The rest of the left blogosphere is making the same point Dave makes in his last paragraph: if the marriage of the Clintons is fodder for the front page of the *cough* liberal NYT, why shouldn't the marital foibles of the other assholes be ripe for gossip?

Don't get me wrong...I don't think any of this is anyone's business, but the hypocrisy of the SCLM and the "family values" crowd drives me nuts.

Actually, Traci and Hepburn, in dysfunctional real life, as opposed to the characters they played together ARE kinda a good comparison!
______________
Woman of the Year

In one of the book's most moving and surprising passages, she asks Berg, with genuine interest, "What do you think was Spencer's problem? ... Why do you think he drank?"

Berg stalled, saying that he had never met Tracy, that at best all he'd be able to offer would be "dime-store psychology." Hepburn pushed him ("Well, you always have an opinion on everything else. I don't see why you don't have one on this particular subject"). With some embarrassment, Berg outlined his assessment of what made Tracy so unhappy, beginning with the fact that he was raised by a father who was tough on him and often told him he was worthless, and moving on to the fact that once Tracy had started building a successful career, and was about to prove his father wrong, he faced other difficulties. His and his wife Louise's first child was born deaf, and Tracy felt guilty and responsible. He began misbehaving, taking up with other women and drinking heavily, reinforcing his own cycle of worthlessness.
______________
-T

Former US Senator Lloyd Benson died today. He was a consummate Senator, and a classic bulls*&ter, but I liked him. Salute!

Later,
th

David,

Keeping your marriage together through troubled times means stopping the things that make it troubling and working on mending the wounds. The Clintons continue to do the same things that most people would get divorced over. This just brings most to believe that they are only in it for political reasons. Women have a problem with Hillary for letting Billy Bob get away with publicly embarrassing her with his girlfriends on the side. At least the others you mentioned decided their marriages were'nt going to work and put an end to the personal distruction. I would also bet that it will be Democrats like Al Gore that bring this up in the primaries long before it gets to the Republicans.

David, personally I would avoid Faux news no matter what. Beyond that Hillary as a candidate for prez is political suicide for the Dems. This country needs effective and strong leadership willing to stand up for American principles world wide, someone to pickup the shattered remains of this once great nation, not a time for an electoral experiment to see if a woman can be elected prez, not now.

Fox News called this morning to ask if I would come on and discuss bill-n-hill

try to steer the discussion towards the spell that israel seems to have cast on hill and the rest on the hill if you would be so kind -
then you should ask fox news if they will come on your blog and have a discussion in return - just imagine the number of hits your blog would receive - your advertisers would be your new best friends!

Is it just me, or is this all kinda silly?

-t

Jus you! HA!

Is this really the biggest news story of the day?

Tracy and Hepburn? Tracy was a great actor and a nice guy but he was married while he was with Hepburn. Rudy Fooliani is the interesting one here. Several mistresses, one or more on the city payroll, two divorces and three marriages, living for a time with an openly gay couple; lot's of fascinating stuff there. Hope we hear more about it in the near future, especially from the NYT. And hope Democrats use it against him at every opportunity.

"ALUMINUM PLANES & STEEL HEARTS: a wholly factual and true account of the events of 911" by lord ha. HA!
part IV - yet another realization!
--------------
achmed, why are your hands not planted securely on that steering wheel? and what is that infernal tune you keep whistling?

**oops...sorry! that tune my friend is my wife's favorite tune: "sneaky man sneak" by possum pete's pals! do you not like it?**

yes, very catchy, please desist! by the way, today, the twelfth of september will go down in history will it not?

**oh mustapha, when we left our hovels in the mountains of lower slobovia it was indeed the twelfth of september, but we have crossed the international date line and here in america it is the eleventh of september!**

what!? fool! why did you not think of this ahead of time? the eleventh of september is the day that american vice president cheney has scheduled numerous terror alert drills and war games including highjack scenarios! we will surely never accomplish our goal now! we are an entire day early!

I vote "all kinda silly."

Wait...nobody asked for a vote, did they?

Blue state people divorce less often than red state people.

Ask yourself what qualities are you looking for in a ny candidate for political office.

Honesty

Integrity

Experience

Knowledge

Where does ones personal life enter the picture? Only as an element of gossip aimed at discrediting a particular candidate.

One can look at any job application and see that what an employer really wants is a person that can perform their duties using the above qualities. In this case we are the employers and personal issues aside it boils down to them and anything else is promoting gossip which degrades the entire process.

Responding to a one-question, e-mail survey from the Nieman Watchdog Project, some of these journalists, Nieman fellows of past years, urged reporters to:

* Cover issues rather than events, and report on those issues consistently and deeply enough to bring clarity to readers or viewers.

* Set agendas based on issues that are important to the public and aggressively pursue responses from candidates.

* Expose political ploys, rather than fall for them.

* Pay extra attention this year to how the votes are counted.

More insight from the Nieman Watchdog Group Here.

Hillary as a presidential candidate would be a gift to the Republicans. She would energize their base as nobody else could, with the possible exception of Ted Kennedy.

BOB IS GOING TO MAKE A PREDICTION...look for the Department of Homeland Security to start making orange and red alerts again, as Election Day approaches this fall.

Bob

bill and hill's personal life is of zero interest to me, it is no one's business but their own. However, I am VERY interested in the recent revelation of her involvement, along with the DNC, with the securities law firm Milberg Weiss that was busted. Will she give the contributions back? Will any of them?

By the way, in case LBH didn't notice re: Gore using an automobile for a 500 yard journey:

UPDATE: At 3:38 PM EST, about an hour after this post, Drudge yanked the smear on Gore from his site.

Wrong again, oh Kool-Aid stained one. May a desert weirdo lower his figs into your mother's soup.

Republicans salivate, positively drool themselves into dehydration, at the idea of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic candidate. To them, she is the devil incarnate -- the greatest threat to the United States and red-blooded Americans everywhere to ever put on a pant suit. They're attacks on HRC to date have been mere skirmishes and raids. They're saving the all-out assault for a time when it really matters. If you think you've seen vitriol and hatred in political campaigns before, you ain't seen nothing yet -- just wait till '08. Hillary Clinton is the Democratic party's glass jaw -- they need to come up with someone else.

Publius #19,

I agree with you. And I know plenty of self-identified Democrats who can't stand this woman. I don't like her myself. I've said it before and I'll say it again; she's the worst kind of finger-in-the-wind politician. I'd vote for Al Gore (again) or Russ Feingold, not that either of them would have much of a chance (Diebold, anyone?). There really aren't too many other appealing (realistic) options. But, to be honest, why would anyone want to inherit the steaming pile of shit Bush is going to leave? In normal times, they say you have to be a little crazy to run for president; you'd have to be a masochistic loon to run in '08.

#16 Bob in ND, orange and red are the Nazis'favorite colors.

