More Team Bush Scandals

This from Mark Schmitt of The Decembrist:

Two days ago I suggested that the Abramoff case might be the uber-scandal, rather like the BCCI case in the mid-1990s, tying together all the other threads of corruption and dishonesty of the last few years.

But here's another: Last night I saw that the former publisher of the Chicago Sun-times, F. David Radler, had been indicted on many counts of fraud in the Hollinger/Conrad Black case. Hollinger has owned the Sun-Times since 1994.

Who is the most prominent employee of the Chicago Sun-Times?

That would be Robert Novak.

Who were some people on the board of Hollinger Corp., suspected of abetting the fraud?

The best description of the board: "the roster of independent directors reads like the politically plugged-in guest list at an American Enterprise Institute dinner" There was Henry Kissinger, former Illinois governor James Thompson, and most notably Richard Perle. Perle was a member of the executive committee, profited handsomely himself through a Hollinger investment fund he was put in charge of, and by his own admission exercised very little oversight.

What's the relationship between Robert Novak and Richard Perle?

It's not just that both have proudly worn the nickname, "Prince of Darkness." They are bound by their stock in trade: leaking and receiving leaks of classified information. In 1975, Perle leaked classified information to Novak with the purpose of scuttling the SALT II treaty.

Who is the prosecutor who indicted the former publisher of Novak's paper?

Patrick Fitzgerald.

This just gets better and better.

More Bush Nonsense

The more George W. Bush speaks the less likely it is that anyone will take him seriously. This week, in response to ongoing problems in Iraq, he said this:

"Like our own nation's founders over two centuries ago, the Iraqis are grappling with difficult issues, such as the role of the federal government. What is important is that Iraqis are now addressing these issues through debate and discussion, not at the barrel of a gun,"

Of course, this is to ignore how many guns are in play in Iraq at the moment, but more importantly, it is to fail to recognize the most significant part of the parallel he is drawing between Iraq today and America after the revolution - in his analogy we would be the British - the occupying country that the locals were fighting against. Why is this so hard to see? Iraq is not free and whatever is going on bears little resemblence to any kind of democratic process.

What it comes down to is that our approved stooges for the various factions are unable to come to any agreement on how to divide the spoils. What we now have is civil war - just cranked up but shortly to be full strength. If we get out now it won't be so bad. If we wait it will be much, much worse. And of course, we are going to wait - because no one in the front ranks of professional politics is willing to be associated with a pullout - even though it is the only option that makes any sense.

Bush Flips Flops Flips Flops Flips . . .

Via Daily Kos:

Ahh, the good ol' days
by kos
Wed Aug 17th, 2005 at 11:47:32 PDT
Quotes from when Clinton committed troops to Bosnia:

"You can support the troops but not the president."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Well, I just think it's a bad idea. What's going to happen is they're going to be over there for 10, 15, maybe 20 years."
--Joe Scarborough (R-FL)

"Explain to the mothers and fathers of American servicemen that may come home in body bags why their son or daughter have to give up their life?"
--Sean Hannity, Fox News, 4/6/99

"[The] President . . . is once again releasing American military might on a foreign country with an ill-defined objective and no exit strategy. He has yet to tell the Congress how much this operation will cost. And he has not informed our nation's armed forces about how long they will be away from home. These strikes do not make for a sound foreign policy."
--Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

"American foreign policy is now one huge big mystery. Simply put, the administration is trying to lead the world with a feel-good foreign policy."
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy."
--Karen Hughes, speaking on behalf of George W Bush

"I had doubts about the bombing campaign from the beginning . . I didn't think we had done enough in the diplomatic area."
--Senator Trent Lott (R-MS)

"I cannot support a failed foreign policy. History teaches us that it is often easier to make war than peace. This administration is just learning that lesson right now. The President began this mission with very vague objectives and lots of unanswered questions. A month later, these questions are still unanswered. There are no clarified rules of engagement. There is no timetable. There is no legitimate definition of victory. There is no contingency plan for mission creep. There is no clear funding program. There is no agenda to bolster our over-extended military. There is no explanation defining what vital national interests are at stake. There was no strategic plan for war when the President started this thing, and there still is no plan today"
--Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)

"Victory means exit strategy, and it's important for the President to explain to us what the exit strategy is."
--Governor George W. Bush (R-TX)

Funny thing is, we won that war without a single killed in action.

