Archives: December 2006
John Edwards opens mouth, waits for passing foot to enter
I like John Edwards, but I think he's being a little reckless with his campaign. What people are calling a non-traditional campaign, with Edwards speaking off the cuff, giving exclusive interviews to small media outlets wherever his campaign stops, is usually a death wish for candidates. The reason most candidates avoid the impromptu news conference is because no matter how slick you are, not matter how smart, sooner or later the media will catch you saying something you didn't intend to say and make a huge deal out of it.Prepared texts exist for a reason: necessity. While refreshing to see a person speak like a regular joe, mark my words, John Edwards will stick his foot in his mouth if he keeps it up. Read more here...
Luger: Bush, Congress should have a sleepover
Senator Lugar fires a warning shot across Bush's bow...Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON — The outgoing Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee expressed doubt about the wisdom of increasing troops in Iraq and urged President Bush to consult with lawmakers before changing his war strategy.
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said if the president goes ahead with a call for an increase in troops without involving the new Democratic-controlled Congress, he can anticipate "a lot of hearings, a lot of study, a lot of criticism."
South Park takes on 9/11 conspiracy theories
(Answer to today's poll question: The answer is less than 100)
Softdrink maker ships 20,000 cans of Surge to Iraq
It seems like few people outside the White House like the idea of a potential troop surge in Iraq. Bush floated the idea a couple weeks ago as a way to test it in public, to see how folks would react to the notion of a troop increase. Right away there were reports that even military commanders were saying a surge would actually increase the risk to U.S. soldiers while accomplishing nothing. We're just days away from the president's "NEW DIRECTION IN IRAQ" tour... If anyone's going to come up with a solution for Iraq, something tells me it won't be President Bush. Read more here...Ford funeral pre-empted by James Brown, Saddam Hussein coverage
Britain and Australia are sending ambassadors to President Ford's funeral. Spain is sending an "undetermined member of the embassy staff." Germany is sending someone called the "Deputy Chief of Mission."I guess all the foreign presidents and heads of state are already at the James Brown funeral. Read more here...
U.S. State Capitals - Still hope for us yet
A preschool kid trying to remember the state capitals.Bill Clevlen's "50 Dumbest Things Bush Ever Said"
Actually, these were compiled by Daniel Kurtzman of About.com... so this is a quote of a quote.Quote:Read more here...
50. "I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here." —at the President's Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002
49. "We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." —Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
48. "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' —Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
47. "We both use Colgate toothpaste." —after a reporter asked what he had in common with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Camp David, Md., Feb. 23, 2001
46. "Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004
Compassionate conservatism rules!
Some arrogant guy (happens to be conservative in this case) concludes that the best way to tackle many of the problems facing society is by leaving them up to religious people to handle. Yeah, because religious charity ended the Great Depression. The New Deal had nothing to do with it.Here's the deal: charitable giving is great and welcome, but it's too selective and inadequate to handle every socioeconomic problem that faces a nation. If charity were the answer then how did poverty ever come to be? Poverty existed long before welfare did, so why didn't charitable giving stamp out poverty long ago? Personal giving is great and honorable but doesn't go far enough to solve every problem facing society. God forbid, but sometimes it takes a national perspective (a federal government) to address non-local issues. Charity alone didn't rebuild London after WWII, didn't fix the Japanese banking system in the 1990s, didn't build the interstate highway system and didn't help America out of the Great Depression. Charity isn't always enough.Read more here...
Bush worked almost three hours crafting new Iraq plan
President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time... and people say this president ain't smart. Heck, he knows he needs more than three hours to plan a war. That don't sound stupid to me. Read more here...
Ford leaves White House a surprise
There's more to this story than a catchy headline. If you read the quotes, there's no mistaking what President Ford meant by them. He flatly says he doesn't think he would have gone to war in Iraq, adding that "Rumsfeld and Cheney and the president made a big mistake in justifying going into the war in Iraq."Ford made the remarks in a tape-recorded interview with Bob Woodward in July of 2004. President Ford asked Woodward to hold the interview until after Ford's death. Read more here...