Hillary will be a hard sell for me to buy! She seems to forgive Bill and I marvel at her forgiving heart but she would favor wars, the same as Bushitler. I have a serious problem with warmongers.

I have a problem with Bill and his trolling around the world. About a month after our honeymoon I said to my wife that my thing was hers and only hers. I signed all pleasure rights of my thing over to my wife. The only right that I had for my thing was the right to piss.

Hillary Clinton is unelectable. I do not know a single liberal who will vote for her. Therefore discussing her in any capacity beyond her NY Senate seat is a waste of time. President Hillary? Not one single vote from my vast array of friends and acquaintances. Not one single vote.

#20 Don, I, too, would vote for Al Gore again!!!

Hillary didn't forgive Bill for that mess, if she divorced him she would just be an ex first lady, by staying with him she was the wife of a president, and it catapulted her into the senate, plus she is a trial lawyer in her own right. Wouldn't that be a great divorce to go into. Nope, bill lied because he was afraid of hillary not anything else.

Hillary Clinton is not the best candidate. I think the Republicans are pushing her more than the Democrats are. maybe they want Condi out there and they want her running against a woman.

Anyway, what makes Clinton a good candidate? Vs. Gore or Feingold or somebody else? I want somebody who can straighten the country out.

FCC says they cannot investigate NSA data mining

RAW STORY
Published: Tuesday May 23, 2006

The Federal Communications Commission has told a Democratic congressman that they cannot investigate the National Security Agency's domestic data mining program because it is classified, RAW STORY has learned.

In a letter to Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey (posted here), FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the program could not be scrutinized because it was classified.

In his response, Markey, above right, chastised the FCC for "refus[ing] to demand answers."

"We can't have a situation where the FCC, charged with enforcing the law, won't even begin an investigation of apparent violations of the law because it predicts the Administration will roadblock any investigations citing national security," Markey remarked. "If the FCC initiates an investigation and gets blocked by the White House, then the White House is stonewalling. But if the FCC refuses to even demand answers, then the White House never has to block the enforcement agency from getting to the bottom of this. The American people deserve answers."
------------
Is there anything that ISN'T classified?

Oh this is just ducky.

FCC says they cannot investigate NSA data mining

The Federal Communications Commission has told a Democratic congressman that they cannot investigate the National Security Agency's domestic data mining program because it is classified, RAW STORY has learned.

In a letter to Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey (posted here), FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said the program could not be scrutinized because it was classified.

....In his response, Markey, above right, chastised the FCC for "refus[ing] to demand answers."

"We can't have a situation where the FCC, charged with enforcing the law, won't even begin an investigation of apparent violations of the law because it predicts the Administration will roadblock any investigations citing national security," Markey remarked. "If the FCC initiates an investigation and gets blocked by the White House, then the White House is stonewalling. But if the FCC refuses to even demand answers, then the White House never has to block the enforcement agency from getting to the bottom of this. The American people deserve answers."
-------------------
They better figure something out because the American people are trusting their government less and less. This is just one more thing.

Jinx

This bit of news is startling. Be prepared.

2000 lbs

Weight 76-year-old Pat Robertson claims he can leg press thanks to his "Age defying protein shake."

Clay Travis at CBS Sportsline notes "That would mean a 76-year-old man broke the all-time Florida State University leg press record by 665 pounds over Dan Kendra. 665 pounds. Further, when he set the record, they had to modify the leg press machine to fit 1,335 pounds of weight. Plus, Kendra's capillaries in his eyes burst. Burst."
-----------------
It must be true.

Political Typology, where do you fit? Pew Research Center.

David,
While your at Faux news talking about Bill and Hillary's marriage could you tell the fellas there that most of what they say is idiotic? Be more diplomatic then me however. Say....let's see. Say....I know. "That's a fine bit of reporting. May I see your reseach?"

Like for instance. This story...holy cripes.

Fox News: "Al Gore's Global Warming Movie: Could It Destroy Our Economy?"

This weekend on Fox News, host David Asman asked his guests to discuss the following question: "If people buy into [Al Gore’s] global warming hysteria, will it put him in the White House and our economy on the skids?" Steve Forbes answered yes, and called Gore’s new movie "a real recipe for more socialist regulation."

For what it’s worth, the Apollo Alliance, a coalition of labor and environmental groups, has developed a plan to "develop alternative fuels, increase energy efficiency, rebuild and expand public transportation networks and come up with other initiatives to reduce fossil fuel use" that would create more than three million jobs in the process.

----------------
Exactly. More jobs with new technology.
Here's a question. If Fox news was around when Henry Ford came out with the horseless buggy would we still be riding in the saddle?

Well Den,
This is going to come as a surprise but I'm liberal. I'm going to go out and water my bleeding hearts now.

Alan ========> Liberal

Liberals represent 17 percent of the American public, and 19 percent of registered voters.

Surprise! They say I'm a liberal!

Liberals represent 17 percent of the American public, and 19 percent of registered voters.

Feh. I don't believe that for a second. There's a shitload of people who self-identify as conservative only because "conservative" has been made to be such a sexy term over the past two decades. See where they fall on SS, tax policy, corporate handouts, the Bill of Rights, etc., and watch them veer left.

Gonzos goosestepping goons find the time to raid a DEM congressmans office proving once again the need to remove the cabal from power. I do not remember hearing about raids of the office of Delay or Cunningham.

No one is safe with Gonzo in the house.

Jeanne, Forgot to give your son congrats on a great job graduating Hamline, ya know they say the nut does not fall very far from the tree. Smart parents beget smart kids! You must be very proud.

DEN=Liberal, whats with all the liberals here, could the trolls have a valid point? Liberal blog? Perish the thought!

The shape of Bill and Hillary's marriage is really none of our business, but because of Americans' voyeuristic, snoopy busy-bodyism, and our country's fixation on superficial criteria for measuring a person's "morals," we will be hearing from all the "relationship and couples' experts" if Senator Clinton runs for president. Of course, all the unnamed sources will chime in with their particular take on things, positive or negative, depending on the level of love/hate directed at Bill and Hill.

Why can't it be that they simply love each other? Why can't it be that they truly value marriage as a partnership in the whole of life? Why can't it be that they want to keep their marriage intact because of their sense of community, family, and religious/moral values? Why can't it be that they are willing, and able, to forgive and try to mend their relationship?

I think it is crazy to think that Hillary sticks with Bill to further her career. What an insult to women! She is a capable woman who could certainly have a successful career without him.

All those moral values' finger pointers suggesting that Hillary should have thrown him out on his ear, should stop pointing fingers and be gratified that Bill and Hillary Clinton walk the talk on marriage -- one man/one woman. (hahaha)

Good marriages go bad. Bad marriages go good. I say leave them alone. This country should grow up.

