Rudy Nabs a Young Bush
Oh, family values....
Today Rudy Giuliani's campaign sent out a press release proudly declaring that Jeb Bush Jr.--son of the former Florida governor, nephew of the current president of the United States--has become chairman of Florida Young Professionals for Rudy. Here's how the announcement describes the younger Jeb Bush:
Bush grew up in South Florida and currently resides in Miami, where he works in the commercial real estate industry with Fairchild Partners. Bush is a 2005 graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He is involved in a variety of civic organizations including St. Jude's Hospital and After School All Stars. Bush worked on his father's 2002 gubernatorial reelection campaign.
Here's what I wrote about Jebby Bush two years ago in a piece on the Bush dynasty:
John Ellis Bush, aka Jebby, age 21. This past weekend, he was arrested by Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agents on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. He was stopped when the agents suspected he was drunk. He then, it seems, did notcooperate with these public servants, for he was arrested on two charges: public intoxication and resisting arrest. In the scuffle, Jebby received a chin injury and was treated at a hospital. He was released on a $2,500 bond. (Question: given George W. Bush's DWI charge and Barbara's and Jenna's underage imbibing issues, is getting into legal trouble over alcohol considered a family rite of passage?)
This was not Jebby's first encounter with the police. Five years ago--a month before the 2000 election--he was caught by security guards while in the act with a 17-year-old female in a Jeep Cherokee parked in a Tallahassee mall. Both were naked from the waist down, except Jebby was wearing his socks. The security guards called in the cops. A police officer arrived on the scene and investigated a possible crime of "sexual misconduct." In the subsequent police report, the officer wrote, "I became aware of the political ties" of the suspect. He then "contacted the watch commander...to inform him of the incident." After one of the security guards talked to Jebby's father--who happened to be the governor of the state--this guard told the on-the-scene cop that he believed that his own supervisor would "pull" the preliminary report. The cop replied that he would still have to complete an incident report. And a report was written. Nothing happened after that. The incident did not become public until two days before the presidential election, when this police report was leaked to the local media and a London newspaper. (Only the London paper went with the story.) According to Artie Brown, one of the two security guards who nabbed Jebby that night, the young Bush spoke to his father after being caught and then remarked, "My dad will fix it."
It's reassuring that a young man with such respect for the law is joining the campaign of Giuliani, who as NYC mayor adopted a zero tolerance approach toward such law-and-order matters as public drinking and disorderly conduct. You can see a copy of that police report here. And for a photograph of Jeb Bush Jr. showing his concern for the future of America, click here.
Posted by David Corn at October 18, 2007 10:44 AM
32 comments:
Nazism had good points, some Germans say
One in four Germans see positive aspects of Nazism.
According to a Stern magazine poll released Wednesday, at least a quarter of Germans would side with talk-show host Eva Hermann, who was fired recently after she lauded the Nazis' support for traditional families.
The survey of more than 1,000 Germans was conducted for Stern by the Forsa Institute; the results were released Wednesday.
Seventy percent of Germans felt there was nothing good about the Nazis.
Those who found something positive pointed to such things as the building of highways and support for traditional family values.
Age influenced the answers, researchers found. Those older than 60 were more likely to see a positive side to Nazism, at 37 percent. The figure dropped to 15 percent for those aged 45 to 59 and about 20 percent of an even younger generation.
More HERE
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I am not floored by the number - just a little saddened.
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Romney conducted 'baptisms for the dead'
U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney conducted "baptisms for the dead."
The former Massachusetts governor and one of the front-runners in the race for the Republican presidential candidacy told Newsweek magazine that he had taken part in the Mormon ritual, which involves baptizing live proxies for dead people.
Jewish groups have protested the practice, noting that in some cases the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has used Holocaust archives to search for names of the dead. Church officials in recent years have removed such names from the list.
Newsweek said Romney looked "startled" by the question and then said, "I have in my life, but I haven't recently."
More HERE
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This means Romney is qualified! Almost as weird and creepy as the “Skull and Bones” crud. These folks are some very odd people.
