A Blind Eye to Irony

Can it be possible Bush doesn't see any irony in his statements to Russia about Georgia?

With its actions in recent days, Russia has damaged its credibility and its relations with the nations of the free world... Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.

Putting aside for the moment that the people of Georgia have the same right to self-determination as any people, including the Iraqis, how can our Mis-Leader's throat grunt forth words so antithetical to his actions? HE is the one who set HIS country on an aggressive foreign policy, for dubious reasons. HIS foreign policy has killed far more people than Russia's action and probably wrecked more cities than even exist in Georgia. HE is the one who savaged this country's reputation, and HE is the one who made stomping on another country's sovereignty an acceptable foreign policy course for Russia. And don't suppose for a moment that other countries, China in particular, haven't also taken notice.

He is, as my sainted mother would say, a pure-dee hypocrite.

Fortunately for those of us with enough snap to be thoroughly disgusted by the Bush administration, he left us with this quote, in which I invite you to substitute the word "America" for "Russia"...

Only Russia can now decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation.

And in America, unlike Russia, it is the People who make that decision.

Second tier...

Russia’s aggression towards Georgia is also noteworthy for what preceded it. It is now known that prior to its military attack, Russia launched what was probably the world’s first cyber-attack in advance of military action. (here) Let us hope administration officials took more notice of this than they did warnings of attacks on 9/11.

Care to rephrase?

Buried on page A7, and available here, the Houston Chronicle reported today that President Bush has admitted he knew of meetings approving torture and that he himself approved those methods.

There are a couple of concerns here.

First, Shrub might want to rephrase or (at least) recall his statements that America does not torture.

Second, this is why it is important to read the papers on Saturday and Sunday. Government has long used the tactic of releasing sensitive news on Friday, knowing that most people pay little attention to the news on the weekend.

Sunrise Regulator...

These are from a recent PS contest on Fark. The original was the Yamaha drum machine. I thought of the ad first, then thought it would be cool to show The Sunrise Regulator at work. I first thought of putting it in a "Heavenly Office" with a sign saying, "Attention visitors! Please do not fuck with the Sunrise Machine. Thank you! God", but I never got around to putting it all together. I came across the picture of Coco the gorilla for another contest and kept it because I like the amused look on her face. I'm still playing around with the second image... Email me if you want a larger file.

War on the installment plan...

At the risk of becoming a (liberal) dittohead, here's a link to MoveOn's latest video. This one highlights how we've been told success in Iraq is nigh on top of us, sometime in the next six months... and if not then, the next six months... and if not then, well, soon... maybe after the next evaluation in six months...

Bottom line... Bush will be successful in keeping the Iraq war going as long as he is president. Just when I thought he was incapable of telling the truth...

America has a problem. It's current incarnation is called George Bush.

Delusions of Grandeur...

Yesterday, President Bush declared “One day people will look back at this moment in history and say ‘Thank God there were courageous people willing to serve, because they laid the foundations for peace for generations to come.’”

While it is certainly true that our soldiers have acted courageously, even against all reason, given the condition of the Middle East for the last 4000 years, it is insanely optimistic to declare that any sort of foundation for generations of peace has been laid.

But unrealistic expectations are what we’ve come to expect from this worst of all possible presidents. The only foundation he has laid has been a foundation of wealth for, as he put it while running for his first term, the “haves and the have-mores.”

While it is true that deaths have declined during his much-vaunted “surge”, it is also true that a lot of the reduction can be attributed to the seven month old cease-fire declared by Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army. This cease-fire, by the way, is in trouble and may not last much longer.

Fortunately for Bush, he has a fall-back position... after all, by his (and McCain’s) double-sided reasoning it makes no sense to leave Iraq when things are bad, and it makes no sense to leave Iraq when things are “good”.

So when he pops his October surprise, I guess we should sit by complacently and let him declare martial law and suspend the elections, because you know, it makes no sense to change when things are bad...