Senate panel endorses Hayden as CIA director Tue May 23, 2006 3:33 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden's nomination as CIA director won the endorsement of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday in a vote that sets the stage for formal confirmation by the full Senate later this week.

The 15-member committee, which Republicans control by a single vote, approved Hayden's nomination 12-3 after an hour-long closed-door discussion, said Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, the panel's Republican chairman.

GREAT IS THE GUILT OF AN UNNECESSARY WAR. John Adams

I TREMBLE FOR MY COUNTRY WHEN I RECALL GOD IS JUST. Thomas Jefferson

George W. Bush is now known throughout the world as THE PERPETRATOR OF GENOCIDE.

As Christians let us follow Jesus Christ who is the embodiment of justice and perfect love. Let us follow Jesus Christ by saying no to war, no more wars for humanity.

I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians, your Christians are nothing like your Christ. Mahatma Ghandi

American Soldiers

2,751 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan for Bush and his lies.

Unless we move toward Shalom, our nation and all the countries of the world will not have a future.

I AM NOT RACIST BECAUSE I SPEAK ENGLISH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Nazi America has decided to control all of the world's oil

Endless wars will be endless!!!

Nazi America is guilty of military abortions

Crying for a horse

Foreign Policy Unrealities

#38
Micki,
I say David should read your statement on the air. Sticking with each other through thick and thin makes for a very strong marriage. They are there for each other.

Nazi America is a nation in chains

Snubbing Iran

If you have not read #46, please scroll up and read it.

Breaking the Chain

There is no cure for hatred. Hatred is an enclosed cause and effect cycle that feeds on itself. Only forgiveness can break the chain. Forgiveness can operate because it is outside the situation, not part of the problem. It does not deal with the issue; it simply bypasses the problem. That is why forgiveness does not presume to judge who is right, seek reparation, restore justice, or demand an apology. All these things would merely forge a link with the past, while forgiveness is a clean break from the past. The whole idea of forgiveness is to free people for new possibilities in the future.

WE MUST FORGIVE TO LIVE!

#38,

EXACTLY!

Well said. I do not think they could be together and stay together without a serious committment to each other. Kind of silly to think otherwise.

"A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day." ~ Andre Maurois (1885 - 1967)

capt

Gerald, to be able to effectively forgive one must not cling to hatred in the first place and eliminate the necessity of having to forgive. You might hate someone, bush for example but you have the choice of clinging to the hatred or letting go of the hatefull feeling and instead develop within yourself a strong dislike for that person and leave it at that. Hatred is a very powerfull emotion, bringing forth other like emotions, anger, rage, thoughts of murder or destruction of the percieved hated threat.

Wisdom teaches us to reason with our emotions and not to let them control our lives, however at times they can help us understand why we do what we do.

We are males and as a result are not emotionally broad as females. We Hate, get angry, fight, and argue. Females have a wider range of emotion to work with, compassion, empathy, love, reason, in addition to the ones we have. That I believe strikes a balance when man and woman are joined, as a team life becomes more fullfilling. Balance is what we should strive for.

Balance is everywhere in nature and without it we would cease to exist. We must strive for balance in our lives, with it we can hate and forgive equally and live our lives effectively with the least amount of emotional disturbance. Just my opinion.

I am a yellow dog Democrat, and Hillary seems to fit the bill of why she will be the nominee. She is the leader and electable. But wait, that's why John Kerry got nominated. The Dems need to put someone up with vision, not just a relative. Oh well, it works for the Bushes.

Hey heres a bit of good? news:

Boeing unveils lightweight bomb for urban combat Company's defense unit will make 24,000 for Air Force

(AP) Boeing Co. on Monday unveiled a line of small, lightweight bombs that the U.S. Air Force will use in urban combat situations like the war in Iraq.

The small-diameter bombs weigh 250 pounds and can be used by all Air Force bombers, according to Boeing. By using the smaller bombs, planes can carry about four times as many bombs and fire them from farther away. A B-2 Stealth bomber can carry as many as 80 of the small-diameter bombs.

The bombs also will help limit civilian casualties during airstrikes in urban areas, Air Force Col. Richard Justice said at an unveiling ceremony. Boeing said its own tests show the bombs hit within 4 feet of their target.

Tailor made bombs, how innovative of the Boeing folks.

More here No mention of DU content.

"May 23, 2006 -- FBI agents storming into Congressional offices for the first time in American history, Attorney General "Speedy" Gonzales threatening U.S. journalists with prison, political manipulation of a Special Counsel investigating a damaging CIA leak, and the list goes on and on. Had enough yet?

*****

"May 23, 2006 -- WMR has obtained a confidential "France Only" report of the French intelligence service, Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure (DGSE), that states that the CIA and Britain's MI-6 maintained effective control of an important Al Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan as late as 1995, fully two years after the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, an attack that was launched with the help of Sudanese intelligence officers loyal to Osama Bin Laden. The CIA and MI-6 permitted control of training operations at Darunta, an "Arab Afghan" base located near the camp of Osama Bin Laden and used to manufacture explosives and chemical weapons and train in their use, to pass to the control of Ibn Cheikh, a Libyan leader of Al Qaeda.

"The DGSE report, dated January 9, 2001, is classified "Defense Confidential" and "National (French) Use Only" states, "Besides the Maghreb enclave, the training at Darunta, which, for approximately 2 months, mainly involved the manufacture and the use of the explosives by terrorists. This training, initially provided at the camp of Khalden, in Paktia, was transferred during 1995, on the order of Ibn Cheikh, to Darunta, in order to slide [the training] from the control of the security services of certain countries, in particular the United States and the United Kingdom."

Form: WMR

I thought this guy looked familiar,

A career Air Force officer, Hayden climbed the ladder to four-star general from the Reserved Officer Training Corps at Duquesne University. He was stationed in Guam as a junior intelligence officer at the end of the Vietnam War.

Anderson AFB, bomber base, three B-52s per hour, 24 hours a day, dropping 750s on Cambodia, carpet bombing headquarters. Home for me, a crew chief till Dec. 1973.

Strange connections in life.

My wife and I have been reasonably happy the past 30 years. Does that qualify me to be President? I really don't think so.

Bob

By the way, in case LBH didn't notice re: Gore using an automobile for a 500 yard journey:

By Don

But He added this one to replace it:

FLASHBACK: GORE BURNS 439,500 LBS OF FUEL TO ATTEND SUMMIT...

You still have'nt denied that Gore has a private jet either.

BEHAVE NICELY DEN out!

Bin Laden: Moussaoui not linked to 9/11

CAIRO, Egypt -- Osama bin Laden purportedly said in an audio tape Tuesday that Zacarias Moussaoui - the only person convicted in the U.S. for the Sept. 11 attacks - had nothing to do with the operation.

"He had no connection at all with Sept. 11," the speaker, claiming to be bin Laden, said in the tape posted on the Internet.