These guys are suppose to be the best we have as leaders and citizens? They are not even close to normal. (or nominal)
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U.S. Out Now! How?: Introduction
It started as Bush's war, but we all own it now—and it's time we took a hard look at what that means
"You break it, you own it." So goes the "Pottery Barn rule" that Colin Powell invoked in his last-ditch attempts to dissuade President Bush from invading Iraq. "You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people. You will own all their hopes, aspirations, and problems. You'll own it all."
In the end, of course, Powell caved to Bush's geopolitical whims, played the good soldier, and did as much as anyone to lie to the world and sell the case for invasion—an invasion driven by blind ideology, wishful thinking, and a feckless refusal to consider the consequences. Stupefyingly, the administration maintains that attitude to this day—refusing, for example, to address the plight of 2 million refugees because, you see, they'll all go home soon to a pacified Iraq.
Yet it's not just the administration that has its head in the sand; to varying degrees, we all do. For those of us who argued against invading, it is tempting to simply demand an end to "Bush's War" and wash our hands of it. But as General Anthony Zinni, former head of U.S. forces in the Middle East, told us, "Your conscience is not clean just because you're a peace demonstrator." In other words, just because you weren't in favor of going in doesn't mean you're not responsible for what happens when we pull out.
And pull out we will—if only because the military can't sustain current troop levels. Not that you'd know it from listening to the debate in Washington, with its farcical focus on timetables and surges and benchmarks. Take the grand unveiling of the Petraeus report, a PR blitz reminiscent of prewar opinion orchestration. First, Brookings Institution scholars Kenneth Pollack and Michael O'Hanlon went on a Potemkin tour of Iraq and dutifully wrote an op-ed called "A War We Just Might Win." Only two qualifiers? No matter, the Washington commentariat took the cue and hastily fell in line. As did the media, some of which even bought Dick Cheney's canard that these two were "critics of the war." (Actually, as Salon's Glenn Greenwald forced O'Hanlon to acknowledge, "I was a supporter.") By the time General David Petraeus presented himself to Congress—his "report" long since leaked—the political theater had devolved into bad summer stock. General Petraeus was the very model of a modern major general; the Democratic candidates formed a spectral chorus; MoveOn played to type as the shrill left. And, most gratingly, Bush reprised his 2003 role: flinty-eyed, elbows on podium, warning of Al Qaeda evildoers on the one hand and genocide on the other.
Now, as then, this was a nice bit of political calculation designed to reconstitute the pro-invasion coalition of the worried, the gung-ho, and the humanitarian interventionists. True, Bush wasn't completely lying. Al Qaeda in Iraq is a threat—one entirely of Bush's making, but a threat nonetheless. (See: Al Qaeda in Iraq: How Dangerous Is It?) And there's the very real chance that withdrawal will precipitate more, perhaps even apocalyptic, violence. (See: Four Post-Occupation Scenarios)
There are no good options in Iraq, but the options narrow to the horrific the longer our leaders dawdle. Bush seems content—whether out of delusional optimism or cynical "strategery"—to run out the clock and stick the next administration with this mess; only 5 percent of Americans expect him to do otherwise. And the Democrats are playing the other side of the same game—content to let the GOP go down with its man.
So what is to be done? First and foremost, anyone running for or holding national office must be forced to answer these questions: What's your schedule for withdrawal, and what consequences do you foresee? Which comes first—withdrawal, a functioning Iraqi government, or a solid international peacekeeping force? What concessions would you make to get Iraq's neighbors to help? What degree of bloodshed are you prepared to stand by and watch?
We put such questions to five dozen military men, think-tankers, peace activists, academics, and politicians. Some of their responses follow, and we'll post the full interviews online, along with a list of those who refused to respond—including the architects of the war, leading presidential candidates, and the congressional leadership. Some, it should be noted, begged off because they were taking a summer break, even as Iraqi politicians were being criticized for doing the same. We hope that if we can't force them to reckon with reality, you can. As General Zinni notes, "the government is us. We made promises and commitments. The administration proposed the war; Congress—the voice of the people—authorized it; we are responsible for it. We can't claim, 'I didn't vote for him in the first place' or 'I changed my mind.' There has to be some sort of obligation that falls to us as a society for what our government does in our name."
Yes, Bush, a leader with all the impulse control of a petulant three-year-old, "broke" Iraq. But we own it now. Time to get ready with the apology, the checkbook, and whatever else is required.
