Login HereGeorge Bush had a bizarre press conference today -- very odd, but as clips aren't available as yet from C&L, I've posted a YouTube above of a video that was sent to Howie by Louisiana candidate Stacey Tallitsch using the "Have You Had Enough?" song. It's a hoot -- and starts off with a smack.
Tony Snow is confused. (Shocking, I know.)
Taylor has a fantastic interview up with Donna Edwards -- well worth a listen!
And Lamontblog has a picture worth a thousand words.
What news is catching your eye at the moment? Blog posts?
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Leisure Guy!
look at this post:
http://lefarkins.blogspot.com/.....radox.html
Every one who brings up the need for clarity should have these arguments thrown back into their faces.
Also the notion that they fear for the little folk in the field being liable for prosecution is pure BS. They fear their masters would be in the dock.
Crazy presser by a crazy man.
Thanks Christy!
Am I first?
nah……
Latest Rasmussen CT-SEN poll numbers show Joe treading water.
http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/sh.....aryId=3344
TPMCafe’s Newberry on endgame message:
http://tpmcafe.com/blog/coffee.....on_endgame
Wolcott.
Batiste!
Mora!
Feingold!
Murtha!
CHRISTY!
Shorter Bush:
“The 100 ft tall terrists ‘r comin’ ta kill ‘Murkins in their beds if I don’t git mah way 100%!!!!!”
for the pissy-in-chief:
Prozac!
Zoloft!
Luvox!
(if anyone suggests I’m in thrall to Big Pharma I’ll get very upset.
I haven’t had my coffee yet and I’m really Jonesing….
spare some brew, firepups?)
My favorite part was when he said something like, “blah blah blah, the terrorist surveillance act, or, what did you call it? The Illegal Wiretap Program? eh henh henh henh snicker snicker. TSA or IWP, blah blah blah blah.”
I only heard it on the radio. I can’t wait to see the video.
I just went to Rude Pundit and I have to say he captures the whole mood. He’s written a few sentences about the presser and says he’ll be back to say more when the retching ends.
My brain is frozen. I just can’t believe what we are waking up to each day. Shell shock. Utter disbelief. Can’t really sound coherent anymore. Everything is incomprehensible.
And what better way than this press conference to celebrate the birthday of Richard Nixon’s pal John Mitchell, who would have been 93 today.
You remember Mitchell . . . He headed up Nixon’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP), and was the first Attorney General of the United States to have been sent to prison.
Yep - it’s obviously “John Mitchell Day” at the Bush White House!
Why is every text from #10 appearing in ital?
From the MuckRaker - interesting to hear about Ney and the “free” gambling chips.
Wonder if they use Tide or All?
Never mind–now back to roman.
The Senator (Lieberman) is Ethically Challenged.Hence the Handicapped parking is appropriate indeed.
Daniel Hopsicker continues his reporting on the company Mohammed Atta kept in the months before 9/11. It’s a worthwhile read over at MadCowProd.com.
Roman Catholic Pope Benedict XVI returned to Rome Thursday from his home country of Germany, and was greeted an increasing international furor over remarks he made about “historical Muslim violence.” The Times of London reports that Muslim clerics and community leaders around the world condemned his remarks, accusing the pope of displaying “of displaying ignorance and bigotry.”
The president of Germany’s central council of Muslims went further, saying that Catholicism’s murderous and compromised history left it with no moral leg to stand on to criticise other religions.
“After the blood-stained conversions in South America, the Crusades in the Muslim world, the coercion of the church by Hitler’s regime, and even the coining of the phrase ‘holy war’ by Pope Urban II, I do not think the church should point a finger at extremist activities in other religions,” said Aiman Mazyek.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/.....pdate.html
Yeah, I’m watching the MSNBC video of the Pissy Presser. Bush says (in angry response to Davide Gregory pressing him) he’d be OK with other countries treating OUR soldiers in accord with HIS interpretation of Geneva Article 3.
See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14848798/, luanch the video.
Fucking MORON.
_
And somewhat related, I’m sure the paper got this a little wrong?
