Fox network cancelled their airdate for the Simpson special, producer Judith Regan immediately sent a tape of the program to top executives at the Al-Jazeera network in the hopes that the media outlet who made a star our of Osama bin Laden would be a good fit for Mr. Simpson.
But after reviewing the tape of the Simpson program, Al-Jazeera executives decided that "If I Did It" was a non-starter at their network.
"O.J. Simpson certainly qualifies as a delusional madman, which is the bread and butter of our broadcast schedule," said Al-Jazeera spokesman Hassan El-Medfaii. "Having said that, 'If I Did It,' is not up to our standards of taste."
Obama lifted by hand of God
When Barack Obama gets friendly with 20,000 evangelicals, it's called "reaching out." If I did it, it would be called pandering to religious fanatics. Why is that?I think I know the reason. It's because no one would believe I'm serious. Obama, on the other hand, has more faith in his little finger than I have in my whole body. Let's call it 'religious credibility.'
Quote:Read more here...
IN THE latest sign that the “God gap” between Republicans and Democrats is narrowing, one of America’s biggest evangelical churches will this week welcome Senator Barack Obama, the rising African-American star of the Democratic party who has become a leading contender for the 2008 presidential elections.
Obama will appear on Friday at the Saddleback church in Lake Forest, California, where at least 20,000 conservative Christians gather each week for services led by Pastor Rick Warren, the evangelical author of the bestselling inspirational book The Purpose Driven Life.
At first glance Warren and Obama appear the unlikeliest of allies — the conservative white preacher and the liberal black Democrat — yet aides to both confirmed last week that they have formed an intriguing friendship that may prove a key element in the next presidential campaign.
Fresh from their midterm election triumph, the Democrats have been energised by evidence that religious voters have deserted the Republican party in droves.
“I think the big story of 2006 is the support for Democrats by religious moderates,” said Professor David Domke of the University of Washington. “The [Republican] party is not the only game in town for Christian voters.”
NATO urged to plan Afghanistan exit strategy as violence soars
OK, now I grasped why the hatred for George Bush prompted many European countries to refuse helping in Iraq, but what good reason could there be for NATO to stop helping in Afghanistan?What is the problem here? Is it because the Taliban and Islamic extremists are re-exerting power that has NATO thinking it's time to leave? Because the decision to leave certainly wouldn't be based on progress in Afghanistan. The Taliban have regrouped, and the Taliban were internationally recognized evildoers (pardon the expression). What's the deal? What am I missing?
Quote:Read more here...
NATO's fragile unity over Afghanistan has begun to crack ahead of an important summit - with one public call to discuss an exit strategy from the Allied forces' bloody confrontation with the Taliban.
While heads of government are to make a show of unity over Afghanistan at tomorrow's alliance summit in Riga, Belgium's Defence Minister has questioned the future of Nato's most important mission.
And heads of the alliance's 26 nations are unlikely to agree to send reinforcements to Afghanistan - dealing a blow to Tony Blair's hopes that others will take up more of the increasingly heavy burden.
In the bloodiest day of violence to grip the country in many weeks, a series of fierce clashes between Nato forces and Taliban fighters and a suicide bombing left 76 people dead and more than 45 injured yesterday, many of them children.
Though Belgium only makes a small military contribution to the Nato mission, the Minister's comments will alarm senior figures at the alliance's headquarters where there is already concern that France is getting cold feet about its role in Afghanistan. Paris has remained publicly committed to the mission but Nato sources are concerned about the possibility of an eventual French withdrawal. They are pressing for an enhanced UN profile in Afghanistan to reassure the French who are suspicious about an expanded role for Nato because of Washington's hold over the alliance.
British troops in Iraq: may be home by Xmas 2007
This wasn't surprising to me because it stated the Brits expect to bring home some of their troops. It surprised me because it said the troops would be withdrawn by the end of next year. That's not the 3-4 months the far left here in America is shooting for.Quote:Read more here...
LONDON (AP) - Britain said Monday it expects to withdraw thousands of its 7,000 military personnel from Iraq by the end of next year, while Poland and Italy announced the impending withdrawal of their remaining troops.
Polish President Lech Kaczynski said his country, a U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan, would pull its remaining 900 soldiers out of Iraq by the end of 2007. And Italian Premier Romano Prodi said the last of Italy's soldiers in Iraq - some 60-70 troops - will return home this week, ending the Italian contingent's presence in the south of the country after more than three years.
British Defense Secretary Des Browne was the second senior official in recent days to talk of reducing the number of British troops in Iraq. In a speech to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Browne also warned Iran that it faces increasing isolation if it does not use its influence in Iraq constructively.
Last week, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said Britain may be able to hand over security responsibility in the southern port city of Basra by the spring of 2007. Britain also hopes to hand security control over to the Iraqis in the province of Maysan on the Iranian border in January.
