Sunday, December 31, 2006
J. Miller's 2007 Predictions!!!
--The Chicago Bears are going nowhere. They will not be in the Superbowl. I kind of think they won't even get to the NFC championship game. Sigh.
--Television will continue to be increasingly obnoxious, flooded with advertising and product placement, and less and less seen by yours truly. I hope.
--El Presidente Idiota Grande will continue to find new ways to screw up the nation and the world, some of them astonishing in their creativity.
--Junk food will continue to be bad for you.
--I will finally graduate from high school.
--Television will continue to be increasingly obnoxious, flooded with advertising and product placement, and less and less seen by yours truly. I hope.
--El Presidente Idiota Grande will continue to find new ways to screw up the nation and the world, some of them astonishing in their creativity.
--Junk food will continue to be bad for you.
--I will finally graduate from high school.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Good Riddance to Saddam
I'm glad the son of a bitch is dead. I can't think of anyone who deserved it more (although there are several other equally worthy candidates, in my view). But I find it interesting that Saddam was not executed for an atrocity such as gassing the Kurds in 1988. As Robert Scheer points out,
The irony here is that the crimes for which Saddam Hussein was convicted occurred before the United States, in the form of Donald Rumsfeld, embraced him. Those crimes were well known to have occurred 15 months before Rumsfeld visited Iraq to usher in an alliance between the United States and Saddam to defeat Iran.
The fact is that Saddam Hussein knew a great deal about the United States' role in Iraq, including deals made with Bush's father. This rush to execute him had the feel of a gangster silencing the key witness to a crime. [Emphasis added]
Indeed it did. There is so much that Saddam knew about the conservative Republicans who ran this country between 1981 and 1993 that you wonder what he took to the grave with him. The execution, while richly deserved, will forever prevent him from publicly testifying to these matters. Too bad.
I would have been really interested to hear a lot of his stories.
Friday, December 29, 2006
The Worst People of 2006 Contest!
Here are some suggestions:
From biblioklept.
From AlterNet.
This previously noted list from Parade.
Last year's nominees from The Beast. (However, I'm willing to give God a break here.)
Let's hear it, people! Nominate your own personal choices. I'll publish all of 'em!
From biblioklept.
From AlterNet.
This previously noted list from Parade.
Last year's nominees from The Beast. (However, I'm willing to give God a break here.)
Let's hear it, people! Nominate your own personal choices. I'll publish all of 'em!
Sheer Pinheadism
Failure is just a success that hasn't happened yet!
OK, I gotta fresh batch of Kool-Aid. Line up on the right.
OK, I gotta fresh batch of Kool-Aid. Line up on the right.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Some Enlightening Statistics
From the Drum Major Institute on the true nature of economic power and influence in America:
Wages that an average CEO earns before lunchtime: more than a full-time minimum wage worker makes in a year
Ratio of the average U.S. CEO’s annual pay to a minimum wage worker’s: 821:1
Percentage of Americans who feel chronically overworked: 30
Years of unused vacation time that American workers collectively give back to their employers each year: 1.6 million
Percentage of women earning less than $40,000 per year who receive no paid vacation time at all: 37
Fee Paris Hilton is seeking to host a New Year’s Eve party in NYC, Miami, or L.A.: $100,000 plus a private jet
Amount that Ms. Hilton is set to inherit from the Hilton Hotel fortune: $350 million
Number of times that Congress has reduced the estate tax since it last raised the federal minimum wage: 9
Longest period in which the federal minimum wage has not been increased: 1997–2006
Number of workers who would directly benefit from an increase in the minimum wage: 5.6 million
Number of very large estates that would directly benefit from a reduction in the estate tax: 8,200
Number of households using credit to cover basic living expenses: 7 in 10
Amount in tax breaks and subsidies that last year’s energy bill paid out to the gas and oil industry during a period of record profits and higher prices at the pump: $6 billion
Percent of African-American and Latino families that have zero or negative net worth, respectively: 31 and 38
Total Wal-Mart received in government subsidies, sometimes called “corporate welfare” by activists, in 2005: $3.75 billion