More HERE
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All the more reason to impeach Chimpy McKantspeak - he gambled with world peace and lost. So we pay the piper? He too must answer for his crimes, miscalculations, mistakes and abject failures because people in large numbers have died and been killed. Do the lives lost on his folly mean so little?
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Hey Everyone!
Just a friendly reminder to watch our gal Stephanie Miller tonight on MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams! The show starts at 9pm Eastern / 6pm Pacific, so tune in to see what Momma has to say. You can be sure we'll talk about it tomorrow morning on the show!
Sincerely,
Team Steph
'Bionic' Nerve To Bring Damaged Limbs And Organs Back To Life
University of Manchester researchers have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells - and now plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and organs back to life.
In a study published in October's Experimental Neurology, Dr Paul Kingham and his team at the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration (UKCTR) isolated the stem cells from the fat tissue of adult animals and differentiated them into nerve cells to be used for repair and regeneration of injured nerves. They are now about to start a trial extracting stem cells from fat tissue of volunteer adult patients, in order to compare in the laboratory human and animal stem cells.
Following that, they will develop an artificial nerve constructed from a biodegradable polymer to transplant the differentiated stem cells. The biomaterial will be rolled up into a tube-like structure and inserted between the two ends of the cut nerve so that the regrowing nerve fibre can go through it from one end to the other.
This 'bionic' nerve could also be used in people who have suffered trauma injuries to their limbs or organs, cancer patients whose tumour surgery has affected a nearby nerve trunk and people who have had organ transplants.
With a clinical trial on the biomaterial about to be completed, the researchers hope the treatment could be ready for use in four or five years.
Dr Kingham said: "The differentiated stem cells have great potential for future clinical use, initially for treatment of patients with traumatic injuries of nerves in the arms and legs.
"This work will also help to develop a similar surgical approach for organ transplant, to give full functional recuperation to the transplanted tissue.
"Furthermore, the technique of artificial nerve grafting could also be applicable when tumour mass has involved a nearby nerve trunk, which consequently has to be excised together with the tumour, such as the removal of a prostate tumour where damage to the nerve leads to male impotence."
Director of the UKCTR, Professor Giorgio Terenghi said: "This new research is a very exciting development with many future clinical applications that will improve the lives of many different types of patients and therefore many, many people.
"The frequency of nerve injury is one in every 1,000 of the population - or 50,000 cases in the UK - every year.
"The current repair method - a patient donating their own nerve graft to span the gap at the injury site - is far from optimal because of the poor functional outcome, the extra damage and the possibility of forming scars and tumours at the donor site. Tissue engineering using a combination of biomaterials and cell-based therapies, while at an early stage, promises a great improvement on that. Artificial nerve guides provide mechanical support, protect the re-growing nerve and contain growth factor and molecules favourable to regeneration. The patient will not be able to tell that they had ever 'lost' their limb and will be able carry on exactly as they did before."
He added: "The facilities available at the UKCTR have been developed jointly by the University of Manchester and the North West Development Agency, with exactly this aim - to provide the transition from experimental research to new clinical treatment."
Note: This story has been adapted from material provided by University of Manchester.
More HERE
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How cool is that?
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Is this the same son that broke into a girlfriend's apartment and destroyed property? Or was that the other prodigal son?
So many crimes to keep up with in the bush family -- can't keep 'em straight. :-)
Excited Nazis
Dear Posters:
There seems to be much happening that would excite the Nazis. Economy is booming; the stock market keeps breaking records; the gap between the rich and poor has surpassed the 1920’s; there’s more dead Iraqis; and soon there will be more dead Iranians. Life can’t be any better.
Yes, life is great in Nazi America. So what if China and Japan are fleeing from the U.S. dollar and changing over to the European Euro; so what if Nazi America may have to flee the U.S. dollar for the European Euro; so what if our deficit is around $10 trillion; so what if we are surpassing the opulence of the 1920’s and so what if Blackwater will enslave our people, life is great in Nazi America. A war economy is making us safe and secure.
