Progressive Minds

Is Bill O'Reilly looking to give some of his callers a physical smackdown?

After one caller (wisely) told Bill O'Reilly that if he wanted the unvarnished, no-spin truth about the Valerie Plame case, he should look to Media Matters for America, O'Reilly referred to the person as "nuts," and said:

Anyway, we get another nut on the air. That's the worst part of doing this. Ninety percent of the callers are good, and then you get nuts. Now, we should go to their house. We should all go because I can get their addresses when they call in. We can trace them back, and we should all go over and surprise them.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510310004

When George Bush was campaigning for the Presidency in 2000, he often talked about ushering in a new era of responsibility.  He said he wanted to get us away from a culture that said "If it feels good, do it. And if you've got a problem, blame someone else."

He referred to President Bill Clinton as "the shadow," and joked to David Letterman that one of his first tasks in the White House would be to give the Oval Office "one heck of a scrubbing."

Yesterday's 5-count indictment against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby (Assistant to the President, Chief of Staff to the Vice President, and Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs) shows that Bush has not lived up to his pledge.

The charges against Libby, that he purgered himself, gave false testimony, and obstructed justice, are endemic of the Bush administration: they simply cannot tell the truth and level with the American people.  They told us that Iraq tried to acquire yellowcake uranium from Iraq.  That myth was debunked. They were less than truthful with New Yorkers about the air quality surrounding Ground Zero after 9/11.  During one of the Presidential debates last fall, Bush denied ever saying that he didn't know or care where Osama bin Laden was, only to have some of the networks show footage of him saying just that.  This is an Administration that has an extreme adversion to telling the truth.

But the charges against Libby reveals much more about this Administration.  They have been trained to go into attack mode against anyone who has policy disagreements with them, or has the audacity to speak the truth.  And as one of the main architechts of the Iraq war, Libby was so desparate to sell the war to the American public, that he didn't want anyone or anything getting in his way.  Mainly, Joe Wilson and the truth about what he did not find in Africa.

If George Bush really wants to restore honor and integrity to Washington, he needs to start with the man in the mirror, and with his Administration as a whole.

He could also start by living up to the request that he made to his cabinet secretaries and department heads in his first Executive Order, which in part said: "Please thank the personnel of your departments and agencies for their commitment to maintain the highest standards of integrity in Government as we serve the American people."

So the breaking news of the day (but not suprising) was Harriet Miers' withdrawal of her nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Miers nomination went up in flames mostly due to criticism from the so-called 'religious right' (who are really the religious wrong, in many instances).  Ironically, this is Bush's base, the ones who credit themselves with installing him back in the White House for another four years.

So what was their problem with Miers?  Despite the fact that she is on record as stating she would ban abortion in most cases, Miers apparently wasn't conservative enough for the neo-cons.  They said they wanted proof of her conservative credentials.

And as one conservative commenator recently pointed out about Miers: "She's for minority set asides."  (Ooh, the horror of it all!)

Some Republican Senators even went so far as to say that the White House should release more documents on Miers; specifically, from her time as White House Counsel to Bush.  Mind you, these were the same Senators berating the Democrats for wanting more documentation from the White House during the John Roberts confirmation process. 

The neo-cons' response to the Miers nomination proves one thing: that they indeed do have a litmus test for who should be on the Supreme Court.  Any Republican nominee for the Supreme Court, in their view, must be dedicated to overturning Roe v. Wade and doing away with affirmative action.

One of the recent talking points from the loyal Bush apologists, has been that most Americans don't care about the outing of a covert CIA operative with unofficial cover; it's not on their radar screen.

According to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll, the Bush apologists are wrong (who knew)!  Apparently, most Americans 'get it' when it comes to the Valerie Plame case.

The poll shows that only one in ten Americans believe the Bush Crime Team did nothing wrong in the Plame case.

NOTE TO THE BUSHIES: America cares about the Plame case, because they are smart enough to know that outing a covert CIA operative damages our national security.  (What was that again about you being the only one to keep us safe?)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/10/25/cia.leak/index.html

CNN.com has the story of James Kinlow, a Georgia National Guardsman who was killed in Iraq.

