Iran supports all Shia factions
"As for the Bush charges that Iran backed rogue militiamen against the al-Maliki government, it is contradicted by the US intelligence community. The USG Open Source Center did a report on the Iranian stance toward the recent fighting between al-Maliki's forces and those of Mahdi Army and other militias. It found that the Iranian press (hint: it is not independent of the Iranian government) backed al-Maliki! In other words, Bush and Iran are on the same side." - Juan Cole
[Not as devastating as the 4,039 killed, the tens of thousands wounded or the trillions of dollars wasted, but almost as big, is the historically stupid strategic blunder of us strengthening Iran's influence in the region. We had given Saddam Hussein billions of dollars -- chemical and biological weapons, too -- the entire decade of the 1980's to prevent just that! But we're now stuck with an Iraqi government, backed by over 60% of the population, that are close allies of Iran. Nice move, morons.]
Yeah, that's real surprising
'Bowling for Pennsylvania'
'Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, a Clinton backer, cued this part of the state's electorate in comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in February: "You've got some conservative whites here, and I think there are some whites who are probably not ready to vote for an African-American candidate."'It's tough out there
Hedge fund manager John Paulson raked in an astonishing $3 billion last year, a payday that topped all others even in the rarified canyons of Wall Street. That's more than $1.4 million an hour, assuming a 40-hour workweek with no vacations -- The average American worker made just $17.86 an hour in March, according to the government's Bureau of Labor Statistics. It would take 80,756 average Americans to make the same amount of money as Paulson did.Manufacturing the nightly news
'To the public, these men are members of a familiar fraternity, presented tens of thousands of times on television and radio as “military analysts” whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and unfettered judgments about the most pressing issues of the post-Sept. 11 world. Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon information apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news coverage of the administration’s wartime performance, an examination by The New York Times has found.'[The manipulation of everything sacred by this administration will be the topic of constitutional lawyers until the end of time.]
Jack and Nancy pissing em' off!
Bristling at criticism in the run-up to the Summer Olympics, China is lashing back at its foreign critics — by name. Earlier this week, the state Xinhua news agency called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "disgusting." And on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu lambasted a CNN commentator, Jack Cafferty, for his "vicious" commentary on China. "We solemnly request that CNN, and Cafferty himself, take back the malicious remarks and apologize to the Chinese people," Jiang said at a news briefing.
Bush has done one good thing ...
"In 2002 Pennsylvania had 3.8m registered Republicans and 3.2m Democrats. Today it has 4.2m Democrats and 3.2m Republicans. The picture is similar at the national level. According to Rasmussen Reports, 41 per cent of Americans are affiliated to the Democrats compared with 32 per cent to the Republicans – a near reversal of the picture during the first George W. Bush administration."
[A needless war, historical deficits, $4+ trillion added to the national debt, anemic job growth, stagnant wages, sky-rocketing energy and food costs, and on and on. But with all the bad, hopefully, comes a little good. Maybe.]
They are ignoring 9/11
The Government Accountability Office released a report today concluding that the United States has no plan to combat al Qaeda and other terrorist threats in Pakistan. The GAO found that “[t]errorists are still operating freely in Pakistan along the country’s Afghanistan border, despite the U.S. giving Pakistan more than $10.5 billion in military and economic aid.” In a glaring rebuke of President Bush’s terrorism policy, the report says that there is “no comprehensive plan” to “destroy the terrorist threat and close the safe haven in Pakistan,” and “al Qaeda had regenerated its ability to attack” the United States. TP
[The stunning incompetence of the Bush Administration spelled out very clearly by its own GAO. Who else needs anymore proof?]
We'll see what ABC is made of
Last week's Democratic debate in Philadelphia was an abysmal display of journalism. By sticking to trivial topics for half of the debate, ABC sought to provoke controversy without asking the candidates serious questions. ... Ironically, the mainstream media have been giving John McCain a free ride while trying to pin Clinton and Obama with manufactured "gotcha" questions. In fact, they don't seem to be challenging McCain at all. So there's no reason to think ABC's brand of pseudo-journalism won't continue this morning, when George Stephanopoulos will interview McCain on his show.