At the risk of beating a dead horse, again, here is the bottom line on the Bush presidency: America is weaker by military and economic standards, more hated in the world, and no more safe, than when he began his reign of error. The Constitution has been weakened, with the result that Americans are less free and more threatened by their government. The average price of gasoline has gone from around $1.73 to $3.09, and there is no credible push to make alternative energy sources economically viable. The middle class continues to shrink while the “have-mores” wallow in even more. Iraq is, in fact, worse off than under Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi army is nowhere near able to take charge of its own country. One reason given for the decline in Iraqi deaths is that so many millions have left their home country that there is “no one left to kill.” Bush’s actions have given power and legitimacy to Iran, made the Chinese look like good guys in South America, and have left the Middle East even less stable than it has historically been.

Yet, he has the audacity to claim “the foundations for peace for generations to come”.

01/20/01... Never Forget!

Hope for the future...

CNN reports that "most Americans" are confident of a turnaround in 2009. This seems like a no-brainer to me, given that on 1/20/09, no matter what happens in the November elections, 
EVERYBODY wins!

The Audacity of Hypocrisy...

In a news conference last Thursday, Bush had this to say about the soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

I must say, I'm a little envious. If I were slightly younger and not employed here, I think it would be a fantastic experience to be on the front lines of helping this young democracy succeed. It must be exciting for you ... in some ways romantic, in some ways, you know, confronting danger. You're really making history, and thanks.

This from a guy who, along with most of the members of his cabinet, did everything he could do to stay out of Viet Nam. If he feels so strongly about it there is nothing to stop him from suggesting that one or both his daughters enlist in the service.

And of course, Cheney gets off no easier, famously saying he "had other priorities" during Viet Nam.

I hate to make this comparison, I really do. But isn't this just a bit like Osama Bin Laden urging his followers to commit suicide bombings while he hides out in a cave?

It's more and more obvious that Bush's true feelings about service people is a lot like a kid on Christmas morning with a new bag of plastic army men.

And here he had the audacity to flash a peace sign...

"Drug War" news...

Montgomery County DA Michael McDougal has admitted using money from his drug forfeiture account to buy "tequila, rum and kegs" for an annual city and county employees barbecue. Also included in the purchase were beer taps and
 a keg tub.

What do you suppose the chances were of drunk employees hitting the streets during or after said barbecue? Are we to assume McDougal's forfeiture account also paid for taxi rides?

This is yet another example of the hypocrisy of the "War on Drugs", now in its umpteenth year of failure. How can marijuana, for instance, be considered dangerous, 
but it's perfectly hunky-dory to ply county and city employees with tequila and send them out on the roads?

I would love to hear Dean Becker's "Cultural Baggage" show on KPFT bring more 
attention to this...

Recent Crappy Photoshop Submissions...

All is well...

President Bush assures us that we have nothing to worry about with the economy tanking, continuing his tap dance while America burns.

According to an article in today's Houston Chronicle, Bush said, "One thing is for certain: We're in challenging times," Bush told TV cameras just as stock trading opened Monday morning. "But another thing is for certain: that we've taken strong and decisive action."

That doesn't make me feel any better, considering he said similar things about his biggest failure, Iraq, and his second biggest failure, the Katrina mess.

It's getting harder to keep after this guy, knowing he'll be gone in "only" 307 days, but it is even more important to keep an eye on his antics now because he'll be desperate to get in a last few favors for his friends and to make last ditch efforts to burnish his legacy.

Incidentally, I don't think he has to worry about his "legacy", which, to this liberal, is as secure as the legacy of Nixon. He will be known as the worst, most corrupt, misled, misleading, lying president in American history, including Nixon!