Bolton to Miller: One Bush Whore to Another

By way of Talking Points Memo:

Bolton stopped by for a jailhouse visit with Judy Miller before heading off to the UN? So says Arianna.

Maybe he had pity on her and dropped by to leak some new info.

This just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Bush Is Too Busy For Ordinary Americans

Cindy Sheehan has already scored points against Bush by providing a telling counterpoint to his indulgent five week vacation. Now the President, who has told us how HARD it is to be the Commander in Chief, is helping make himself look even worse. Impossible? Hardly. He is justifying not meeting with Cindy Sheehan because . . . well, consider:

President Bush, noting that lots of people want to talk to the president and "it's also important for me to go on with my life," on Saturday defended his decision not to meet with the grieving mom of a soldier killed in Iraq.

Bush said he is aware of the anti-war sentiments of Cindy Sheehan and others who have joined her protest near the Bush ranch.

"But whether it be here or in Washington or anywhere else, there's somebody who has got something to say to the president, that's part of the job," Bush said on the ranch. "And I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say."

"But," he added, "I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life."

The comments came prior to a bike ride on the ranch with journalists and aides. It also came as the crowd of protesters grew in support of Sheehan, the California mother who came here Aug. 6 demanding to talk to Bush about the death of her son Casey. Sheehan arrived earlier in the week with about a half dozen supporters. As of yesterday (Saturday) there were about 300 anti-war protesters and approximately 100 people supporting the Bush Administration. In addition to the two-hour bike ride, Bush's Saturday schedule included an evening Little League Baseball playoff game, a lunch meeting with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a nap, some fishing and some reading. "I think the people want the president to be in a position to make good, crisp decisions and to stay healthy," he said when asked about bike riding while a grieving mom wanted to speak with him. "And part of my being is to be outside exercising."

Amazing. I just don't know where to start. First, do any of you remember the last "crisp decision" this sorry son-of-a-bitch made? Why should we worry about the president staying "healthy" when Americans are dying each and every day only because of decisions (crisp?) that he made and refuses - even in the face of changing circumstances - to reconsider? I just pray that all those deluded souls who have continued to believe that Bush is a sincere and honest person find this kind of callous disregard for public sentiment to be as offensive as I do. Not likely, but one can always hope.

Cindy Sheehan Defeats Bush

Cindy Sheehan - the mother of Casey Sheehan, a soldier who died in Iraq on April 4, 2004 - has emerged during this last week as the unexpected serious thorn in the side of our self proclaimed "War President" George W. Bush. Both praised and reviled by many, she has effortlessly claimed the media spotlight that professional media experts no longer seem able to control. Why is this? There are many theories, such as the one that she has refocused criticism of the war to the view of families and grieving mothers. There is much truth in this, but I think it is more. I think it is because she is putting Bush on the spot in a way that no one else has been able to do because of the unanswered question she asks.

Two months ago SOB was one of several hunderd people who gathered in Lafayette Park in front of the White House to rally in support of John Conyer's and his efforts to force the Bush administration to confront the charges inherent in the Downing Street Memos - that war with Iraq was decided long before it began and that the reasons given to the public were based on exaggerated and distorted intelligence. Conyers had been forced to hold an unofficial hearing in the basement of the White House because he was not allowed an official venue for his investigations. This activity was mocked by the main stream media - or simply ignored. But many Americans were closely attuned to what he was trying to accomplish. One of those who participated in the hearings that day - along with other family members who had lost loved ones in the war in Iraq - was Cindy Sheehan. I stood near her for over an hour while various people who had either participated or attended the hearing spoke at the rally. She also spoke. She is not a great speaker. But she had the virtue of simple dignity and an honest inquiry - why had her son died? And this is the great question George W. Bush cannot answer. It is so simple - so fundamental in this situation - and HE HAS NO ANSWER!