Judge Doesn’t Buy Safavian’s Request for New Triall - Safavian Argued No One Warned Him What Could Happen If He Lied
Or maybe not? “[The Judge]said such warnings are not required. “
EPU’d:
Mack @ 17
They tape Bush’s Harvard diploma in the Prez limo windshield so he can legally park in handicapped spaces.
_
What the Pope did is atrocious at best, ccmask– I was “talking” about this in epu land on the last thread.
Hi BobbyG: long time no see.
EPU’d: Toles on torture
PS. My edit feature doesn’t work, so feel free to scrub comment 22.
ccmask @ 25
Hi!
Been slammed at work lately. Doesn’t let up till the end of this month.
:(
I liked the third paragraph above Angie. I’m a little behind…I have a lot of reading to do. I still can’t believe the girls saw Bill. Feeling a little sad that Jane’s mom passed before she could have seen how beautiful her and Christy looked in NY. Sigh.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITI.....index.html
“To put the question another way: Will “had enough” be enough? That was the GOP slogan in 1946, when postwar impatience with government controls and scandals led to a Republican capture of both houses of Congress.”
this DKos diary
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/15/115935/861
is worth attention. sheldon was doing some great work this morning, as Bush bloviated on and on…
“John Brown is one of the government officials who resigned publicly from the Foreign Service on the eve of war with Iraq in 2003, announcing his resignation in an open letter to Colin Powell. His latest critique of the Bush administration demonstrates the extent to which Bush’s international belligerence and militarism have alarmed the very public servants who have been working to represent the United States in foreign countries. How could diplomats feel anything other than alarm as they watch the Bush administration shred the reputation and relationships that they have worked for decades to develop?
With Brown’s permission, I’m reposting his article in its entirety below:
Willie Horton Redux: Karen Hughes Breaks Her Silence
by John H. Brown
Karen Hughes, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, has been strangely silent this summer. The Bush confidante sworn in with much hoopla nearly a year ago to fix America’s image overseas has had practically nothing to say recently about pressing issues of the day. Why? Was it a desire on her part to take a break from the demands of her job? Or did her lack of knowledge about the Middle East require her to be unheard if not unseen?
But now, upon the fifth anniversary of 9/11, Hurricane Karen, as she is known in Bush circles (or at least was until Katrina brought the President’s poll numbers down), has chosen to let her views about the state of the world be better known, in a September 12 article in the national daily USA Today.”
read the rest over at Kos.
Let’s all thank Bush for framing the new term for his propaganda-ized Terrrrist Servay–lance Program…
From now on it is the IWP……..Illegal Wiretap Program.
Thanks George. Now go put someones nuts in a garlic press and claim you are saving democracy.
Freak boy.
-GSD
The president of Germany’s central council of Muslims went further, saying that Catholicism’s murderous and compromised history left it with no moral leg to stand on to criticise other religions.
Oh goody the religious fanatics are flinging poo at one another. Pass the popcorn
ccmask @ 28
ditto on both of your sentiments
Stacy’s ad is great. I can’t believe he’s using a clip of Bush’s one-finger victory salute from his 2000 campaign.
Earlier this week I think I mentioned that when I get discouraged, I imagine that shot with a thought balloon coming out of Bush’s mouth with the word SUCKERS!in it.
And it brings out enough meanness in me to pick up the phone and call yet another suck-up of a senator.
Hi folks - for those looking to greet Cheney, he will be in Menlo Park today (Friday) at 2-4 PM.
(my earlier post on a prior thread was unclear - apologies)
_______________________________
Here’s the most specific info I could find on Big Flask’s visit to the SF Bay Area:
“this just in:
Dick Cheney will be on the peninsula [9/15], from 2 - 4 pm at Sequoia Capital….
[cut]
A helicopter will whisk Cheney away at 4:15.”
Firepups, have fun and don’t forget the Kevlar outerwear …. lotta quail in the brush up by Sand Hill Road and 280.
Big Flask may be packin’.
I’m just saying, now.