A marine describes the tactics used by insurgents in Iraq war
Just one man's perspective, but it sounds authentic. Cell phones as detonators for IED's imported from Iran, most of the carnage caused by foreign fighters entering through Syria, the Iraqi government is heavily infiltrated by Iranian Shiia... Very interesting article. Read more here...Nigerian scammers and cab drivers everywhere prefer euros to dollars
The five-year-old euro is expected this month to overtake the struggling dollar as the world's favorite form of circulating currency, according to dedicated number crunchers at the Financial Times.However, the dollar still holds the lead as the most popular reserve currency. Go team! Read more here...
Inventor Of Water Powered Car Murdered?
In 1998 a guy (Stan Meyer) invents a car powered entirely by water. He's threatened by oil companies and later turns up murdered. Not surprisingly, the prototype electric car and all related research mysteriously disappear...
Bitter conservatives think Pelosi's inaugural party goes too far
Closest a woman has ever come to the presidency itself (third, right behind the VP) yet conservatives think she ought to just keep her stinkin' liberal trap shut and get to work doing the people's business! Heck, when conservatives win big elections it's not like they celebrate, is it?OK, I'm not a huge fan of wasteful inaugural parties, either, but what's with the faux outrage from folks on the right? Read more here...
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Everyone!
Seriously, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays. However you celebrate, may you be blessed. Peace on Earth.
Christmas Blessings
It's another Christmas Day, folks, and I feel fortunate. No joy or hardships in life are permanent, and I try to remember to make my own happiness. You never know when life will take a turn you weren't expecting. It happens to us all, so enjoy what you've got while you've got it.I wish everyone well. Try to keep your chin up when times get tough, and if times are good, be thankful for what you have. Share what you can with others because that's the way it ought to be. I hope if you're going through a rough patch in your life that good fortune finds you soon and finds you well. -Blue
Dare to neo-con dream
Iraq was meant to showcase the glory that is the New American Century, where the dream of forcefully bringing democracy to the Middle East was born. When the neo-cons' mission statement, "The Project for the New American Century," was declared in 1997, who'd a thunk starting a war in Iraq could have turned out so wrong??? Read more here...Top generals now support troop surge in Iraq, credit Bush's powers of persuasion
Actually, if you listen to media reports, the generals are conflicted. According to the LA Times, they support "the surge." The Washington Post says they don't. Read more here...U.N. says no more Xbox's for Xbox-starved Iranians
The Security Council voted unanimously (15-0) for economic sanctions designed to urge greater transparency of Iran's nuclear program. The sanctions will block the importation to Iran of technology and materials that could be used to develop missiles or advance nuclear research. Iran vowed Sunday to push forward with efforts to enrich uranium and to be even more beligerant than before. Read more here...Joke of the Day
"Big changes in Washington. ... Earlier today, new Secretary of Defense Robert Gates flew to Iraq to get a first-hand look of the situation over there. After surveying the situation, Gates was quoted as saying, 'Uh oh.'" --Conan O'Brien"Yesterday, President Bush delivered his annual Kwanzaa message. The president said let's remember that Kwanzaa only exists because a guy named Kwan died for our sins." --Conan O'Brien
"Time Magazine has named everyone their 'Person of the Year.' And somehow, Al Gore still came in second." --Jay Leno
John F. Kerry makes a case for flip-flopping
In a letter to President Bush and the other few million daily readers of the Washington Post, John Kerry reminds the president that we sent 15,000 more troops to Baghdad last summer, and today the escalating civil war is even worse. Read more here...
Some guy calls Democrats sell-outs for not halting Iraq war funding
I guess Dave Lindorff feels there's a consensus on what happens to Iraq if the U.S. suddenly leaves. If there is one, please send it to me because I haven't found it yet. Some in Congress say Iraq would deteriorate and the war would spill over into the wider Middle East, while others say things would stabilize.Doesn't Mr. Lindorff know by now that a good chunk of the Dems think a drastic withdrawal from Iraq, like one forced by a funding cut, would be a bad idea? Does having a different opinion than some guy named Lindorff on the outcome of a drastic withdrawal make the Democrats sell-outs? Read more here...
Pelosi rejects C-SPAN request to air new reality TV show, The Real House, during Sweeps Week
Actually, Pelosi rejected a C-SPAN request to let them control the cameras in the House of Representatives. I'm with Pelosi on this one. Anyone who's ever edited a home movie on their computer knows how fancy camerawork and editing can be used to sensationalize a story, zooming in on someone's face as they snicker about something unrelated. No, C-SPAN does a great job doing exactly what they do now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON -- Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi cited the need to preserve the ''dignity and decorum'' of the House as she rejected a request Friday that C-SPAN operate its own cameras in covering the chamber.