I listened to Cindy Sheehan talk to many people during that small rally two months ago, and she addressed them all with the same direct focus and dignity that has won for her such a central place in the current anti-war movement. Those who charge that she is driven by ego are way off base. She is driven by the fundamental grief of a mother who has lost her child AND DOESN'T KNOW WHY. Bush says that those who die in Iraq die for a "noble cause." She has a simple question - what is that "noble cause." I would like to know as well. Wouldn't you? Especially since Bush can't tell us. Doesn't that seem like a simple question to answer? After all, these "official sources" have had years to develop their pitch. And we have seen how it keeps changing. So what is it now? What is that NOBLE CAUSE? The American public - and the world - eagerly await Bush's answer.

Google Slams Bush

SOB has just discovered a new Google function - "define:" - that returns all definitions and references for any word entered following it. For example, entering Define:Bush returns this (emphasis added) as the initial definitions:

Definitions of Bush on the Web:

shrub: a low woody perennial plant usually having several major branches
a large wilderness area
scrub: dense vegetation consisting of stunted trees or bushes
43rd President of the United States; son of George Herbert Walker Bush (born in 1946)
United States electrical engineer who designed an early analogue computer and who led the scientific program of the United States during World War II (1890-1974)
pubic hair: hair growing in the pubic area
provide with a bushing
bush-league: not of the highest quality or sophistication

Seems pretty accurate to me.

Bush's Love of Youth in Uniform

As much as he loves dressing up in uniforms himself, appearing before throngs of adoring uniformed young people seems to be Bush's second most favorite activity:

SOMEBODY PLEASE tell me I’m not the only one who saw the coverage of the Boy Scout Jamboree arena show Sunday night and thought: Yikes, that’s a bit too much like some of the scary weirdness that torments me in my sleep.

I mean, isn’t there something nightmarish about our misleader swooping down on a steaming pit of sweat and testosterone and whipping a throng of brown-shirted youths into a nationalistic frenzy?

And what’s not surreal about the author of an unnecessary, costly, and wholly counterproductive war claiming that his policies are “laying the foundations of peace for decades to come”?

But President Bush’s appearance at the jamboree was more than just a bad dream. It was one of those grandiose expressions of state power that, at least briefly, transforms a bumbling and dishonest politician into protector of all that is good and true in the fatherland.

Despite the patriotic fervor, there’s actually little about these kinds of events that marks them as distinctly American. Swap out the little American flags for little Cuban flags, and Bush’s visit with the Scouts would have seemed a lot like one of those government-orchestrated rallies in Havana over which Fidel Castro presides (although if el jefe had been speaking Sunday, he’d have gone on for hours and hours, precipitating another rash of heat-related illnesses at the jamboree).

The extravaganza featuring our commander in chief felt especially creepy coming on the heels of a weeklong effort by the military to turn the jamboree into one big recruitment fair.

Bush Bleeds in Ohio

Trouble in Bush country: Iraq hammers president's poll ratings

More and more people seem to be getting Bush's number - and it gets smaller and smaller as time goes on:

A national Newsweek survey Saturday put Bush's national poll ratings on Iraq at a new low, with only 34 percent of Americans polled saying they approved of his management of the conflict.

While there are no recent equivalent surveys in Ohio, anecdotal evidence suggests sentiment is at least as bad in the tiebreaker state which Bush narrowly won over challenger John Kerry in the 2004 election.

Red flags were raised for Bush on Tuesday, when Democrat Paul Hackett, an Iraq veteran critical of his war leadership, narrowly lost a special election for the US House of Representatives in a hard core Republican district.

Bush Turns His Back on the Troops

Today the main news stories are that 14 marines were killed yesterday in one attack, a day after 6 others were killed in the same region, and that as that is happening President George W. Bush begins another five week vacation.

Let's hear it for compassion, accountability, responsibility, resolve, maturity, morality, honesty, etc, etc - all the fantasy qualities that this administration was supposed to represent. What we really have is selfishness, greed, ignorance, secrecy, intolerance, dishonesty, pretence, PR, spin, distraction, corruption, and a president who can't even put out the energy to pretend to care about anything except providing rewards for his rich and powerful "base." Fuck the troops.