______________________
(U.S. office - sequoia)
3000 Sand Hill Road
Building 4, Suite 180
Menlo Park, CA 94025
T: 650.854.3927
F: 650.854.2977
(directions from Sequoia’s helpful website http://www.sequoiacap.com/contact/ ….has a google map link, also…)
_______________________
PS - saw the note about italics after # 10 …. can’t shed light on the glitch, as I hadn’t tried to use any tags or text commands.
which way did the text slant?
if right, perhaps my keyboard has a virus (more likely, a small fur ball…)
Via Froomkin,
Pew has Bush’s JAR at 37% unchanged from August.
Also the mild mannered and circumspect Jimmy Carter on Dick Cheney:
Jimmy, told hold back. Tell us what you really think.
Since being labeled a troll it’s hard to get any responses to anything I post Ms Hardin.
but here goes anyway~Why is the Dept of Homeland Security confiscating Canadian drugs
and then mailing seniors a letter advising them
of their unlawful purchase?
Our tax dollars to Homeland Security being used to screw the old folks.
It is the rare day when I can listen to Bush, much less watch him, but I find the presser format to be much more revealing of the “real” Bush, which is probably why he does pressers so seldom, and sticks to guaranteed friendly audiences and straight speeches.
The “real” Bush appears on the verge of a meltdown. Anger is so close to the surface, and all it takes is a mere hint that one is questioning his judgment to bring it out; I suspect that there is also spittle involved in some of his more vigorous rants. and I also suspect there is a wildness in his eyes when he is going off on someone or something that if we could see it and experience it would result in calls for his resignation.
Unfortunately, he is not someone who becomes more articulate when fired up, so that adds to the general impression that he is dangerously incoherent, if nor delusional.
There is less and less “democratically-elected president serving the people” about him, and more and more “imperialist-who-may-not-be-questioned,” that there should not be many who are comforted that this man is the “Decider.”
Watching that presser, there is just no f-ing way this man should get his way on anything. One wonders at what point the media stop giving him cover and start asking hard and serious questions about his ability to govern - there is just too much at stake to pretend this guy is playing with a full deck.
Democrats ought to come out swinging - every single day - start calling the warrantless surveillance program what it really is: The Big Brother Program. Call it a “Faith-Based Initiative,” ’cause all we ahve to hang our hats on is faith that the government will not abuse the power this legislation will give them.
Bush really is insane, and why anyone is willing to keep him in charge - or any of his insane clown posse on hand to help - is beyond me.
With Mr crazy preznit spouting off about how we have to torture people in order to protect this country I want to encourage everyone (even though I am sure you are all already motivated and plenty active) to tell everyone they know to get involved by volunteering for the democratic party. I know I am preaching to the choir here, but maybe you could pass along this link to those in your address books who don’t know how to help out the cause….
From the Howard Dean email I got today:
” There are hundreds of get-out-the-vote events — phone-banks, neighborhood canvasses or volunteer events at campaign headquarters across the country. Find one here:
http://www.democrats.org/50stateturnout
fran at 37 — because the Bush Administration gets a lot of money from drug companies for their campaign coffers? That would be my first guess.
I watched some of that presser. George Bush said how much he was inspired when people said they prayed for him. I felt so bad for him in that instant, I prayed for him myself.
Then I wrote a letter, which isn’t addressed directly to him, but I wouldn’t mind if he read it some day. And it’s to all the disenchanted Republicans too, so they will feel like coming out of there and not further supporting that horror.
So here is my prayer.
Christy Hardin Smith @ 40
I am surprised that Senator Lieberman doesn’t also send a personal threatening letter.
I have been thinking lately about what was Hillary’s position, years ago, on the Vietnam War. Since I view the Senator as more or less a political animal and an opportunist (it was not, for me anyway, always thus), then if she supported the Johnson-Nixon war in ‘Nam, I might be better able to understand Ms. Clinton. I might calculate, or perhaps assume (with relevant info in hand) that since Senator Clinton was in, shall I say, favor of the Vietnam horror, than it might follow, from her support of the Bush war in Iraq, that she is indeed a person of principle. Regarding the Iraq war, that is. I just happen to disagree on this “principle”.
If I am instructed that the Senator was not in accord with the Vietnam War, and many far brighter than I, say that Iraq is ‘Nam redux, then I am at a loss for the reasoning Clinton is employing to support her support for the Iraq situation.
UnFUCKINGbelievable!