How bad is it? So bad that he already has an escape plan... I've commented on his apparent plan to escape to Paraguay when things get too hot, but it bears repeating. This jerk should be watched even after he leaves office. Unfortunately, the threat to him will likely not come from an American court. More likely he will be forced to flee when it becomes apparent that he can't travel anywhere BUT America, and finally some President will be forced by international concerns to quietly advise Bush to get out of Dodge. This is one reason McCain can't be allowed to win the presidency.



I do plan to visit his presidential library when it opens, for two reasons. To spit somewhere appropriate, and to make sure there is a copy of "The Pet Goat" on the shelves. I urge all true Americans to do this. Can you imagine if there were dozens, or even hundreds of copies of the book on "his" shelves? It would certainly keep alive the debate over who is responsible for the situation in America. There will be no forgetting, as time crawls by, exactly who is responsible for the 
state of America.

Crappy Fark Photoshop Submission

W's Retirement Party

You can see a larger version of this crappy Photoshop I did at this link ... you'll be able to see his sad and lonely little face, and while you're there you can check out my other crappy photoshop work, a few of which poke fun at our inglorious misLeader. I'm particularly proud of this one...

And again...

Once again showing its' disdain for democracy, the Bush administration, as reported by Guardian.co.uk, approved a secret plan to overthrow the duly
 elected Hamas government in Gaza.

According to the article, the plan would have funneled arms and salaries to Fatah fighters who "would lead a rising against Hamas."

The Bushies wanted a democracy in the Middle East, but apparently they aren't so crazy about democracy as to actually allow it, if it conflicts with their own grubby interests.

Officials who signed off on this latest fiasco are Bush, Condoleeza Rice, and Elliott Abrams.

Three hundred twenty two days of this left. Will democracy survive?

Will AMERICA survive?

Endorsement...

Barack Obama for the Democratic nominee for President. I decline to endorse a Republican.

Enough of this silliness...

Friends of mine, who really should know better, have asserted that Barack Obama is (a) a Muslim and (2) "refuses" to say the Pledge of Allegiance. So on the Pledge question, here are the results of a Google video search. On the question of his being a Muslim, here is a link to his statement during a Democratic debate. And finally here is a Snopes.com assessment of the subjects.

Full disclosure: For many years, I have refused to sing the Star-Spangled Banner, simply because it is a war song and I believe America can do better. This only becomes an issue when I attend baseball games. To avoid sensitive feelings I generally wait till the anthem is sung before going to my seat. During the times I have been at my seat during the singing of the Anthem I have not noticed a whole lot of people singing it anyway. I do stand and remove my hat out of respect for my country.

More disclosure: As of this time I have not made a decision on which candidate I will support in the upcoming Texas primary or the November general election. I can promise you it will not be a Republican candidate. As to the Democrats I'm still waiting to hear from the Libertarian and Green parties.

And then there were four...

To the surprise of few and the dismay of many, including your intrepid commenter, John Edwards has quit the race for the Democratic nomination for president. It is widely determined that the reason is that his concern for poverty just wasn't a deal-maker with the American people.

The big question, then, going forward is which way does a liberal populist swing his/her support?

If one believes in the power of inspiration, the direction is to Barack Obama. If the inclination is towards political experience and sheerpolitical assholery, the obvious choice is Hillary Clinton.

Both candidates will have to refine their positions to appeal to the 15% Edwards drew. For a decent analysis, read Ron Klain's blog here.

That being said, Edwards' voice of reason in the campaign will be missed. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand won't be missed, save by those who looked to continue the Bush Doctrine of Fear.

Though the Democratic contest will (perhaps) be decided in next Tuesday's mass nominating frenzy, I will wait till the Texas contest is imminent to make an endorsement... though I have to say that if Texas was among the Super Tuesday states, I would have gone with Edwards.

Let them eat cake...

In keeping with his State of the Union pledge to get the country to a budget surplus by 2012, Bush's 2009 budget will include cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

The begged comment here is obvious... if not for his ill-advised and illegal war in Iraq, there would likely not be a budget deficit to begin with. Various sources put the cost of the Iraq war at as much as 1 TRILLION DOLLARS. Once again, how many better ways could the money 
have been spent?