Percent of the decline in welfare caseloads that is due to TANF programs failing to serve families that are poor enough to qualify, rather than due to a reduction in the number of families poor enough to qualify for aid, in the ten years since “welfare reform”: 57
Percentage of the GDP that went to wages and salaries in the first half of 2006: 51.8
Projected total in Christmas bonuses that the five largest investment banks in New York City will pay out in 2006: $36 billion
Estimated additional amount U.S. workers would receive annually if all employers obeyed workplace laws: $19 billion
Ratio of compensation of CEOs of publicly traded defense companies to privates before September 11th, 2001: 190 to 1
Ratio in 2006: 308 to 1
Percentage increase in out-of-pocket medical expenses for the average American in the past 5 years: 93
According to exit polls in the midterm elections, percentage of Americans who think life for the next generation will be about the same or worse respectively: 28, 40
Wages that an average CEO earns before lunchtime: more than a full-time minimum wage worker makes in a year
Ratio of the average U.S. CEO’s annual pay to a minimum wage worker’s: 821:1
Percentage of Americans who feel chronically overworked: 30
Years of unused vacation time that American workers collectively give back to their employers each year: 1.6 million
Percentage of women earning less than $40,000 per year who receive no paid vacation time at all: 37
Fee Paris Hilton is seeking to host a New Year’s Eve party in NYC, Miami, or L.A.: $100,000 plus a private jet
Amount that Ms. Hilton is set to inherit from the Hilton Hotel fortune: $350 million
Number of times that Congress has reduced the estate tax since it last raised the federal minimum wage: 9
Longest period in which the federal minimum wage has not been increased: 1997–2006
Number of workers who would directly benefit from an increase in the minimum wage: 5.6 million
Number of very large estates that would directly benefit from a reduction in the estate tax: 8,200
Number of households using credit to cover basic living expenses: 7 in 10
Amount in tax breaks and subsidies that last year’s energy bill paid out to the gas and oil industry during a period of record profits and higher prices at the pump: $6 billion
Percent of African-American and Latino families that have zero or negative net worth, respectively: 31 and 38
Total Wal-Mart received in government subsidies, sometimes called “corporate welfare” by activists, in 2005: $3.75 billion
Percent of the decline in welfare caseloads that is due to TANF programs failing to serve families that are poor enough to qualify, rather than due to a reduction in the number of families poor enough to qualify for aid, in the ten years since “welfare reform”: 57
Percentage of the GDP that went to wages and salaries in the first half of 2006: 51.8
Projected total in Christmas bonuses that the five largest investment banks in New York City will pay out in 2006: $36 billion
Estimated additional amount U.S. workers would receive annually if all employers obeyed workplace laws: $19 billion
Ratio of compensation of CEOs of publicly traded defense companies to privates before September 11th, 2001: 190 to 1
Ratio in 2006: 308 to 1
Percentage increase in out-of-pocket medical expenses for the average American in the past 5 years: 93
According to exit polls in the midterm elections, percentage of Americans who think life for the next generation will be about the same or worse respectively: 28, 40
OK, I'm not some kind of firebrand leftwinger. I'm pro-capitalism, pro private enterprise, pro economic freedom. But it angers me when the political right in this country shouts about economic freedom and then RIGS THE SYSTEM IN FAVOR OF PEOPLE LIKE THEMSELVES. Yes, I said "rigs". This isn't free enterprise. This is right wing con artists playing everybody else for suckers. I'm particularly sick and tired of corporate welfare. Six billion freaking dollars in subsidies to oil and gas?? Let the oil and gas companies pay for their business expenses themselves, just as any business should. The entire list is interesting. As they say in the Blog Biz, read the whole thing. And then be reminded of what still needs to be done.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Goodbye to Gerald Ford
Former President Gerald R. Ford has died. Jerry Ford was a good, decent, upright man whom I both liked and voted for in 1976. If all the Republicans were like he was, I might not have had to leave. He was put in an extremely tough position in 1974 and he handled it with grace and dignity. He restored respect to the Presidency and he represented all that was best in our country.