[Robert Greenwald-AlterNet]
Worth the effort
NEW YORK—A construction worker's bid to curse the New York Yankees by planting a Boston Red Sox jersey in their new stadium was foiled Sunday when the home team removed the offending shirt from its burial spot. After locating the shirt in a service corridor behind what will be a restaurant in the new Yankee Stadium, construction workers jackhammered through the concrete Sunday and pulled it out.More scarce than oil
At least 36 states are expected to face water shortages within the next five years, according to U.S. government estimates. Available freshwater supplies are dwindling across the country due to rising temperatures and droughts, while increasing sprawl, population and inefficient resource usage are leading to rising demand.
One less Nazi
Authorities tried futilely for decades to bring the admitted Nazi hit man to justice for killing civilians. Now a German prosecutor has filed new murder charges against 86-year-old Heinrich Boere in a last-ditch effort to see him prosecuted. Dortmund prosecutor Ulrich Maass told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the charges involve the World War II murders of three men in the Netherlands while Boere was a member of a Waffen SS death squad that targeted civilians in reprisal killings for resistance attacks.Sue the bastards!
A new Government Accountability Office opinion released yesterday finds that the Bush administration “violated federal law last year when it restricted states’ ability to provide health insurance to children of middle-income families, and its new policy is therefore unenforceable.” Twenty-two states already provide such coverage or want to do so, and several states have filed lawsuits challenging the Bush administration’s rules.I couldn't have said it better
"In the name of fighting the 9/11 terrorists, the Bush administration overthrew the one Arab government most adamantly opposed to the Saudi financiers of that son of their system, Osama bin Laden. Instead of confronting the royal leaders of a kingdom that supplied 15 of the 19 hijackers, we invaded a nation that supplied not a single one. While Bush overthrew Saddam Hussein, who had no ties to the hijackers, he embraced the leaders of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the only three nations in the world that had diplomatically recognized and supported the Taliban sponsors of al-Qaida."
[Man, Robert Scheer always nails it]
And they're thieves, too?
A savvy New York Attorney noted and cited a report on the Huffington Post website yesterday that a batch of recipes listed on John McCain's campaign website, under the headline "McCain Family Recipes", were actually taken word for word from the website of the Food Network. The recipes in question – including Ahi Tuna with Napa Cabbage Slaw, Passion Fruit Mousse, and Farfalle Pasta with Turkey Sausage, Peas and Mushrooms — were all credited on the website to McCain's wife Cindy.[Come on, did anyone really think the 'Beer Queen' cooked?]
Who would have ever thunk it?
Exposing ScientologyJason Beghe was best man at the wedding of "X-Files" star David Duchovny (his childhood pal) and actress Tea Leoni. In 1998, he starred as Demi Moore’s love interest in "G.I. Jane." He’s been featured in numerous TV dramas such as "Criminal Minds," "Numb3rs" and "CSI." In 2005, Beghe appeared in promotional spots for the Church of Scientology. But now, Beghe has escaped the church after taking courses since 1994. He’s made a video that’s up on YouTube. - [Fox News]
American Flag pins for empty suits
"... But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time."B. Hussein Obama - 10/07
The Limbaugh Award
The winner of the 59th Limbaugh Award, the 'prestigious, but infamous' award given here weekly to the liar of the week, is a man so sleazy, the Republicans recruited him away from the Democrats and Fox News hired him as an ethics expert; Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Dick Morris.When the esteemed and world-renowned selection committee announced that Morris had edged out Douglas Feith for this week's award I had to bust out laughing because every time I hear his name or catch him on Fox News, I visualize that pervert sucking on that prostitute's toes!
Morris, undoubtedly one of the top 5 Clinton haters of all-time, appeared on Hannity & Colmes this week and called Hillary a commie for some work she did for a California-based law firm, Treuhaft, Walker and Burnstein, back in the 1970's.
The Clinton-hating, toe-sucking fool said that even though he had previously written in his book, comically titled, 'Rewriting History', that "Hillary was no Communist, nor should her work in the Treuhaft firm imply that she was."
