THE DEATH OF PUNDIT AND POLITICAL OBSERVER MOLLY IVINS
The fact that brilliant Texas wit Molly Ivins is gone forever while her frequent punch line and contemporary, Texas dimwit George Bush, remains alive pretending to be a cowboy proves yet again there really is no justice or fairness in the world. I’d trade a thousand Prez Bush’s speeches for one more column by marvelous Molly.
THE UNPATRIOTIC PATRIOT ACT
Apparently a clause was buried in the so-called Patriot Act allowing Attorney General Gonzales to now simultaneously fire a bunch of US Attorneys for no other reason than they are not party loyalists and then bypass all Congressional review or approval of the ones subsequently appointed. That clause, and many others, suggests to me that anyone who voted for that Act (which was passed with unseemly haste in a time of unreasoned fear) either knew the existence of the usurpation of additional power to the executive branch and deliberately said nothing or never bothered to read it at all. Either way, we could not have been more ill served by those who drafted it and those who supported it. Since it was your party and your attorney general behind the change, I suspect you will not do anything about it. But, have you thought of the precedent it creates when your party is out of power? One of these times, those running things might come to regret playing Russian Roulette with the Constitution.
THE 363 TONS OF CASH FLOWN TO IRAQ OF WHICH 8.8 BILLION IS APPARENTLY UNACCOUNTED
Did the accounting textbook Bush read in college have a misprint? I don’t recall anything in mine about bundling pallets of shrink wrapped $100 bills, shipping them to friends and not even asking for receipts.
THE RENEWED EFFORTS OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO ELIMINATE FUNDING FOR NPR AND PBS
I see President Bush is out trying again to destroy NPR and PBS. I can understand why. Given that those news sources produce the closest thing we still have to genuinely fair and balanced journalism and given that the Bush regime is not only one of the most incompetent in history, but one of the most deceitful as well, it would greatly benefit him to silence any organization capable enough to prove it and not afraid to do.
WHAT THE IRAQ DEBATE IN CONGRESS SHOULD REALLY BE ABOUT RATHER THAN ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS NON-BINDING RESOLUTIONS
Those who want to continue Bush’s War uninterrupted continue to harp on the undisputed fact that finally recognizing its folly and ending the occupation will generate fresh expenses and consequences. There’s no question it will. Extrication from the landslide of accumulating miscalculations and mistakes that embedded us in this fiasco to our present depth cannot help but be costly.
However, Bush’s Pavlovian-like supporters never address the two other vital questions. First, is there any realistic possibility that continuing this misadventure indefinitely will actually achieve any truly worthwhile goals and at a cost that we can or will pay? Second, if not, then is the cost of staying in lives, emptied treasury, new terrorist recruitment, international credibility, etc. greater than the cost of leaving?
A Hobbsian choice to be sure, but Bush has already squandered all our other more desirable options.
WEIGHING DEMOS V. REPUBS
The Democratic Party is naive, weak, gutless, lazy, incompetent and often corrupt. Frankly, any adverse adjective you want to use is probably applicable and especially to the current national leaders. The only thing going for it is that the Republicans are downright scary and seem actively engaged in dismantling our democracy, attacking our Constitution, substituting our set of fairness and equality values with greed, and marginalizing our middle and lower classes. Who needs enemies when the Repubs are in charge?
RESPONSE TO DEMOCRATIC PARTY REQUEST FOR MONEY
Dear Mr. McMahon and other leaders of the Democratic Party: I received your missive wanting money. It’s true. I am utterly opposed to Bush and his wars and have been since the day he first announced he thought he was competent to be President. The man should be impeached, investigated with subpoena powers, removed from office and then turned over to appropriate international courts of justice as an accused war criminal.
However, I am thoroughly disgusted with the meaningless non-binding resolutions you and your fellow Democrats have been playing games with in Congress. What a colossal and embarrassing waste of time. If you cannot either (1) formally exercise the Constitutional power of Congress to declare Peace making it a crime for the President to conduct offensive operations in the Middle East or (2) rescind his “force resolution” that he thinks give him carte blanc or (3) cut the White House budget, i.e. not of the troops, but the West Wing operations itself such as no money for heat, water, booze, speech writers, etc. so that he can start sacrificing like the troops he sends to die or at least (4) commence an impeachment process, then don’t bother seeking my assistance. You will remain completely ineffectual otherwise.
Frankly, unless you start taking useful steps against his High and Mightiness King Bush, I believe you and the rest of the gutless national “leadership” of the Democratic Party should resign to let others have a try at meaningful activities to restrain that clown occupying 1600 Penn Ave. I will be happy to contribute when, and if, you ever come to your senses and do what is really necessary to save this country from the likes of the Republican leadership.
REACTION TO FOX NEWS TRYING TO START A COMPETING “DAILY SHOW” BUT FROM A RIGHT WING ONLY ANGLE
Having viewed the clips, it is about what I would expect from the Fox Noise Channel. Unfunny and inaccurate. That’s too bad because, for our country’s sake, the left needs fun poked at it just as much as the right does. It is really quite important that all idiocies are exposed, no matter who makes them. Fortunately, the Jon Stewart and his “Daily Show” are actually quite good at doing precisely that. Pompous lefties get skewered quite often. It is doubtful though that Fox, the official PR department for the Bush Administration, would ever be an equal opportunity insulter.