Neil Cavuto sees liberal agenda in animated Happy Feet
Are overfishing and oil drilling only liberal talking points? Aren't there also a lot of conservatives who believe overfishing is a problem, and aren't a lot of conservatives also against drilling in the ANWR?Quote:Read more here...
Of all the things to get excited about, I’ve never quite understood why conservatives seem a little fixated on animated cartoons.
The #1 movie in the country, the animated film “Happy Feet,” is “an entertaining story about a young bird’s journey toward self-acceptance.” But to Fox News’ Neil Cavuto it’s insidious “far left” political propaganda.
Cavuto saw the movie with his sons and found it “offensive.” Cavuto objected to the fact that penguins in the movie have trouble finding food because of overfishing and oil drilling. Cavuto called the film “an animated ‘Inconvenient Truth.’ I half expected to see an animated version of Al Gore pop-up.”
Indeed, this wasn’t just a random complaint. Fox News devoted a segment to the issue of whether “Happy Feet” is “promoting an agenda.” Cavuto interviewed entertainment critic Holly McClure, who complained about the movie’s “subtle messages.” Cavuto went on to tell viewers that Hollywood was “foisting [politics] on my kids,” which was “a big-time objectionable.”
As long-time readers may recall, this is the latest in a long line of over-the-top conservative criticism (and paranoia) regarding animation.
Democrats say no liberal plans in next U.S. Congress
The Democrats are intending to take a populist approach in the new Congress, pushing forth legislation popular with the majority of Americans, and pushing back legislation popular with the Far Left. They say that payback is less important than winning elections. We'll see if the blogosphere lets them advance their agenda. On the whole impeachment issue, I get the feeling the Far Left Wing isn't going to accept no for an answer.Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Three Democratic congressmen who are about to take important leadership posts said on Sunday they plan to pass popular legislation blocked by Republicans but would refrain from pushing some of the most controversial elements on the liberal agenda.
The three, appearing on Fox News Sunday, are among the most liberal Democrats who will take over key committee chairmanships when Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in January.
Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who will take over the U.S. House of Representatives committee that covers banking and other financial institutions, mentioned raising the minimum wage, providing cheaper drug coverage for the elderly and providing more affordable housing and help with college tuition as the focus of Democratic legislation.
"Our first efforts are going to be to do those things that I think the mainstream of America wants," Frank said. "Some things have become liberal because the right wingers who control the Republican party have abandoned them to us."
Asked about his opposition to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gay service men and women, Frank, one of the few openly gay members of the House, said he would fight discrimination but that issue was "not what we're going to begin with."
Democrats say no liberal plans in next U.S. Congress
The Democrats are intending to take a populist approach in the new Congress, pushing forth legislation popular with the majority of Americans, and pushing back legislation popular with the Far Left. They say that payback is less important than winning elections. We'll see if the blogosphere lets them advance their agenda. On the whole impeachment issue, I get the feeling the Far Left Wing isn't going to accept no for an answer.Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Three Democratic congressmen who are about to take important leadership posts said on Sunday they plan to pass popular legislation blocked by Republicans but would refrain from pushing some of the most controversial elements on the liberal agenda.
The three, appearing on Fox News Sunday, are among the most liberal Democrats who will take over key committee chairmanships when Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives in January.
Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who will take over the U.S. House of Representatives committee that covers banking and other financial institutions, mentioned raising the minimum wage, providing cheaper drug coverage for the elderly and providing more affordable housing and help with college tuition as the focus of Democratic legislation.
"Our first efforts are going to be to do those things that I think the mainstream of America wants," Frank said. "Some things have become liberal because the right wingers who control the Republican party have abandoned them to us."
Asked about his opposition to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward gay service men and women, Frank, one of the few openly gay members of the House, said he would fight discrimination but that issue was "not what we're going to begin with."
Bush to Go Overseas Again for Key Talks
Fresh off an 8-day trip to Asia, the president is heading back out again. Can you smell the desperation in the air?His asking for help would be a good thing if I really thought he understood the stakes. People are saying it might be too little, too late. I still don't believe the president understands that victory in Iraq is slipping out of reach. He has to be willing to apologize to world leaders for the invasion, fall on his sword, beg if he has to, say and do whatever it takes to convince world leaders that helping to stabilize Iraq would be in their best interest. Time is almost up.
Quote:Read more here...
Iran and Syria are trying to assert influence in stabilizing Iraq without American involvement, and tensions in the region increased further last week with the assassination of a Cabinet member in the U.S.-backed democratic government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora — a killing some have blamed on Syria. Also, sectarian attacks in Iraq have surged in recent days.
Jordan's King Abdullah said Sunday that tensions in the Middle East go beyond the war in Iraq and that much of the region soon could become engulfed in violence unless the central issues are addressed quickly.
