Whether or not the property was bought for political reasons, there is little doubt that Bush enjoyed visiting. He is on his 77th trip to the ranch, and if he leaves today, as planned, he will have spent 490 of his 2,922 days in office there, said Mark Knoller of CBS News, an unofficial record-keeper of the president's travels.[George W. Bush - Stupid and lazy has always been a very bad combination -- has spent well over a year at Camp David and another year and a half at Crawford. Not bad, 2 1/2 years out of eight. On the bright side, just think how much more he would have fucked things up if he'd been around more.]
Let God separate them
Dario CastillejosHe's watched way too much Rambo
NY Post's propaganda lapdog
"If the terrorists are tucked into rooms on the fourth floor, [Israeli] targeting officers evaluate which window the guided missile should go through to kill the terrorists, while minimizing harm to civilians living below."
[What a bunch of fucking propaganda!]
So much for that '4th floor' bullshit!
Dead in the rubble of a home in the Gazan town of Jebaliya on Thursday was a senior member of Hamas' leadership -- a man known for personally participating in clashes with Israeli forces and for sending one of his sons on a suicide bombing mission that left two Israelis dead. But to kill Nizar Rayan, Israeli warplanes had to bomb a four-story apartment building in which the Hamas leader was holed up with his family. The attack leveled the building, severely damaged others around it and left 19 people dead, including nine of Rayan's children and several neighbors.
[Yeah, I know. "How would 'we' act"? In this country, and other civilized countries, if a thug is holding his family and neighbors hostage, 'we' don't blow up the goddamn entire building to kill him.]
Please pray for us nicotine slaves
Lighting up doesn't carry the social stigma in Europe that it carries in the U.S. Many famous Europeans -- including the Pope, French soccer star Zinedine Zidane and Britain's Prince Harry -- have been known to puff in private without burning their public image. U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, on the other hand, has spoken publicly about the pressure he feels to quit smoking.Not a high priority for the Bush regime
Marines in combat still seek better body armor
BAGHDAD - Acting on widespread complaints from its troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Marine Corps has ordered major modifications to its body armor to improve comfort, mobility and safety, The Associated Press has learned. The decision results from a survey of more than 1,000 Marines, many of whom reported that their flak jackets, which cost the Marine Corps more than $100 million, were too heavy and restrictive.
[It says everything you need to know about the so-called 'support for the troops' from Bush, neocons and the phony-patriot wingnuts when after almost six years in Iraq our troops still don't have the proper body armor.]
That's 'Senator' Franken to you!
That's because Al Franken — to use a sports term, sorry — pummeled Coleman yesterday, when the previously rejected absentee ballots were counted, 481-305, enough to lift his overall lead to 225 votes. He's no Jimmy Stewart, but with today's count, "Mr. Franken Goes to Washington" may be the former comedy writer's next sketch. The 225-vote margin is what the State Canvassing Board will see come Monday. Barring an unforeseen interception by another Minnesota Supreme Court ruling, it appears as if Franken will have the most votes when the board meets. "It was a very important and great day," said Franken lawyer Marc Elias.
Life's a bitch!
War Vet, 50, Stunned By New Deployment
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- A veteran who has been out of the military for 15 years and recently received his AARP card was stunned when he received notice he will be deployed to Iraq. The last time Paul Bandel, 50, saw combat was in the early 1990s during the Gulf War. ... In 1993, Bandel took the option of leaving the Army without retirement and never thought he would be called back to action. "Here he's 50 years old, getting his AARP card, and here he's being redeployed with all these 18-year-olds," said Paul's wife, Linda Bandel. "I can understand, say, 'Here, we have this assignment for you stateside. Go do your training,'" said Paul Bandel. "But, 'Hey, here's a gun, go back to the desert.'"
Posse Comitatus
Unrest by bad economy may require military action
EL PASO -- A U.S. Army War College report warns an economic crisis in the United States could lead to massive civil unrest and the need to call on the military to restore order. "Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities ... to defend basic domestic order and human security," the report said, in case of "unforeseen economic collapse," "pervasive public health emergencies," and "catastrophic natural and human disasters," among other possible crises. The report also suggests the new (Barack Obama) administration could face a "strategic shock" within the first eight months in office.