RESPONSE TO THE SILLY POSTURING IN DC ABOUT NON-BINDING RESOLUTIONS
I propose that our Commander-in-Chief and Congress temporarily move to Baghdad until our troops are home. It’ll provide an up close opportunity for the locals to see an at least semi-functional government in action and set an excellent example for our own troops whose lives are being risked. Either our leaders’ll learn something while they’re there or an IED’ll get ‘em. Great benefits if the former. And, no big loss if the latter. As a bonus, a lot fewer crooked lobbyists are likely to be brave enough to visit there offering lucre.
RESPONSE TO BRODER OF THE WASHINGTON POST RE CUTTING FUNDS TO TROOPS
Congress does not need to withhold funds from the troops to affect the President. A much better route would be to withhold funds from the White House itself.
THE INCREASED FUNDING DEMANDS FOR THE IRAQ WAR
Bush claims Congress has a “duty” to accomplish the “mission” proclaimed by him in Iraq. Does that still apply if it’s the wrong mission, the wrong method, the wrong man as well as the wrong motive?
THE ANNOUNCED REMOVAL OF TWO BENIGN GROWTHS FROM BUSH’S TEMPLES
Apparently former Republican Senator and professional paranoid demagogue Joseph McCarthy was right. Two “moles” were actually found in the Oval Office itself and had to be forcibly removed. Both were on Bush’s head.
AFRICAN-AMERICAN ATHLETIC TIM HARDAWAY ANNOUNCING HE HATES GAYS
I’m not saying all gay bashers are gay themselves (or more likely fearful they are gay), but if the gay basher is also a preacher, Republican office holder or anyone else who makes money by pandering to gay bashers, then it certainly seems to increase the probability. In psychiatry, they have a name for the phenomenon. It’s called “projection.”
THE EXPLANATION THAT BRITISH TROOPS ARE SUPPOSEDLY NO LONGER NEEDED AT A TIME WHEN WE ARE DRAMATICALLY INCREASING OUR OWN MILITARY SIZE IN IRAQ
After the Bush Administration insisted loudly that in order to obtain “victory” for the increasingly desperate war in Iraq it’s absolutely essential we “surge” the number of troops at risk (increasing them by 16%), the Blair Administration announced an intention to reduce the number of their own troops (by 22%). That drops the second largest foreign contingent to a mere 3% of our new own total making the so-called self styled “coalition of the willing” even more of a joke, not to mention leaving us wondering what happened to the supposed need for ever more troops to be stationed there indefinitely.
To compound the irony and show our government as even more absurd sounding than before (if that’s possible), Bush’s Secretary of State promptly announced we didn’t need the extra British troops any more. It would have been tolerable if she’d indicated Bush disagreed with the British draw down, but she had the nerve to spin it in a press conference as somehow all being part of the “plan.”
Several additional questions instantly present themselves. First and foremost: what “plan”? Second, are US taxpayers and soldiers to bear the entire burden of that fiasco alone? Doesn’t anyone else besides Bush and the current Australian leader believe this is truly a “struggle for civilization” itself as Bush characterizes it? More importantly, is Bush mentally dense regarding such explanations being offered about a plan to increase troops while simultaneously decreasing them or does he just assume everyone listening is mentally incapable?
AUTHOR TED RALLS COMMENT THAT BUSH IS NOT LYING THIS TIME WHEN HE SAYS HE IS NOT PLANNING AN IRAN ADVENTURE
I agree that Bush is possibly telling the truth when he says that he has no immediate plans to invade Iran since he knows (or at least should know if he bothers to read the current troop roster figures) that the minimum necessary number of trained and equipped troops necessary are simply not available. But, that does not mean he would not welcome the opportunity for an excuse to use nukes if the ships he has put in harms’ way are attacked. He could say he was forced to use nukes to “defend” the ships he put in the Gulf and Red Sea.
The other aspect of Bush’s credibility problem is that he is still obviously a pathological liar on other things. Take for instance his response to the British 22% troop reduction in Iraq shortly after Bush had been telling Congress he needed to increase US troop strength by 16% in order to “win.” Rice said in a press conference immediately afterwards that the British withdrawal was all part of the “plan” and we no somehow longer needed the British troop for our “surge.” That so defies logic as to suggest she is lying or trying to “BS” us with typical spin. If she had simply said Bush disagreed with the Brits and preferred they stay to support our “surge,” we could have understood that. Or, she could have announced the Brit intention before Blair did if it was all part of the “plan.” That way she could have said the surge was needed BECAUSE OF the British reduction. Instead, Rice on behalf of Bush tried to play games again.
It makes you wonder if they are really that stupid or just assume all of us are.
[more irreverence at http://resistence-is-possible.blogspot.com]