Stacey’s ad is a revelation. Using the Bush video of him flipping the bird and the Rikki Lee Jones song is nothing short of inspired.
When will other pols get this brave?
I have been preying on America’s fears everyday.
-President Basket-case
Love the Tallitsch ad — them teevees got swing!
The Joe’s-car photo really does say it all, neh? All.
And by the way, are we gonna wake up from this one morning?
I so want to rub the sleep out of my eyes and say, “Mommy, I had the baddest dream. There was a war on Terry. But who’s Terry, Mommy? Why are we mad at him? Is Terry a girl? Ooo, can we have French toast, Mommy?”
You know . . . be a Peanut again. Lots to be said for Peanuting.
fran! HEY! How are you? And bro?
Anne #38,
Well said. Bush is largely incoherent when he doesn’t have a prepared text before him. He spouts half remembered talking points in no particular order and like you say looks obviously pissed that he has to give any explanation, even a half-assed one, at all. It’s like having a government run by reference to the I Ching or a Ouija board. No thought or reason behind it at all, just randomness.
Have you seen the Charlie Brown ad using the same song? It’s far better and truly a hoot! I found it on Suburban Guerrilla. Check it out.
omg, Bush flipping off the camera with the caption, Impeach This. Genius! I love what all these candidates are doing with the “Had Enough?” song.
cc, how you?!
*smoochy*
That ad is something. I love the go-go dancer. And Bush flippin’ the bird! Heh. Indeed.
Would it be too much to ask of the Universe to make Bush’s inevitable mental breakdown public? Hopefully, the new Graham/McCain/Powell revolt will hurry things along. If nothing else, he’s going to be more overt about his authoritarian leanings, now that the fig leaf is being removed.
lorstergirl @ 49
Hmmm, what on God’s green earth is a “lorster?”
If I am dragged to The Hague on war crimes charges, I’ll plead innocent by reason of insanity.
-The Twitchy Chimp
klyde @ 32
Pretty much my reaction, other than to wonder why all these morons are given megaphones. The Pope questions the motives of the Muslim’s founder, and in response they bring up the Middle Ages. Makes a G. W. Bush press conference look like a physics lecture in comparison.
tommy yum @ 49
I think the breakdown is public, tommy yum. Did you watch the presser? The chimp is coming unhinged right in front of the cameras.
I couldn’t believe that Bush referred to the Pakistani people as “The Paks”. I find that offensive.
Tommy Yum,
Hence the last ditch Godwins Law violations. Bush is now claiming that the Geneva Conventions are some strangely archaic and vague thing.
Holy shit, the world got together after the Nazis and said no more! Now he wants to “revisit” that?
Wow.
He’s also throwing Colin Powell under the bus. This is the station where anyone who is still able to reason gets off.
Bush is stuck with the John Dean authoritarian, Alan Keyes batshit crazy 27%.
-GSD
Anne with another great post! Unfortunately, our responses to Bush, on both sides, are preset by our ideology. Listening to the 2nd caller on cspan after the presser call him clear and concise just blows me away. But I hear such warped thinking far too often. Is anyone’s mind being changed is the big question? His poll #’s are rising slightly so his use of the bully pulpit seems to be working ever so slightly. You’d think the daily toll in Iraq would outweigh his “firm decisiveness” (cough). He is riling up his base (GOTV) and we are going to have to deal with seeing his face and hearing his voice a lot more then normal for another 53 days. Where is the unified opposition voice to this? This election scares the crap outta me!
tommy yum @ 52
From your keyboard to the Universe’s inbox, tommy.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 44
The ad struck me exactly the same way (@ 34).
If I’m not mistaken, the shot comes from a video shoot W was making for a 2000 campaign ad.
P @ 54
I’m sure the average Pakistani does too! Why didn’t he just borrow macaca from his bro’ George Allen?
The Nefarious Leslie @ 60
Maybe this universe, but let’s check with EPU.
P @ 10:44 pm (#57)
Then you pick a monosyllable ;-)
Well, “Paks” is better than “Ragheads.”
Humor link
on topic
Andy Dick plays Bush Jr. Speech writer with commentary by Arianna.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....earch=andy dick bush
Mary @ 15
Hope he’s been that generous with his blab, and I SURE hope his blab has included Tom Feeney!