[Don't Tread on Me]
See Dick Squirm
In 1977, British journalist David Frost sat down with former President Richard Nixon to conduct a series of television interviews. Over the course of 28 hours spread across several days, Frost elicited from Nixon one of the nation’s most historic presidential apologies: “I let down my friends, I let down the country, I let down our system of government [and the] dreams of all those young people that ought to get into government but who think it’s all too corrupt.”The other dick and Spiro
Twenty-three percent of Americans surveyed by CNN say Dick Cheney is the worst vice president in history. Another 41 percent say Cheney has been a poor No. 2. So, as the draft-dodging, corporation-coddling, obscenity-spewing, torture-sanctioning shredder of the Constitution prepares to leave the position he should have been forced from by Congress, almost two-thirds of Americans rank Cheney as bad or worse than Spiro Agnew.Ah, Congress will extend unemployment
Despite keeping Defense Secretary Robert Gates in the Pentagon, President-elect Obama’s transition team informed 90 Bush appointees their services will not be needed after Inauguration Day. Scott Gration, a senior official on Obama’s transition team, called and emailed several of President Bush’s Pentagon appointees about 10 days ago to inform them they were being dismissed.
Do some homework, doofus
"You know, you have such a stunningly superficial knowledge of what went on that it's almost embarrassing to listen to you." - Zbigniew Brzezinski to an ignorant wingnut, Joe Scarborough, that doesn't know what he's talking about.
Heckuva job!
Overall, the Bush administration’s foreign policy agenda has seen few successes. U.S. influence abroad is predicted to decline over the next 20 years. The U.S. military is weaker now than it was five years ago, while the State Department is suffering from staffing shortages and low morale. The recent violence in Israel dramatically highlights the fact that Bush largely ignored the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.[All that and they didn't even get to his almost total destruction of the U.S. economy.]
Are we that pathetic?Palin most desirable celeb neighbor
LOS ANGELES - If they had to live next door to a celebrity, American adults would most like to be neighbors with Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and chat show host Oprah Winfrey. ... Republican vice presidential candidate Palin topped the poll of most desirable celebrity neighbors with 14 percent, closely followed by Winfrey, who was particularly popular with women. Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps was heavily favored by men but came in third with 9 percent overall.
Having some problems reconciling
Suicide bombing in Iraq kills 32 people
Outside of Baghdad yesterday, a suicide bomber disrupted a reconciliation gathering, killing as many as 32 people and wounding dozens more. Capt. Muthanna Ahmed, a spokesman for the provincial police, told the Washington Post that the “gathering was convened to foster reconciliation between Sunni and Shiite tribes in a region once so violent that residents had nicknamed it the Triangle of Death.” The attack was the worst Iraq has seen “since a suicide bomber killed 57 people at a Dec. 11 meeting of Arab and Kurdish leaders who had gathered to discuss ways to reduce tensions in the contested northern city of Kirkuk.”
[It's good to see things working out so well with the Iraqi Sunni and Shia. That's what Bush calls 'liberating'.]
Pre-Dividend
U.S. stocks rallied Friday to lock in solid weekly gains, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ending above the 9,000 mark for the first time since Nov. 5, as investors shelved one of the most bruising years on record to ponder moves by the new administration. "Expectations for another big stimulus package once Barack Obama is sworn into the presidency in about three weeks' time is helping lift stocks," said analysts at Action Economics. Up for a third consecutive session, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) climbed 258.3 points, or 2.9%, to end at 9,034.69, leaving the blue-chip index up more than 500 points, or 6.1%, for the week.
At close range
A shell fired by the Israeli military explodes in the northern Gaza Strip as seen from the Israeli side of the border with Gaza.[That's not a cluster bomb, is it?]