But, does anyone remember what happened in the late 1920’s? Let’s say October, 1929! We had a depression!!! History will repeat itself but this depression will be deeper and longer lasting. I would say that it will take 40 to 50 years to break out of it. But, why worry life is great in Nazi America. We are truly living in great times here in Nazi America.
Sincerely,
Gerald
Micki has asked the question, "Is this the same son that broke into a girlfriend's apartment and destroyed property? Or was that the other prodigal son?"
I cannot believe it! If I ever needed a question answered, I would call on Micki for the answer. This day will live in infamy.
Micki has mentioned to Carey about borrowing my barf bucket. Carey, my barf bucket is about six feet from my computer. It's an All detergent bucket. The bucket is about 15 inches high. It is square and 12 inches on each side. The top of the bucket is wide enough so I can fit my face inside the bucket and let the torrential puke flow. It does a good job for me. The bucket is deep enough so there is no back splash from my puke that would really upset my wife.
Democrats Dismayed by Mukasey’s Views on Executive Power
Attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey signaled Thursday he shares the administration’s expansive view of President Bush’s authority to withhold information from Congress, skirt federal statutes and authorize harsh interrogation techniques.
The retired federal judge’s statements, during the second day of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, put him at odds with the Democrats who will decide whether Mukasey succeeds Alberto R. Gonzales as the head of the Justice Department.
“I think what is being fleshed out is that he has a much more heightened view of executive power,” said California Democrat Dianne Feinstein.
Mukasey faced sharp questions from panel Democrats. Feinstein pressed him about whether the president could violate the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA, PL 95-511), which many lawmakers say he did when he ordered the National Security Agency to conduct warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens. Mukasey echoed the administration’s legal argument that federal laws cannot trump the president’s constitutional authority to protect the country from an attack.
Russ Feingold, D-Wis., told Mukasey that “it sounds like, overnight, you’ve gone from being agnostic, as you and I have gone back and forth since our first meeting on this question, to holding what is a rather disturbing view.”
Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., asked Mukasey whether some interrogation techniques the administration has reportedly used on terrorism suspects — which critics say amount to torture — violate the Geneva Conventions. Mukasey hedged, saying he did not know the Geneva articles or the techniques well enough.
That prompted Rhode Island Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse to describe the technique of simulated drowning known as waterboarding and then ask Mukasey whether it is unconstitutional.
“If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional,” Mukasey said.
“I’m very disappointed in that answer,” Whitehouse shot back. “I think it is purely semantic.”
Source: CQ Today Midday Update
Political Clippings compiled from BNN Frontrunner and CQ Politics.com.
© 2007 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.
More HERE
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No confirmation.
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Dodd Places "Hold" on FISA
Today Senator Dodd will send a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid informing him that he will be placing a hold on FISA legislation that includes amnesty for telecommunications companies who enabled the President's assault on the Constitution by providing personal information on their customers without judicial authorization.
Take action and add your name to the list of people who don't want the Senate to provide telecom companies with amnesty for violating Americans' civil liberties. Visit http://chrisdodd.com/fisa to stand with Chris Dodd today.
Help spread the word, use the code below to embed on your blog or MySpace page and support Senator Dodd an his stand against the FISA bill:
More HERE
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A leader emerges from the pack of sorry Bush enablers.
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The Chris Dodd thing -
H/T to my pal Rick!
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Exclusive: Senator Chris Dodd Will Put A Hold On Telecom Immunity Bill
Senator Chris Dodd plans to put a hold on the Senate FISA renewal bill because it reportedly grants retroactive immunity to telephone companies for any role they played in the Bush administration's warrantless eavesdropping program, Election Central has learned.
Dodd will send a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this afternoon informing him of his decision. Dodd also plans to put up a page today at his campaign Web site where opponents of the immunity provision can register their opposition.
“Later today Senator Dodd will be sending a letter to Majority Leader Reid informing him that he plans to put a ‘hold’ on a bill that would provide for retroactive amnesty for telecom giants that were complicit in the Bush Administration’s assault on the United States Constitution," Dodd spokesman Hari Sevugan told Election Central. "Senator Dodd said that he would do what he could do to stop this bill, and with this announcement he has again shown that he delivers results.”
By doing this, Dodd can effectively hold up the telecom immunity bill, because bills are supposed to have unanimous consent in the Senate before going forward. One Senator can make it very difficult to bring a bill to the floor by objecting to allowing it to go to a vote.
Dodd's planned action comes amid reports that the Senate Intelligence Committee has reached a deal with the White House on the legislation that would give telephone carriers legal immunity for whatever role they played in the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping program, which was approved by President Bush after 9/11. The White House and the phone companies have been lobbying aggressively for immunity, and the announcement of the immunity deal today dismayed many opponents.
The bill is getting marked up by the Senate Intelligence Committee this afternoon.
Dodd, who has aggressively courted the liberal blogosphere as part of his Presidential run, was being loudly appealed to by top liberal bloggers today to put a hold on the bill. Dodd has for some time now spoken out against the immunity provision but had stopped short of saying that he would exert his power as a Senator to hold up the legislation.
Now, however, he is going to do just that.
More soon.
Late Update: Dodd's new web page petition on this is now live.
More HERE
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Waxman now Dodd - My Heroes!
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It looks like Giuliani will receive the Nazi Party nod to be president. Jeb Bush, Jr. will help secure another rigged election in 2008. The Nazi Party will still have a Nazi in the WH.
George P. Bush might be a hunkalicious young Republican, but he still seems a bit creepy. So TSG wasn't too surprised to learn that "P" was involved in a troubling 1994 incident described in this Metro-Dade Police Department report. On December 31, 1994, Bush showed up at 4 AM at the Miami home of a former girlfriend. He proceeded to break into the house via the woman's bedroom window, and then began arguing with his ex's father. Bush, then a Rice University student, soon fled the scene. But he returned 20 minutes later to drive his Ford Explorer across the home's front lawn, leaving wide swaths of burned grass in his wake. Young Bush avoided arrest when the victims declined to press charges. (3 pages)
Bush Quips He Might Stay in Power (Threat Level Plays Along)
At a press briefing this morning that touched on issues like the White House's extrajudicial wiretapping program and torture policies, the president was asked a question about Vladimir Putin's plan to hold on to power when his term as Russian president runs out.
Reporter: Mr. President, following up on Vladimir Putin for a moment, he said recently that next year, when he has to step down according to the constitution, as the president, he may become prime minister; in effect keeping power and dashing any hopes for a genuine democratic transition there ...
Bush: I've been planning that myself.
Ahahahahaha. That's funny. It's a great comedian who can give voice to what everyone else is just thinking.
Despite the president's occasional contempt for the law, THREAT LEVEL doesn't believe that he's going to declare a state of emergency and cancel the 2008 election. But in July, we filed some FOIA requests anyway. We asked five Justice Department offices for documents produced or revised after August 2001 "addressing the feasibility, advisability or lawfulness of deferring, rescheduling or canceling a U.S. national election."
The Office of Legal Counsel responded in nine days: It has no documents fitting that description. This is the office specifically tasked with advising the president on legal matters, and which infamously belched out a memo sanctioning torture in 2002.
This was, by the way, the fastest FOIA response I've ever gotten -- the speed suggesting the proposition was so ludicrous that it demanded swift repudiation. (Or that the office wanted to dispose of the FOIA before the White House went and asked for election postponement options). The Office of the Attorney General responded late last month (.pdf), also reporting no records found. Ditto the Office of the Associate Attorney General.
Only two offices haven't given the all-clear: The Office of the Deputy Attorney General is still looking into it. The National Security Division says it can't even estimate when I might get a response, because there are 14 unrelated FOIA requests ahead of mine.
That means I'll probably hear back sometime in late 2009, by which time Bush won't even be in office any more. Unless he is. Ahahahahaha. Just kidding.
More HERE
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Everybody ready for a civil war here in the USA?
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Good for the GOPhers?
Rachael Maddow: Bush says 'World War III is worth starting' over Iran
Colbert: "This is the famous pocket Constitution. Did you shrink this down yourself?"
Kucinich: "No, no, no. George Bush already did that."
(from MoJo)
What makes it so plausible to assume that hypocrisy is the vice of vices is that integrity can indeed exist under the cover of all other vices except this one. Only crime and the criminal, it is true, confront us with the perplexity of radical evil; but only the hypocrite is really rotten to the core: Hannah Arendt - Political philosopher, was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1906
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"When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind,as to suscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe;he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime."~Thomas Paine"The Age of Reason" 1793
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"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. One word of truth outweighs the world.": Alexander Solzhenitsyn (1918- ) Russian writer, Soviet dissident, imprisoned for 8 years for critizing Stalin in a personal letter, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1970
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Thanks ICH Newsletter!
The WH and the GOP want to settle on SCHIP?
We should remember the Democrats wanted $50 million but cut $15 off already.
They should stand their ground and shame Bunnypants for being a warmonger and baby killer.
Just a thought
Bush Does Not Care About Disadvantaged American Children
Even when given a chance, President George W. Bush makes it clear that he will not help his nation's sick children.
We just have to face it; the Bush White House could care less if your child is sick or well, alive or dead. It is all a numbers game when you are George W. Bush, and the only things you care about are yourself and those who intensely celebrate your existence.
Needless amounts of hard earned taxpayer resources have been blundered on a war that we were not prepared for. Just ask any soldier who had to use an unarmored HUMVEE or one of the ever so popular Ford Ranger pickups in the war theater what they think of George W. Bush, the answers would surprise you.
People think that placing a "troop support" bumper sticker on their car gets them out of it. But staying above the fray is not the goal here, and people need to think about how horrific it would truly be to have a flight of U.S. jet fighters bearing down on your town or village with JDAM's and other entirely destructive munitions.
In the meanwhile, Bush had a chance to send a message to the people that he really cares about kids by allowing the Children's Health Care legislation to move along by legislative vote. But Bush really doesn't care about our kids, after all his children are doing fine, and I think his veto sends a potently clear message about his personal sense of priorities. It sends the same message about every legislator who sided with him.
His supporters go forward denying the facts, ignoring the truth, failing to help, and I predict that the day is not far off when people will view their support of this embarrassing president with deep thought, and shame.
The ones I respect the most are those who will just stand there and admit everything; they are sometimes prejudice, so killing people in the Mid-East does not torture their conscience, and neither does the anti-immigration nonsense that has gripped the country for a couple of years. It is nothing but a smokescreen to deflect attention away from Bush's failing war efforts, don't they see that?
I am proud of my country, I support those who serve their nation, and I am vastly ashamed by what our country has become. It is not your fault or mine, we don't make the decisions, but blind support for this man in Washington D.C. is increasing the ailment. We were never supposed to accept this type of politics, and yet we have.
All we can do is hang on now and hope that a new president will somehow find a way to lead us out of this ugly mess. It is indeed a sad day in America.
More HERE
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The MSM are not likely to go against the flow.
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Preacher Lamb was in the situation room and he wrote a book. The title is "Divided States of America." Who was the first poster to use that phrase? Yes, you are right! Gerald is the correct answer.
Bush openly admits that he will not leave the WH. Who has made the prediction for at least three years? Yes, you are right. Gerald is the correct answer.
My accuracy is so right that I am starting to frighten myself.
HITLER BUSH WILL NEVER LEAVE THE WHITE HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!
Um, %50 Billion not $50 million - but you know.
The Iran Hawks
Onward, Christian Panderers
WASHINGTON--A poll finds that 55 percent of Americans think the U.S. was created as a Christian theocracy. "The strong support for official recognition of the majority faith appears to be grounded in a belief that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, in spite of the fact that the Constitution nowhere mentions God or Christianity," says Charles Haynes of the First Amendment Center.
Sadly, these morons are allowed to vote. Tragically, one of them is a major presidential candidate. "The Constitution established the United States of America as a Christian nation," John McCain recently told an interviewer.
Here's an offer that an erstwhile front-running shoe-in, now low on cash, ought not to refuse. Senator McCain: If you can show me where the Constitution makes us a Christian nation, I'll donate $10,000 to your campaign. If you can't, please explain why we should trust your presidential oath to preserve, protect and defend a document you haven't read.
Lest you think McCain's comment was an isolated brainfart, check out his pandering morsel from the same interview: "We were founded as a nation on Judeo-Christian principles. There's very little debate about that."
Speaking of war criminals, Bush won 80 percent of the Christian fundamentalist voting bloc in 2004. (If they can show me where Jesus advocates the murder of hundreds of thousands of people, I've got another ten grand set aside.) This year, however, the Christian soldiers are in play, dissatisfied with the entire field of presidential candidates.
It's not for lack of sucking up.
Mitt Romney is one-upping McCain, misrepresenting Mormonism as well as the secular nature of American government. "The values of my faith are much like, or are identical to, the values of other faiths that have a Judeo-Christian philosophical background," he said in New Hampshire. "They're American values, if you will." Or if you won't. As The New York Times notes, "Mormons do not believe in the concept of the unified Trinity; the Book of Mormon is considered to be sacred text, alongside the Bible; and Mormons believe that God has a physical body and human beings can eventually become like God." Also, the Mormon Jesus will eventually return to Independence, Missouri. "Much like." Right.
McCain, Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback have all signed up to address this week's right-wing Christian "Values Voter Summit." So has Democrat Bill Richardson. But when it comes to indulging the whims of Christianists, these guys have nothing on the Big Three Dems.
Hillary Clinton has hired an "evangelical consultant" to court the quarter of voters who tell pollsters that God favors the United States in foreign affairs. Barack Obama deploys evangelical imagery at campaign stops in the Bible Belt. At an evangelical church in Greenville, South Carolina, he said he wants to be an "instrument of God" and expressed confidence "we can create a Kingdom right here on Earth."
"That terminology," said the Rev. Welton Gaddy of the Interfaith Alliance, "has a very specific, indisputable definition that is exclusive rather than inclusive." On the campaign trail, Gaddy continued, Obama "has sounded precisely like George W. Bush."
Even John Edwards, the most reasonable person running, isn't above whoring his faith for votes. "I think that America is a nation of faith. I do believe that. Certainly by way of heritage--there's a powerful Christian thread through all of American history," he told BeliefNet. To his credit, he doesn't go as far as his opponents. Yet he can't bring himself to condemn prayer in public schools: "Allowing time for children to pray for themselves, to themselves, I think is not only okay, I think it's a good thing."
Between 10 and 14 percent of Americans are atheists. Devoting a "moment of silence" in schools sends a message to their children: you and your parents are out of step with American society.
If people want to believe in God, the Great Pumpkin, or a Jesus who lives in Missouri, that's up to them. But religion has no place in the public life of a democracy. None.
Right-wing Christians started questioning their support for the GOP last year, when former White House staffer David Kuo published "Tempting Faith," a bestselling book that revealed that Bush Administration officials privately ridiculed evangelicals and ignored them between elections. Bush betrayed "the millions of faithful Christians who put their trust and hope in the president and his administration," wrote Kuo, who was the White House's deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives until 2003.
Who knew? Bush isn't all bad.
McCain, meanwhile, is getting ready to get soaked to score Christian votes. "I've had discussions with the pastor about [undergoing a full-immersion baptism] and we're still in conversation about it," he says.
Ted Rall is the author of the new book "Silk Road to Ruin: Is Central Asia the New Middle East?," an in-depth prose and graphic novel analysis of America's next big foreign policy challenge.
More HERE
Sen. John McCain tried to present himself as the voice of reason in the debate, saying, "Of course you want to go to Congress; of course you want to get approval." Last spring, however, when badgered by a belligerent audience member at a South Carolina campaign event about how long the U.S. should tolerate Iran's alleged bad behavior, McCain had been caught on camera singing "Bomb, bomb, bomb/ Bomb, bomb Iran" to the tune of the old Beach Boys hit "Barbara Ann." If any major Iranian political figure had made a similar jest about striking the U.S., it would not have been quickly forgotten in Washington. McCain's ditty, and the relative lack of controversy about it, speak volumes about the aggressive mood in the U.S.
Who is the poster that has been steadfastly saying that Nazi Americans are bloodthirsty vampires? Yes, you are right. Gerald is the correct answer.
This day has been remarkable regarding my predictions. I am batting one thousand. And, you know that three hundred is a good batting average.
I am believe that I will be nominated to enter the Hall of Fame for Prognosticators. I will accept that nomination with humility.
Washington proves it can laugh
In a competition of amateurs comedians, the professional grabbed the prize.
At the 14th Funniest Celebrity in Washington Contest at the D.C. Improv, Joseph Randazzo, the Onion's assistant editor, nailed the crowd of journalists, politicians and other Beltway insiders with non sequiturs and deadpan delivery.
"While other news organizations covered stories like health care, war and quintuplets, we covered important stories - like sextuplets," said the editor of the satirical newspaper.
After spending his time thanking everyone - even his parents "for having sex that one time" - Randazzo mocked the man who eventually won second place, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.
Randazzo mused that Specter's "commitment to principle and bipartisanship is simply adorable. Of course he has a vested interest in protecting the Constitution, because he was there when it was written."
Specter, known as "Snarlin Arlen," caught the audience by surprise with jokes about former Sen. Bob Dole's sex life, Sen. Ted Kennedy's weight and Sen. Trent Lott's suffering after Hurricane Katrina.
"He lost his library. All two books. And Trent hadn't even finished coloring one of them," Specter said to howls of laughter.
But some of his best material came off the cuff. After the crowd cheered a joke about Dole's Viagra commercials, Specter scolded them.
"You are wasting my time. Loud is fine, but you are laughing too long. I'm not going to get to tell all my jokes," he said. He didn't either, opting to leave on a high note after another sex joke.
Of course, some of the comedians bombed. Richard Siegel, a professional entertainer and the event's host, claimed it was difficult for comedians these days because they had such a hard time thinking of terrorism humor. And then he told a terrorism joke that fell flat.
And David Corn, with The Nation, received more "ughs" than "ahs" during his act, when he speculated on a Bill Clinton and Paris Hilton sex tape and Fred Thompson's laziness.
The unofficial, if absent, star of the evening was, predictably, Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and his infamous toe-tapping in an airport bathroom. Third-place winner Ana Marie Cox, formerly of Wonkette and now with Time magazine, told the crowd not to count Craig out just yet, and told one of the evenings' many off-color jokes about the senator.
Cox proceeded through rapid-fire shots at the leading presidential candidates, teasing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. She also ridiculed herself and the idea that she qualified as a celebrity.
"I was really surprised when they asked me to enter this contest - until I realized that by ‘funniest,' they meant on purpose, and by ‘celebrity,' they didn't mean anything at all," she said.
Pulitzer-prize winning newspaper columnist Clarence Page emceed the night, hopping onto the stage and grumbling about running into Craig in the bathroom. Other big names included Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who stopped by to accept a lifetime achievement award for his off-beat humor on the House floor.
Judges included past winner, journalist Matt Cooper, now at Condé Nast Portfolio; Amy Argetsinger and Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post; Jamie McIntyre of CNN; Karen Tumulty of Time magazine, and Margaret Carlson of Bloomberg News.
The event raised $70,000 for VH1's Save the Music Foundation and the Institute of Musical Traditions. Individual tickets were $200, and a table for eight people, seating with a celebrity and the VIP reception before the event cost $5,000.
Source: Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
More HERE
Examining Blackwater
Bill Moyers Journal
t r u t h o u t | Programming Note
Airdate: Friday, October 19, 2007, at 9 p.m. EDT on PBS.
(Check local listings at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/about/airdates.html.)
Blackwater's top gun Erik Prince has been spinning the security firm's story this week in a PR offensive. Bill Moyers asks why the press is buying it and interviews journalist and author Jeremy Scahill, who helps separate the spin from the reality.
Blackwater CEO Erik Prince has been on a PR offensive this week, appearing on television to answer questions about his security firm Blackwater and its involvement in the shooting deaths of Iraqi civilians. Why is the press buying it? Bill Moyers interviews journalist Jeremy Scahill to help separate the spin from the reality. Scahill is an award-winning investigative journalist and the author of the bestselling book, "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army." Also on the program, Moyers interviews Katherine S. Newman, author of "The Missing Class: Portraits of the Near Poor in America," about the millions in America who, despite decent wages, are just out of reach of public assistance and one disaster away from poverty.
"Bill Moyers asks why the press is buying it"
Why does the "press" carry the water for every evil effer that lies with a straight face?
The answer is obvious. Money, money and more money.
The root of all evil has never changed one bit.
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