Mark @ News Corpse @
44
Isn’t the correct term: “unbeFUCKINGlievable?”
angie @ 56
It’s obvious to us already, angie. But what I’m thinking, and I suspect tommy is thinking, is that we need something so blatant that it’s obvious to everyone, even the RWA Follower types.
Cujo359 @ 53
Hate to pile on but all that peace and love stuff can be really draining whereas that smite the unbeliever is a guaranteed pick me up, which is why we see so much of it.
immanentize @ 64
I’m sure EPU would be more than willing.
Well, here is our answer on Ney:
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001537.php
immanentize @ 64
Or “sand niggers,” which I’ve read is what some of the unit leaders & troops in Iraq call them.
If the Pakistanis were a football team, maybe “Paks” would be the equivalent of “‘Neers” or “Terps” or “‘Noles,” but that he sees no difference or distinction between one and the other says pretty much all there is about the way he sees the world.
I’m personally wondering what Chimp is going to do to those Republicans who are defying his orders on torture and spying.
Will we ever know? Will they be able to continue to resist?
Will Bush start screaming at them?
Poodles must be on speed dial. Brothers in struggle.
Oklahoma kiddo-#43. She shops at Clusterbomblettes R Us. OT/you up for a Bluestate wager on the Sooners vs. Ducks tommorrow 12:30 PST?
The above ad, when it put up the deficit numbers, made me think — why not run an add –
“I am a Republican, and my party used to stand for fiscal discipline…
(show deficit chart)
But I just can’t vote for these republicans….”
Lotus@51: I’m recovering. Still feeling bad though. I have so much reading to catch up with.
44 - i think this is a Squirrel Nut Zippers song actually… either way, love the commercial
What creeps me out is when I hear alarm-bells being rung from former Bush stalwarts.
Powell, Danforth, Warner.
Here is Andrew Sullivan warning about how bad things are going to get:
“I’ve learned one thing about this administration these past few years: they are capable of pulling any lever, using any tactic, to keep the power they have so arrogantly abused. This is not over. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Addington, Haynes, Cambone, Rove: they’re warming up.”
-GSD
Christy Hardin Smith @ 40
Thanks I appreciate your answer and agree with you.I think it’s pathetic that they have made this part of the war against terror!
The drug companies by the way have no trouble importing the drugs they will charge us for.
Whig: I like this part of your prayer:
You always have a choice to belong to any organization. You never have to sign away your right to disagree, and to express your disagreement through disassociation. If you have a member that behaves in ways unacceptable, then you have a choice of either removing that member from the organization or removing yourself. You can stay and negotiate if you are making progress and if the organization has not descended to the point of committing crimes. When the organization commits crimes it is a criminal organization. You are a member of a criminal organization if you are a Republican today.
Are you speaking of the Anaheim Ducks?
lotus @ 47
Hi Lotus,
just my usual cranky self.My Bro improves everyday though still not out of the woods~
On whose lap does Charley McLieberman really sit?
Ye gods. The WHO has named DDT the #3 weapon in its anti-malaria arsenal.
– NPR
Digby - posted in full due to brevity
Saddamites On The Rise
by digby
I noticed that after Bush belligerantly defended torture, he went on to describe Iraq as not being in a civil war using the term “Saddamist” to describe the people who are causing the trouble.
He’s been listening to Joe Lieberman and The Committee For Present Danger whose primary advice recently was to change the way we talk about the Iraq war to characterize it as a resurgent Saddam fedayeen trying to recapture the government.
This was their number one recommendation in its recent Iraq paper:
* Define the threat to stability to include Saddam Fedayeen insurgents, in addition to al-Qaeda in Iraq and its jihadi allies:
Keep your ears open for this latest slogan. They’re rolling out a new marketing campaign.
And, yes, the craziest grown-ups are still in charge.
*** Also, it seems that Rove has decided that having Bush blabbering incessantly on TV will result in their keeping the congress in the fall. Think it’ll work?
