Off To a Great Start

Quote of the Day:

I didn't ask you that, I asked how he's doing.

-President Bush, to Senator-elect James Webb (Democrat-VA), after asking how Webb's son (a U.S. Marine) was doing in Iraq. Webb had responded that he just wanted him home soon.

The little prick from Crawford is a bit testy, ain't he?

Gratuitously Chloe

Down & Out

Sorry for the lack of posts over the past 10 days. I've been down and out with a nasty chest/cold/flu thing. Starting to feel something close to normal and will begin anew within a day or two.

The Case For Impeachment

I argued last week that the incoming Democratic congressional majority should hold back on any impeachment proceedings against the President. While my stance on the subject hasn't changed, John Nichols of the Washington Monthly makes a pretty solid arguement FOR the impeachment of George W. Bush (and Dick Cheney).

Select quotes:

House Democrats have an obligation to the American people to check and balance the executive branch. The best way to do that is to get serious about impeachment. Indeed, if they don’t, Democrats will suffer for disregarding not just their oaths of office, but also the will of the voters who entrusted them with the power to right the Republic. On this, the historical record is very clear: Holding the president to account is good for the country...

If Democrats hope to build a new, more vital relationship with Americans, one that runs deeper than any single issue or individual, party leaders must overcome the fear of proposing impeachment that has paralyzed them as an opposition force. America needs an opposition party not merely to reshuffle the deck chairs on the Titanic, but to turn the ship of state back towards the Constitution, the system of checks and balances, and to that most appealing of American principles: the idea that the rule of law applies to every citizen. Such a direction will win support from Democrats,...Independents, and principled Republicans.

I still don't think the American people would stomach impeachment proceedings very well, but I must say Nichols' argument is very compelling. You can read the entire essay here.

C-Student Revisionist History

Quote of the Day:

We would not give up. That's why we won.

-President Bush, yesterday, in discussing the Vietnam War.

If Mr. Bush thinks we won the Vietnam War, is it any wonder we find ourselves in the mess we're in when it comes to Iraq?

John and Rudy

Sen. John McCain (Republican-AZ) will officially open his 2008 presidential exploratory committee today, becoming the first of what I call the "top tier" candidates - of either party - to do so.

The 2006 election results haven't even been certified in many places yet but, as I mentioned two weeks ago, Sen. McCain has already sold his soul to the devil in his quest for the Republican nomination. For the man who replaced Barry Goldwater to suddenly embrace the hate-filled rhetoric that spews from the fascist wing of his party...well...the real maverick from Arizona (Mr. Goldwater) would be disappointed.

Although, at this early date I have no idea who else the Republican Party would turn to. Jeb Bush? I highly doubt the American people want to see the Bush name on a ballot anytime soon. Rudy Guliani has started his exploratory committee, but I don't see how he gets close to the GOP nomination. The former New York City mayor isn't even a second tier candidate in my opinion, but rather a third tier.

First off, the Republican primary voters will probably reject him because of his rather liberal stance on social issues (a woman's choice, equal rights for gays, gun control). But I can't imagine that the foreign policy wonks within the party would support a Guliani candidacy either. Granted, he stepped up to the plate in New York in those weeks following 9/11, but that aside his foreign policy credentials are zero. Not exactly what the United States will need come 2008.

If we've learned anything from the presidency of George W. Bush, it's not to put a foreign policy novice up for the highest office in the land...especially in this day and age.

The Baptist Pussy-Fuckers

hypocrisy (noun): The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness

Yesterday I received the following email from Brent, who is working in Dallas this week:

Sitting in Dallas as we speak.

Short vignette...We are sharing the hotel conference area with a group of Baptist church leaders. I was in the bathroom this morning and three gentleman where discussing how they needed to "find pu$$y tonight." One even said - and I quote - "I got to get a girl with her panties around her ankles bouncin' on top of me." I assumed they were here for our conference, but I was wrong...I walked out of the stall and they were all from the Baptist church conference. And yes, they all had wedding rings on.

Sit back and let the hypocrisy roll over you. Needless to say, Brent can't wait to get out of that sinful, depraved city and back to the rock-solid values of San Francisco!

Update: I took a look on "the Google" and found that these men are in Dallas for the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

Otherwise known as the Baptist Pussy-Fuckers.

The Gerrymander Pickle

The overall vote total in the House and Senate races this year shows the Democrats winning 56% of the national vote, the Republicans 42%, and third party candidates and independents sharing the remaining 2%. At the national level that 14-point spread is considered a huge landslide.

Yet the Democrats were only able to pick up about 30 House seats. While that is double what they needed to regain control, when you compare that number to previous "wave elections" (mid-terms that bounced a sitting president's party from power), 30 is a rather small number. For example, in 1994 Republicans received only 51% of the national vote, yet picked up 55 House seats (and 9 Senate seats).

Since 1990 many Republican governors, along with their Republican legislatures - and a little help from Tom DeLay - were able to draw the most obscene congressional districts to help keep Republican seats safe. Thus, the reason for the relatively modest Democratic gains last week.

But with Democrats back in control of a majority of the governorships, as well as the state legislatures, let's hope they can reverse the GOP gerrymandering and draw district boundries that are fair and balanced.

Just Wait 'til Your Father Gets Home!