God bless you, Jerry. America will miss you.
Again, Look at What We're Up Against
Media Matters, one of the most valuable sites on the internet, has amassed a priceless collection of quotes from the right wing lunatics who are otherwise known as America's conservative political commentators. If you read them with the same kind of grim fascination I do, you'll note the following:
--The number of comments advocating murder or even genocide.
--The amount of vicious racism and sheer hatred in many of them.
--The mindless advocacy of violence as a cure-all in every situation.
--The vile, disgusting personal attacks on anyone who disagrees with them, often couched in terms of insulting the person's physical features.
--The repeated accusations of treason hurled at anyone who criticizes the Right or George Bush's insane policies.
--And of course, the rampant homophobia. Always.
Pathetic. Appalling. And utterly typical of the "quality" of right wing commentary in America.
Makes you wonder who America's enemies really are.
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Saturday, December 23, 2006
The Meme We Need to Spread: It's the Bush-McCain Iraq War
I used to respect John McCain deeply. He survived the most harrowing ordeals a human can go through with strength, courage, dignity, and honor. He usually spoke his mind forcefully and directly in the Senate. He was brutally and viciously smeared by George W. Bush's criminal campaign machine in 2000. And then, some strange things began to happen.
He refused to fight back against the lies about his own family.
He endorsed Bush in 2004, even as Bush's campaign was attacking a decorated Vietnam veteran in the campaign. He even physically embraced the Draft Dodger in Chief for emphasis.
He spoke out nobly against the use of torture by Bush--and then cravenly backed down.
He continued to present himself as a moderate, while compiling a hard right wing voting record in Congress, a man on whom Bush and Cheney could count every single time.
He has been the Iraq War's most consistent cheerleader in Congress.
And now he wants to increase the number of troops in Iraq. He doesn't want the 250,000 to 350,000 increase that might conceivably have a chance of restoring order. He advocates the kind of "surge" that Bush is talking about, inserting just enough troops to get a lot of them killed but not enough to do anything effective. He intends to run for president in part on his war hawkishness and his unwavering support for the Iraq adventure.
I say we give him what he wants. I say it's high time to start repeating, mantra-like, the slogan that apparently McCain wants us to embrace. It's not just Bush's war in Iraq.
It's the Bush-McCain War in Iraq.
McCain and W are two peas in the same pod, inextricably tied to the war. We should do everything in our power to associate McCain with the utterly catastrophic Bush Administration and the horrible disaster of the Iraq War. We must burn into the minds of the American people the link between McCain and the worst foreign policy disaster in American history.
After all, McCain has chosen it. I say we bow to his wishes.
Tie old John to the War. Every. Single. Time. We can.
Friday, December 22, 2006
The Top 50 Stupidest Things Bush Said in His First Term!
Stolen directly from a Daily Kos commenter (who found it here), simply too priceless to not pass on.