The public service network has provided gavel-to-gavel television coverage of House proceedings since 1979. But the House leader has kept control of the cameras, with coverage generally limited to tight shots of the speaker or the podium.
The situation is similar in the Senate, which C-SPAN has televised since 1986.
Retailers say global warming hurting winter coat sales
No joke. This is completely serious.Quote:Read more here...
Retailers are calling it the Coat Crisis of 2006, a fashion fiasco measured in racks of unsold fur-lined shearlings at Saks Fifth Avenue and down puffer jackets at Bloomingdale’s.
Balmy temperatures on the East Coast, with average highs this holiday season 15 degrees warmer than last year, have been disastrous for sales of all kinds of cold-weather clothing, from cashmere caps to wool scarves.
Al Qaeda tape to Democrats says "We won the midterm elections"
Democratic response: "Hey, where's bin Laden? We'd like the Air Force to send a thank you." Read more here...Democrats hire multimillion dollar PR firm to advertise fact they saved Americans $20
Bush pulled out his favorite pen again and wrote an executive order to raise the pay of federal workers by as much as 2.2 percent. In a symbolic gesture, Democrats in Congress, in line for a 1.7 percent pay raise on their $165,200 annual salaries, chose to decline their raises until a federal minimum wage increase is passed. Read more here...Marine Sgt. in Haditha case claims innocence, says civilians fell on his bullets
Earlier this year an official inquiry found that the Marines tried unsuccessfully to cover up what happened in Haditha. How often have things been covered up in the war?DISCLAIMER: I like the Marines. This has nothing to do with the Marines at large. It's a criminal investigation. Period.
Quote:Read more here...
SAN DIEGO - Eight Marines are charged in the deadliest criminal case to arise from the Iraq war, but it was the actions of just one that prosecutors say led most directly to the deaths of 24 unarmed civilians and a subsequent attempted cover-up.
According to charging documents, Staff Sgt. Frank D. Wuterich, killed 12 people and was responsible for the deaths of six others in the Iraqi city of Haditha, telling three other Marines under his command to "shoot first and ask questions later, or words to that effect."
White House celebrates as Bush elevated from worst to 5th worst president of all time
Time to bust out the Jenga and cheese sticks! President Bush is no longer the worst prez in American history! Well, he's movin' on up. To the East Side. To a de-luxe apartment in the sky.Quote:Read more here...
It’s unfair to claim that George W. Bush is the worst president of all time. He’s merely the fifth worst. In the White House Hall of Shame, Bush comes behind four other Oval Officers whose policies were even more disastrous: James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Richard M. Nixon and James Madison.
Goode to Muslim lawmaker: "You have the right to be here, but get out of my country!"
The country's first Muslim congressman reveals the true meaning of Christmas... Minnesota Rep.-elect Keith Ellison told CNN that he is not angry about a letter Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode wrote that said Ellison should not be allowed to place his hand on the Quran during his unofficial swearing in ceremony.Quote:Read more here...
Blitzer asked the new lawmaker-elect directly if thought Goode is a "bigot."
But Ellison refused to partake in what he characterized as "name calling."
"I don't know the fellow and I'd rather just say he has a lot to learn about Islam," Ellison said.
The congressman-elect said he looks forward to meeting Goode.
President Bush says goodbye to the 109th Congress
You gotta have speakers on your computer to really appreciate this. Oh, but how I laughed...
Brawl Erupts at Reindeer Games
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
Rudolph Suspended for Season
The epidemic of sports violence spread to the North Pole last night as a brawl erupted between fans and reindeer at this year’s reindeer games, resulting in the ejection and suspension of Rudolph for the remainder of the season.
The games, a holiday classic that dates back to 1949, had a mostly uneventful history until 2002, the year that beer and other alcoholic beverages first became available for sale at the event.
Since then, fans say, the reindeer games have drawn increasingly unruly crowds who aggressively goad the hoofed creatures with catcalls and obscenities.
Rice says Iraq is "worth the investment" in other people's lives
Now they're all saying it: Iraq has been "more difficult" than expected. Whew! Well, thank goodness we came to that realization before something bad happened. Way to stay on top of it.Quote:Read more here...