His story is especially compelling because he wrote his own obituary before going to Iraq.  Kinlow learned late last year that he was going to Iraq, and so between Christmas and New Year's, he wrote his own obituary.

It read:

"Mr. James O. Kinlow, 35, of Holt St. died -------- in Iraq."

Sadly, that date has now been filled in: July 24.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/25/iraq.soldier.story.ap/index.html

Marty Bahamonde, a regional FEMA official who was the first person from the organization to arrive in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit, testifed before the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

And he ripped former FEMA Chief Michael Brown a new one!

Bahamonde testified that on August 31, he emailed Michael Brown to tell him how dire the stuation was, saying "estimates are many will die within hours" due to lack of food and water. He further wrote "Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical.  The sooner we can get the medical patients out, the sooner we can get them out."

He received a response from Brown's Press Secretary, Sharon Worthy, who wrote that the FEMA Chief was busy trying to get something to eat.  (Too busy filling his own stomach, to be bothered with dying, starving Hurricane victims).  Worthy said "He needs much more that (sic) 20 or 30 minutes.  Restaurants are getting busy.  We now have traffic to encounter to go to and from a location of his choise (sic), followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc. Thank you."

Bahamonde also says he called Michael Brown on August 29 to inform him of the first levee breach.  What was Brown's response? "He just said, 'Thank you,' and that he was going to call the White House."

That Michael Brown is a prince among men, isn't he?  So what if hurricane evacuees are dying because of no access to food or water?  Michael Brown is gonna get his eat on, so help him!

http://www.federalnewsradio.com/index.php?nid=78&sid=292635

When George Bush was asked today how distracting the scandal surrounding the White House has been, Bush said he's focused on the job of President, not the "background noise." 

He commented "There's some background noise here, a lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining. But the American people expect me to do my job, and I'm going to."

Well Bushie dear, let me see if I've got this straight.  Your most trusted adviser is facing indictment for his role in outing a covert CIA operative with unofficial cover.  A federal prosecutor is trying to decide whether members of your Administration have committed perjury, obstruction of justice, and even treason.  Members of your Administration have compromised national security because of their role in the outing of Valerie Plame.  And that's just background noise to you?  I suggest you listen in a little closer!

After promising to restore honor and dignity and integrity to the White House, your Vice President may be indicted.  You may be an unindicted co-conspirator.  That's background noise to you?  Listen a little closer!

You're at the lowest approval rating ever in your Presidency, because of your Administration's failure to adequately respond to the worst natural disaster in this country, despite your pledge last year that you and Dick Cheney were the only ones who could keep us safe.  That's background noise to you?  Listen a little closer!

You're at the lowest point so far in your Presidency because you took us to war based on a lie.  You took us to war without an exit strategy and a plan to win the peace.  America's sons and daugthers have layed down their lives for the creation of an Islamic theocracy.  That's background noise to you?  Listen closer, my friend!

Bushie, the background noise you hear is that of a nation fed up with your lies, your crimes and your incompetence.  Listen a little closer!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001533.html?nav=rss_nation/special

Smile pretty for the people, Representative Delay!

Delay during his booking on conspiracy and money laundering charges today.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051020/ap_on_go_co/delay_indictment_37;_ylt=ApE2o216dHgMRVbQVxnTreCGbToC;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Looks like Judith Miller, who carried the Weapons of Mass Destruction water for the Bush Crime Team, got quite a love letter while she was in jail---and a coded one at that.

Her love note comes from none other than Scotter Libby, who wrote in part:

“You went into jail in the summer. It is fall now. You will have stories to cover—Iraqi elections and suicide bombers, biological threats and the Iranian nuclear program. Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them. Come back to work—-and life. Until then, you will remain in my thoughts and prayers.”

“With admiration, Scooter Libby.”