"I am the one in charge of the 19 brothers and I never assigned brother Zacarias to be with them in that mission," he said, referring to the 19 hijackers.

The al-Qaida chief said the Sept. 11 hijackers were divided into two groups, "pilots and assistants."

"Since Zacarias Moussaoui was still learning how to fly, he wasn't No. 20 in the group, as your government has claimed," bin Laden said. "It knows this very well," he added.

Bin Laden said Moussaoui was not a security risk for al-Qaida, because he did not have knowledge of the plot.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Wow, OBL steps up to the plate for Moussaoui AND the bonus is an admission of his directing the 911 plot!

capt

It never ceases to amaze me concerning the idiots
I share this country with. Yeah, Bill and Hillary made mistakes. Glad you all can look in the mirror and be glad that you have never made any. Truth? You just never got caught. I am 67 years of age, and have seen a lot of Presidents. Not one has ever left with money still in the till except for Bill Clinton. Not one has ever cost our country so dearly both in money and lives as George Bush. Bill, Where are you when we need you the most?

MISTAKES?!!!

I'll have you know that I get along better with my ex-wife now, than ever before!

...haven't seen her in almost 10 years!

-T

Bin Laden: Moussaoui not linked to 9/11

The administration failed to plan for the surge in court cases and did not consult the judicial branch on the impact more arrests would have on federal courts in the region, said Dick Carelli, a spokesman for U.S. federal courts.

Bush asked for $1.9 billion in emergency funds for the border plan, including $20 million to help the Justice Department deal with its increased caseload, but that did not include the courts.

"We were left out of the process," Carelli said. He added that since Bush unveiled his proposal to increase border patrols, federal judiciary officials have had to quickly cobble together a proposal to Congress for $20.3 million in emergency funds to hire three full-time judges and about 240 support staff for the Southwest.

Even without the stepped-up security at the border, federal courts in southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas have been over burdened. Carelli said those five judicial districts, out of 94 nationwide, account for 34 percent of all criminal cases moving through U.S. courts.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Talk about ad-hoc management? Bush did not talk to the governors in the border state and he did not talk to the judicial branch?

It seems more clear that this "plan" will fly like everything Busneheny have done so far - FUBAR.

capt

How does this LBH person know "The Clintons continue to do the same things that most people would get divorced over."
What's up with these judgemental morons who imagine they know what goes on behind the closed doors of public figures????????

Gerald 46, 1 in 136 people in the US in jail, that's quite a slave labor force. Another shameful statistic.
Kat, mistakes? You mean like war crimes in Kosovo and Iraq and the attack and murder of innocent people in Waco? Yes, minor mistakes, but only compared to the murdering decimation of bushco.

"Such as it is, the press has become the greatest power within the Western World, more powerful than the legislature, the executive and judiciary. One would like to ask: by whom has it been elected, and to whom is it responsible?" : Alexander Solzhenitsyn

=
A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself: Joseph Pulitzer

=
"He who allows oppression, shares the crime." : Erasmus Darwin

===

Thanks ICH Newsletter~!

On the hayden approval, is that what they call "party line voting?"

what if one hermaphrodite named jones marries another hermaphrodite named smith? would that be considered gay marriage? or could they in effect be married twice, once as mr. and mrs. jones and once as mr. and mrs. smith? if mr. jones was elected to be president would he then be the first woman president? hmmm. what if president jones and his wife were then divorced, would prez. jones then be considered his own first lady? "ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the president (and first lady) jones!"
hmmm. what if herm jones was elected prez. and herm smith were elected vice prez? since they are already married to each other would they have to take turns escorting one another to state functions? "ladies and gentlemen, please rise for prez. jones and his lovely first lady, mrs. jones!" - they would then have to race to the dressing room and quickly change! - "ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the vice prez. and mrs. smith!" - hmmm. ponder that fox news.

David, which show on Fox will you appear on, and when?

I was very surprised to see this on KOS

AIPAC speaks. The House obeys
by Paleo
Tue May 23, 2006 at 12:21:29 PM PDT
Democracy? Pshaw. The U.S. national interest? Surely you jest. A resolution condemning illegal Israeli settlement and confiscation of the west bank, and its continued flouting of U.S. restrictions on aid? Ha! Ha! Ha!

No, the House, as is its wont, heeded its master's voice when it comes to middle east policy. It voted to punish the Palestinian people because they had the gall to elect representatives of Hamas to form their government. This was a resolution that AIPAC demanded despite even the Bush Administration's oppostion. Once again, the power of AIPAC is plain for all to see.

Paleo's diary :: ::
"The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to further choke off the flow of US aid to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, drawing the displeasure of the Bush administration and dividing the pro-Israel lobbying community.

The measure, approved 361-37, would cut off aid to non-governmental groups working in the West Bank and Gaza except for health programs and would deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority. It also would ban contacts with Hamas because of its classification as a terrorist organization and limit the president's authority to waive the aid bans.
-------------
Now, who's in charge of US foreign policy?

You still have'nt denied that Gore has a private jet either.

I can't confirm or deny it (and apparently, neither can you as you neglect to provide any type of link). I never made any statement regarding a Gore and a private jet. FWIW, I doubt he's currently using one, and maybe I'll do the research you are too lazy to do if I feel like it later.

None of that matters. My point, as you are well aware, was that you posted an unsourced claim as if it were fact. This claim was then removed from the site from which it originated (Drudge). As usual, you were wrong and no amount of dancing about will obscure this.

You have been pwned by the kung-fu death grip of TRUTH!

361 of our reps approve of the slow starvation of the Palestinian men, women and children, because AIPAC has said, "make it so." If I could make a wish it would be to send each and every one of them to Palestine so that they may suffer the consequences of this decision. I never thought I could feel more shame in my country, but they always seem to be able to make it worse.

What big wig politico DOESN'T have a private jet? What kind of argument is that anyway?

Re #72: I don't think bush 43 has one. Instead, a big chunk of our taxes go to providing him transportation...

Enron: Other Money in Politics Stats

Corporate Jets

On top of its political contributions, Enron also made its company jet readily available to the Bush-Cheney campaign during the 1999-2000 election cycle at a greatly reduced price. An analysis of Federal Election Commission records shows that Bush-Cheney paid Enron roughly $60,000 for use of its jet during the campaign. Federal rules permit such use, as long as the campaigns reimburse the company for the cost of a first-class plane ticket—° major bargain, considering corporate jets cost at least $1,000 per flight hour, not including other charges. The Center analyzed Bush's corporate jet use in the Winter 2000 issue of Capital Eye.

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

Before Air Force one - Bush et al traveled on ENRON AIR courtesy of "Ken who? I barely knew him" HA!

capt

Bush administration and the Enron connection

The Bush administration and the Enron connection, although it did not escape the scrutiny of Michael Moore, who on January 29, 2002, posted "An Open Letter to George W. Bush" -- "George W. in the Garden of Gethsemane" -- appears to have been traveling under the radar for many.