Fortunately, it is true that Congress is not likely to cut the popular programs in an election, but this is yet more proof of the President's anti-compassion. Compassionate conservatism, my ass.

What else do you need to know?

George Bush and King Abdullah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud

As if there were any doubt...

Click for bigger...

What he should have said...

Madam Speaker, Vice President, members of the Supreme Court, members of Congress, esteemed guests,

The State of our Union is dire. My administration has failed our people, ignored and defiled the Constitution, and condemned our troops to die in an ill-advised and illegal war. We have consistently placed the greedy desires of a privileged few above the needs of the suffering majority of Americans. We have pursued policies that have contributed to the ruination of our environment, ignoring the solutions that are right in front of us. We have alienated our allies and increased the number and ferocity of the enemies of the United States. We have sullied the concept of government by, of and for the people. As an example of my gross ineptitude I will point out that I did not even give my staunchest supporters one thing I promised to do for them.

This will not be a long speech, because this august Congress will need some sleep as they have many long days and nights of work ahead to repair the damage my administration has done to America and American ideals.

(hands folder to Speaker Pelosi)

In short, I stand before you as truly the Worst President Ever, worse even than Nixon or Fillmore, guilty of international war crimes, treason, high crimes and misdemeanors. I have just given Speaker Pelosi a folder containing handcuffs and leg irons to slap on me without delay, as well as a document detailing my transgressions, naming all my co-conspirators in both government and business, and I humbly await whatever punishment this esteemed body wishes to dole out to me and co-traitor Cheney.

I cannot ask forgiveness of the American people, but I hope to someday stand before God and beg His forgiveness.

In the meantime, may Almighty God bless America and I pray that my future cellmates have at least some mercy on my pooper.

Boiling in oil...

According to the Times, oil briefly reached a high of $100 a barrel today. While it is true that $100 is "just" a number, it is also true that once it's crossed the price is unlikely to fall back to anything a consumer would reasonably want to deal with.

Energy is, and will get, more expensive.

And so far, no presidential candidate has taken a real aggressive approach to the problem. While they have all blustered to some extent, no one is really offering the hard facts, the inconvenient truths, if you will, that consumers are going to have to face.

There are a few ways out of the energy mess, a carbon tax being the one with the most immediate returns. But as yet no candidate has offered what I have always felt was the only real solution to the problem: a Manhattan Project-style coordinated effort to improve the efficiency of, among other things, car mileage, battery life, solar energy, wind energy, and yes, nuclear energy.

(It goes without saying, but bears repeating, that the money and human capital we have wasted in Iraq could easily have bought the country energy independence.)

Until we, as a society, and as voter/taxpayers, really attack this issue, results, well, there will be no results, and we will end up boiling, if not in oil, in the sun...

That is, if we're not brought to our knees by the countries we give our energy money to, enemies and allies both. Incidentally, I use the term allies here with some trepidation. The fact is that Saudi Arabia, which the government has called "friend" for the last 50 years or so, is NOT our friend. We share little with that country other than our need for oil and their willingness to sell it to us at market price, which price is determined, for the most part, by other players, those we call enemies.

It takes a certain amount of guts to stand, as Barack Obama did, before a group of automakers and promise that if you're elected as president, the automakers WILL raise the efficiency of their cars. He may have written off the votes of Detroit and even Michigan as a whole in that speech.

But it takes more guts, and more than guts, for a people to stand up before its government and say, we demand solutions and we demand them now, without kowtowing to special interests and erstwhile allies. We demand INDEPENDENCE!

It is the only solution for America, and the truth is, it's the only solution for the world. Whether the world's oil lasts another 5 years or another 50, we do know that it is running out and it is causing damage to the Earth.

The Earth and The People deserve better from the politicians running for president.