So I'm just takinga wild guess her Scooter.  But it seems to me you were trying to make sure your pal Judy stayed on the same page as the Administration, and didn't crack under the weight of inprisonment.

http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001220134

The Associated Press reports that a warrant has been issued for Tom Delay's arrest, "ordering him to appear at the Fort Bend County jail for booking on state conspiracy and money laundering charges."

Not much explanation needed!! Full article at:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051019/ap_on_go_co/delay_indictment

Today the United States Senate did the right thing for poor Americans, especially those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

They reversed course, and saved the Food Stamp Program from anticipated cuts.  According to Reuters: "The panel initially targeted the food stamp program for $574 million, or one-fifth, of the spending cuts projected to
total $3 billion over five years. But the panel's chairman, U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, removed the food stamp cuts "in response to the wishes of several of the committee's senators," said a spokesman."

http://today.reuters.com/investing/financeArticle.aspx?type=bondsNews&storyID=2005-10-18T180909Z_01_N18328822_RTRIDST_0_FOOD-USDA-CUTS.XML

If anyone needs any more evidence of just who the Conservative right are, never fear! Neal Boortz is here to help.

On his radio show, Boortz said that in the event of an impending emergency, if priorities have to be made about who gets saved, the rich people should be saved first.  He made the comments in response to a  New York Daily News article that some rich folks may have been tipped off about the so-called terror threat to New York's subways, before the rest of New York was notified.

Boortz went on to say:

"This is as it should be. OK? If we are faced with disaster in this country -- let me ask you this, OK? You just be logical. Get all of the emotion out of this. Get all of the emotion out of this. But if we are faced with a disaster in this country, which group do we want to save? The rich or the poor? Now, if you have time, save as many people as you can. But if you have to set some priorities, where do you go? The rich or the poor? OK? Who is a drag on society? The rich or the poor? Who provide the jobs out there? The rich or the poor? Who fuels -- you know, which group fuels our economy? Drives industry? The rich or the poor?.......Well, hell, yes, we should save the rich people first. You know, they're the ones that are responsible for this prosperity."

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510140006

A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that George Bush's approval rating is at 39%.

It also showed that just 2 % of African-Americans approve of the job that Bush is doing.

On the Today show this morning, Matt Lauer and guest Tim Russert seemed surprised at this statistic, with Tim Russert remarking that he could not find a time when any President had received a measly 2% approval rating from African-Americans in a poll.

Well, this statistic has me somewhat baffled, too; 2% seems way too high for Bush, who has shunned the African-American community at almost every turn, refusing to meet regularly with the Congressional Black Caucus, and refusing to accept the NAACP's invitation to speak at their annual conferences.  And then there's the matter that Bush just lost an entire city of predominantly African-Americans. 

I'd like to find that 2%, and ask them why they support a 'President' (not a term I would use for Bushie) who clearly does not have their best interests in mind.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1816160,00.html

The Associated Press reports that today's teleconference between George Bush and U.S. soldiers (and one Iraqi soldier) was staged.

Some excerpts from the rehearsal before the teleconference, according to the AP:

"OK, so let's just walk through this," Barber said. "Captain Kennedy, you answer the first question and you hand the mike to whom?"

"Captain Smith," Kennedy said.

"Captain. Smith? You take the mike and you hand it to whom?" she asked.

"Captain Kennedy," the soldier replied.

And so it went.

"If the question comes up about partnering — how often do we train with the Iraqi military — who does he go to?" Barber asked.

"That's going to go to Captain Pratt," one of the soldiers said.

"And then if we're going to talk a little bit about the folks in Tikrit — the hometown — and how they're handling the political process, who are we going to give that to?" she asked.

No wonder so many veterans from the Iraq war (i.e. Paul Hackett) are returning home as Democrats, and running for political office. They have seen, up close, the consequences of having a Commander-in-Chief who really doesn't have their interests at heart.  They see the consequences of having a Commander-in-Chief who doesn't want the reality of what is happening on the ground in Iraq; he only wants those who will lie to him and tell him everything is coming up roses in Iraq.