Moore writes regarding President Bush's relationship with Enron Corporation's Kenneth L. Lay:

"You needed a way to fly around to all the primaries and campaign stops in the 2000 election -- so Kenny gave you his corporate jet. Did you tell the voters when you arrived in each city that the bird you flew in on was from a billionaire who was secretly conspiring to give the bird to all his employees and investors? He flew you around America on the Enron company jet, and for that favor you touched down on tarmac after tarmac to tell your fellow citizens that you were 'going to restore dignity to the White House, the people's house.' You said this standing in front of an Enron jet!"

"Then rest of Kenny Boy's time was spent next door with his old buddy, Dick Cheney (Enron and Halliburton Company, as you'll recall, got the big contracts from your dad to 'rebuild' Kuwait after the Gulf War). Lay and Dick formed an 'energy task force' (Operation Enduring Graft) which put together the country's new 'energy policy.' This policy then went on to shut down every light bulb and juicer in the state of California. And guess who made out like bandits while 'trading' the energy California was in desperate need of? Kenny Boy and Enron! No wonder Big Dick doesn't want to turn over the files about those special meetings with Lay!"

More HERE

*****end of clip*****

I wonder how the poor souls that lost all they had feel about financing the Bush campaign on their nest eggs? It chaps my hide and I did not lose a dime in Enron.

capt

On this one it WASN'T a party line vote. Rockefeller, Levin, Murkowski (sp?), and Feinstein folded. Feinstein is no surprise, but the others were, IMO. Satisfied?

I was surprised that Joe Conason was (mildly) supportive of Hayden and singing faint praise regarding his credentials. WTF?

#73 Yup. Transportation at our expense for his endless fundraising and snakeoil stops.

micki, nothing they do surprises me anymore. Voting to starve children to death is pretty much scraping the scum from the bottom of the barrel as far as I am concerned. They really can't do anything worse, oh, but I forgot, we've already been there and done that, taught those Iraqis a lesson, too bad they're such slow learners. Now the Palestinian children will pay for the democratic sins of their parents.
DB, I guess tax payer jets are better than private, but I have no doubt he has one waiting in the wings for his glorious retirement.

"It's going to be the year of the sharp elbow and the quick tongue." ~ George W. Bush

As with the Clinton's I could care less what Dumya and Laura have planned.(all year?)

capt

"If you're sick and tired of the politics of cynicism and polls and principles, come and join this campaign." ~ George W. Bush

How can Bush be sick and tired of principles?

capt

Re #78: Nope, Cheney hasn't told him which one to buy yet. Oh, I forgot, he's the decider...

Hajji,

Actually all politics is silly. That's why I no longer participate. I am a much happier person with my family and friends when I do not argue politics. I may state my opinion, but I leave the arguments to the talking heads and blogosphere. I no longer come here to defend Conservative ideas or President Bush. I also do not feel the need to advocate for either as well. I have always viewed politics as a silly game among weak minded individuals. If one party proposes something that makes, the other party has to have their proposal. Then those proposals have to be reconciled. When that happens, that is when you get all the pork barrel spending, you vote for my bill I'll vote for yours and suddenly a proposal that made sense wouldn't recognize itself in a mirror. We, the people, lose then politics as usual is played with our lives. That is the problem, and the only way to remedy that is to vote out politicians who refuse to represent those they serve instead of those who pay for political favors. They all do it, and they are all corrupt. Just ask John McCain. He admitted as much when McCain-Feingold was proposed and what happened? Nothing! They are all still corrupt and there is even more money being pumped into the I.V. of D.C. than ever.

"I think war is a dangerous place." ~ George W. Bush

Ask anybody that has actually served, they KNOW war is a dangerous place.

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." ~ George W. Bush

Well now that we are clear on that . . .

"America must not ignore the threat gathering against us. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof, the smoking gun that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud." ~ George W. Bush

Sounds even more ridiculous in retrospect. Now that we know that he knew there were no WMD's it rings the same sour tone just a bit more hollow.

Maybe he really meant Iran?

When George Bush thinks it's a dangerous place.

#84
Ok, I think I'm getting it. It's some kind of logic exercise. So when he talks about a robust economy he's really talking about a Americans living in debt. Right?

#87,

You hit the nail on the head!

capt

Editorial: Clueless in the House

In the constitutionally mandated order of succession, House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., is two heartbeats away from the presidency.

Unfortunately, Hastert is also two bricks short of a load.

During Wednesday evening's debate on the House budget proposal, Hastert, who famously proposed bulldozing New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit, announced that working families should not be looking for any tax breaks.

Why? Because Hastert does not think that working families pay taxes.

The speaker explained on the House floor that "well, folks, if you earn $40,000 a year and have a family of two, you don't pay any taxes. So you probably if you don't pay any taxes, you are not going to get a big tax cut. Now, if you earn $1 million a year, you are going to pay about $400,000 of taxes. Maybe you'll get a $40,000 tax cut ..."

Just to clarify, working families pay federal income taxes, state and local income taxes, Social Security taxes, sales taxes, gasoline taxes and most of the other taxes that rich people pay. While some very poor families got a bit of tax relief during the Clinton years, working families of the sort Hastert was talking about still pay more than their fair share.

The people who do not pay their fair share are those very rich folks to whom Hastert wants to give another tax break.
---------------------
Christ. Get the hook Illinois. Please. We need people with integrity and brains.

Hajji,

Have you ever seen anything like this in the ER?

VILNIUS, Lithuania - Lithuanian police were so astonished by a breath test that registered 18 times the legal alcohol limit, they thought their device must be broken. It wasn't.

Police said Tuesday 41-year-old Vidmantas Sungaila registered 7.27 grams per liter of alcohol in his blood repeatedly on different devices after he was pulled over Saturday for driving his truck down the center of a two-lane highway 60 miles from the capital, Vilnius.

Lithuania's legal limit is 0.4 grams per liter.

"This guy should have been lying dead, but he was still driving. It must be an unofficial national record," Saulius Skvernelis, director of the national police traffic control service, told the AP. "He was of high spirits and grinning the whole time he was questioned."

Medical experts say anything above 3.5 grams per liter of alcohol in the blood is lethal for most people.

"Sure there are dishonest men in local government. But there are dishonest men in national government too." ~ Richard M. Nixon

More mental gymnastics:

"Solutions are not the answer." ~ Richard M. Nixon

I think the big mouths on cable news are just foaming at the mouth for Hillary to run. Chris Mathews just can't talk about Hillary enough. I personally think the dems would be much better served by a true progressive candidate like my current hero, Russ Feingold. I believe that if we give the voters a clear choice we'll win. We need a true opposition candidate. This country is aching for leadership and someone who is not afraid to speak the truth. I know Hillary is awsome, but I believe she will have too many consultants in her ear and she won't come out strong against this sick war. If she is saying the same things the repubs are saying about the war, we lose again.

"Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?" ~ George W. Bush 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

I guess he had not yet been told that would be his overriding policy and response to everything. More money to the rich no matter who pays the cost.

capt

Was he trying to say Solutions are the problem? Millhouse was no philosopher that is for sure.

Nixon was no Conservative and Kennedy was no Liberal. They were actually quite good friends. They were both more "middle of the road." Nixon visited Kennedy in the hospital when he was injured in the Korean War. Kennedy actually threatened the Democrat Party that he would support Nixon for president if they gave the nomination to Johnson in 1960. Back then, politicians respected each other for who they were. Now days, they shake hands in front of the cameras while holding their other hand behind them, palm up, to be greased by the lobbyist in chief of their choosing. Strange bedfellows indeed!

""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." George W. Bush attempting to distance himself from his biggest political patron, Enron Chairman Ken Lay, whom he nicknamed "Kenny Boy," Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2002

I guess calling his good friend "Kenny Boy" would have been a dead give-away.

JUDY,

Hillary would lose because all conservatives would never vote for her. She loses because the divide in the liberal sector that you mention. Most can stomache her but if she ventures too far toward the right, she loses the base. She may win the nomination, but never the presidency. Besides GWB there is no other national figure who invites such division as Hillary.

Speaking of blood alcohol levels, we had a man in MI near Detroit kill a family in an accident and his level was I think 0.43. I don't understand grams, but I do understand our breathalizer readings. That he was still able to drive AND live is amazing.

"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

All George W. Bush

TRH, I agree with you. I think that's why all the news channels keep pushing her, hoping she's the candidate. I don't think she'll get it.

Don't dare take a vote, but I'm NOT for Hillary. She's a losing proposition and I don't like her "politics". She's all about sucking up to who she "thinks" would vote for her rather than being honest. McCain is doing the same thing. Don't need people like that anymore. Looking for someone real, who actually has an opinion of their own and doesn't worry about what sells.

The sad thing is: The real hardcore alcoholics can function with a blood level that would kill a non-drinker. Worse if they have been on the sauce for a few years they can die if they stop drinking.

There is a new treatment I saw on the local news called Prometa that might hold some promise. It treats the addiction (speed, coke and alcohol) and repairs some of the damage (so they claim).

If their claims are even half true this might be a magic bullet for many that suffer from addiction.

capt

Hey, don't tell me that stuff, Capt! I'm having a beer! Sorry, Gerald, it's not in a bottle but a can.

I know someone who could use that Prometa - GWB.

HRC has never closed the deal with me.

She seems to be an able senator (that is not saying much) I respect her husband and the good things he did (at least there were a few good things) but she is not what she is being made out to be. Other than her ability to raise a mountain of money I do not see much ability and none of the kind of character we (America) needs.

If the neocons are stealing elections we will not have to worry about the Democrats doing much of anything.

I hope I am wrong but when I consider the record, the laws that have been made - the Democrats are not being walked on - they a walking in lock-step. (not all but too many of them)

At this point in time HRC could say everything right, say everything I want to hear and I would not vote for her. I would not believe a word she says. (also true for most pols)

Not that she is a major liars (maybe a minor) but she has been a finger in the wind type too often for me.

capt

Like any other drug addiction, chronic alcohol abusers develop tolerance to abnormally high levels.

We quite often get ETOH results that would be considered "incompatable with life" in a normal person, but considering "legally drunk" is the BASELINE for these folks, it isn't really surprising.

Half a percent ETOH level in a patient usually means they get to stay in the ER until they can somehow metabolize their way to .08 or less before they can be discharged.

Reducing chronic alcoholics to this level quite often results in dementia tremens (DT's) that are, contrary to popular belief quite dangerous to a patient. Hallucinations, pseudoseizure, radical shifts in electrolyte chemistries, etc. can bring about life-threatening conditions.

I'm thinking the highest MBA (metabolic blood alcohol) level we've resulted was something like 740 (.74) and the patient (58 year old homeless man) had been drinking a quart or more of whatever he could get his hands on every day for over 10 years.

Untreatable cirrhosis and alcoholic gastritis were officially his cause of death even after two months in the CCU.

Now my PERSONAL best is....

-T

#99
He's the man in charge. I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

GWB - Prometa = the bounce in the polls!

"After treatment the president says he finally sees where he has made a few errors!" AND "His miraculous comeback from the abject pit of miserable failure - What a guy!"

Oh...I meant to say that alcoholics aren't cadidates for many lifesaving treatments availible. Livers and other vital organs don't usually get transplanted in such patients as traditional treatments rarely reverse the lifestyles of people who've gotten to that point.

Word on the street is that if you're a famous baseball player, or otherwise incredibly rich...arrangements can be made, if you know what I mean. (I know a guy...)

-T

Capt,

Medical science is continually improving. Hopefully you are correct that it can become a magic bullet to at least wound addiction, if not outright kill it.

Regarding the 2008 presidential election..the next president will be a former or current Governor or a prominent national figure such as Rudy Gulliani. The last Congressperson elected President was John Kennedy and that was when the nomination was declared at the convention, after much back door dealings. See my above post and you will know what I mean.

As much as you saw Tom Daschle on TV you would think he was one of the most important political figures in America. He couldn't even win the Senate seat from South Dakota in 2004. House members are 1 0f 435 voices and Senators are 1 of 100. None of them actually lead, they follow. Governors are heads of states, mayors are heads of cities. Reagan, Carter, Clinton and Bush 43 were all Governors. Bush 41 was an incumbant VP and Ford was a defacto president after the resignation of Nixon. Johnson was the same after the death of JFK and elected president after the repubs ran a Conservative canditate like Goldwater in a time of turmoil. Remember this, Hillary was a Goldwater republican when she was younger. She's not making a move to the right, she is just returning closer to home.

the Democrats are not being walked on - they a walking in lock-step. (not all but too many of them)

Today's vote for General Hayden is a perfect example of that. What is with the dems? Carl Levin voted for him; what a disappointment. My senator from Florida, Nelson, constantly votes with the Republicans. I hope progressive candidates kick some butt this year. I would love to see Lieberman gone. Ned Lamont has him sqirming.

"After treatment GW divorces Laura (no more sharp elbows or quick tongues) and marries his long time paramour Jeff Gannon, switches parties to Independent - strangely still dresses like a cowboy refusing to reinforce gay stereotypes by wearing the Andover cheerleader outfit (in public)"

"Not that there's anything wrong with that" ~ Seinfeld

HA!

Capt,

I haven't got to read the Prometa studies, yet, or more importantly bounce them off Doctor Dave at our weekly TexMex Marguerita fest...

It would have to be a powerful program, indeed, to reverse the effects of the addictions I've seen...Them monkeys seem to have long, penetrating claws, if you know what I mean.