"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here." —at the President's Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." —Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' —Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
"We both use Colgate toothpaste." —after a reporter asked what he had in common with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Camp David, Md., Feb. 23, 2001
"Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004
"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2003
"I'm the commander — see, I don't need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." —as quoted in Bob Woodward's Bush at War
"I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." —Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001
"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." —Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003
"I saw a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America. It's pretty darn strong. I mean, the people see a better future." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, 2004
"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." —discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson
"I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." —presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004
"Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?" —to economic advisers discussing a second round of tax cuts, as quoted by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil, Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2002
"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption." —Trenton, N.J., Sept. 23, 2002
"After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very plain, we will not have an all-volunteer army. And yet, this week — we will have an all-volunteer army!" —Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 16, 2004
"Do you have blacks, too?" —to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001
"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." —as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002
"I got to know Ken Lay when he was head of the — what they call the Governor's Business Council in Texas. He was a supporter of Ann Richards in my run in 1994. And she had named him the head of the Governor's Business Council. And I decided to leave him in place, just for the sake of continuity. And that's when I first got to know Ken and worked with Ken." —attempting to distance himself from his biggest political patron, Enron Chairman Ken Lay, whom he nicknamed "Kenny Boy," Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2002
"It is white." —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001
"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." —at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001
"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." —Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001
"I don't know why you're talking about Sweden. They're the neutral one. They don't have an army." —during a Dec. 2002 Oval Office meeting with Rep. Tom Lantos, as reported by the New York Times
"You forgot Poland." —to Sen. John Kerry during the first presidential debate, after Kerry failed to mention Poland's contributions to the Iraq war coalition, Miami, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004
"I'm the master of low expectations." —aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things." —aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right." —Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001
"We need to counter the shockwave of the evildoer by having individual rate cuts accelerated and by thinking about tax rebates." —Washington, D.C. Oct. 4, 2001
"People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002
"I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it...I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn't yet....I don't want to sound like I have made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't — you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one." —President George W. Bush, after being asked to name the biggest mistake he had made, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2004
"The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway." —explaining why high taxes on the rich are a failed strategy, Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004
"My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we're going to run out of debt to retire." —radio address, Feb. 24, 2001
"You know, when I was one time campaigning in Chicago, a reporter said, 'Would you ever have a deficit?' I said, 'I can't imagine it, but there would be one if we had a war, or a national emergency, or a recession.' Never did I dream we'd get the trifecta." —Houston, Texas, June 14, 2002 (There is no evidence Bush ever made any such statement, despite recounting the trifecta line repeatedly in 2002. A search by the Washington Post revealed that the three caveats were brought up before the 2000 campaign — by Al Gore.)
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." —Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." —State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003, making a claim that administration officials knew at the time to be false
"In Iraq, no doubt about it, it's tough. It's hard work. It's incredibly hard." —repeating the phrases "hard work," "working hard," "hard choices," and other "hard"-based verbiage 22 times in his first debate with Sen. John Kerry
"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001
"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." —Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002
"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." —summing up his first year in office, three months after the 9/11 attacks, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001
"I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency." —interview with "Runners World," Aug. 2002
"Can we win? I don't think you can win it." —after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004
"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." —Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002
"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." —to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004
"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." —speaking underneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003
"We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories ... And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." —Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003
"Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" —President George W. Bush, joking about his administration's failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." —Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004
"My answer is bring them on." —on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003
"I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn't here." —at the President's Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002
"We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease." —Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' —Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001
"We both use Colgate toothpaste." —after a reporter asked what he had in common with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Camp David, Md., Feb. 23, 2001
"Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004
"I glance at the headlines just to kind of get a flavor for what's moving. I rarely read the stories, and get briefed by people who are probably read the news themselves." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 21, 2003
"I'm the commander — see, I don't need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That's the interesting thing about being president." —as quoted in Bob Woodward's Bush at War
"I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport." —Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001
"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorize himself." —Grand Rapids, Mich., Jan. 29, 2003