"We could possibly imagine going into 2007 and having three civil wars on our hands," he said on ABC's "This Week," citing conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and the decades-long strife between the Palestinians and Israelis.
At the NATO gathering Tuesday and Wednesday in Riga, Latvia, Bush will press for a heavier financial and military commitment from many of the alliance's 26 members and urge an easing of restrictions by individual countries on what their troops can and cannot do, according to administration officials.
The president also will call for inviting major non-NATO members Australia, Japan and South Korea to play a larger role in the alliance's activities.
Jordan's King Abdullah: America making the world a more dangerous place
Jordanian king - arguably the most moderate, pro-U.S. leader in the entire region - warns that U.S. actions have helped increase the risk of at least 3 Mid East civil wars in 2007Quote:Read more here...
Today, King Abdullah told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on "This Week" that Iraq is part of a regional crisis requiring a regional solution.
"We're juggling with the strong potential of three civil wars in the region," he said, adding that Iraq needs to be addressed in conjunction with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the turmoil in Lebanon.
"It is time that we really take a strong step forward as part of the international community," Abdullah said, "and make sure we avert the Middle East from a tremendous crisis that I fear and I see could possibly happen in 2007."
But critics question whether al-Maliki is in control of events in Iraq, and wonder whether Bush's meeting will lead to solutions.
"The president of the United States is going to spend, what, two days with this fiction — the fiction of an Iraqi government?" George Will said on "This Week." "The way we now define success, we're down to the most minimalist definition, which is: Success is a government in Baghdad that governs the country."
Fear, hardship, grief mark the life of Iraqi police
I like that we talk about so many different things on this site. This AP article struck me because it contradicts a now common mainstream media criticism being levied against the Iraqis today, that they are incompetent and unwilling to fight for their own country.Story highlights...
• Among the most deadly jobs in Iraq - Fallujah police officer
• For her safety, 22-year-old Iraqi cop sees his wife only a few hours a month
• Cop: Al Qaeda buys police guns for $200 more than an officer makes a month
• Iraqi Police Commander: Force would fall apart without coalition forces
Quote:Read more here...
FALLUJAH, Iraq (AP) -- The 22-year-old police officer wraps a black scarf around his face when on patrol. He sleeps in the station and sees his new bride only a few hours a month.
He watches his colleagues get shot and blown to pieces and wonders if he will be next.
"I have to wear a mask because I'm from the city. When I do my duty the guerrillas can recognize me," said Kalid, who said having his last name appear in print would put his life in danger.
"If they find out who I am, they will kill me within the hour. I hope they don't do it in front of my wife. I hope they don't make her watch."
Almost every profession is dangerous in today's Iraq, but few more so than police officer.
U.S. Finds Iraq Insurgency Has Funds to Sustain Itself
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BAGHDAD, Nov. 25 — The insurgency in Iraq is now self-sustaining financially, raising tens of millions of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, connivance by corrupt Islamic charities and other crimes that the Iraqi government and its American patrons have been largely unable to prevent, a classified United States government report has concluded.
The report, obtained by The New York Times, estimates that groups responsible for many insurgent and terrorist attacks are raising $70 million to $200 million a year from illegal activities. It says $25 million to $100 million of that comes from oil smuggling and other criminal activity involving the state-owned oil industry, aided by “corrupt and complicit” Iraqi officials.
As much as $36 million a year comes from ransoms paid for hundreds of kidnap victims, the report says. It estimates that unnamed foreign governments — previously identified by American officials as including France and Italy — paid $30 million in ransom last year.
A copy of the seven-page report was made available to The Times by American officials who said the findings could improve understanding of the challenges the United States faces in Iraq....
Syrian President Assad: the man Bush must do business with
This article was a fascinating look into the role Syria has been playing in the Middle East and where its role may evolve over time.Quote:Read more here...
WHEN President George Bush meets Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki in Jordan this week in what could be the last chance to stop Iraq's slide into civil war, a 6ft 3in former eye doctor will be top of the agenda.
Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who was supposed to follow a medical career as an ophthalmologist until a car crash killed his elder brother, catapulting him into the Syrian presidency, has emerged as the key player holding the fate of Iraq in his hands.
Indeed, so dramatic is the transformation in Assad's position that he is seen as crucial not only to a solution in Iraq, but also in Lebanon, and even as a moderating influence on Iran.
It is not out of the question that he will be invited to attend in person in Amman, even though Bush is scheduled to stay in the Jordanian capital for only 12 hours.
Cheney asks Saudis for help with Iraq
You gotta wonder what the vice president is asking the Saudis.... I don't trust this administration, so I have to wonder if Cheney is laying it all on the table or if he's trying to wheel and deal instead.You think Cheney is saying anything this tough: "Look, we're in a tight spot and need your help. We're serious about this, and I don't mean to threaten, but we've decideed to stop being so friendly to you if you don't send an envoy to Iraq this week to try to calm things there.
