Rumsfeld's Epiphany

So, two and a half years later, Rummy decides that the insurgents aren't really insurgents and he calls the idea an epiphany. This administration thinks that it's dealing with children when it spins its policy. Just how does not calling the insurgents insurgents make any difference in what's going on in this country and Iraq? It seems to me that if he's spending his time in wordplay he ought to give a little thought to the meaning of epiphany.

Powell Aide Calls Bush Aloof

Colin Powell's chief of staff claims that President Bush was "too aloof, too distant from the details" of post-war planning, allowing underlings (Cheney, Rumsfeld and like-minded aides) to exploit Mr. Bush's detachment and make bad decisions.

I don't think that there's any surprise there.

He added that "Cheney must have sincerely believed that Iraq could be a spawning ground for new terror assaults, because otherwise I have to declare him a moron, an idiot or a nefarious bastard."

In my opinion, Cheney is neither a moron nor an idiot, which leaves me with nefarious bastard, something I have felt about him since the beginning. In fact, it has been the driving force behind my wish for Bush's safety and good health.

Brownie's School of Disaster Preparedness

Brownie is starting a disaster preparedness consulting business. And I hear that Russell Crowe is launching a chain of anger management schools.

Borrowed Time

Do people who are living on borrowed time have to pay it back in their next life?

Political Capital

Whatever happened to sending a person to Mars and revamping Social Security? Did Bush also say that he was going to cure cancer or was that President Josiah Bartlet? It's so hard to separate fiction from reality.

Black Friday

Shoppers being trampled while others are wrestled to the ground and beaten up. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Bush on Darwin

On this day, November 24, in 1859, Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, published "On the Origin of Species." It was the paper in which he explained his theory of evolution through the process of natural selection. His theory is the basis of many facets of science, including medicine and the development of vaccines to fight to mutating viruses. One hundred forty-six years later we have a president who believes that there is a legitimate debate between evolution and intelligent design. Just another way that this country has taken steps backward under this administration.

Chronic Jet Lag?

When Bush was asked by a reporter in Beijing if something had been bothering him when he made a statement with China's President Hu, as he seemed off his game, Bush replied "Have you ever heard of jet lag?"

Well...I have...but not for 5 years.

Cheney/Murtha

At first I thought that the cosmic rubber band had snapped us into an alternate universe. The Vice-President was disagreeing with a critic without ripping apart his integrity, intelligence or character.

Obviously, Representative Murtha’s credentials and reputation are unquestionable and this is just a shallow attempt to soften previous Administration and Republican attacks and in order to avoid a backlash against their pit-bull mentality.

Cheney Backs Torture?

In addition to not providing reliable information, torturing prisoners is inviting other countries to torture our captured soldiers. So when Dick Cheney, who had other priorities when he was of draft age, advocates the practice, it drives home the fact that he and the rest of the administration have no understanding of war or the welfare of our military men or women. The humanity of the world has been greatly diminished by his and other administration's influence over U.S. policies.

Iraqi War Aftermath

Whether we pull out today or years from now, I'm afraid the result will be the same: a country in so much turmoil that Saddam Hussein's reign will be looked upon as the good old days.

I remember the President in his junior high school mode saying that he was "sick and tired" of waiting while the U.N. inspectors were searching for WMDs. He rushed in with the ridiculous notion that we would be greeted with open arms and he would be his daddy's hero. Any leader who would say "Bring them on," obviously hasn't a clue about what war is about. Even his father's remark, "We'll kick their ass," seems brilliantly intelligent in comparison.

Global Warming

I think that we can agree that we're getting warmer. Is it cyclical or is it caused by human activity? I'm neither a climatologist nor a environmental scientist, so I don't know.

What I really don't get is why this debate has to run along party lines. All that that accomplishes is getting a bunch of people who don't know anything to stand up and recite their party's line. Case in point, stupid Rush Limbaugh says that it can't possibly be caused by human activity because we can't fix it. There you go.

Presidential Quotes

Reagan: We do not negotiate with terrorists (think Iran-Contra).
Nixon: I am not a crook (remember Watergate?).
Clinton: I did not have sex with that woman (just what is the definition of is).
Bush: We do not torture (but we may reserve the right to do so in the future).

Does one of these lies seem not to belong here?

Bush Escalates Bitter Iraq War Debate

Bush Escalates Bitter Iraq War Debate. That's what the headline says. The article goes on to say "They spoke the truth then and they're speaking politics now," Bush charged.

A fair statement if it were true. Unfortunately, he's got it backwards. They were, stupidly, speaking politics then and they're speaking the truth now, but only because it's politically expedient. They, who let Bush have his way, deserve to take some heat, but let's get it right.

They're not alone though. In my mind, the media, who did not want to be seen as unpatriotic, also gave President Pinocchio a free pass. I don't hear him complaining about that.