Reminds me of the question "How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb?"

Only one, but the lightbulb has to WANT to change!

-T

...say goodnight Gracie!

Hajji,

Didn't David Crosby receive a liver transplant? I know he's famous but if I recall correctly he was probably broke when it occurred. He had just served a year plus in a prison in Texas for a cocaine bust, his musical fortunes had plummetted for years prior and what he had he snorted. Not questioning your rich angle, don't forget the celebrity angle. Count me low on the totem pole for a liver transplant..not a celeb, not rich, even though baseball been very good to me.

Judy 93, if hillary is awesome we are in deeper shit than I thought, God help us.
TRH 95, just like the bushes and clintons are good friends. We are getting screwed by the same entity and no one even knows it. bush, clinton, literally two sides of the same coin.
Judy 111, what is with the dems? They have secrets they wish to keep secret, so they cave, everytime. Phone tapping, it's ALL the rage.

I wish the DINO's (Democrats in name only) would change parties to independent but so many (today’s vote is a very good example) make the numbers reported skewed. It misrepresents the reality.

Even the thirty or so that actually seem to be in opposition are wishy-washy on a few important issues - a few can make my skin crawl. (even when I agree with them).

Ugh! There is no opposition party, they know that and it works for them (on the hill). We need to make them work for us again but we are crowded from a place at the table by mountains of money (lobbying, donations, payola, honorariums, etc.).

We could all chip in to a collective pot and still only have enough for a few crumbs. How can the people be represented when any true advocate will be buried by corporate sponsorship of their opponent?

A win-win for the wealthy elite and lose-lose for the people.

If money made people better, the people with the most money should be running the world, money does not make people better so they should not be, yet there they are licking their chops, drooling in anticipation of gnawing on our bones from the high offices and ivory towers.

capt

#114
Mickey Mantle.

Hajji,

Um, that was one psychologist, the psychiatrists would be medicating the bulb and it would take a few years and more than a few shrinks to finally get the bulb to ECT. (*flash*)

HA!

capt

Ok, Saladin, you got me on the "awesome" comment. Can I retract? : )

I must have been drinking.

G'nite Poppi.

You papaws need your sleep. Don't forget where you last put your cane in the morning. Nothing worse than getting out of bed with a limp. At least you have an on premises petting zoo for the grandchildren. That has to be special for them at that youg age.

No correction just an aside - awesome can be terrifying too. In that case the prospect of HRC could be a dreadful awesome possibility in the same sense that terrific can mean frightful.

capt

Jeanne,

I forgot about Mickey. Funny how many languish for years on the donor list but a celeb needs one and a perfect match suddenly appears. I propose "en mass" brain transplants for all politicians. Simple, cheap. Only a few donors needed.

I think the answer to all the money in politics would be publicly financed campaigns.

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe - I believe what I believe is right." ~ George W. Bush - 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." ~ George W. Bush - Washington, D.C. Oct. 4, 2001

there's nothing like a smog layer sunset

Judy,

No politician would ever allow that and that is just more of your tax dollars going to somethng you wouldn't support if your life depended on it. Caps on donations, full disclosure and banning advertisement from outside sourses is the only way to go. By advertisement, I mean the public airways. Newspapers, etc are fine. If a candidate wants to buy airtime, fine. But 527's should buy their advertisement via private enterprise, not the public airways.

"I think the answer to all the money in politics would be publicly financed campaigns."

Absolutely! We have to do something.

The hard part is getting the politicians to vote against their own self interests. Money does not just corrupt the people it corrupts the system.

Now I fear the big money interests have bought the system. Even the politicians are inconsequential - have been for some time.

That is what I mean when I say "Kabuki Theater" is seems like a reality show but it is staged for the best effect without regard to who is on the playbill.

Just look at the draconian laws that have been made lately?

capt

Judy, Capt

I agree with public financing in one respect. It would level the playing field. Our $1,000.00 donation would no longer be paid to one party or candidate, it would be split by all candidates of all parties running for office. But the powers that be will never allow that to happen. And the powers that pay, will reward those with donations that get them more bang for their buck. That is why most corporations etc. give money to both parties. Most give more to one than the other depending on what favor they expect in return.

"The really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway." Geroge W. Bush — 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." George W. Bush — 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.)

Congress Acts to Protect the Public from the EPA "Facilities are currently required to report releases and disposals of toxic chemicals every year. EPA's plans would drastically cut the TRI reporting requirements by raising the reporting threshold for most chemicals 10 fold from 500 pounds to 5,000 pounds. If the rule goes into effect, 1 out of 10 communities will lose all numerical data on toxic chemicals in their neighborhoods. EPA is also considering modifying the frequency from annual to bi-annual, leaving an off-year every two years during which companies will not have to report the storage, release, or disposal of any toxic chemicals to TRI." Who do you think paid for this legislation? Hope this link works. (thanks capt) Link Here

so my link didn't work. its http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/

Public Finance in New Mexico

Text of law [pdf file]

Enforcement agency

In 2003 New Mexico passed a public financing law for candidates vying for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission, which is responsible for oversight of state public utilities. Similar to the full-public finance laws in Arizona and Maine, candidates who raise a threshold amount of small donations may receive full public funding for their campaigns if they agree not to accept additional private donations. The system is funded by a surcharge on the companies regulated by the commission. Public funding will be made available to candidates for the 2006 elections.

Prometa

*****end of clip*****

We have a version of public finance here in NM. It can work and assuming a donation is split is an over-simplification of only one way to address public financed systems.

capt

No worries Judy, but hillary scares me. I'm a little surprised that no one has commented on the securities law firm scandal and hillary + the DNC. Has it been overlooked? Or is it just not as important as abramoff and delay? So many scandals, so little time!
Political contributions don't matter as long as diebold is in charge. You can put your contribution money on the fact that the future president and NWO puppet has already been chosen.

How do I make a hyperlink?

A link is done with something called the Anchor tag.

The anchor tag looks like this:

 <A HREF="pagename.html">Link Here</A>

Anything that appears between the begin and end anchor tags will take you to the specified destination when clicked.

*****end of clip*****

Yours should have looked like:

 <A HREF="http://www.bushgreenwatch.org/">Link Here</A>

Thus - Link Here

capt

I've been lurking on this blog for months now and have found it informative and fun (trolls excepted). Posting here reminds me of my one and only attempt at Karaoke. Just wanted to say hi and thanks for all the great links. Sorry to be off topic. I have to go now and practise my linking skills. Chris

Select, cut and paste the example into the comments box.

You can press the "preview" instead of "post" to see if the link works.

Upon the preview commentary the linked text will be blue. Right click and select "open in new window" - if it works the way you want, close the window and hit post!

And there you go!

capt

Posting here reminds me of my one and only attempt at Karaoke.

I wish I'd been there.