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Vice President Dick Cheney arrived Saturday in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah, apparently seeking the Sunni royal family's influence and tribal connections to calm Iraq after an especially violent week.
The vice president's one-day visit to the kingdom comes at a time of upheaval across the region, with a potentially explosive crisis in Lebanon, a logjam in the Arab-Israeli peace process and the nuclear standoff with Iran.
Iraq has been thrown into a turmoil ahead of talks scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday between President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the Jordanian capital, Amman.
A string of car bombings by Sunni insurgents killed 215 people in a Shiite district of Baghdad, prompted revenge attacks and threatened to unleash an outright civil war. After Thursday's bloodshed, a top Shiite political party that al-Maliki depends on for power threatened to withdraw from the government if he meets Bush. The White House said the meeting was still on.
Drug industry braces for Democrat-led Congress
We all know that lobbyists spend millions to sway politicians, but it looks like this time the pharmaceutical industry may not have thrown down enough moolah at the Democrats, thinking that they weren't going to win Congress. And, in Congress, if you don't pay the piper, you don't get the votes.Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With Democrats set to take control of Congress and vowing measures to cut drug prices, the U.S. pharmaceutical industry will have to revamp its huge lobbying operation, analysts and campaign finance experts said.
After years of lavishing attention mostly on Republicans, who suffered heavy losses in the November 7 elections, the drug industry is expected to hire more Democrats and get ready to defend itself at hearings before congressional committees.
"I think the industry has bet on the wrong horse," said Ira Loss, a health care analyst for Washington Analysis Corp. "Only late in the game did they start to throw some money at the Democrats."
Ahead of the November elections, drugmakers and health care companies contributed more than $9 million to Republican candidates and $4 million to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
After Democrats won a majority in both the House and Senate, many drugmakers saw their shares fall in some cases as much as 5 percent.
Black Friday sales up 6 percent from '05
Consumers proved they were willing to spend more money than they should on Black Friday. Total sales up 6 percent over last year, according to ShopperTrak RCT. We can bet VISA is overjoyed. With the exception of Wal-Mart stores, which reported a miniscule sales decline of 0.1 percent, looks like retailers are doing fine this holiday season.Quote:Read more here...
NEW YORK — The nation's retailers had a strong start to the holiday shopping season, according to results announced Saturday by a national research group that tracks sales at mall-based stores. One big exception was Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which said it expects to report same-store sales in November below its already lackluster forecast.
According to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks total sales at more than 45,000 mall-based retail outlets, total sales rose 6 percent to $8.96 billion on Friday, the start of the holiday shopping season, compared to the same day a year ago.
"Although we anticipated a solid consumer turnout for Black Friday, this data shows an even larger increase than expected as consumers proved they were willing to spend," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak, in a statement.
Wal-Mart, however, estimated it will post a 0.1 percent decline in same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year, in November. That's slightly below its original projections for flat sales for the month, compared to the year-ago period. The results cover the four-week period that ended through Friday. Same-store sales are considered a key indicator of a retailer's health.
Baghdad under curfew as Iraqi president cancels Iran trip
For the second night Baghdad was under curfew. A city the size of Chicago and everyone must stay indoors after dark? Tell me that's not a civil war. Hundreds of Iraqis have died so far this weekend. Baghdad, in particular, is a violent mess.President Jalal Talabani had to cancel his trip to Iran. The Iraqis have been reaching out to Iran and Syria, much to the delight of the United States, for help and assurances that they would not assist the insurgency. Iraq is desperate now. The Iraqi government will deal with anyone, and do almost anything now for help.
What can the U.S. do about it? I don't know. The Iraqi government is going to seek help from someone, if not us, then someone else. Our options are to arrange assistance for Iraq through the U.N. and/or other nations, because if we don't help them, they're going to get help from somewhere else.
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The massive outbreak of insurgent and sectarian killing forced the authorities on Thursday to impose an indefinite curfew on Baghdad, the epicentre of carnage in the country.
The airport was also closed Saturday, forcing Talabani to postpone his trip to Tehran to discuss the country's security situation with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Talabani said that he will make the trip when the airport reopens. His talks in Iran are expected to focus on engaging the former foe to play a greater role in helping to curb the raging bloodshed in Iraq.
"If it is open on Sunday, I'll go then," Talabani told reporters after a meeting of the Political Council for National Security late Friday.
His meeting with Ahmadinejad will come in a rapidly changing regional political environment, with Iraq already obtaining assurances from its western neighbour Syria that it will combat trafficking of militants across the border.