Separation of Church and State

I think that the one thing that has polarized this country more than ever before has been the attempt to inject religion into politics. If anyone would be interested in seeing how a theocracy might play out, read A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. It's not a pretty sight.

I wonder how loud the scream would be from the religious Right if a Catholic or Jewish President had said that he was choosing a Supreme Court nominee because of his or her religion. That's what they don't get. In order to keep other religions out of politics, you have to keep out your own.

Will Bush Go Solo?

For the past 5 years the people in control of our government is not the man that was elected, but a collection of Machiavellian characters who have up until recently, served him well. I think (hope) that George W. is realizing something that I and a large number of Americans have thought from the beginning. That Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rove and who knows who else have their own agenda and it differs vastly from what is good for the country and the world.

How can George save his presidency? He would have to cut his ties with these influences and go it alone, and that is something I really don't believe that he's up to. God help us.

Bush Attacks War Critics

He really does have a point. I think that the Democrats were afraid of the political fallout of not going along with the war and now they're scrambling for excuses and paying the price.

I, however, kept waiting for the definitive proof of WMDs that never came and never believed anything but that Bush was doggedly determined to attack Iraq, no matter what. I think it was a matter of sticking in his thumb, pulling out a plum and looking at his father and saying, "What a good boy am I."

Arabs Against Terrorism

Finally there's an Arab backlash against suicide bombers and terrorism. What brought it about? Was it the deaths in Israel? No, it was the deaths of fellow Arabs that prompted a strong unified voice against the unexpected, random killing of innocent civilians. One cannot help but think that by many this kind of terrorism is considered permissible if directed at one's adversaries or someone else. People of peace abhor violence in all forms against all people. I know better than to think that this applies to all Arabs or Muslims, but it can't be overlooked that it applies to many.

Little Georgie Gets an A in Georgraphy

As reported in The New York Times (November 7, 2005), during the Prez's trip to Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, exhibited a map of his country. At that point, the leader of the free world said, "Wow! Brazil is big."

Nuff said.

A Case for Political Correctness

Is France teaching us a lesson? Is the lesson that this country is on the right track? I heard a report from France last night that said that young Arabs in France see the United States as a paradise, where muslims are respected and allowed to practice their religion without interference.

Though far from perfected, could it be that the idea of listening to and respecting the minority voice keeps them from feeling irrelevant? Could it be that letting the majority, because of its sheer numbers, call all the shots is an invitation to social upheaval? It seems that we've tried that before and had results similar to what is happening in France today.

To the all the folks who think that the majority not only rules but dictates what inclusion means, remember that people do not suffer in silence for very long; not the young ones, anyway.

We do not torture.

You know, I just have a feeling that Bush's words, " We do not torture," are going to come back and bite him hard, a la "Mission Accomplished" and "Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job."

Roe v. Wade

It is my opinion that the Republican's dirty little secret is that they have no intention of tearing the social fabric of this country by overturning Roe v. Wade. They do however, want to dangle that little carrot in front of their constituents in order to keep them ever hopeful (and voting Republican). Say what you will, a major aspect of their 2004 win was the prominence of the gay marriage issue. As long as these two issues are out there on Election Day, there will be a sizable portion of the electorate making sure that their vote will help keep the Devil out of America.

My Trip to Argentina by George W. Bush

It used to be that a president whose popularity was sagging at home could depend on a foreign jaunt to show him being greeted by adoring crowds. Name a place in the world, other than tightly controlled GOP venues in Republican country, that W hasn't drawn more than his fair share of jeers, obscenities and, in some cases, violence. I would say that he needs to get some bilingual spin meisters.

A Polite President

When President Pinocchio was asked how he will act when he encounters Venezuela's President Chavez, he said that he would be polite. "That's what the American people expect their president to do, is to be a polite person," he said. "And if I run across him, I will do just that."

Obviously, little Georgie was raised right. Too bad his good manners will not serve him very well when historians will view him as the President who brought America to its knees.

I guess little Georgie had a manners lapse when he referred to New York Times reporter Adam Clymer as a "major league asshole." And, apparently the American people do not expect their vice-president to be a polite person, as he's been known to say, "Fuck yourself," to people who make him angry.

Mike Brown's Emails

Let's be fair. How many of us, while doing our jobs, have not joked irreverently with our coworkers. If we're going to rip into Brownie, let's use his real failures; God knows there are plenty of them.

Bush's Plan for Avian Flu

If this administration has an effective plan for dealing with the avian flu, it will be the first thing that they've been prepared for.

Bush Outlines Flu Remedies

One good thing has come from the potential pandemic that avian flu might cause; Bush has been given an opportunity to show the public how on top of things he is. If history is an example of how things will go, we'll be in deep doodoo.