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The Associated Press on Thursday that Iraq is "worth the investment" in American lives and dollars and said the U.S. can still win a conflict that has been more difficult than she expected.
Bush presidential library to be filled with children's books
Without ever having set foot in one before, President Bush is getting a library of his very own. The $200 million aberration is expected to draw 500,000 visitors per year. Read more here...
Ahmadinejad claims Iran now nuclear power; Israel begins countdown
Taking advantage of the joyous occasion, President Ahmadinejad added, "Britain, Israel, US to 'vanish like the pharaohs.'" Read more here...Lou Dobbs Warns Santa Not to Cross U.S. Border
Quote:Read more here...
Anchor Attacks Foreign-made Items in Claus’ Sack
CNN anchor Lou Dobbs devoted his entire news broadcast last night to a searing expose of Santa Claus in which he warned the legendary fat man not to cross the United States’ border with Canada on Christmas Eve.
Mr. Dobbs has made “America’s broken borders” one of his signature crusades in recent years, but even for viewers familiar with his incendiary rants about illegal immigration and cheap foreign imports, his attack on Santa Claus seemed particularly vitriolic.
“To our knowledge, Santa Claus is a resident of the North Pole and therefore is doing business in the United States as an undocumented worker,” Mr. Dobbs told his television audience. “In short, he is taking jobs away from hard-working American toy-delivery personnel while the government looks the other way.”
Iraqi soldiers eat frogs, rabbit at handover ceremony
The number of rabbits killed in the Iraq war hit a new milestone Thursday as Iraq's three millionth rabbit died as a result of combat operations. Read more here...
60 Minutes: CIA told Bush, Cheney, Rice that Iraq had giant sand beetles and mutant camels, but no WMD
Quote:Read more here...
BRADLEY: And what did this high level source tell you?
DRUMHELLER: He told us that they had no active weapons of mass destruction program.
BRADLEY: So, in the fall of 2002, before going to war, we had it on good authority from a source within Saddam’s inner circle that he didn’t have an active program for weapons of mass destruction?
DRUMHELLER: Yes.
BRADLEY: There’s no doubt in your mind about that?
DRUMHELLER: No doubt in my mind at all.
Report says Berger hid archive documents in his crack pipe
What the hell was former Clinton national security adviser Sandy Berger thinking??? Clinton's old security chief must not have retired. The report says he removed classified docs from the archives and hid them under a trailer outside, then came back for them later when no one was watching. Sandy, buddy, get some help.Sure would like to know what was written on the papers he took, though... Wouldn't you? Read more here...
Bush says he'll support a minimum wage boost if he gets what he wants for Christmas
More tax cuts! Yea! Tax cuts! I know ... let's make the government bigger, increase government spending, increase the debt and cut more taxes yea!!! Then, as a side, we'll increase the minimum wage a couple bucks just to show we care. Merry Christmas! Read more here...
Gas prices climbed 18% in November, so, just stop using gas and no problem
BusinessWeek.com's Peter Coy says that we shouldn't fret over November's 2 percent boost in inflation because it was primarily due to price increases in just a handful of sectors, one of which was gasoline, which rose 18 percent.As everyone knows, hardly anyone in America uses gasoline. Read more here...
Columnist misses Christmas spirit once exemplified by America's biggest bloodsucking corporations
"Where's Christmas, Uncle Wal-Mart?" In this editorial over at BusinessWeek.com, some guy asks what happened to the emotion over Christmas in our corporatized television advertising... Where's the Christmas spirit that our mega-zillion-dollar bloodsucking corporations used to have!? What would Jesus think!? Read more here...Bush intends to grow the military, solves all our problems in Iraq
The president says the first step toward bringing troops home from Iraq is getting more troops to send to Iraq.Quote:Read more here...
Top generals have expressed concern that even temporarily shipping thousands of more troops would be largely ineffective in the absence of bold new political and economic steps, and that it would leave the already stretched Army and Marines Corps even thinner once the surge ended.
They also worry that it feeds a perception that the strife and chaos in Iraq is mainly a military problem; in their view it is largely political, fed by economic distress.
Bush Calls Iraq Main Front in War on Gay Marriage
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
Accuses Iran, Syria of Sending Wedding Planners over Border
President George W. Bush attempted to build support for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq today, arguing that Iraq is now “the main front in the war on gay marriage.”