Um,

TOTAL H/T to Pande (Da'MAN) for all linking and showing what it should look like inside a posted post! (a neat trick!)

Thanks Pande - hope your travels are well!

capt

David gives points to the Clintons:

"...John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Robert Dole, Newt Gingrich--divorce, divorce, divorce, divorce. Don't the Clintons deserve some credit for....keeping their marriage together despite personal crises?"

It was tempting to agree w/David until one steps back and think about the Clintons. The Clintons are The Power Couple of the political world (not merely the US). Having tasted Governorship, 8 years of WH and now 6 years in the Senate (resume-building for Hillary) in New York (she chose well), my HUNCH is that what we call `normal intimacy' of an enduring marriage does NOT exist in their Marriage!

Thus, instead of giving them brownie points, I think their lengthy "union" is symptomatic of the Clintons' highly calculating ways that we have all come to know and for many, perhaps fatally too many, to despise.

from #94...

"Haven't we already given money to rich people? Why are we going to do it again?"

I guess he had not yet been told that would be his overriding policy and response to everything. More money to the rich no matter who pays the cost.
==============================

Capt, check out Doonesbury's cartoon today.

Well, in America there is no problem that can't be solved by tax cuts for the rich!

HA!

But I think generation "Y" and "Z" will be paying too!

Very funny coincidence, humor is always half true.

capt

#51 DEN, I can hate the behavior but not the person. Balance in life is very important.

#64 Saladin, it costs more to have a person in prison than to educate the person. Nazi America will endlessly build more and more prisons. That is Nazi America's mentality.

#103 Carol, drinking beer from a can is also acceptable. I mention a bottle because Molly Ivins is quoted saying that she drinks beer from the bottle.

It is time for some sleep.

My final observation on the Clintons:

Most married couples that stay together more than 25 years (that I have known) have stuff in common, a birds of a feather type thing.

I do not think the Clintons share the same or even similiar political skill or ability.

One thing that they likely share is a mutual admiration for getting some of the radical right-wingnuts to despise them.

I doubt that is what keeps them together more likely love (like it or not)

I respect people that work to keep promises and marriage is a shallow charge by the time people end up in divorce court.

I can remember a young gal in glasses at the Watergate hearings. She was making a name for herself and was heading - looking - in the same direction as Bill.

The common view is not as calculated as people might think, it was and still is a natural consequence of a long shared vision and many common goals realized over the years.

They are both very successful in their careers. I personally wonder about the cost of such success (read: IOU 1 soul to the devil) but those are the facts.

Way more popular than Bush. Of course that goes without saying.

capt

Bob & I have been married 42 years. Can't say it's all been smooth, (grrrr) but we got thru the bad stuff and Bob has turned out to be my best friend. Who can say about Bill & Hillary? They could have stuck it out thru thick and thin like Bob & I did to end up being closer than ever. Only they know the truth.

#143
Gerald,
Here's another solution the thugs use.

No Way Home

A Cambodian gang member from St. Paul is banished to a country he doesn't know.
-----------
Good article. I find this practice cruel and inhumane. The kid had been a gang member. He served his time and then was deported to Cambodia. He hadn't been there since he was a small child. I think he was on his way to straightening his life out. Even if he wasn't I don't like the practice because it casts off our troubled members of society onto another country.

Maybe he can take a Salvadoran under each arm with him!

I'm just joshin' ya Jeanne.

Stem Cell Petition - Let HR 810 be voted on!

Stem Cell Petition to Senator Tom Harkin:

We, the undersigned, support your fight to bring HR 810 - the bill to lift the President's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research - to the floor for an immediate vote. Millions of Americans suffering from Parkinson's, ALS, cancer, and other diseases are desperate for embryonic stem cell research to go forward. We urge you to keep up your fight to bring HR 810 to the floor by May 24, or to secure a pledge from Majority Leader Bill Frist for a vote on the bill at the earliest possible date.

*****

Another petition. I am a cynic but never a total pessimist. I make it a point to sign everything with which I agree.

capt

I think the hardest thing is to humanize the immigrants. As a group it is too easy to make broad strokes, individually each one is a human being with a life story unique.

There will be answers. There will be improvements - some might be realized as the changes Bush is pushing fail and turn into Qaqaa. Just like everything the King of Qaqaa touches.

No reason to think for a second one of his fantasy's about being a leader will ever fill the void.

I predict the borders will end up with more traffic, more dead people, more drug smuggling, more gangs, more death squads and we will have a bigger deficit, worn out NG's and NG's that have fulfilled their yearly training being called up for the middle east (that will be popular).

We will get the exact opposite of what they are trying to sell. That is what they do.

capt

Time out for a joke from a conservative friend...

Two Arab terrorists are in a locker room taking a shower after their bomb making class, when one notices the other has a huge cork stuck in his butt.

"If you do not mind me saying," said the second, "that cork looks very uncomfortable. Why do you not take it out?"

"I regret I cannot", lamented the first Arab. "It is permanently stuck in my butt."

"I do not understand," said the other.

The first Arab says, "I was walking along the beach and I tripped over an oil lamp. There was a puff of smoke, and then a huge old man in an American flag attire with a white beard and top hat came boiling out. He said, 'I am Uncle Sam, the Genie. I can grant you one wish.'"

I said, "No shit?"

63 How does this LBH person know "The Clintons continue to do the same things that most people would get divorced over." What's up with these judgemental morons?

Good question. I've been asking the same question since last fall. The only thing LBH knows for certain is that his ass has a hole. Everything else is self-flatulation.

My HUNCH is that what we call `normal intimacy' of an enduring marriage does NOT exist in their Marriage! Thus, instead of giving them brownie points, I think their lengthy "union" is symptomatic of the Clintons' highly calculating ways that we have all come to know and for many, perhaps fatally too many, to despise.

Fair enough. If you don't despise them for substantive reasons, despise them on a HUNCH. I have a hunch too. Your ass has a hole. . . . and everything coming out of you, on both ends, is flatulation.

"A fool cannot be protected from his folly. If you attempt to do so, you will not only arouse his animosity but also you will be attempting to deprive him of whatever benefit he is capable of deriving from experience. Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig." ~ Robert A. Heinlein

Fake but Accurate

The War Party fabrication factory is revving up its motor again. Destination: Tehran

Iran has a Jewish member of Parliament? Who knew? This seems highly unusual, given the portrait painted by the warmongering media –†of which the National Post is one –†of an Iranian state that is the closest thing to the reincarnation of Hitler's Germany. But then again, perhaps the depiction of Iran as the new Fourth Reich has little, if anything, to do with reality –†and is, instead, part of a campaign to gin up another war in the Middle East. But who, or what, is behind such a campaign?

This story percolated throughout the world via a column by one Amir Taheri, an Iranian exile whose work is distributed and promoted by Benador Associates, which specializes in disseminating neocon war propaganda. Journalist Jim Lobe painted a picture of