Wal-Mart sees weak sales as holiday season starts
I wouldn't put too much stock into November sales estimates yet, but if there has been a decline, I wonder what it would mean for the stock market. The markets have been on fire lately.The silver lining to luke warm holiday sales could be that there are better bargains this Christmas. If retailers aren't making as much money as they'd hoped, they're more likely to keep the discounts steep. Well, at least that's my silver lining.
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CHICAGO (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. predicted a rare decline in monthly sales on Saturday, even as U.S. bargain-hunters jammed stores in search of gifts at the start of the crucial holiday shopping season.
Wal-Mart, the world's biggest retailer, sounded a cautious note for retailers as they began a second day of Thanksgiving weekend sales with deep discounts and early bird specials on items ranging from cashmere sweaters to big-screen plasma televisions.
Wal-Mart estimated that November sales fell 0.1 percent at its U.S. stores open at least a year -- a closely watched retail measure known as same-store sales.
The retailer will provide a final monthly sales report on Thursday, when most other major chain stores report their November figures. This would mark Wal-Mart's first monthly same-store sales decline since April 1996.
Wal-Mart had expected same-store sales to be flat compared with the same period last year, which many Wall Street analysts had viewed as disappointing. Wal-Mart's four-week November sales period ended on Friday.
Bush Impeachment Effort Gains Traction, sort of
Some of you may known that I'm not a big proponent of a Bush impeachment. With two years left in his administration and considering how much an impeachment would preoccupy this government, I don't think it'd be a responsible use of time. There are so many more important things the Democrats could work on, but this article seems to think there's some kind of momentum growing behind impeachment.Quote:Read more here...
A nationwide telephone poll was conducted by Zogby International, the highly-regarded nonpartisan polling company. The poll, released on Nov.4, just three days before the election, interviewed 1,200 U.S. adults from Oct. 29 through Nov. 2.
The poll found that 53 percent agreed with the statement, "If President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment." Forty-two percent disagreed, and five percent said they didn't know or declined to answer. The poll has a +/- 2.9 percent margin of error.
Does it not behoove an international medium like OhmyNews to report not only this momentous fact but what develops out of it in the ensuing months? This "mandateless" election can now be seen in its true light -- as a cry sounding loud and clear throughout the land: "We want our country back."
Hoyer: Iraqis Must Take Responsibility
I get that we have to leave, but help me understand something here.... Hoyer is hinting at American withdrawal. Then he goes on to say, "the current strategy is not working," so we have to change direction in our Iraq war plans.When he says our current strategy is not working, my question is: what are we trying to achieve? What's the current strategy failing to achieve? Stabilizing Iraq? Is that what isn't working?
If that's what isn't working, then how does withdrawal help to stabilize Iraq?
I'm not arguing against withdrawal. I'm just trying to figure out what Hoyer is talking about here.
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WASHINGTON — American support for the fledgling Iraqi government is not unconditional, and Iraq should expect changes in the U.S. role, incoming House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Saturday.
"In the days ahead, the Iraqis must make the tough decisions and accept responsibility for their future," Hoyer, D-Md., said during the weekly Democratic radio address. "And the Iraqis must know: Our commitment, while great, is not unending."
Hoyer's comments were taped Wednesday, before an escalation in sectarian violence in Iraq. At least 215 Shiites were killed in bomb and mortar attacks Thursday in Sadr City. Shiites retaliated Friday by burning six Sunni Arabs alive and killing 19 others in attacks on Sunni mosques.
Once in power, Hoyer said, the Democrats hope to work with Republicans and the Bush administration to change direction in Iraq war plans, "because, clearly, the current strategy is not working."
Kearny High preacher teacher uses classroom to condemn non-Christians
This is just nuts. I had a teacher in high school who was incredibly religious, a chemistry teacher, but at least he kept his faith out of the classroom. We'd see him walking around town after school hours carrying signs proclaiming God's glory, but in class he stuck to the material and never got into religion with anyone. He was a great chemistry teacher.Quote:Read more here...
KEARNY - A Kearny High School student has accused a history teacher of crossing the line between teaching and preaching - and he's got the tapes to prove it.
Sixteen-year-old junior Matthew LaClair says he was shocked when history teacher David Paszkiewicz, who is also a Baptist preacher in town, spent the first week lecturing students more about Heaven and Hell than the colonies and Constitution.
"I would never have suspected something like this went on in a public school," LaClair said yesterday.
He said Paszkiewicz told students that if they didn't accept Jesus, "you belong in Hell." He also dismissed as unscientific the theories of evolution and the "Big Bang."
Paszkiewicz, a teacher at the high school since 1992, didn't return phone messages left for him at the high school; school principal Al Somma declined to comment.
Iraq conflict passes WWII
Freaky. Judging by US deaths alone, the war in Iraq seems like nothing compared to the magnitude of WWII, but when you look at the cost, duration, and the number of actual wounded, Iraq is gettin' up there.Quote:Read more here...