Paul Rieckhoff, Director of Operation Truth, said "If he wants the real opinions of the troops, he can't do it in a nationally televised teleconference.  He needs to be talking to the boots on the ground and that's not a bunch of captains."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051014/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_iraq

Raw Story is reporting that Patrick Fitzgerald is examining whether Dick Cheney played a role in the outing of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame.  The investigation has turned to focus on the White House Iraq Group (WHIG), charged with selling the Iraq war to the American people.  Specifically, did members of the WHIG purposefully attempt to discredit anyone who disagreed with their assessment of the case for war in Iraq (i.e. Ambassador Joeseph Wilson), and in doing so, explose Plame's identity? 

Could we see Cheney as an unindicted co-conspirator, or even indicted? 

Ummm....Looks like the Republican House of Cards is falling fast.  Couldn't happen to a better group of people!

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Cheneys_role_in_outing_of_CIA_1012.html

Karl Rove sure knows how to run his mouth.  The man who is currently under investigation for what he told a reporter about a covert CIA operative, has apparently given assurances to neo-con James Dobson about Harriet Mier's conservative credentials.

On the October 5 broadcast of his show, the Focus on the Family founder said he based his support of Harriet Miers' nomination to the Supreme Court, based on convidential information he had received:

"Well, some have called me today, some whose names our listeners would recognize -- not only members of Congress, but Christian leaders and others -- and saying, "You know, you have taken a stand here. You have made some comments about Harriet Miers, and we want to know what that's based on." So I think maybe I ought to take the rest of the broadcast today, or at least a portion of it, to tell our listeners the rationale. Now, I can't reveal it all, because I do know things that, you know, I'm privy to that I can't describe because of confidentiality. And there are some things I can't go into."

Now he says that although he discussed the Miers nomination with Karl Rove, they didn't get into specifics "We did not discuss Roe v. Wade in any context or any other pending issue that will be considered by the court."

One question for the dear Reverend: If you didn't get specific about Miers, what was the basis for your previous statement that you're privy to confidential information?

Perhaps the Senate Judiciary Committee should call Dobson as a witness during the Miers confirmation hearings, to ask if he was given assurances on how Miers would vote on certain issues, in exchange for his support.  That's called a quid pro quo, in case you didn't know Mr. Dobson.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510050009

http://www.nbc5.com/news/5083538/detail.html?rss=chi&psp=nationalnews

The Sun Herald newpaper (South Mississippi) has an interesting look into the relationship between George Bush and his Supreme bun-bun Harriet Miers.

While Bush was Governor of Texas, Miers once wrote to him: "You are the best governor ever - deserving of great respect!"

Bush once told her in response: "I appreciate your friendship and candor. Never hold back your sage advice," he wrote. "P.S. No more public scatology."

And just in case you were wondering, The Sun Herald goes on to explain that Webster's Dictionary defines 'scatology' as "the study of or preoccupation with excrement or obscenity."

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/12868383.htm

In the post-Katrina era, as the United States tries to rebuild a major U.S. city, and people try to rebuild our lives, these words from Hubert Humphrey should guide us:

"It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life -- the sick, the needy and the handicapped."

According to an upcoming documentary to air on the BBC, George Bush told Palestinian officials that God had told him to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, and God ordered him to create a Palestinian state.

He said "I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan'.  And I did, and then God would tell me, 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq...' And I did.  And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, 'Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.' And by God I'm gonna do it'."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20051007/wl_mideast_afp/mideastbritainusiraq_051007052040

George Bush often says his life changed after his 40th birthday, proclaiming that was when he accepted Christ in his heart and put away Jim Beam.

But recent comments cast doubt on whether George Bush even believes in evolving and changing as a human being.

He defended his nomination of crony Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court by saying "I know her well enough to be able to say that she's not going to change, that 20 years from now she'll be the same person with the same philosophy that she is today."

In other words, Bush believes change is bad.

So I would ask our esteemed Emperor one question.  Where would we be as a country today, if not for change?

Where would we be, if the Supreme Court had not reversed its own Plessy v. Ferguson decision? During Brown v. Board, the Court realized it had erred in Plessy v. Ferguson.  They recognized that a doctorine of separate but equal had helped created an inherently unequal society.  And so in rendering their decision in Brown v. Board, they corrected course.  They changed.