I don't know which is more pathetic: George W. Bush having to rely on Daddy's friends yet again to bail him out from the consequences of his own incompetence, or that James Baker (his father's Secretary of State) and Robert Gates (his father's CIA Director) may now have to essentially beg Iran and Syria (Iran and Syria) to become part of the coalition to save the Bush Family name.

War Crimes

When I mentioned this yesterday I didn't think it would happen so fast, but it seems the first war crimes charges have been made against outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, as well as Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former CIA director George Tenet, for their alleged roles in the torture scandals at Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

At the President's orders these guys violated the Geneva Conventions and ordered torture and abuse of war prisoners.

If I were George W. Bush or Dick Cheney I'd be worried. They are liable for prosecution as well. They deserve to be...and they know it.

"Shimmers like a California Sunset"

It's hard to believe this song is already five years old. Your Song of the Day was the third single off Jamiroquai's 2001 CD "A Funk Odyssey," and it is definately one of their best..."Love Foolosophy."

The Green Hills of California

Laid back and playful...

Is Our Children Learning?

Quote of the Day:

Who’s Rumsfeld?

-Lance Cpl. James L. Davis Jr. of the U.S. Marines, when told that Donald Rumsfeld was leaving his post as Secretary of Defense.

A Nation Saved

By an overwhelming margin (56% to 43% of the national vote tally), Americans voted on Tuesday to save our nation from the recklessness and incompetence of President Bush and his out-of-control Republican congress. A system of checks and balances, missing for six long years, has been restored to government.

And so, what do the Democrats do now? Well, first off they should resist the urge to engage in the politics of search and destroy. Lord knows the temptation is there; after 12 years of Republican games it will be hard not to want to give it back. But Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid should take the high road and move forward with a positive agenda as much as possible.

To that end, I don't suggest giving the Bush administration a free pass. Not by any stretch. Hold hearings, issue subpoenas, get to the bottom of the failures in Iraq and the overall war on terror, not to mention their dismantling of the Constitution. But don't over-reach and go for impeachment.

I sincerely believe (sincerely) that if any president and vice-president deserve to be impeached and removed from office they are George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. These two men are war criminals, plain and simple. Unfortunately I don't think that is what the American people are looking for. For now, the new Democratic congress should provide rock solid checks and balances and hope beyond hope that the administration doesn't bungle things further.

I say let the international courts take care of things. They can start with outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He should be immediately arrested upon leaving his post and charged with war crimes by the international war tribunal. And on January 20, 2009 the same should be done with Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney. Their reasoning for starting the Iraq War - and their conduct of it - are criminal. And they should be charged and punished accordingly.

But the people of the United States don't seem to have the stomach for impeachment. So, the Democratic leadership should resist the urge (unless something huge comes up in which members of both parties back such a move).

So, again...positive agenda. Oversight and checks & balances. Don't over-reach. As David Gergen said on "Anderson Cooper 360" last night, let the 2006 elections serve as the "appetizer" for the "main course" of the 2008 presidential election. If they keep their heads, the Democrats could find themselves adding to their majorities and winning the White House as well.

And They're Off

Election results from Tuesday night aren't even certified, and a few House districts are to be recounted or will conduct runoff contests, but that isn't stopping the 2008 presidential race from beginning in earnest.

Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack plans to formally launch his bid for the 2008 Democratic nomination today. And last week - before the midterm elections even took place - Rep. Duncan Hunter (Fascist-CA) announced his plans to seek the Republican nomination.

Ok...the second tier candidates are beginning their runs. When do we hear from each party's big guns?

Everybody's Smilin'

If all projections hold, the Democrats will control both houses of Congress for the first time in 12 years.

It truly is a sunshine day. (This one's for you, Shelly.)

Fundamentalist Slamdown

Despite the efforts of maverick-turned-Bush-Bitch John McCain, the people of the state of Arizona, in the tradition of their late beloved Senator Barry Goldwater, rejected an initiative that would have written discrimination into their state constitution.

In South Dakota, a pretty staunch pro-life state, voters rejected a law that would have banned virtually all abortions (and did so by a 12-point margin).

Voters in Missouri narrowly approved a state constitutional amendment protecting stem cell research.

And California and Oregon voters defeated measures that would have required parents to be notified before a girl under 18 could get an abortion.

On Gates

I don't really know much about Defense Secretary-designate Robert Gates other than the fact the he was CIA Director under the first President Bush.

Oh...and one other thing: I seem to remember Gates writing a book in the mid-90's in which he accused the Clintons of decorating the White House Christmas tree with X-rated ornaments. (I mean, COME ON!)

That little unconfirmed tidbit aside, the nomination of Mr. Gates, along with the appointment of James Baker to head the "Iraq Working Group," leads me to believe that Daddy's friends are getting together to bail out Little Boy George...yet again.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA)

The Associated Press and NBC News have called the Senate race in Virginia for challenger Jim Webb over Republican incumbent George Allen, thus giving control of that chamber to the Democrats.

The AP also reports that Senator Allen is leaning against asking for a recount.

Sweet, glorious day, indeed!

Rumsfeld Resigns

The fallout is in full swing at the White House. The AP and MSNBC are reporting that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will resign. Apparently former CIA chief Robert Gates will be nominated to replace him.