THEY were America's days of infamy, 60 years apart - Pearl Harbour and September 11. The first led the US into World War II, a conflict it endured for 1348 days; the second was followed by a war that from tomorrow will have lasted even longer.
America's involvement in Iraq will reach that milestone at a time when the clamour for withdrawal has never been louder, and the possibility of achieving it has never seemed so difficult. The decisive end of World War II in 1945 delivers no lessons that could be applied to a very different war in a very different era.
If anything, things seem to be getting worse, the options less appealing. Baghdad is reeling from the deadliest assault on Iraqi civilians since the start of the US invasion in March 2003. At least 200 people died and more than 250 were injured after six car bombs, mortar attacks and missiles battered the Shiite Muslim slum of Sadr City.
Best jokes of the week... (More)
"President Bush is back from his big trip to Asia. In fact, this is the first time he was able to get out of Vietnam without any help from his dad." --Jay leno"A new poll finds that 60 percent of Americans think George W. Bush is a worse president than his father. However, President Bush's advisers cheered him up by telling him he's the second best George W. Bush who's ever been president." --Conan O'Brien
"In an interview with FOX News Sunday, John Kerry said his botched joke about Iraq will not hurt his chances for a presidential run in 008. Now see that was funny. That was a good joke." --Jay Leno
Russian rocket deliveries to Iran started
Since President Bush took office in 2000, America's relationship with Russia has continued to decline. Bush would either blame it all on Bill Clinton or on factors out of his control.Now we're back to the point where Russia is boldly selling weapons to Iran, one of the three countries in the "Axis of Evil." Nice....
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Russia has begun deliveries of the Tor-M1 air defence rocket system to Iran, Russian news agencies quoted military industry sources as saying, in the latest sign of a Russian-US rift over Iran.
"Deliveries of the Tor-M1 have begun. The first systems have already been delivered to Tehran," ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed, high-ranking source as saying Friday.
The United States has pressed Russia to halt military sales to Iran, which Washington accuses of harbouring secret plans to build a nuclear weapon.
Moscow has consistently defended its weapons trade with Iran. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said the contract for 29 rocket systems, signed in December last year, was legitimate because the Tor-M1 has a purely defensive role.
ITAR-TASS reported that the rockets were to be deployed around Iran's nuclear sites, including the still incomplete, Russian-built atomic power station at Bushehr.
Senate Democrats Revive Demand for Classified Data
Senator Leahy, who will soon head the Senate Judiciary Committee, is requesting dozens of classified documents that the Justice Department and other agencies haven't wanted to provide. The heat is on....Quote:Read more here...
“I expect real answers, or we’ll have testimony under oath until we get them,” Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont, who will head the committee beginning in January, said in an interview this week. “We’re entitled to know these answers, and in many instances we don’t get them because people are hiding their mistakes. And that’s no excuse.”
Mr. Leahy, who has said little about his plans for the committee, expressed hope for greater cooperation from the Bush administration, which he described as having been “obsessively secretive.” His aides have identified more than 65 requests he has made to the Justice Department or other agencies in recent years that have been rejected or permitted to languish without reply.
Now that they are about to control Congress, what he and other Democrats regard as a record of unresponsiveness has energized their renewal of longstanding requests for information about some of the administration’s most hidden and fiercely debated operations. In addition, other such requests by committee members deal with subjects like voter fraud, immigration and background inquiries on Supreme Court nominees.
With little more than two weeks gone since the elections that gave his party a majority in both houses, Mr. Leahy has already begun pressing the Justice Department for greater openness. In a letter last Friday, he asked Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales to release two documents whose existence the Central Intelligence Agency, in response to a suit by the American Civil Liberties Union, recently acknowledged for the first time. Although their details are not known, the documents appear to have provided a legal basis for the agency’s detention and harsh interrogation of high-level terrorism suspects.
Beyonce Knowles wants President Bush to win Oscar
HOLLYWOOD -- Singer-cum-actress Beyonce Knowles wants President Bush to win an Oscar.Knowles is considered a frontrunner by many for her performance in the upcoming movie Dreamgirls.
According to Knowles' publicist Storch Bramovitz, Knowles is thankful to her director in the film, Bill Condon, for her first "real acting role," but added, "the president deserves an Oscar more than anyone."
"How he pulled a 180 and fired Don Rumsfeld the day after the election was priceless," said Knowles. "That was pure magic. Anyone who can do that deserves an Oscar."
Britney Spears sex tape given to Democrats
Kevin Federline says there is no Britney Spears sex video. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) disagrees.Hours after Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, slammed rumors that the Toxic singer's estranged husband tried to sell a homemade X-rated film for up to $120 million, Pelosi announced that the tape does exist, and that she's already seen it.