"I saw a poll that said the right track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America. It's pretty darn strong. I mean, the people see a better future." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 23, 2004
"Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties." —discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson, as quoted by Robertson
"I hear there's rumors on the Internets that we're going to have a draft." —presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004
"Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?" —to economic advisers discussing a second round of tax cuts, as quoted by former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil, Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2002
"We need an energy bill that encourages consumption." —Trenton, N.J., Sept. 23, 2002
"After standing on the stage, after the debates, I made it very plain, we will not have an all-volunteer army. And yet, this week — we will have an all-volunteer army!" —Daytona Beach, Fla., Oct. 16, 2004
"Do you have blacks, too?" —to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001
"This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating." —as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002
"I got to know Ken Lay when he was head of the — what they call the Governor's Business Council in Texas. He was a supporter of Ann Richards in my run in 1994. And she had named him the head of the Governor's Business Council. And I decided to leave him in place, just for the sake of continuity. And that's when I first got to know Ken and worked with Ken." —attempting to distance himself from his biggest political patron, Enron Chairman Ken Lay, whom he nicknamed "Kenny Boy," Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2002
"It is white." —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001
"I couldn't imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah." —at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001
"For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings. And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It's just unacceptable. And we're going to do something about it." —Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001
"I don't know why you're talking about Sweden. They're the neutral one. They don't have an army." —during a Dec. 2002 Oval Office meeting with Rep. Tom Lantos, as reported by the New York Times
"You forgot Poland." —to Sen. John Kerry during the first presidential debate, after Kerry failed to mention Poland's contributions to the Iraq war coalition, Miami, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004
"I'm the master of low expectations." —aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"I'm also not very analytical. You know I don't spend a lot of time thinking about myself, about why I do things." —aboard Air Force One, June 4, 2003
"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right." —Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001
"We need to counter the shockwave of the evildoer by having individual rate cuts accelerated and by thinking about tax rebates." —Washington, D.C. Oct. 4, 2001
"People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in's house and say I love you." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002
"I wish you'd have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it...I'm sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn't yet....I don't want to sound like I have made no mistakes. I'm confident I have. I just haven't — you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I'm not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one." —President George W. Bush, after being asked to name the biggest mistake he had made, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2004
"The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway." —explaining why high taxes on the rich are a failed strategy, Annandale, Va., Aug. 9, 2004
"My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we're going to run out of debt to retire." —radio address, Feb. 24, 2001
"You know, when I was one time campaigning in Chicago, a reporter said, 'Would you ever have a deficit?' I said, 'I can't imagine it, but there would be one if we had a war, or a national emergency, or a recession.' Never did I dream we'd get the trifecta." —Houston, Texas, June 14, 2002 (There is no evidence Bush ever made any such statement, despite recounting the trifecta line repeatedly in 2002. A search by the Washington Post revealed that the three caveats were brought up before the 2000 campaign — by Al Gore.)
"See, free nations are peaceful nations. Free nations don't attack each other. Free nations don't develop weapons of mass destruction." —Milwaukee, Wis., Oct. 3, 2003
"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." —State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003, making a claim that administration officials knew at the time to be false
"In Iraq, no doubt about it, it's tough. It's hard work. It's incredibly hard." —repeating the phrases "hard work," "working hard," "hard choices," and other "hard"-based verbiage 22 times in his first debate with Sen. John Kerry
"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." —Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001
"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." —Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002
"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." —summing up his first year in office, three months after the 9/11 attacks, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001
"I try to go for longer runs, but it's tough around here at the White House on the outdoor track. It's sad that I can't run longer. It's one of the saddest things about the presidency." —interview with "Runners World," Aug. 2002
"Can we win? I don't think you can win it." —after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004
"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." —Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002
"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." —to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004
"Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed." —speaking underneath a "Mission Accomplished" banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003
"We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories ... And we'll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." —Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003
"Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" —President George W. Bush, joking about his administration's failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004
"If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator." —Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." —Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004
"My answer is bring them on." —on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003
Monday, December 18, 2006
Bush Should Resign Now. For the Good of America
They've got to go, both of them. Both the pathetic George W. Bush and the vile, misanthropic troll known as Dick Cheney.
They have utterly lost the confidence of the people.
Their Iraq adventure has turned into a catastrophe.
Their economic and fiscal policies have mortgaged our nation's future and made us beholden to lenders such as the Chinese.
They have brought our nation's reputation in the world down to new depths.
They have sanctioned torture, disgracing our nation's traditions.
They have failed in every single sense of the word.
There is only one option left. Cheney should resign and allow Bush to appoint a moderate Republican as vice president. Then Bush should resign, elevating the moderate to the Presidency.
Yes, I know it would give the Republicans a shot at winning in 2008. I realize that. But it's for the good of America.
Which is exactly why I know Bush won't do it.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
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