... And going to get closer
Israel last night dramatically escalated its war with Hamas, sending troops and tanks pouring over Gaza's borders in a move designed to reoccupy parts of the northern Gaza Strip. Amid reports of fierce clashes inside Gaza, columns of military vehicles and what the army said was "a sizeable number of troops" moved across the border at several points, backed by an intense air and artillery bombardment.[The Israelis had better hope they have better luck with this ground assault than they did with their one against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon a couple of years ago.] תכן אלוהים רואה מה שאתה עושה ככל זכות
The Limbaugh Award
Ladies and gentlemen, the new 2009, and still 'world renowned' selection committee is proud to announce a previous two-time Limbaugh Award winner -- having won #22, and way back 900 weeks ago, #5 -- please welcome back, the historically (and constitutionally) embarrassing little dweeb, former U.S. Attorney General, Alberto "General Gonzo" Gonzales.
Gonzales, surprisingly nicknamed "Gonzo" not because of its likeness to his name, but because his level of intellect is about that of Ronald Reagan's one-time co-star, 'Gonzo the chimp' who was later adopted by the Reagans and re-named, Michael, was nearly unanimously selected (21-2) by the committee when he wimpishly whined in a WSJ interview earlier this week, “What is it that I did that is so fundamentally wrong?"Very funny Gonzo. Congratulations and welcome back, General ... You're #95.
Past winners of the prestigious, but infamous,
The Limbaugh Award
Disgraced Ringleader - Dick Cheney - 12/28/08
Disgraced Accomplice - Condoleezza Rice - 12/20/08*
Crazy Illinois Governor - Hot Rod Blagojevich - 12/14/08
Worst in History - George W. Bush - 12/07/08
Worst in History - George W. Bush - 11/30/08
Rep. Michele Bachmann - (R-MN) - 11/23/08
Turd Blossom - Karl Rove - 11/16/08
Double-talking Wingnut - Brent 'Bozo' Bozell - 11/9/08
Rightwing Radio Nutjob - Bill Cunningham - 11/2/08
Josephine the Plumber - Ashley Todd - 10/26/08
Joe The Plumber - Sammie Joe Wurzelbacher - 10/19/08
Drug-Addicted Beer Queen - Cindy McCain - 10/12/08
Anti-Semitic Lying Traitor - Sean Hannity - 10/5/08
Bye Week - 9/28/08
Pretty Pork Princess - Gov. Sarah Palin - 9/21/08
Lying Lil' Bush - John McCain - 9/14/08
Pretty Pork Princess - Gov. Sarah Palin - 9/07/08
Pretty Pork Princess - Gov. Sarah Palin - 8/31/08
Alleged Pedophile Pigboy - Rush Limbaugh - 8/24/08
A Terrible American Liar - Sean Hannity - 8/17/08
Self-described Narcissist - John Edwards - 8/10/08
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Liar - Traitor Joe Lieberman - 8/3/08
McCain Campaign Operative - Katie Couric - 7/27/08
Stupid Hillbilly Bitch - Libby Dole R-N.C. - 7/20/08
Lyin' Lil' Bush - John McCain - 7/13/08
Fox Assholes & Friends - Doocey and Kilmeade -7/5/08*
Fear-Mongering Buckeye Fan - Hugh Hewitt - 6/29/08
A Terrible American - Sean Hannity - 6/22/08
Tim Russert Memorial Truce Week - 6/15/08
Fox's Toe-Sucking Ethics Expert - Dick Morris - 6/7/08*
Troop Level Idiot - John 'Lil' Bush' McCain - 6/1/08
Sub 10th Grade Debate Loser - Rush Limbaugh - 5/25/08
Scared Little Man - George W. Bush - 5/18/08
Sugar Momma Beer Queen - Cindy McCain - 5/11/08
Uncultured Wussy - Bill O'Reilly - 5/4/08
Nazi Running for Congress - Tony Zirkle, R-IN - 4/27/08
Fox's Toe-Sucking Ethics Expert - Dick Morris - 4/20/08
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*
Turd Blossom - 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