"It's hot," said Pelosi, "I won't kid you."
Pelosi claims that Britney Spears, 24, called her "out of the blue," claiming that she wanted to discuss a matter of great national importance.
With Congress in Democratic hands, said Pelosi, it seemed obvious to Spears that the tape had to go to the party in power.
Pelosi says she and Spears met for lunch. That's when the pop star handed her the tape.
"It was stuffed in an envelope," said Pelosi. "She looked me straight in the eye, handed me the envelope, and then just got up and left without saying a word. At first I thought it was a campaign contribution."
Spears' publicist Mary Jo Biggums said her client wanted to make sure the tape reached the public before her estranged husband could sell it to the tabloids, and "...if there's one thing the Democrats can be trusted to do, it's leaking sex stories to the press."
145 Die in Deadliest Attack of Iraq War
If not THE deadliest attack, it's among the Top 5.It seems to me like Baghdad is the devil's heart. A huge, diverse city just doesn't belong in the new Iraq. God only knows what it's going to take to stabilize Baghdad. It's almost like the city should be treated differently than the rest of the country.
What about splitting up Baghdad along sectarian lines while leaving the rest of the country intact?
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BAGHDAD, IRAQ — In the deadliest attack since the beginning of the Iraq war, suspected Sunni-Arab militants used three suicide car bombs and two mortar rounds on the capital's Shiite Sadr City slum to kill at least 145 people and wound 238 on Thursday, police said.
The Shiites responded almost immediately, firing 10 mortar rounds at the Abu Hanifa Sunni mosque as Azamiya, killing one person and wounding seven people in their attack on the holiest Sunni shrine in Baghdad.
Beginning at 3:10 p.m., the three car bomb attackers blew up their vehicles one after another, at 15 minute intervals, hitting Jamila market, al-Hay market and al-Shahidein Square in Sadr City. At about the same time, mortar rounds struck al-Shahidein Square and Mudhaffar Square, police said.
Nancy Pelosi Bucks Tradition - No lazy recess vacation for new Congress
This is nice to see...Quote:Read more here...
Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi will open the House for the first session of the 110th Congress on January 4, and keep it in session for the first several weeks of January.
While that may not sound remarkable outside-the-beltway, it is departure from tradition that is certain to prompt some teeth gnashing among Republicans.
Congress typically convenes the first week of January after a holiday recess just long enough for new members to be sworn in, and then promptly adjourns until the president's State of the Union Address toward the end of the month.
Pelosi's team apparently figures there's no reason to allow President Bush to set the agenda in January by leaking bits of his speech. Instead the Democratic Congress will immediately plunge into its lengthy to-do list, starting with an ethics reform package, and perhaps have some bills on Bush's desk by the time the State of the Union is ready for delivery.
**EXPLICIT VIDEO**: Screwed by Bush
**DISCLAIMER**OK, I'm being totally serious here, but this video is explicit, like porn explicit. If you're under 18 -- hey, kid, I'm talkin' to you -- you're not supposed to watch this. I'm serious. Go away. Go watch something else. When you turn 18, then you can come back. It'll still be in the archives.
Bush's daughter lei'd in Hawaii
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported that one of President Bush's 24- year-old twin daughters was repeatedly lei'd on a trip to the Hawaiian island of Oahu.The paper, citing unidentified sources, reported Tuesday that Barbara Bush, 24, "...wanted to get lei'd as much as possible on the trip."
At the airport, a pair of local Hawaiian men first lei'd Ms. Bush while Secret Service agents stood guard at a distance, the Star-Bulletin reported. The paper said its sources did not reveal how many times she was lei'd.
In Washington, the White House, Secret Service and State Department declined comment.
The Star-Bulletin cited a source close to Ms. Bush who said, "We were all getting lei'd, but she was getting lei'd by two or three people at the same time."
Black Friday Sale! All Michael Richards ("Kramer") Merchandise Must Go!
Kramer apologizes.... To be filed under Political Correctness.al Qaeda signs O.J. to interview, book deal
AFGHNISTAN, Kabul -- Al Jazeera is reporting that football great and suspected double murderer O.J. Simpson agreed Wednesday to an exclusive television interview and book deal with al Qaeda. The terms of the agreement were not immediately disclosed. An al Qaeda spokesperson announced the deal in a secret videotape."We have long admired Mr. O.J.," says a hooded Arab man on the tape, "God is great, and we hope Mr. O.J. will be able to teach us about the power of forgiveness. Praise Allah!"
The interview will be satellite transmitted to al Qaeda's terrorist training centers worldwide, under the title — “I Did It.” Mr. Simpson says the title was his idea.
"I tried to think of something catchy ... that really captured the essence of what it means to be O.J. Simpson. 'I did it' sums up my life nicely. It's a real rags to riches story."