The president had never before linked the war in Iraq to the broader war on gay marriage, but in a nationally televised address today he made such a case.
Speaking from the Oval Office, the president said that America’s enemies, such as Syria and Iran, were directly involved in sending wedding planners over the border into Iraq to plan gay weddings.
Democrats mull global warming because it's easier to mull than address
Americans ask, "Are you stupid? I'm freezing my ass off! How the hell's that global warming!?"Quote:Read more here...
A recent poll carried out by the Pew Research Center in Washington suggested that only two out of five Americans think global warming is caused by human activity and only one in five were personally worried by climate change.
People in 15 countries, rich and poor, were asked that question. Concern in the US was the lowest of them all.
Inflation rips through the roof, conservatives say chillax
A 2 percent jump last month, Wall Street hacks and conservative economists say, is no cause for concern because October saw a drop of 1.6 percent. Average out the past two months and it's just a dinky 0.4 percent net increase in wholesale inflation. Of course, had inflation dropped in November instead of jumped, those same hacks and economists would have said, "The economy is on fire! I'm serious! So hot I just burned myself! God, I love it!" Read more here...
Josh's Fox News Report
Yes, this is perhaps one of the WORST homemade flash movies EVER, but I give this Mr. Josh character an 'A' for effort ... because effort is spelled with an 'A' in George Bush's America. And, truth be told, I have a thing for cutout cartoon characters wobbling around on screen like puppets. It gets me every time.
Gates says something about ghosts and Iraq is a disaster - Scary!
Saying that failure in Iraq would "haunt" the U.S. for decades, newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Robert Gates doesn't reveal how we'll measure success in Iraq, how we'll recognize failure, what he intends to do to prevent it, or anything else of substance ... but he sure has a friendly smile nevertheless. He also says he intends to visit Iraq, "quite soon." Golly, I wish him a lovely time. Baghdad is wonderful this time of year. Read more here...Jackass Uncut: North Korea
Kim Jong-Il and jackass Johnny Knoxville have fun with high explosives on Al Gore's Current TV. Watch here!
Pelosi targets grassroots groups, kills puppies in spare time
First question: do you think the country needs lobbying reform? Second question: do you intend to flip out after reading this crappy article, or will you do more research before you make up your mind about Pelosi's position?Quote:Read more here...
House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) has pledged to take up a lobbying reform proposal that would impose new regulations on speech by grassroots organizations, while providing a loophole in the rules for large corporations and labor unions.
The legislation would make changes to the legal definition of “grassroots lobbying” and require any organization that encourages 500 or more members of the general public to contact their elected representatives to file a report with detailed information about their organization to the government on a quarterly basis.
The report would include identifying the organization’s expenditures, the issues focused on and the members of Congress and other federal officials who are the subject of the advocacy efforts. A separate report would be required for each policy issue the group is active on.
U.S. releases anti-insurgency guide for Iraq, instructions in Korean
The president's favorite chapter: "Nation Building is Hard Work."Quote:Read more here...
The manual, which draws on lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan, underlines the need for troops to do more than fight. Critics have accused the US military of inflaming insurgencies by failing to gain the trust of local people. The US military says the 282-page manual, which contains chapters on intelligence and ethics in war, fills "a doctrinal gap".
Trade deficit on record pace, falling dollar may slow it down
When the best thing economists can say about a $225.6 billion trade deficit over three months is that the plummeting value of the dollar may offset the impact, you know you've got a problem. Read more here...Fear of gay bishop forces Anglicans to Nigeria
OMG! We have to hide from the gays! Quick, I know a place. It's called Nigeria.Quote:Read more here...
Two church congregations in the US have voted to break away from the Episcopal Church because of its decision three years ago to consecrate a gay bishop. The Truro Church and the Falls Church voted to place themselves instead under the authority of the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria, Peter Akinola.
China dumps dollars like rats off a sinking ship
Rumor has it that China plans to dump one trillion U.S. dollars in favor of more lucrative gold, Euros, silver and rat turd futures. The dollar can't compete with the sweet, malodorous pungency of rat turd.Quote:Read more here...
China was allegedly asked to withhold the announcement until Bullion Markets closed for the weekend to prevent an instant spike in gold and silver prices. This delay will give the world the weekend to consider appropriate actions rather than have a knee-jerk reaction which could see the U.S. Dollar totally collapse in value Monday.
White House decries senators' visits to Syria, yells 'Stop it!'
Who the hell do these Senators think they are!? It's the president's job to travel to Syria on factfinding missions. Wait -- when has the president gone to Syria on a factfinding mission...?Quote:Read more here...
WASHINGTON — The White House on Thursday stepped up its pressure on senators who are engaged in direct talks with Syrian leaders, saying their trips to Damascus risk undermining U.S. efforts to encourage democracy in the Middle East.
Rabbit pulls a number out of hat, sends that many more troops to Iraq
Ted Kennedy calls Harry Reid a goofball without actually calling him a goofball, and Colin Powell proves he has way too much common sense to work in Washington.Quote:Read more here...
Powell said if more troops were proposed, make their mission clear, determine whether they can accomplish it and what size force is appropriate. "We have to be very, very careful in this instance not just to grab a number out of the air," Powell said.
To sellout prison crowd, Lt. Colonel Oliver North defines what "winning" means in Iraq
Democracy! Democracy! Ra! Ra! Ra! Nevermind the unknown costs, how long it could take or whether or not the Iraqi people are capable of democracy in our lifetimes, it's a good thing (sorry, Martha). Take it from the Colonel, we're winning in Iraq.Quote:Read more here...
After the all-out, U.S.-led fight for Fallujah in 2004, Ramadi became the home base for Al Qaeda, and the call to civil war. Everyone here — Americans, Iraqis and foreign-supported terrorists — know that if Ramadi can be secured, half the battle for the future of Iraq will have been won.
Bush stubbornly refuses to blink. Orders doctors to staple his eyes open.
Stubborn, resolute, stalwart - take your pick - but George W. Bush doesn't take kindly to changing his mind. Perhaps it causes him physical pain to do so. Maybe there's a parasitic brain mole that screams inside his head whenever he changes his mind.Quote:Read more here...
But now, as Bush rethinks his strategy in Iraq and approaches one of the most fateful moments of his presidency, he confronts difficult questions: At what point does determination to a cause become self-defeating folly? Can he change direction in a meaningful way without sacrificing principle?
Democrat Harry Reid says send more troops to Iraq, but bring 'em home by Christmas 2008!
Democratic Senator Harry Reid says troop buildup in Iraq OK by him, but only for one more year. Just one more year.Quote:Read more here...
"If the commanders on the ground said this is just for a short period of time, we'll go along with that," said Reid, D-Nev., citing a time frame such as two months to three months. But a period longer than that, such as 18 months to 24 months, would be unacceptable, he said.
Want to reduce poverty? Lower those tax rates. So says a new study called, "My Fake Study to Promote Lower Taxes"
New "objective" study on taxation and poverty called, "How to Win the War on Poverty: An Analysis of State Poverty Trends," conducted by the - get this - Goldwater institute - tests different theories on taxtation and povery by examining state poverty rates from 1990 to 2000. Brace yourself, but the study finds that lower tax rates mean less poverty! What a shocker... Read more here.U.S. scientists being put on a shorter leash.
U.S. Geological Survey scientists protest their new editor, Karl Rove. All potentially scandalous scientific results must first pass through peer review, aka Karl's In-box.Quote:Read more here...
“It’s the old thing, in concept it makes a great deal of sense,” he said [one scientist]. “In practice, if you have a change to what you’ve been doing for a long time, you’re not happy with it.”
Kerry Reveals That 2004 Campaign Was Botched Joke
Andy Borowitz...Quote:Read more here...
Will Skip ‘08 to Focus on Comedy Career
Speaking to an audience of troops in Iraq today, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass) raised eyebrows by revealing for the first time that his 2004 campaign for the U.S. presidency was “a botched joke.”
“My stiff delivery, my wooden, robot-like hand gestures, were all an attempt on my part to be hilarious,” Sen. Kerry told the troops. “In retrospect, I guess you had to be there.”
For Mr. Kerry, a politician whose demeanor ranges from “dour” to “very dour,” the news that his entire campaign was a botched joke came as a startling revelation.
But despite the fact that his presidential campaign failed to garner the kind of belly laughs he was aiming for, Sen. Kerry told the troops that he planned to skip the 2008 race to focus full-time on what he called “my first love, comedy.”
McCain says major financiers will back his 2008 bid. Hint: none of them are George Soros
Senator McCain thinks billionaire George Soros is a Democratic tool and decides he wants some rich tools of his own.Quote:Read more here...
One of the most prominent on the list of finance committee co-chairmen is the head of the New York Stock Exchange, John Thain. Mr. Thain, whose title is CEO of NYSE Group, Inc., previously served as the president and CEO of Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
McCain: Afghanistan needs Europe troops, nevermind about Iraq
Senator McCain is pushing hard for more European help for Afghanistan. Must have forgotten about that war in Iraq.Quote:Read more here...
McCain told reporters at a U.S. base in Kabul, the Afghan capital, that the U.S. would commit more troops to Afghanistan if needed. "But the focus here is more on training the Afghan National Army and the police, as opposed to the increased U.S. troop presence," he said.
Gingrich: GOP needs new kind of campaign
Newt Gingrich thinks every presidential candidate should be as thoughtful and optimistic as he and Barack Obama are. Uh... sure, Newt.Quote:Read more here...
Americans, he told about 100 people attending the Manchester Republican City Committee dinner-dance, are tired of negative attack ads. He said state Republicans should invite Democrats to their candidate forums, too.
Sen. Johnson resting, remains critical
Quote:Read more here...
He has been diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, a condition that causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large, become tangled and sometimes burst. The condition often is present from birth.
Cheney calls Rumsfeld the finest Defense Secretary ever forced to resign
Quote:Read more here...
"I believe the record speaks for itself - Don Rumsfeld is the finest secretary of defence this nation has ever had."
90% of Iraqis believe country worse off now than under Saddam
Saddam must be loving this...Quote:Read more here...
Citizens in Iraq and in the US hope to see an end to the presence of American troops in Iraq More than 90 per cent of Iraqis believe the country is worse off now than before the war in 2003, according to new research obtained by Al Jazeera.
A survey of 2,000 people by the Iraq Centre for Research and Strategic Studies found that 95 per cent of respondents believe the security situation has deteriorated since the arrival of US forces.
Presidential candidate quits race, saves millions
Would-be Democratic candidate for president, Evan Bayh, decides not to waste millions of dollars on a fruitless effort.Quote:Read more here...
"At the end of the day, I concluded that due to circumstances beyond our control the odds were longer than I felt I could responsibly pursue," Bayh said in a statement. "This path - and these long odds - would have required me to be essentially absent from the Senate for the next year instead of working to help the people of my state and the nation."
How will Bush go down in history?
A new poll out by Gallup finds that most Americans predict history will not look kindly on President Bush. In fact, Bush scores lower than any of his five predecessors in the survey. The image above shows how respondents answered the question of how history would view each president.
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,009 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted Dec. 8-10, 2006. Margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
Gore tells scientists to be vocal
Al Gore wants scientists to speak up, to take the lead on the issue of climate change. Spark a rebellion! Picture 10,000 scientist protestors in white lab coats shouting, "Out of my lab! Out of my lab! Out of my lab!"Quote:Read more here...
"It's time for scientists to play a different role in asserting the value of scientific insight and defending the integrity of the scientific process, and becoming far more active in directly communicating to the American people about the meaning of the research you have underway..." he told his audience.
Mr Gore echoed the views of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) who on Wednesday issued a statement signed by 10,600 researchers complaining about political interference in their work.
The UCS claimed to have documented hundreds of cases of scientists working for US federal agencies being asked to change data to fit policy initiatives, or simply to bury the information.
Moveon, Swiftboaters fined $$$ for 2004 violations
The FEC did the smackdown on a few political action committees for their 2004 exploits. Looks like the Swiftboaters got the worst of it.Quote:Read more here...
If an organization receives contributions or make expenditures over 1,000 dollars and its major purpose is involvement in campaign activity, it must register with the FEC and abide by the restrictions and requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the FEC said in a statement.
The three entities registered with the Internal Revenue Service as "Section 527" organizations - tax exempt groups, but they " clearly established that they were political committees during the 2004 campaign," it said.
The League of Conservation Voters was fined 180,000 dollars, the MoveOn.org Voter Fund 150,000 dollars, and the Swiftboat Veterans and POWs for Truth, 299,500 dollars.