The culture of death Republican right is at it again.

On the October 3 edition of his Fox Television show, Bill O'Reilly called for the assassination of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, if he "doesn't help us out."

O'REILLY: All right. Well, Syria, I think you can probably make a deal -- is you spare Bashar's life if he cooperates with us. I agree with you.

and then...

O'REILLY: North Korea proves that, although we don't know if North Korea is going to do what they say they're going to do. So it's a dangerous world. But look, I'm not opposed to having conversations with Syria and Iran to try to help us out over there, but I don't -- Syria, I think you could do it, because as you said, you know, it's Bashar's life. I mean, we could take his life, and we should take his life if he doesn't help us out. Iran -- different nut.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200510040005

A Reuters article takes a look at the cycle of poverty in the United States, and how 40 years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty, the battle is not being one:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20051005/us_nm/poverty_usa_dc_6

When George Bush addressed the Nation from Jackson Square in New Orleans on September 15, he made a lot of promises to the people of New Orleans.  And, here's a shocker, it appears those promises are already being broken.

He said "In the work of rebuilding, as many jobs as possible should go to the men and women who live in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama."  Looks like Someone in the government didn't get the memo.  The Washington Post reported today that "Companies outside the three states most affected by Hurricane Katrina have received more than 90 percent of the money from prime federal contracts for recovery and reconstruction of the Gulf Coast...Among the contracts analyzed, 3.8 percent of the money went to companies that listed an Alabama address, 2.8 percent to firms in Louisiana and just 1.8 percent went for Mississippi contractors."

When Bush spoke from New Orleans, he also taked about the need to break the cycle of poverty that has gripped New Orleans, stating "As all of us saw on television, there's also some deep, persistent poverty in this region, as well. That poverty has roots in a history of racial discrimination, which cut off generations from the opportunity of America. We have a duty to confront this poverty with bold action. So let us restore all that we have cherished from yesterday, and let us rise above the legacy of inequality. When the streets are rebuilt, there should be many new businesses, including minority-owned businesses, along those streets. When the houses are rebuilt, more families should own, not rent, those houses. When the regional economy revives, local people should be prepared for the jobs being created."

But we also learned today that because the government has suspended normal contracting rules, fewer minority firms are being awarded contracts for the Katrina recovery effort. Under normal rules, 5% of contracts are required to go to minority firms.  But only 1.5% of the $1.6 billion being awarded by FEMA, has thus far gone to minority businesses, "less than a third of the 5 percent normally required."

If actions truly do speak louder than words (and they do), then it appears Bush's rhetoric was just fluff intended to help his sagging poll numbers.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050915-8.html

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20051004/ap_on_bi_ge/katrina_minority_contracts_2

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9586284/

On this weekend's edition of This Week, George Stephanopolous revealed that sources have told him George Bush and Dick Cheney were directly involved in the Valerie Plame scandal.

During a roundtable discussion he commented: "Definitely a political problem but I wonder, George Will, do you think it’s a manageable one for the White House especially if we don’t know whether Fitzgerald is going to write a report or have indictments but if he is able to show as a source close to this told me this week, that President Bush and Vice President Cheney were actually involved in some of these discussions."

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/10/02/bush-directly-involved

Come on, say it with me Turdblossom: "High crimes and misdemeanors."

Move over, "That's So Raven."  You've got competition!

African-American Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson can look into the future, too!

And he is fortelling of a Whiter New Orleans.  Speaking about the Big Easy, Jackson said: "it's not going to be as black as it was for a long time, if ever again."

This is the same Alphonso Jackson who last year said he was advising George W. Bush on the Black vote in the 2004 election.  And says he told Bush to forget about older African-Americans who came up during the civil rights movement, and concentrate his efforts on younger African-Americans.  He said "You can't rise as a class.  You have to rise individually.  It's what many of the civil rights-era people don't understand."

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=4349

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alphonsoja199022.html