Fox News 'ethics expert'?
As a 'bonus' this week, Dick Morris was also picked as Countdown's , "Worst Person in the World" for that same Hannity & Colmes episode.
Congratulations pervert -- You're #59.
Past winners of the prestigious, but infamous,
The Limbaugh Award
Lying Dickhead VP - Dick Cheney - 4/13/08
McCain's Chief Lobbyist - Charlie Black - 4/6/08
Neo-Nazi Supporter - Sean Hannity - 3/30/08
Shiite for a Brain - John McCain - 3/23/08
Client #9 - Governor Eliot Spitzer - 3/15/08*
Turdblossom - Karl Rove - 3/9/08
Lying Redneck Rep - Jack Kingston R-GA - 3/2/08
Lying Little Twirp - Tucker Carlson - 2/24/08
Mr Straight Talk - John McCain - 2/17/08
Bye Week - 2/10/08
Mr Straight Talk - John McCain - 2/3/08
935 of them - Bush & the Gang of 7 - 1/27/08
Fox News Co-Liars - Hannity & O'Reilly - 1/20/08
Sheep's Favorite Liar - Rush Limbaugh - 1/13/08
Longtime Lobbyist - Trent Lott - 1/6/08
2007 Co-Champions - Dick Bush - 12/30/07
Lying Piece of - Mitt Romney - 12/23/07
Psycho Pervert - Michael Savage - 12/16/07
Sheepherder-in-Chief - George W. Bush - 12/9/07
Turd Blossom - Karl Rove - 12/2/07
Cowardly Welsher - T. Boone Pickens - 11/25/07
Republican Tool - Matt Drudge - 11/18/07
Their Favored Liar - Rudy Giuliani - 11/11/07
Fox News Liar - Chris Wallace - 11/4/07
Uncultured Wussy - Bill O'Reilly - 10/28/07
Phony Patriot Liar - Rush Limbaugh - 10/21/07
Old Kentucky Homo - Mitch McConnell - 10/14/07
Liar-In-Chief - George W. Bush - 10/7/07
Phony Patriot Pig - Rush Limbaugh - 9/30/07
Big Stretch 'the truth' - Bill Sammon - 9/23/07
Mr. Straight Talk - John McCain - 9/16/07
Sycophant - Gen. David Petraeus - 9/9/07
His own Idaho - Sen. Craig R-Idaho - 9/2/07
Turd Blossom - Karl Rove - 8/26/07
The Exterminator - Tom Delay - 8/19/07
Big 'Rooster' - Mitt Romney - 8/12/07
Total Suck Up - Glenn Beck - 8/5/07
General Gonzo - Alberto Gonzales - 7/29/07
Pro Liar - Tony 'Snowjob' Snow - 7/22/07
Bush bin Lyin - George W. Bush - 7/15/07
Freed Felon - Scooter Libby - 7/8/07
Mr. Overrated - Rudy Giuliani - 7/1/07
Crazy Lying Okie - James Inhofe - 6/24/07
Pro Liar - Tony 'Snowjob' Snow - 6/17/07
Mormon Moron - Mitt Romney - 6/10/07
Bye Week - 6/3/07
Commander Guy - George W. Bush - 5/27/07
Pat's Brother - Bay Buchanan - 5/20/07
Used Car Salesman - John Boehner - 5/13/07
Uncultured Wussy - Bill O'Reilly - 5/6/07
Mr. Overrated - Rudy Giuliani - 4/29/07
Turd Blossom - Karl Rove - 4/22/07
The Decider - George W. Bush - 4/15/07
Lying Chickenhawk VP - Dick Cheney - 4/8/07
Mr. Straight Talk - John McCain - 4/1/07
Attorney General - Alberto Gonzales - 3/25/07
Fox mouthpieces Sean Hannity and
Victoria Toensing - 3/18/07
Fox News guy - Brit Hume - 3/11/07
VA Secretary - Jim Nicholson - 3/4/07
Rep. Michele Bachmann - (R-MN) - 2/25/07