Simpson, who lives in the Miami suburbs but will film the interview at an undisclosed location near Tora Bora in Afghanistan, also said the reported advance payment figure of $3.5 million in uncut heroin was inaccurate. Although he would not specify how much he was paid, he did say it was a “sh*tload.”
“Would everybody stop being so naive? Of course I got paid,” Simpson said with a laugh. “I gave the dope to my agent. It’s gone.”
New Bond film breaks boxoffice records in Iraq
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Bond is back! Or, "Saleq om Bond!" Millions of Iraqis filed into basement screening rooms to watch bootleg copies of Casino Royale, Sony Pictures' newest entry in the famous spy series. Initial polling indicates that a record two million Iraqis have seen the film since Friday.At Sony Pictures, the reaction was mixed.
"We're super glad they like the movie," said Christine Walters, Director of Mideast Distribution, "but we were hoping people would actually buy their tickets."
In a country famous for espionage and political intrigue, Bond has reached iconic status. Iraqis seemed pleased with the casting of blonde, blue-eyed English actor Daniel Craig as the new 007.
"I think he's Muslim," said shopkeeper Tariq Alequa, "He's too good looking to be a Zionist pig-dog or a Christian infidel."
Best jokes of the week... (More)
"Tomorrow at the White House, President Bush will pardon the turkey ... and today, Dick Cheney spent all day torturing it" --David Letterman"According to our latest intelligence, Osama bin Laden is losing his influence and power. I didn't know he was a Republican." --Jay Leno
"President Bush's very busy. ... Yesterday, he went to Ho Chi Minh City. Unfortunately, when Bush addressed the crowd he said, 'Greetings, hoes.' Actually, this is the first time President Bush has visited Vietnam. ... Afterwards, the President said, 'It's nice here. I don't know what John McCain's talking about." --Conan O'Brien
U.N. says 3,709 Iraqi civilians killed in October
The U.N. says sectarian violence is responsible for most of these deaths. Important to note that it does not say U.S. involvment is responsible for it. I think a lot of liberals are placing undue responsibility on the U.S. military for exacerbating the violence in Iraq. While we still need to leave ASAP, Iraq isn't going to miraculously turn into Care Bear Valley when we do.Quote:Read more here...
GENEVA (AP) — The United Nations said Wednesday that 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October, the highest monthly toll since the March 2003 U.S. invasion and another sign of the severity of Iraq's sectarian bloodbath.
The U.N. tally was more than three times higher than the total The Associated Press had tabulated for the month, and far more than the 2,866 U.S. service members who have died during all of the war.
The report on civilian casualties, handed out at a U.N. news conference in Baghdad, said the influence of militias was growing, and torture continued to be rampant, despite the government's vow to address human rights abuses.
"Hundreds of bodies continued to appear in different areas of Baghdad handcuffed, blindfolded and bearing signs of torture and execution-style killing," the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq report said. "Many witnesses reported that perpetrators wear militia attire and even police or army uniforms."
Soldier taunts thirsty Iraqi kids with water
That's exactly what we needed in this war. Way to represent!Teachers emphasize the Indians' side
This one gets filed under "Poor ways to make a valid point." Is third grade really the time to teach people the whole truth about the Pilgrims and Indians? Why stop there? Why not expose Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny while we're at it?Quote:Read more here...
LONG BEACH, Calif. - Teacher Bill Morgan walks into his third-grade class wearing a black Pilgrim hat made of construction paper and begins snatching up pencils, backpacks and glue sticks from his pupils. He tells them the items now belong to him because he "discovered" them.
The reaction is exactly what Morgan expects: The kids get angry and want their things back.
Morgan is among elementary school teachers who have ditched the traditional Thanksgiving lesson, in which children dress up like Indians and Pilgrims and act out a romanticized version of their first meetings.
He has replaced it with a more realistic look at the complex relationship between Indians and white settlers.
Morgan said he still wants his pupils at Cleveland Elementary School in San Francisco to celebrate Thanksgiving. But "what I am trying to portray is a different point of view."
White House Staffer Robbed, Beaten In Waikiki
"So, Greg, how was your trip to Hawaii?""Well, I got robbed and beaten in Waikiki...."
"What was the weather like?"
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HONOLULU -- The acting director of the White House Travel Office was robbed and beaten in Waikiki early on Tuesday morning outside a nightclub, according to Honolulu police.
Three men mugged Greg Pitts at about 2 a.m. while he was walking through the International Marketplace near Bobby G's Dance Club, police said.
Pitts accompanied President George W. Bush on a brief visit to Hawaii. The stop came after an eight-day trip to Asia.
While Bush stayed at Hickam Air Force Base, White House staff, crew from the airplane and reporters stayed at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki.