Hypocrisy Targeted towards Kerry

Quick thought:

John Kerry is catching flack from the Catholic Church regarding his pro-choice stance. OK.

The Catholic church is also against the death penalty.

As Governor of Texas, George W. Bush presided over 152 executions.

Also, the Pope was against the war. Bush went to war anyways.

Why is the church seemingly Pro-Bush and Anti-Kerry?

[inspired by 1115.org]

Chickenhawks Website

Chickenhawk  n.  A person enthusiastic about war, provided someone else fights it; particularly when that enthusiasm is undimmed by personal experience with war; most emphatically when that lack of experience came in spite of ample opportunity in that person’s youth.

Go to the Chickenhawk Website and see your favorite Republicans! Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and many others.


Highlight

Name: Rush Limbaugh
Born: 1951
Employer: Yack Radio
Conflict Avoided: Vietnam
Notes: Where to begin ... a joke about the Hindenburg? No, let's go right to the reason he had to stay home from the war - the world's most famous anal cyst. He's denied it, but www.snopes.com, the Urban Legends Reference Pages, has got the goods on him.

Link to Snopes.com here.

The Donald Slips Dubya the Pink Slip

Trump Fires Bush. A funny video ending with the Donald's "you're fired!".

[link via apechild.com]

Thanks for nothing, Colin.

"...Powell should have quit and not let himself be used by the Vice-President and his "Gestapo office" of Pentagon neo-cons, as Powell referred to them, to put a diplomatic fig leaf on a predetermined war plan and to present bogus intelligence to the UN."

An article describing how Colin Powell blew it as per Bob Woodward's new Book, Plan of Attack.

There is no one way we could have stopped "the lunacy" that is Cheney, but I sure wish Powell had stood up for what he believed in. He carried a lot of weight around the world, but in the end, he laid down and watched.

Tom Toles Cartoon

[via NY Times]

Today's Headlines Regarding Bush's Press Conference

Liberal media?

CNN
Bush stands firm on Iraq, war on terror
'I don't plan on losing my job'

New York Times
President Makes a Case for Freedom in the Middle East
"We're changing the world"

Fox News
Bush Addresses Iraq, 9/11 Probe
"Most of Iraq is relatively stable."

Bush managed to not give one solid answer to the 15 questions. Here are two examples.

Excerpts from last night
Q "Mr. President, why are you and the Vice President insisting on appearing together before the 9/11 Commission?"
THE PRESIDENT "...because the 9/11 Commission wants to ask us questions, that's why we're meeting."
[followed by an attempt to make the question clearer]
Q "I was asking why you're appearing together, rather than separately, which was their request."
THE PRESIDENT: "Because it's a good chance for both of us to answer questions that the 9/11 Commission is looking forward to asking us, and I'm looking forward to answering them."

Is this really his answer? It's like a bad "Who's On First?" skit as played out by a child. He completely avoided answering the question, TWICE!

Q Thank you, Mr. President. In the last campaign, you were asked a question about the biggest mistake you'd made in your life, and you used to like to joke that it was trading Sammy Sosa. You've looked back before 9/11 for what mistakes might have been made. After 9/11, what would your biggest mistake be, would you say, and what lessons have you learned from it?
THE PRESIDENT: I wish you would have given me this written question ahead of time, so I could plan for it. (Laughter.) John, I'm sure historians will look back and say, gosh, he could have done it better this way, or that way. You know, I just -- I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with an answer, but it hadn't yet.
[con't]
"I hope I -- I don't want to sound like I've made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't -- you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one."

Reading this does not do it justice. You had to see it. Absolutely pathetic. The pausing, the stupid laugh. Bush took the short bus home after this farce of a press conference.

Simply put, Bush sees the world like a child. Everything is good. No foresight or critical thinking. Only as good as his script in front of him. Can't think on his feet. He doesn't comprehend terrorism as a concept, he thinks it is something you can beat and then it goes away.

Complete press conference transcript.

[Inspired by http://www.1115.org]

South African Elections Should Be Example for Iraq

Today, April 14, marks the third democratic election for post-Apartheid South Africa.

South Africa is a great example of what people will do in order to secure freedom. Systematically suppressed, "the struggle" was a vision for equality and was their belief.They would die for their beliefs. They would spread the word around the world and make governments take action. They would face an Apartheid Government that was out to destroy them and ultimately conquer them with local leaders like Nelson Mandela. They would fight, they would educate and they would win.

Iraq, too, has the need for freedom, the causes to die for and the locals to lead them. Do they have the vision to see parallels in South Africa, the upside for democracy, or is it all subjective, Shiites and Sunnis? The answer seems obvious.

Bush has 500 Days of Vacation So Far, 40% of His Term

Don't you wish you could take 40% of the year off. Bush is doing it.

FYI, when Bush was getting his Aug 6, 2001 PDB, he was on a record-setting 32-day vacation. The longest vacation by a President ever!

The self-proclaimed "War" President is more like the Snore President. Is it nap time, Dubya?

Pheonix Memo from FBI

 
"APRIL 12--Two months before the September 11 attacks, FBI agent Kenneth Williams sent the below memo to bureau brass in Washington and New York warning that a cadre of Osama bin Laden disciples might be training at U.S. flight schools in preparation for future "terror activity against civil aviation targets." Williams suggested a nationwide FBI review to determine whether such a "coordinated effort" could be seen in other localities. The Williams memo was roundly ignored, of course, until after the World Trade Center was leveled. (8 pages)" [via theSmokingGun.com]

See the complete 8 page memo at theSmokingGun.com

Remember, the threat was enough to stop Ashcroft from using commercial flights and use expensive charter flights instead.

This article on CBSNews.com from July 7, 2001 shows that Ashcroft stopped flying commercial flights because the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI.

The Picture Bush and Cheney Won't Let You See

War is Hell.

Bush has not allowed pictures of flag-draped coffins coming home from Iraq to appear on TV. We used to see this all the time, it was respectful of the Armed Services and let the US citizens know war has real consequences.

Bush goes one step further and has not made one funeral for a fallen soldier and goes on vacation when the country needs a leader.

Add to that, he puts flag-draped coffins from 9/11 in his election commercials. Hypocrite.

These soldiers gave the ultimate sacrifice but are silenced because Bush wants to get re-elected.

A Recent George W. Bush Resume

RESUME GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
Law Enforcement: I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been  

MILITARY:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

COLLEGE:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland,Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company (Harken), but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.  

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS
I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America. I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money. I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history. With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.  

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:
I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.
I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week. I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury. I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history. I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period. I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period. I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month. I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history.
 
My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision. I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip- offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed. I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history. I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts. I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history. I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government. I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history. I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission. I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law. I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention. I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election). I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television. I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history. I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history. I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind. I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation.

I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community. I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- in wartime. In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends. I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security. I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD. I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden [sic] to justice. Unfortunately, Margie Schodinger, the lady who accused me of raping her committed suicide on 22nd September 2003.
 
RECORDS AND REFERENCES:
All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view. All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

Troubles in Sudan, "No Peace, Only War"

10 years after Rwanda, Sudan is having problems with "ethnic cleansing". The UN is sending an aid mission to investigate.

Some 670,000 people have fled "ethnic cleansing" by Arab militias in Darfur but remain in Sudan, with little aid. Thousands of people had been killed in the region and there were reports of mass rape by the Arab militias.

UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Jan Egeland described it as one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

Saddam Hussein Airlifted to Qatar

According to Independent, the United States has secretly flown Saddam Hussein out of Iraq and imprisoned him under high security at a vast American air base in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar.

Bush Has United Atleast One Country

Unable to bring unity to the Republicans and Democrats of the US, splitting the parties like never before, and at the same time unilatterally ruining the US' standing around the world, Bush has amazingly helped the Sunnis and Shiites of Iraq come together like never before. Too bad it's against the United States. Well done.

Just like pre-9/11 US, post-Taliban Afghanistan and post-Saddam Iraq, no plan was needed.

9.13.01 Secret Saudi Flight Amid US Airspace Lockdown

On September 13, 2001, just 2 days after 9/11, while American airspace was locked down, a series of 12 secret flights took place across the country culminating with approximately 140 Saudis evacuating the US. Read the story by Craig Unger here.

Many of the passengers were high-ranking members of the royal House of Saud. About 24 of them were members of the bin Laden family.

At the time, this flight could have only happened with White House approval. They deny it ever happened.

Wouldn't it have been nice to interview them before the Bush Cartel let his buddies off the hook?

No "Silver Bullet" But Huge Pieces Of Puzzle Ignored.

Larry C. Johnson explains the August 6, 2001 PDB. Larry served with the CIA from 1985 through 1989 and worked in the State Department's office of Counter Terrorism from 1989 through 1993. He has written 40+ PDB’s during his four-year tenure at the CIA.

His summation, "Bush was on vacation and Condi—the smartest woman in Washington, we are told—was asleep at the switch."

Bush Cartel Oil History Makes Me Wonder.....

NYT article on how high gas prices help Texas oilmen. The once marginal oil fields of Texas are now relatively booming with production as barrel prices near $40. Great for them, bad for everyone else.

No need to put pressure on OPEC when you have some croonies at home making big bucks.