[snip]
The mighty wurlitzer is winding up…
OT–I just sent my mother in law Christy’s thread about her meeting with Bill Clinton. My mother-in-law has been a good Democrat her whole life but she is very old school, Cokie Roberts. The bloggers scare her so I wanted her to absorb the lucidity and genius of one of my favorite bloggers and also to realize if her hero Bill Clinton reads the blogs, how bad can they be?
Thank you Christy.
a immanentize @ 53
fran at 10:29 am –
All of that was sooo last month.
BushCo keeping Big Pharma safe from oldsters trying to survive is the GOP way, don’t you think? I’m sure Hadassah and Joe approve . . .
As for getting responses — good luck on that. The FDL comments are growing every day, and only a small percentage of commenters get quoted.
tommy yum @
52
Actually, his breakdown was pretty much on view today if you watched the presser. He was barely able to keep inside his skin.
kirk murphy @
10
Here’s a big mug of Seychelles here, I roasted it on Wednesday so it’s just *purrfect* today. Hope you like a really dark roast. What in it?
This is off topic but some might find it interesting.
The Army Reserve is so short of junior officers and officers in some specialties that they have begun to pay non-medical officers bonuses. New 2lts are paid a $1000 affliation bonus when they complete their OBC. They are also offering $10,000 to Army Reserve Officers who join Civil Affairs or PSYOP.
Paying bonuses to non-AMMED officers is unheard of but now they’re doing it.
lorstergirl @ 89
Train of thought derail?
:-)
It’d be cool if he completely broke down, and the space alien lizard that inhabits the BushBot would crawl out on camera . . .
HotFlash! Honey, you just did this flowah IN widdat champers-&-gold treat — law-zeee. To say I was floored works in more ways than one. But ’twas glorious, and I sure thank you!
kirk murphy — watch out on that Seychelles, now, HF really pours ‘em.
Saddamites On The Rise
by digby
I noticed that after Bush belligerantly defended torture, he went on to describe Iraq as not being in a civil war using the term “Saddamist” to describe the people who are causing the trouble.
Not to mention having slightly gay undertones to help frighten the fundies.
It’d be cool if he completely broke down, and the space alien lizard that inhabits the BushBot would crawl out on camera . . .
You know, -ck-, these days, if that happened I wonder if we’d even turn a hair.
Just what you expect in a horror-flic like this one . . .
-ck- @ 90
fran @ 98
Sorry I’ll try to be more careful,this is a learning process for me!
You’ll pardon me if I stay seated, Senator.
Raw Story
kirk murphy @
35
It might be worthwhile checking to see if Deadeye has his Hazmat suit with him…..
klyde @ 11:12 am (#94)
I read a paper not too long ago by someone at the Command and General Staff College about the need for more people in the Psyops branch. They call it “information operations” (IOP), but it’s psyops mostly. Here’s a PDF, if you’re interested. It’s rather long, but the part on personnel shortages is relevant to this:
http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/.....nformation Operations in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom Major Joseph L. Cox”
Due to bugs or misfeatures of this blog software, I can’t get this URL to work. Cut and paste the string above into your address bar.
Hugh @
36
Mr. Rogers couldn’t a said it better. He wouldn’t uv asked Deadeye to be his neightbor, I reckon…..
immanentize @ 68
No, I believe it’s “unfuckingbelievable.” Like “fandamntastic,” or “blah-b-fuckin-blah.” That last one is one of my favorites.
DanD @ 79
Any song she sings becomes a Rickie Lee song!
On WaPo’s front page:
Special Forces and regular Army units clash over how to secure Iraq’s volatile Anbar province.
[…] But the initial progress has been tempered by friction between the team of elite troops and the U.S. Army’s battalion that oversees the region. At one point this year, the battalion’s commander, uncomfortable with his lack of control over a team he saw as dangerously undisciplined, sought to expel it from his turf, officers on both sides acknowledged.
The conflict in the Anbar camp, while extreme, is not an isolated phenomenon in Iraq, U.S. officers say. […]
omg I just found this and it is uneffingbelievable!
http://www.informationclearing.....e14974.htm
We just heard the President of the United States defy The Supreme Court of The United States, when he said “This debate is occurring because of the Supreme Court’s ruling that said that we must conduct ourselves under the Common Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.”
We just heard the President of the United