Also, "Natural gas, ...is also selling at longtime highs, up to $5 per thousand cubic feet, some five times the price of two years ago.

8/13 PDB Memo thoughts.....

Bush says August 6, 2001 PDB memo not specific enough.

Fair enough. Amid all the denial of responsibility, the very culpable Bush Cartel seems that what they needed was a memo titled "Bin Ladin Determined to Use Hijacked US Airplanes As Missles To Slam Into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001" to get a sense of the threat.

The requested PDB memo, despite being "dumbed down" for the month-long vacationing Prez, mentions Bin Ladin attacking inside the US in its title, suspicious activity consistent with hijacking planes, Al Qaeda looking at targets in NYC/Lower Manhattan, a substantial summer spike in "chatter" referencing a big attack, 70 full-field FBI investigations linked to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda apparently maintaining a US-based support structure that could aid attacks.

You have "the who, the what and the where" staring you right in the face.

Just admit it, you messed up.

Interesting article from 2002 about Iraqi "Cakewalk"

Article by key Neo-Con arctitect Ken Adelman titled "Cakewalk in Iraq" written in February of 2002.

Notice there is no mention of what to do in Iraq once the "cakewalk" is over.

Adelman writes, "This President Bush does not need to amass rinky-dink nations as "coalition partners" to convince the Washington establishment that we're right."

Richard Clarke Responding on ABC to Rice's Testimony

Here is the transcript from the Conversation with Peter Jennings. Nothing too buzzworthy.

Some nuggets from Clarke:
"[Rice] said that the president received 40 warnings face to face from the director of central intelligence that a major al Qaeda attack was going to take place and she admitted that the president did not have a meeting on the subject, did not convene the Cabinet."

"You know, there may be structural problems within those agencies [FBI & CIA], but the way you overcome them in a crisis mode is by having the leaders of the agencies get together in the White House as a team in crisis mode. And Dr. Rice admits she didn't do it."

Bush's Counterterrorism staff exodus

Interesting article at Forbes on how "the Bush administration has faced a steady exodus of counterterrorism officials, many disappointed by a preoccupation with Iraq they said undermined the U.S. fight against terrorism."

Roger Cressey, who served under Richard Clarke in the White House counterterrorism office, said: "Dick accurately reflects the frustration of many in the counterterrorism community in getting the new administration to take the al Qaeda issue seriously."

What was Historical about the Info?

August 6th PDB is titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States".

"...PDB memo of August 6th that the FBI was saying that it had information suggesting that preparations _ not historically, but ongoing, along with these numerous full field investigations against al-Qaida cells, that preparations were being made consistent with hijackings within the United States".

What is historical about that? Seems pretty fresh.

Rice's complete transcript.

What did Rumsfeld mean?

After watching Condi Rice this morning, I have to question how Defense Secretary Rumsfeld described on many TV shows that Richard Clarke was "out of the loop".

Why was Clarke the first person Condi asked for on hearing the news on 9/11?

The Media Lets Us Down Again, Shame on NBC

Bush advisor Karen Hughes on "Meet the Press" with Tim Russert.

[Taken from Transcript]
MR. RUSSERT: But now in hindsight the president believes the commission's a good idea.

MS. HUGHES: Well, I think, Tim, I don't know if the president ever opposed the creation of the commission. What he did was try to balance and look at all those different things.

Does Karen Hughes really believe this? That is a flat out lie! How did Tim Russert let this one get by without challenging her?

And in center field.....

Is Boston Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon taking this "Passion of the Christ" buzz a little too far?

If the Red Sox can't win with Jesus in center, the curse may be worse than they think

CNN comes up lame

After David Letterman aired a videotape of Tyler Crotty, 13 and the son of a Bush $100,000 plus "Pioneer" fundraiser, fighting to stay awake as George droned on and on, CNN host Daryn Kagan dismissed the videotape with the following on-air comment: "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting." CNN anchor Kyra Phillips later reran the tape but cautioned viewers: "We're told that the kid was there at that event, but not necessarily standing behind the president."

Accused of misleading his viewers, Letterman called the White House a bunch of liars.

And what do you know? CNN did a sudden turnabout, claiming that the Bush propaganda machine never really called them at all. They vaguely attributed the unfounded allegation to news staff error.

"This whole thing just smells. Doesn't it smell a little bit?" Letterman remarked on his show after the CNN retreat.

Isn't that messed up?

Do you think CNN came up with that story idea on their own. A staff error? Or did the White House really try to discredit Letterman by planting the story? CNN looks like they can't keep their lies straight. CNN apologized on-air to Letterman.

The media are so Durst!

The time has come...

A blog for the democrats and republicans who are tired of the current situation.